One time a saint observed a candala walking along the road was sprinkling water on the path to purify before his every step. This was kinda strange and so the saint approached him and asked the reason. The Candala told its sinful to walk along the path where an ungrateful person has walked over. Even a candala feels he gets sin to touch the earth that was walked over by an ungrateful person. 

The following is quite impersonal but is ultimately about connecting to the nature and the creator indirectly. 

"From The Secret Daily Teachings Mobile App 

Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

May the joy be with you, 
Rhonda Byrne" 

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/04/the-ungrateful-heart-is-not-so-great.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

Extracted from an article "With Krsna in the Peaceable Kıngdom"

By Ravindra Svarupa Das

The material body of every living being is animated by a spiritual soul, who is the eternal offspring of Krsna. Each souls individual history of good or bad deeds causes him to become fastened into a higher or lower body, yet all souls remain in essence equal as children of God. God never forgets them, and a godly person, Krsna tells us, sees all animate beings as spritually equal sparks of the divine (Bg.5.18).

But if we forgt God and consequently develop eclipsed material vision, the transcen- dental unity of the eludes us. Once we have become estranged from Krsna, we become estranged from all other living beings-even those of our own kind. thesymptom of our divorce from God is our inability to sustain peaceful, harmonious, loving realtions with others. We incessantly make war upon our fellow humans, and we wantonly prey upon innocent animals, needlessly slaughtering them for food. At the same time we feel a need to rectify all our reationships—within our own families and communities, among races and nations, and between humans and subhumans.

Yet the disorder that has invaded all our relations is a symptom of one central enduring dislocation—our severance from God. Only when that is repaired will the disruption between ourselves and all other beings be healed.

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/04/disorder-has-invaded-all-our-relations.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

Reversals teach you lessons!

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/05/reversals-teach-you-lessons.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

Nourishment is what the soul seeks
A moment of attention to grasp the music 
A moment of concentration to sink into the holy name
A moment that unknowingly becomes minutes
Minutes if not hours of being engulfed
Love? Peace? Contentment?
Pale in comparison to - bliss
Bliss of Hari-nama 

So dear mind! Why?
Why the mindless clapping with a vacant expression?
Why the trek through mountains of thought?
Allow that music to float across your ears
Once the boat of music enters the shores of your ears
The passenger - the holy name enters the mind
Enters the intelligence
Enters my whole being

All it takes is a moment of attention
Dear dear Gaura, bless my mind
Steady attention is all I ask....

"So this concentration of mind isvery difficult in this age because mind is so agitated. Therefore force them to hear Hare Krishna . Even they have no mind to hear, you chant loudly Hare Krishna . They will hear. Their mind will be dragged. It is so nice thing. He hasn't got to (chuckling) concentrate. I'll force him. You see? So as soon as he hears "Krishna," oh, he advances immediately one step." - Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968

Source : http://walksatdawn.blogspot.in/2015/05/attention.html

The process of Krishna consciousness brings about a very dynamic and ongoing transformation – a transformation of our life and ourselves. Spiritual life is ever increasing – there are always new insights to gain and new discoveries to make.

Lord Chaitanya compares a devotee to an expert gardener, who cultivates the Bhakti Lata with care and attention throughout his entire life to one day harvest the fruit of pure love to Krishna. For our Bhakti Lata to grow healthy and strong it is of the greatest importance to regularly turn towards sources of nourishment and fresh inspiration in order to deepen our faith in the process of devotional service. It is like the fertilizer, which the expert gardener regularly adds to the soil.

And a source of such nourishment and inspiration is provided by the Bhakti Sangam Festival, where devotees come together and develop relationships on the basis of hearing Krishna Katha from advanced Sadhus, and chant the Holy Name together.

In CC, Madhya 3, 203 Srila Prabhupada is giving us the direct instruction to conduct such festivals:

“If one has the proper means and wealth, he should occasionally invite the devotees of Lord Caitanya who are engaged in preaching all over the world and hold a festival at home simply by distributing prasadam and talking about Krishna during the day and holding congregational chanting for at least three hours in the evening. This procedure must be adopted in all centers of the Krishna consciousness movement.”

The annual Bhakti Sangam Festival is surely the most amazing event on this planet, with so many Maharajas and preachers sharing their realizations in seminars, and the evenings are spent in most sublime kirtans. Each seminar block has six presentations running parallel in various venues. Since there is such a huge crowd of devotees many topics can be offered by a variety of speakers to suit everyone’s needs and attractions.

For Photo Gallery Click here

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30995

Extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence

‘World Holy Name Week’ is a festival held by devotees worldwide to commemorate Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the West.  Devotees celebrate it by chanting and distributing the holy names to everyone. It helps us remember that it is by the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada that we have received the holy names and what was once a one day celebration, became a weeklong celebration, then a 10 day celebration and this year a two week celebration starting on July 28th and ending on August 14th.

Sankirtana is the heart of padayatra. Wherever we walk, whenever we enter a village or conduct house programs we chant the holy names with every soul in attendance dancing along with us. It’s not a surprise to us since we are traveling with sankirtana eka pitaro, the father ofsankirtana Himself, Lord Caitanya. Lokanath Swami said, “Celebrating the ‘World Holy Name’ festival is like celebrating the victory of the holy names all over the world param vijayate sri- krishna sankirtanam. The world is on fire, let us chant more and extinguish the fire of this material existence. So, propagate the holy names.” We took these words to heart and held different programs during these two weeks  of ‘World Holy Name’ celebrations.

We were in Kurur on July 28th the first day of this celebration, which also coincided with the day of the incorporation of ISKCON in New York. During the

three days we stayed there we distributed about 250 maha big books. We held kirtana in the streets and had many house programs all over the city. Thereafter we travelled to the village of Manlamedu where we experienced the miracle of a cowslaughterer becoming a cow worshipper.  (This amazing story has already been posted on the padayatra website)

Risking our lives to give the holy names in a riotous city

On August 6th we travelled to the city of Dindugal. We noticed that there were many churches and masjids (mosques) and very few hindu temples. Our party forged ahead but before we could enter the city we were stopped by some policemen. We tried to explain to them our purpose –to spread the holy names- but they wouldn’t listen and refused us entry.  At this point we were at a loss as to where we were going to spend the night, so the police told us to camp at the outskirts of the city 2 kilometers away. The police officials were kind enough to send two police constables to remain with us while we were there, They were concerned for our safety, since there had been some conflicts in the community.

The next day we continued with our regular morning program of mangala arati, chanting,Bhagavatam class on the theme of the glories of the holy names and prasadam. We were happy to see that the police constables also got up and attended the morning program. They even asked us, “Can we also chant ?”, and requested  japa beads. We told them, “Yes of courseharinama is for everyone” and gave them beads to chant on. While getting ready to go onsankirtana we noticed a few Muslims gathering nearby checking out our padayatra cart. It appeared to us that they thought we were some ‘anti-social’ group, so we went up to them and spoke to them about our aim- to propagate the holy names. After explaining and assuring them that we had no other objectives they realized we were harmless;  yet still we were not allowed to enter the city.

Sometime later a police official in charge of the city approached us. We pleaded with him to allow us into the city but he explained that the rules here are different and therefore, he could not do so. He may not have been able to let us into the city at this point but he was certainly interested in padayatra –he stayed with us for two hours, first taking darsana of the Lord and then having prasadam with us. The whole time we were still trying to convince him to let us into the city, even saying that we would enter at our own risk. We explained our mission again, ‘We want to spread the holy names wherever we go. The holy names are not just for Hindus whoever hears the holy names gets spiritual benefit. We are chanting for love and peace dina hina yata chilo hariname udharilo (the holy names delivers all those souls who are lowly and wretched).’ Finally after all this persuasion he agreed on the condition that while in the city we would be under constant police protection. He told us that there were riots in the city between Muslims and Hindus during ganpati utsava.  The people celebrating were drinking alcohol and playing loud music and because of the disturbance there were some conflicts in the city. We said to him, “Don’t worry, ours is spiritual kirtana which the Lord Himself has sent to Earth and which is soothing for every soul.”

As we entered the city 4 police vans travelled in front of our party and 4 more travelled behind us. We held a grand kirtana with some of the people joining us and many more coming to honorcarnamrta which we had begun distributing. We were very surprised indeed. Our party moved through the city without hindrance despite there being traffic –the police officials co-operated with us and we moved ahead. ‘Who could stop the Lord if He wants to go to His children and give them darsana?,’ I thought. This was how all the Hindus, Muslims and Christians were blessed by seeing the Lord and hearing the holy names.

The police officials were astounded; they couldn’t believe that there were no divergences or violence while we were in the city. In fact they told us “Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar are very merciful, but you, Their followers, are even more merciful. You risked your lives to give the holy names to each and every person in this city. All glories to you!” I replied, “The Lord is the doer and protector and we are just instruments in His hands.” The police constables who were accompanying us were so inspired that they asked the official in charge whether they could continue staying on duty with us, ‘sadhus’, explaining that they wanted to be with us. They enjoyed being in the association of devotees – such is the power of the holy names -and as a result the police officials protected us right up until we left the Dindugal district.

Param vijayatre sri krishna sankirtanam

On August 12th we travelled to the village of Vaiyampatti which has a namahatta centre. The devotees there, hearing of our arrival, happily welcomed us and organized a pandal program and nice prasadam.  We were pleased to see many local residents attending the program. I took the opportunity to speak to the crowd about the vital importance of chanting the holy names in kaliyuga, and quoted Srila Prabhupada, “Sankirtan is the only cure.” We stayed here for two days doing sankirtana with the namahatta devotees in the main squares of the village.

Our next stop was on August 14th in the village of Malayandipatti. We held sankirtana with many of the locals joining us while relishing the holy names. That day marked the 50thanniversary of the first public harinam sankirtan in the western world and also the last day of ‘World Holy Name Week’, but for us it seemed like just the beginning since whatever we did these days inspired us more and more.

It was thus, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and our beloved Padayatra Ministry leader, Lokanath Swami, that we were able to celebrate ‘World Holy Name Week’.

ISKCON Golden jubilee ki! Jai!

World Holy Name Festival ki! Jai!

Quotes about the holy names to inspire you too:

The holy name is the most precious jewel in the Lord’s treasure house

(Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura –Sri Hrinam Cintamani)

The Lord’s holy name is compared to medicine it’s the only cure for the material disease

(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, ISKON’s founder acarya)

Golokera prema-dhana

Harinam sankirtan

Translation : The Hare Krishna mahamantra has descended from Goloka Vrindavan

(Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura –Hari Hari Biphale)

1 Sri Siksastakam – Eight Instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

2 A center in every Muslim community where members of the Islamic faith gather to pray.

3 Hari Hari Biphale (Prayer to One’s Beloved Lord) by Narottama Dasa Thakur

4 A festival held in honor of Lord Ganesh

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=31006

The three biggest fears in life: exams, public speaking and death. Of them, the final is probably the most acute. As that fateful hour approaches, everything we worked so hard for is snatched away, throwing our entire sense of identity and purpose into question. On a subtle level, however, we are regularly subjecting ourselves to this disturbing experience. How so? The world teaches us to base our sense of identity and self-worth on transitory, external and artificial considerations. When we identify with our abilities, facilities and positions of responsibility, then we set ourselves up for crisis. Why? Because the undisputable nature of this world is that such things will almost always fade away over time. 

We pride ourselves in our ‘unique’ abilities – but then we witness our own ineptitude, or find someone far more qualified and competent. Painful. We find comfort in karmic gifts like beauty, physique, learning and wealth – but the waves of time callously cause them to eventually crumble. Painful. We feel valuable because of our reputation, influence and position in society – but everyone has their day, after which we all have to make way. Painful. Constant change is the underlying theme of the material phantasmagoria – its unstoppable (cannot be checked), unpredictable (will happen at any time) and uncontrollable (could occur in any way). Thus, we suffer a subtle ego death every time we falsely identify with the temporary.

Thus, wisdom teachers continually remind us to focus on our eternal, unchanging, ontological identity. As spiritual beings, our true ego lies in being a selfless servant. Everything we receive in the journey of life is simply a facility and detail in pursuance of this, with any given situation always offering a unique opportunity for selfless service. In such spiritual consciousness, all anxieties, fear and dissatisfaction disappear. You may have the experience of coming home in the evening after a day ‘in the world.’ Surrounded by our closest family and friends, we can kick back, relax and be ourselves - no artificiality, no acting, no masks. Here we feel completely comfortable, safe and natural. Imagine the satisfaction, joy, and sense of fulfilment we can experience if we live each day with the clear consciousness of who we really are... spirit souls and selfless servants. That’s the ultimate in 'being yourself.'

Source : http://sutapamonk.blogspot.in/2015/05/ego-death.html

"To get vaccination from the sense gratification is to absorb in transcendental ecstasy. To do that we need to have a strong desire. In a few days, months, years, if you are determined and if somehow you could convince Lord Nithyananda, "I don't have any other desire but to get back to You. You should please give me that little drop of mercy." 

For Lord Nithyananda prabhu is very merciful. He doesn't see whether a person is qualified or not qualified. He is very liberal in giving that mercy. If someone has a desire for the mercy, then Lord Nithyananda is known to give. So it is very promising if we put our faith in Lord Nithyananda. If we put our aspirations at His Lotus Feet for that mercy, and if we get that, after that it is smooth sailing. Material happiness seem very insignificant. 

All we need to do is avoid association with materialists, who bring us into a clouded condition where we forget our spiritual perspective and start acting mechanically on the material platform. We have to avoid that type of situation, continue engaging in devotional service with that little drop of nectar. That is what all devotees pray for. 'Kripa bindu Diya'- Give me that drop of mercy – that drop of mercy, which is the mercy of Lord Nithyananda. 

HH Jayapataka Swami 
From the book: Vaishnava Vani 
Courtesy: Mathuradesh 

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/05/transcendental-vaccination.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV, www.ecovillage.org.in) a 100 acre sustainable farming community and retreat center, based near Mumbai, India received the 2016 Green Apple Awards for Built Environment & Architectural Heritage Award for it’s Green Building initiatives from the Green Organization, UK, at a special ceremony on Monday August 8, 2016 at The Crystal, London Docklands – regarded as the most sustainable events venue in the UK. Radha Mohan Prabhu from the Bhaktivedanta Manor, on behalf of ISKCON GEV, received this award from the hands of Dr. Paula Owen, Chief Fun Officer of Eco Action Games.

During that same ceremony GEV was also honored as the International Green World Ambassadors. This recognition comes as a result of the environmental success of their GEV SYMBIOTIC DEVELOPMENT MODEL Project which won a Green Apple Environment Award, presented at Westminster Palace in November last year.

As a result of that success, they are having their winning paper published in The Green Book, the world’s only annual work of reference on environmental best practice that is distributed to environment professionals, universities and libraries around the world by The Green Organisation.

The award judges commented: “As a model to demonstrate sustainable living, this village is a prime example. Rural farming communities such as this are ideally placed to find alternative avenues for what would usually be waste and they have combined traditional use of animal power with 21st century solar power to create a community which lives in harmony with its environment.”

The winning paper now goes forward for further judging and entry into The Green World Awards for the Environment; the campaign to find the “greenest” organisation in the world. This presentation takes place in Seoul, South Korea in October.

The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as UK’s major recognition for environmental endeavor among companies, councils, communities and countries. The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management and other independent bodies. The Green Apple Awards campaign was one of the first to be accepted by Britain’s RSA Environmental Awards Forum as meeting the high standards and criteria to be approved as an automatic conduit into the Brussels-led European Business Awards for the Environment.

The awards are organized by The Green Organization, established in 1994 as an international, independent, non-profit, non-political, non-activist environment group, dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world. The Green Organization work for various environmental causes including the Green Earth Appeal and The United Nations to plant trees where they will do most good in the world and is having various environment initiatives of its own as well.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30963

Temple life is a little bit like a pressure cooker! Out in the world, there are some outlets – when there is lots of frustration, you can just get drunk one night and get rid of that frustration!.

But as a devotee, all that you can do is eat lots ofprasadam; take shelter in that since you cannot drink, smoke or do anything like that. For sex, you have to be married! There is no sexual recreation, it is just for the sport!

In this way, sometimes we may get into a pressure situation in the temple but you just have to tolerate. In a pressure situation, you brought your false ego and someone else has brought his and these two false egos really clash nicely!

So yes, it is very difficult. Lord Caitanya understands, he understands where we come from; he knows that we are not pure; he knows we are full of false egos. So, he knows that in the beginning, sometimes it gets out of hand. I have seen all kinds of cases – I have seen the skinny mataji strangle the fat one…

Lord Caitanya understands that in the beginning, we are going to be a little rough around the edges, and maybe there will be some sparks flying. He does not take it very serious but when we get really envious, “I am going to destroy this guy!” This is vaiṣṇava-aparādha, this is when it really gets to vaiṣṇava-aparādha if you just go after someone.

‘tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā,’  (Siksastaka, verse 3)

Be more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree but if we just go after someone, that is envy and then you get strong reactions. But the little rough dealings between new devotees are not so serious, are not taken so serious. If you keep on doing it, it will destroy some taste!

Otherwise, what chance would we have? Because everybody comes from different background than a pure devotee. You cannot act like a pure devotee overnight. We should try, it is about trying. Sometimes we fail, but we should keep on trying to be more tolerant than a tree, to be respectful!

Source : https://www.kksblog.com/2016/08/fine-tuning/

Tips for Steady Chanting.
Ananda: How can I find the strength to be steady in my spiritual practice of chanting the holy names of even when uncertainties in life come my way?
I believe this is a gradual process. In the beginning, we will come back to that relationship with the holy name after a prolonged time. Then, gradually, we will notice that we are always a little absent in our relationship when life gets tough. And we will grieve about it. We will ask ourselves: “Why am I always turning to Krishna very late – why not earlier?” and based on that realization we will slowly learn to wake up and turn to Krishna earlier.
There will always be uncertainties in life. Everything will always work our differently than we planned it. Once a clever person said: “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” How true. The nature of this life is that we are like fish out of water. The earlier we return to the wonderful fresh water of Krishna consciousness, the less we suffer. 
To realize this may take time, but it is necessary for us. Just give your best and trust that Krishna will help. Gradually you will be able to change this unfortunate habit. So, practice, practice, practice…and eventually you will learn the secret of steadiness in your spiritual life.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30976

Last week, a large number of devotees celebrated Krishna Janmashtami, the day that marks his birth, across China. (HT/Sutirtho Patranobis)

The cult of Krishna is growing in officially atheist China.

Numbers are difficult to compile and often anecdotal in nature, but the philosophy of love and devotion as symbolised by Krishna, one of Hinduism’s popular deities, is evidently attracting many Chinese in urban areas. 

Last week, a large number of devotees celebrated Krishna Janmashtami, the day that marks his birth, across China in big and small groups, at yoga centres and among family members. 

Celebrations were mostly marked by chanting of “Hare Krishna”, singing devotional songs, readings from the Bhagavad Gita and distribution of sweets including laddoos. 

 

One of the larger celebrations was held at the International Buddhist Items and Crafts Fair in Dongguan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.  “At the Dongguan fair, we presented the idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra as three international angels of auspiciousness and distributed 3,000 packages of sweets,” a devotee who identified himself as Gaudiya Das told HT. 

“There were congregational chanting and we took the three idols on a vehicle around the entire fair, distributing foods like laddoos, chapatis, sweet rice and even (traditional Chinese food) moon cakes,” he said. 

The day was also celebrated in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Harbin and the province of Wuhan, said Das, a trained practitioner of Bhakti yoga. 

Das was careful not to describe the Krishna following as a “movement” because of the sensitivity of the word in Communist China.  “We do not want any trouble with the government. The programmes were unofficial.” 

“It is not about any religion. You do not have to believe in Hinduism to celebrate Krishna’s birthday. It is like Christmas: the whole world celebrates, everyone is happy.”

Some of the organisers were from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) group. 

The Chinese like traditional culture and that’s why Krishna and his teachings are gaining in popularity, he added.

Tradition, however, is not the only reason for this, said Yang Fenggang, director, Centre on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University in the US, adding that the Krishna following in China began with yoga. 

“They started with encouraging the practice of yoga. They might not have realised about the religious dimension or nature of the ‘cultural’ practices. Given the prevailing dominance of militant atheism in religious affairs, I think it's more likely than not that the authorities may try to block further such developments.” 

At the same time, more Chinese will be attracted to religion. 

On China’s “atheism”, he said: “In the last three to four decades, many religions have revived and grown. It is no longer accurate to say ‘atheist China’ even though atheism continues to be the official orthodoxy of the Communist Party of China and indoctrinated in schools and universities.” 

He said there are CPC officials who are more “open towards religion and want to follow the constitutional principle of religious freedom. But such individuals are in weaker positions.”

Sarah Cook from the Washington-based Freedom House said the CPC “has been fairly consistent about crackdown on religious or spiritual groups that garner a large following seemingly outside party control.”

“The largest and most severe such example is the eradication campaign launched against Falun Gong in 1999 after it grew to have 100 million followers, which was more than the number of CPC members,” said Cook, whose US government-funded NGO works on democracy and political freedom.

Source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/krishna-s-popularity-rising-in-communist-china/story-sc2ZprhO7eUe4kEje0KUzL.html

We’re back on the road, traveling the country for the next four months. Every town has its flavour, and every day is unique. It’s quite a task to stop someone in their tracks, cut through the myriad of thoughts, penetrate the bubble of their life and begin a dialogue about deeper subject matter. Some people naturally tune in to the concept of ancient wisdom, while others are sceptical, uninterested and otherwise-engaged. Either way we always have a laugh, a smile and learn something from each other!

Every day we experience a small miracle. Last week, on our way to Torquay, the driver lost his bearings and we accidently parked up in Paignton, a small neighbouring town. As we got onto the high street, we realised we were in the wrong place! I rushed to the car park to fetch the van while the rest of the team waited on the street corner. One of our budding monks, Nikhil, was convinced we had come there for a reason (he was the driver who brought us to the wrong place!). In his two-minute ‘window of opportunity’ he decided to approach the first pedestrian and explain what we were doing. 

As he turned to a random passer-by, the man stopped almost instantaneously. “We are the monks, traveling the country and teaching people about meditation and spirituality” Nikhil said. With a sparkle in his eye and a look of disbelief the man replied: “Amazing! I’ve been looking for you guys!” He went on to explain how he had received one of our books, read it cover to cover, and begun practicing mantra meditation… all by himself. He has never had any contact with a Hare Krishna community, temple, or practicing devotee. He simply read the book, became convinced and proceeded to string his own beads. Now he carries those beads with him everywhere he goes, quietly whispering the Hare Krishna mantra to himself.

So there was indeed a reason why we stopped in Paignton that day. A miraculous meeting, likely orchestrated by providence. Here’s a short interview with James, without doubt a very special soul:

Source : http://sutapamonk.blogspot.in/2015/05/miraculous-meetings.html

There's a number of quotes from acharyas, you can find which is supporting your own view. If you are feminist, you can see quotes that are supportive to your views and if you are anti-feminist you can see the quotes that fits your perspective. If you put a red glass everything you see appears red. It's easy to manipulate the quotes of Acharyas in one angle and conclude biased opinions.

Woman reporter: What about women who do not have children?

Prabhupada: Well, that is also another unnatural thing. Sometimes they use contraceptives. They kill children, abortion. That is also not very good. These are all sinful activities. These are sinful activities, to kill child in the womb.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. In the history there is no woman who is a big philosopher, a big mathematician, big scientist, big educationist. We don’t find. They were all men.

Disciple: Women’s liberation has become successful because man is now the servant of woman.

Prabhupada: It is not successful. That I was pointing out. It has caused the disaster because the whole women become dependent on the welfare gift of the government, and the government has to raise tax heavily for this purpose. The tax is given by the general public, but it is going for one individual person, and I have heard that government is embarrassed.

Prabhupada: By nature’s way, if the husband takes care of the wife and children, this problem is solved immediately. But the man takes advantage. He goes away after making the woman pregnant. And the woman is embarrassed and the government is embarrassed.

Disciple: And the child grows up to be a criminal.

Prabhupada: Yes.

(Television interview with Srila Prabhupada, July 9, 1975, Chicago)

Reporter: Are men regarded as superior to women?
Prabhupada: Yes, naturally. Naturally, woman requires protection by the man. In the childhood she is protected by the father, and youth time she is protected by the husband, and old age she is protected by elderly sons. That is natural.
Female Reporter: That goes against the thinking of a lot of people in America now. Do you know that?
Prabhupada: No… America, maybe, but this is the natural position. Women require protection.
Female Reporter: Who decides who’s natural? And what’s natural?
Prabhupada: Natural means just like in psychology it is said that woman, the highest brain substance of woman is thirty-six ounce, whereas the highest brain substance of man is sixty-four ounce. So there is difference by nature, of the brain.

(News Interview with Srila Prabhupada, March 5, 1975, New York)

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/06/are-men-regarded-as-superior-to-women.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

MM 47: What person, even if most sinful, has ever said aloud the blessed name Narayana and failed to fulfill his desires? But we, alas, never used our power of speech in that way, and so we had to suffer such miseries as living in a womb. 

Source : http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2015/06/we-had-to-suffer-such-miseries-as.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/krsna+(Krishna-Bhakti+Yoga)

If we can have Krsna in the foreground, in every situation – first Krsna and then everything – then we have Vrindavan. Simply Krsna is most important in every situation and this is the spirit of Krsna consciousness.

Then there is another level of Krsna consciousness, where Krsna is the backdrop. It is a nice backdrop, we kind of like it and we would not want any other backdrop in our life; but it is a backdrop nonetheless! In our own pastimes… in activities which are on our mind… in our own life and what we are going through and what we are not going through… in what we wish we would be going through… all these things that had never happened… and all that had happened that we had never asked for… like that, so many things and Krsna was always there.

Nice auspicious life, good life, blessed life when Krsna was always there. But how much better could it be when Krsna was always in the foreground. Then such a life it would just dissolve the demarcation between the spirit and matter. We would be walking in the spiritual world. Our feet would not touch the ground!

Just as the demigods, their feet never touch the ground; the demigods are floating above the ground. But the devotees who always put Krsna first, with every step, they walk in the spiritual world. Not just touching the ground but touching cintamani dham – touching these transcendental touchstones. These cintamani stones are for the spiritual world, the land of the wishful fulfilling desire trees. The land of the Kamadeva, the surabhi cows who can give oceans of milk. That abode, the abode of Krishna...

Source : https://www.kksblog.com/2016/08/staying-high-forever/

For most, personal space is an indispensable commodity. While traveling on London Underground recently, I noticed how everyone in the carriage had strategically sat so that there was an empty seat in-between them. Rather than filling the gap, a boarding passenger walked all the way to the other side of the train where he found a reasonable amount of vacant real estate. Interesting indeed. It’s a stark contrast to Indian trains where people can practically sit on top of you without a second thought! Although modern culture prides itself in personal space and privacy, the traditional cultures of communal setup and public life may be more supportive to our spirituality. Close company of others is not only inspirational and instructive, but also highly protective.

Where do your thoughts and actions gravitate towards when you are alone? What is your natural level of spiritual absorption behind closed doors? Good questions to assess our spiritual whereabouts, since our weaknesses are often exposed when nobody else is watching. Monastic life, traditionally a student phase, is therefore highly public. Being surrounded by so many spiritual eyes is actually a great protection, forcing one to function on a higher level. It may seem artificial and forced, but spending a good portion of your life under such supervision gives you a good chance of developing the maturity and stability to do it alone. 

Yet privacy has its part to play - how can we hear the soul when everyone else is talking? Quiet time alone fuels our introspection and reflection. When we are away from the gaze of others, with nobody to impress and nothing to achieve, it can help us dig a little deeper and develop more sincerity and genuineness. We can't always be in the full view of others, because while managing their impressions of us, we become addicted to praise and affirmation, unknowingly chained to public opinion. In exhausting ourselves to be somebody in their eyes, we never quite find ourselves... we never find God. 

The saints conclude that privacy is a dangerous necessity. Embrace it with caution - it can make you or break you.

Source : http://sutapamonk.blogspot.in/2015/06/public-eye.html

For three days, many wonderful devotees and friends celebrated Sri Krishna Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja at ISKCON of Silicon Valley, in Mountain View, California, and after the festivities on the last day Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami, Rtadhvaja Swami, Vaisesika Prabhu, and I met at my hosts’ house in Menlo Park. For several hours we shared thoughts and realizations and in Krishna consciousness, as advised by Lord Krishna in theBhagavad-gita (10.9):

mac-citta mad-gata-prana
bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam
tusyanti ca ramanti ca

“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.”

In terms of my personal service, they all implored, or instructed, me to immerse myself in the Juhu book, even at the cost (temporarily) of other worthy endeavors, and to arrange my life to facilitate that process and that project, which, they said, was of paramount importance.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Source : http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11351

The average person spends 23 days a year on the phone. Ironically, we seldom use them for the purpose they were invented – to audibly speak to people. Messaging, social media, browsing and entertainment apps have officially taken over. It’s another development in the impersonalism of the information age; not only are our interactions faceless, but also speechless! It’s no surprise then, that people are fast forgetting the art of having a good conversation. Look around and observe people talking – often, they are disconnected, disinterested and disengaged, and even when they manage to draw each other in, nothing valuable or productive is really generated from all the natter. Knowing how to have a good conversation is clearly an under-developed life skill.

But the potential is huge. The most profound truths of existence were revealed in conversations. 5000 years ago, when the valiant Arjuna was thrown into an existential crisis, he desperately began questioning life, the universe and everything. A penetrating conversation with Krishna ensued, and the Bhagavad-gita (“song of God”) was born. The contents of this conversation are profound, but so too is the manner in which it was conducted. Let’s take a closer look at conversational skill of Krishna and Arjuna:

Attention – Despite the fever-pitch intensity of the battlefield, Arjuna managed to shut everything out and give his undivided attention to Krishna. Attention, they say, is the rarest and purest form of generosity. It pays to be fully present in any dialogue, since your counterpart will willingly work overtime to reciprocate with your investment.

Openness – Arjuna was open to suggestion. “I am student,” he said,“I wish to learn, and want to know your opinions.” That’s progressive. If you enter a conversation fixated on what you’ll say and what you want to hear, you paralyse the process of discovery. Let the person give what they want, and be ready to wholeheartedly receive. Set aside your personal opinion and let your perspective be challenged.

Spontaneity – Arjuna was baffled and bewildered, looking for answers but lacking clarity and structure. Krishna patiently responded to his every inquiry, taking the hour-long conversation through twists and turns, and full circle! Good conversations go with the flow. Often times it’s more valuable to ditch the planned route in your head, and instead talk about what is lingering deep within the person. Then we get to the heart of the issue.

Honesty – Arjuna lays all the cards on the table. He has doubts, questions, disagreements and issues, and he eventually reveals it all. Krishna responds to his honesty with gem-like insights. When you are real with people, they’ll be real with you, and then it gets ‘real interesting.’ Superficiality is the breeding ground of the most uninteresting interactions.

Humility – Hearing Arjuna’s request for guidance, Krishna is reluctant. Even after Krishna offers his flawless advice, He states this it’s merely “His opinion” and encourages Arjuna to “do as he wishes to do.” Krishna’s humility is indeed amazing. Conversations are not a platform for self-promotion or proving ourselves. Putting our own pride and vanity aside allows us discover wisdom and truth. In a conversation, don’t simply listen so you can reply, but listen to genuinely understand.

… a few random thoughts on having a good conversation. Maybe we can discuss sometime?

Source : http://iskconnews.org/good-to-talk,5771/