Lecture on Rath Yatra by Bhakti Purshottam Swami 19 July 2016 at ISKCON Alachua

(His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami travels to many other parts of the globe encouraging others in their spiritual life.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on How wonderful and simple is this Movement by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami at Cape Town on 09 April 2016 at Durban

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami coordinated the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi in Mayapur. He took sannyasa in 1997 and is now an initiating guru.)

For Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on The heavenly treasurer's treasure comes from the supreme by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Devotees from ISKCON Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, India, held a week-long festival from 11 July to 17 July 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s Incorporation Day, which fell on 13th July.

Each day in the morning, devotees heard readings from the Jaladuta Diary and Prabhupada Lilamrita. Discourses were held on various topics such as Srila Prabhupada’s voyage to the USA, his commitment to following the orders of his spiritual master, the incorporation of ISKCON, and start of the worldwide Jagannatha Ratha Yatra festivals. Devotees also deliberated on one of Srila Prabhupada’s main instructions: books are the basis, purity is the force, and preaching is the essence.

“The week-long festival started on the actual day that Srila Prabhupada signed the incorporation deed in New York, which was on July 11th,” explained Sura Das, President of ISKCON Kharghar. “The festival saw devotees embarking on a voyage of memories that helped us remember the 50 glorious years of ISKCON. Everyone felt real pride in sharing the joy of devotion, that was Srila Prabhupada’s special gift to all of us.”

Every evening, devotees sang bhajans and kirtans, performed dances, and enacted dramas on the life and teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

“We sang the heart-melting bhajans that Srila Prabhupada wrote while he was on-board the Jaladuta,” said Dr. Chetan Hazare from the local congregation. “Children from Nimai’s Bhakti School, our local Sunday school, staged two plays on Srila Prabhupada’s struggles to establish ISKCON. We had a classical Indian Bharat Natyam dance featuring the bhajan written by Jayapataka Swami called ‘Yadi Prabhupada na hoito‘. A dance drama on the seven purposes of ISKCON was also performed.”

Several devotees offered Vyasa-puja style gratitude offerings to Srila Prabhupada in the evenings. A sumptuous prasadam feast was distributed every evening with specially made ‘love cookies’. Devotees offered a Golden Jubilee Cake on the Incorporation Day, and two Gratitude Day Cakes with the engraving ‘To our dear Srila Prabhupada with gratitude‘. On the concluding day, they offered special ghee lamps to Srila Prabhupada.

“We are grateful to Amiya Vilasa Swami, who graced the festival, and to Vaishnvanghri Das, Director of Bhaktivedanta College of Vedic Education, who guided the devotees throughout the celebrations,” concluded Sura Das. “Members of our congregation, whose life revolve around our Deities, Sri Sri Radha Madanmohanji, felt spiritually surcharged after the seven-day festivities. As a result, they want to become more involved in the 50th anniversary celebrations of ISKCON.” 

Source:http://iskconnews.org/iskcon-kharghar-celebrates-incorporation-day-with-a-week-long-program,5714/#

The Sri Sri Radha Radhanath temple in Durban, South Africa embarked on a rather sweet campaign to celebrate ISKCON 50. On Thursday, 28 July over 150 devotees distributed 5000 cup cakes all around Durban. The campaign began two weeks prior to the main distribution date, when temple president Vibhu Caitanya dasa, who personally steered and organised all aspects of the campaign, invited devotees and well-wishers to place orders for cupcakes to distribute at their places of employment, schools, universities and other institutions.

In true birthday style of celebrating with friends and relatives, this was the temple’s way of giving back and reaching out to the community of Durban. As hosts to the celebration, the temple took care of purchasing the ingredients and the logistics of baking the 5000 treats.

On site, the Govinda’s restaurant bakery came to a stand-still as all restaurant production came to a halt. Devotees took over the bakery to prepare, which were then cooled and packed by a separate group of over twenty devotees. The vanilla cup-cakes, decorated with sprinkles were then individually placed in a clear packet, wrapped with colourful ribbons with card attached highlighting the 50th anniversary of ISKCON.

Smiles, laughter and love filled the temple on Wednesday afternoon, when the Taste of Devotion Campaigners collected the cup-cakes for distribution. Vibhu Caitanya explains, “Everyone was so happy. From the bakers, to packers and those who went out on distribution were all delighted to participate in celebrating ISKCON 50 in this way. Essentially, it was a team effort from so many devotees, as everyone lovingly came on board to assist. We have received many photos from those who have distributed the cupcakes to various areas, and found that we have touched the hearts of many through this gesture.”

The birthday spirit spread all through Durban as devotees were enthusiastic to share their joy by handing out these cup-cakes to their friends and colleagues. These included medical professionals, engineers, construction workers, teachers, court-houses, South African Police Services, travellers and employees at King Shaka International Airport and even the Mayors Parlour. The campaign featured on the front page of The Mercury (a national newspaper) as well as on national radio stations.

Festivities continue at the temple this weekend. On Saturday, 30 July, devotees will participate in a Monthly Sankirtan Festival where Srila Prabhupada’s books and prasada will be distributed at over ten strategically selected spots in Durban. On Sunday, the Love Feast will be dedicated to the ISKCON50 celebration wherein Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Radhanath will be offered a new outfit. His Holiness Partha Sarathi Dasa Goswami will deliver the main talk and Vibhu Caitanya will present on the goals of the temple as an offering to Srila Prabhupada. The program will conclude with Guru Puja to Srila Prabhupada followed by a sumptuous feast. 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29982

I settled into the science classroom in the school that would once again be our base for our summer festival tour. The walls were crowded with test tubes, microscopes and colored bottles filled with liquid. Guru Kripa das laughed out loud as he looked around the room.

“Gurudeva, you’ve stayed in this room for three months every summer for last fifteen years. That means you’ve lived in this science lab for a total of four years! Have you ever noticed the monkey brain in the jar of formaldehyde?”

“Well, yes I have,” I said. “But I try not to look. Srila Prabhupada once said that sometimes a preacher lives in a palace and sometimes in a simple hut. But he never mentioned a science lab!”

The next morning we held a meeting with the 250 devotees who had joined us for the summer tour. There were many new faces; a number of the veterans from previous tours had not returned this year, either because they had to work, were recently married or had other responsibilities. Scanning the crowd, I suddenly realized I was the only devotee present who had been on the first Polish tour twenty six years ago.

I welcomed the devotees and gave a talk requesting them to give everything to Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan movement for the next three months. The tour, I explained, is a unique kind of festival within Srila Prabhupada’s movement. Temple festivals provide devotees with the opportunity to enjoy kirtan, katha and prasadam, but our festival program is specifically for non-devotees. Our job is to work in the background in order to give them the chance to experience the kirtan, classes and prasadam that we enjoy. It means a lot of self-sacrifice on the part of the team, but the reward is seeing others happily experiencing Krsna consciousness for the first time.

“Our festival is part of the sankirtan movement,” I concluded, “and thus it is part of the modern day pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.  His movement did not conclude when He left this planet. He Himself predicted that the holy names of Krishna would one day be heard in every town and village of the world. That being the case, we should look for present day miracles happening in our midst. This will help us to remain inspired during our three-month sacrifice.”

“Do you mean miracles like seeing our guests walking on water?” one devotee asked.

“Not miracles like that,” I replied with a smile. “Just look for a change of heart in people when they come to our festival.  That’s the real miracle. To have a genuine spiritual experience is no ordinary thing in the age of Kali!”

The devotees didn’t have to wait long to see such changes of heart. The next day, within minutes of our harinam party entering the crowded beach to advertise our first festival, a gentleman began enthusiastically taking photos of us. That he was taking photos wasn’t unusual in and of itself; what was unusual was that he didn’t stop. He continued following us for forty five minutes, shooting frame after frame of the brightly dressed matajis, the mrdanga players and the synchronized devotee dancers. Finally I walked over to him.

“Sir, why so many photos?” I asked.

“My daughter recently started practicing your faith,” he said, still shooting away. “She has been trying to explain it to me. I wasn’t very understanding of her choice and so she was becoming quite upset with me. When I saw you all – so many people who are obviously from different countries and backgrounds – singing and dancing happily in unison down the street I was convinced there could be nothing wrong with your movement after all. So I am taking all these photos to send to her to show my approval.” He shook my hand and waved as we continued on.

A few minutes further down the beach, a lady jumped up from her towel and came over to me.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” she said. “We are so happy to see you! Each year when you people come to town it means summer has finally arrived!”

That evening the crowds flooded into our festival grounds. I watched, spellbound; even after twenty six years, the sight still amazed me.

As I watched some festival goers settled down to enjoy the continuous stage show, while others milled around the restaurant, the shops, the book stalls, the yoga classes, the face painting, and the many other attractions.

“These are the most precious moments of my life,” I thought, as I began my customary walk around the festival site, Guru Kripa and Mathuranath by my side. “So much endeavor goes into collecting for and planning these events, but when I see so many hundreds and thousands people enjoying Krsna consciousness I feel full satisfaction.”

As I was walking, I noticed a woman in her twenties with a sad look on her face standing at the perimeter of the festival. She was holding a big basket of flowers.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“I’ve been trying to sell these roses for nine hours,” she said. “I’m hungry and tired and I’ve only sold two. My boss is going to kill me. And while I’m feeling bad, all the people at your festival are having a great time. I just wish I could come in, but I can’t. I really depend on this job, and I can’t afford not to sell the flowers.”

“How much do they cost?” I asked.

“They’re two zlotys each,” she said.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” I said. “I’ll buy the whole basket if you promise to come to the festival and stay until the very end.”

There was a long pause. She regarded me with wide-eyed amazement.

“Really?” she said at last. “You’re not joking?”

“Not at all,” I replied. “I can ask someone to take you to the fashion booth where you can put on a sari for the evening. Then you can have your face painted with beautiful flowers and you can go to the restaurant and eat for free. And then you can just sit in the front row and watch the show.”

Her eyes filled with tears as I pulled out 100 zlotys, took all the flowers, and handed them to Mathuranath.

“The pujaris were looking for some nice flowers for the deities this afternoon. We can give these roses to them.”

One of the lady devotees took the flower girl towards the stalls. Guru Kripa turned to me.

“Gurudeva,” he said, “this festival is free, but you just paid that girl to come. It’s so unusual.”

“There’s a saying in Sanskrit,” I said. ‘Phalena pariciyate’. It means ‘judge something by the result.’ Let’s see how she’s doing at the end of the festival.”

I continued my walk around the festival site. On the stage, our new theatrical performance “Vrindavan” was in full swing, the audience mesmerized by the performance of the thirty two actors. Meanwhile, all sixteen tents that bordered the festival area were full of people soaking up the various aspects of Vedic culture on display.  In the book tent, people were browsing through Srila Prabhupada’s books and asking the devotees behind the counter questions. I saw an elderly woman concluding her purchase of Bhagavad-Gita at the cash register.

“It’s a wonderful book,” I said to her.

“Oh yes, I know,” she said. “I’ve read this edition several times. I come to your festival every year and purchase four or five copies.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Well, I am 85 years old and lots of my friends are beginning to pass away,” she said. “When each one does, I give a Bhagavad-Gita to their relatives so they can understand what death actually is and that the soul is reborn.”

“Now that’s a little miracle,” I thought to myself. “An old woman who has never lived in a temple or been formally trained in Krsna conscious  is sharing the wisdom of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-Gita with others!”

It was time for me to head to the stage to give my lecture.

“How many times have I given this talk?” I asked Guru Kripa.

“At least 108 times,” he said.

“More like at least 1008 times, if not double that,” I said.

With Gita in hand I walked onto the stage and went straight to the front, my translator Mondakini dasi by my side. As a young boy I was always shy about speaking in public, but I’ve never experienced fear when delivering a lecture on Krsna consciousness. The reason is simple: the philosophy is perfect and complete. For a person who studies it and lives it, the philosophy is attractive because it provides a logical explanation of spiritual life and a positive alternative for solving all problems by returning to the spiritual world.

At the end of the lecture, I descended the stairs to find a small group of people with Bhagavad-Gitas in their hands, waiting for me to sign them.

The first to approach me was a sixteen-year-old girl who said that it was the eighth summer festival she had attended.

“Since my first festival I have had a special attraction to your food. I also love your theatre shows. I’ve watched all the shows you’ve ever produced; my favorite is the one about Lord Rama. As I was sitting listening to your lecture today, it dawned on me that it’s about time I started studying your philosophy, so I ran over to the book tent and bought this Bhagavad-Gita.” She blushed and looked at the ground. “Sorry it has taken me eight years to come to this point.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” I said. “That’s how the process works.”

Next two girls approached me with a Bhagavad-Gita.

“It’s for our parents,” one of them said. “Our family is going through a difficult time.  We were listening to your lecture and realized that your philosophy solves so many problems, so we’re hoping the wisdom in this book can guide our family to happier times.”

“I’m sure it will,” I said.

I signed ten Bhagavad Gitas, and as I was finishing two boys ran up to me.

“When’s your talk?” one of them said, gasping for air.

“Well, actually, I already spoke,” I said. “It was about an hour ago.”

“Oh no!” he said. He turned to the other boy. “You were eating your dessert too slowly. I told you we’d be late!”

“How old are you boys?” I asked.

“I’m twelve”, said the taller boy, “and my brother is ten.”

“And you came to hear my lecture?” I asked.

“Yes!” said the older boy. “We’ve come to your festival for the last three years and our favorite part is your talk. So much knowledge.”

“Yep,” said his younger brother. “As you always say, ‘Out of 8,400,000 species of life, the human form of life is the most important.’”

I shook my head in amazement. “Yes, I do say that.”

“Every lecture,” the older boy said, and they both laughed.

“But there’s always something new for us to think about too,” said the younger one. “We’re very grateful to you.”

“Why don’t we go and talk in the restaurant?” I suggested. “Because you guys missed the talk you can have whatever you want to eat.”

Their eyes lit up. “Great idea!”

Walking to the restaurant beside the boys, I marveled at how Srila Prabhupada’s movement appeals to people of all ages. “Even to very young philosophers,” I thought.

Outside the book tent I saw the flower girl emerging with a big smile on her face and one of Srila Prabhupada’s books under her arm.

“So there’s the result!” I said aloud.

“What did you say?” asked the younger brother.

I gave a huge smile. “I said I could do this forever!”

****************************

aneka janma krta maj jato ‘ndhau
siddhim kurusva prabhu gaura candra
samuj jvalam te pada padma sevam
karomi nityam hari kirtanam ca

“I have been immersed for many lives in this ocean of birth and death. Oh Lord Gauracandra! Oh golden moon-like master! If You bestow upon me continuous service to Your brilliant lotus feet,  I shall chant and describe to others the glories of Sri Hari forever.”

[Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Susloka-Satakam, text 99]

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29985

Devotees are set to hold a prestigious conference in celebration of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON’s 50thanniversary at the Italian Parliament in Rome on October 5th.

“Last year, this was just a dream of mine, but I was confident that Krishna would help me find a way to do something relevant for this historical anniversary,” says Villa Vrindavana President Parabhakti Das. “Sure enough, my dear friend Narada Muni Prabhu, a famous musician who is well acquainted with many influential people, came along and offered his help and that opened the doors to the Parliament.”

At first, Parabhakti and Narada Muni thought that they would have to go with a more universal topic for their event to make it easily digestible for such a public institution.

But when they spoke about the idea with Ugo Papi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and friend of devotees, he encouraged them: “Why don’t you go directly to your real goal – to celebrate ISKCON’s 50thanniversary and Srila Prabhupada?”

When they ran with this idea, rather than the obstacles they thought they might have faced, they found nothing but support from various leaders.

“The lesson I’ve taken from the experience is, don’t put any limits when you plan something for Krishna,” says Parabhakti.

The resulting conference will be entitled “Fifty Years of the Krishna Consciousness Movement: Srila Prabhupada, Messenger of Peace and Spiritual Knowledge.” It will be held at the Chamber of Deputies, one of two houses in the Italian Parliament’s bicameral legislature and a spot where all major political decisions are made.

At least one hundred devotees of different ages and “ashramas” or stages of life will represent ISKCON at the conference, and the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies will introduce it. There will be speeches by Madhusevita Das, President of the ISKCON Italian Confederation, and Parabhakti in the role of Italian Confederation Vice President and Communications Director.

Massimo Introvigne, an expert on religious movements, and Maria Immacolata Macioti, a social anthropologist specializing in India – both famous internationally – will also speak.

The Indian Ambassador to Italy and other big names are yet to be confirmed as speakers, while other major figures in the worlds of politics, academics and religion are being invited as guests of honor.

The event will also include bhajans, a prasadam buffet, and a screening of the twenty-minute documentary film Hare Krishna: 50 Years of Service and Joy, which showcases ISKCON’s many impressive contributions to the world.

All Members of Parliament will also receive Italian language editions of the ISKCON 50 magazine “The Hare Krishnas: Celebrating 50 Years” in their mailboxes. The magazine is an easily accessible introduction to ISKCON and its founder, history, beliefs and works.

Parabhakti says that he hopes for major media presence at the conference, and expects it to be a historic event for ISKCON Italy.

“The Parliament remains the most prestigious place to celebrate an event, and this is the first time we’ve done something directly related to our society there,” he says. “I believe it will give us strong credit in the political, academic and cultural spheres. And in general, it will have a positive effect on public opinion that remains long after the conference is over.” 

Source:http://iskconnews.org/italian-parliament-to-host-iskcon-50-conference,5715/

Material researched and presented by ISKCON Online.

The diagram above is of a generic ‘Sales Funnel’ or ‘Marketing Funnel’ used in the world of business for many years to show how a customer flows through stages from initial awareness of a product to being an enthusiastic advocate of the product. Every business wants enthusiastic advocates, and that’s why its important to keep a potential customer moving from one stage to the next, maintaining and developing their interest and commitment all the while. You’ll see from the ‘funnel’ shape that the number of people exposed to the advertising is far greater than the eventual number of ‘advocates,’ and in between there’s several stages at which its easy to lose the customer.

This general flow from vague awareness to advocacy is also true of missions such as ISKCON, too. Its also true that it takes a lot of awareness creation – thousands of man-hours of it – to bring just one person to the point of ‘Consideration,’ and then a lot of personal interaction to bring them to the point of ‘Adoption.’ And, like any other business, we can lose people along the way.

How many stages are there in bringing a person from vague awareness of ISKCON to active membership? You can describe it in any number of stages, and the diagram above has six, but I counted seven. Here they are, with two things that happen at every stage:

1. Seeds  – A. Vague awareness of ISKCON by indirect exposure through friends, family or media                                  B. Developing an interest in spirituality.

2. Contact – A. Further awareness of ISKCON by direct exposure through street chanting parties, book distribution and/or festivals. B. Interacting with ISKCON members through meetings, chatting online or reading a book.

3. Considering – A. Exploring personal interests. B. Enquiring and Comparing.

4. Transforming – A. Opening up to change. B. Awakening of faith.

5. Adopting – A. Beginning the practises of bhakti. B. Making lifestyle changes.

6. Commitment – A. Accepting the parampara. B. Embracing the ISKCON family.

7. Advocacy – A. Compassionate sharing. B. Missionary spirit.

The stages are similar to those a consumer would go through in adopting a physical product. First there is hearing about the product through advertising and verbal testimony; examining the product and comparing it with other similar products, considering whether or not to become a customer; trying out the product, and finally becoming a happy customer and telling others about the product.

It may be argued that faith cannot be compared to a physical consumer item such as a can of beans, because it is ‘an unflinching trust in something sublime.’ It is typically arrived at after a long series of intellectual considerations, internal adjustments and spiritual practise, yet the comparisons with observable consumer patterns are not inaccurate.

A person is attracted to the notion of bhakti after hearing about it, examines the concepts involved, tests it by meeting others who have adopted it and then experiments with the daily practises. After finding some satisfaction the person then moves toward ‘advocacy’ of bhakti – the compassionate sharing of it with others.

As a spiritual movement dedicated to increasing its membership, ISKCON’s purpose can be helped greatly by its leading members ensuring that all the natural stages in the flow are complete, and that aspiring bhakti-yogis can easily make a transition from one stage to another. Each stage requires a different kind of engagement with the new member, ranging from the initial conversations and personal example, through teaching of the basic concepts and practises, through to pastoral care and encouraging guidance.

ISKCON’s book distribution is legendary and immense in proportion to the size of its membership. Probably no other organisation can claim more voluntary teams interacting with the public on a daily basis. As a sales force it is unmatched in the business world. The movement’s membership involvement is also funnel-shaped because of the large amount of advertising and initial public contact conducted by the organisation. Thousands buy books, and hundreds of thousands hear the street chanting, and then progressively smaller percentages go on to become involved practitioners and advocates. This is a normal pattern for an organisation, particularly one with a very active marketing division.

To take a person through seven stages you have to make sure they have all the experiences that will gently take them from one stage to the next. Each stage requires its own knowledge and expertise, and it is therefore required that we divide up the responsibilities involved in each stage and make sure that someone is carrying them out. To fully capitalise on all the efforts expended by book-sellers, street chanters and festival-makers, and to ensure that as many as possible process through all the stages – not becoming lost along the way – ISKCON could examine carefully the other levels of its outreach, especially the stages where more direct, personal teaching and guidance are required. ISKCON wants to attract new members as well as retain the existing ones. A fresh look at how we help people in the important stages of consideration and transformation would be helpful. It would also benefit our movement as a whole to examine why members leave us, at what stage, and whether any changes are required in order to better care for our existing members.

Please visit the new Beta version of iskcononline.com 

Source:https://deshika.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/more-devotees-happy-devotees-the-seven-stages-of-iskcon-membership/#comment-9721

(a)To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.

(b)To propagate a consciousness of Krishna, as it is revealed in the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagwatam.

(c)To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).

(d)To teach and encourage the sankirtan movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

(e)To erect for the members and for society at large, a holy place of transcendental pastimes, dedicated to the Personality of Krishna.

(f)To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life.

(g)With a view towards achieving the aforementioned Purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

At Carnegie Hall ( a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City) singing My Sweet Lord- Hare Krishna, with ISKCON devotees, Sting, Elton John and some other famous people April 13, 2002 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29925

The soulful sankirtan of Shri Vishnujana Maharaja illuminated the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles , and then across the States, from the earliest days of Krishna consciousness. Today his uplifting bhajans and melodious kirtans still echo in the halls of ISKCON centers around the world. There was never a more faithful servant of Shrila Prabhupada, and the fortunate Vaishnavas who served under his loving care always keep his memories in their hearts. Shrila Prabhupada, who by his mystic potency sometimes appeared more as a member of ISKCON than the exalted founder-acharya, also expressed a desire to spend a week traveling with the bus party led by Vishnujana Swami.

Many fell under the irresistible spell of Vishnujana Maharaja and became Prabhupada’s devotees. HH Indradyumna Swami met him on a college campus in Michigan . He accepted his invitation to the love feast, and when he first showed up at the Detroit temple, he asked for Vishnujana Swami saying, “I want to be like him.”

Vishnujana Maharaja disappeared in 1977 never to be seen again. It is said that he followed in the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya’s servant, Shri Chhota Haridas who left this world at Prayag’s Triveni Sangam. His disappearance is discussed in the Lilamrita and in the Memories DVD interview with Pusta Krishna das, Shrila Prabhupada’s servant at that time.

Although Vishnujana Maharaja was known for his pure and simple explanations of the unquestionable need to surrender to the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna through service to His pure devotee, he remains a complex personality who is little understood. Those of us who look with wonder to such great pioneers can only try to empathize with the loneliness felt at the zenith. The following memoirs are extracted from the In2MeC Diary of His Holiness Suhotra Maharaja, who traveled with Vishnujana Swami on the legendary Radha-Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party bus from 1972. In the following extracts Suhotra Maharaja unravels a little about the mystery of the mahatma, our departed Godbrother.

Condensed from: “Listen! Vishnujana Maharaja is Singing”

Suhotra Maharaja

Shripada Vihsnujana Maharaja

…I stayed on in Boston and learned to do big book distribution, a new phenomenon in the ISKCON of that time. I traveled around New England with a team of brahmacharis in a sankirtana van. This was nectar, but we always had to come back to a temple that stood on uncertain managerial legs. So by the end of ’72 I was looking for a way to stay on the book distribution road and never come back.

…To make a long story short, I begged Vishnujana Maharaja to take me with him when he left Boston for New York . Trai Dasa, our new temple president, was not happy with me, but what could he do? As the Road Show pulled out before dawn, I jumped onto one of the buses. Bliss! …The same day we arrived in New York , SURPRISE! Vishnujana Maharaja was unseated as the director of the Road Show. The very next morning, again before dawn, I was on the road with him and a half-dozen brahmacharis in the Radha-Damodara bus. We drove to Atlanta . This was the beginning of the Radha-Damodara Traveling Sankirtana Party (known popularly by the acronym “RD TSKP”).

…Vishnujana Maharaja remains for me the most compelling preacher I’ve ever known, except of course for His Divine Grace Shrila Prabhupada. Mahamaya Mataji (in her book Shrila Prabhupada is Coming) describes Maharaja’s speeches as “heart-penetrating”. That’s an excellent description. …Maharaja told me that when Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu departed on his South Indian tour, even He felt perturbed in His mind due to separation from the devotees whom He’d left behind. So He chanted loudly like a lion,

KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HE !
KRISHNA KRISINA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HE !
KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA RAKSHA MAM !
KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA PAHI MAM !
RAMA RAGHAVA RAMA RAGHAVA RAMA RAGHAVA RAKSHA MAM !
KRISHNA KESHAVA KRISHNA KESHAVA KRISHNA KESHAVA PAHI MAM !

Thus while the bus was rolling down the road to Atlanta , Vishnujana Maharaja encouraged me to lead the brahmacaris in what he called “a liberating kirtana”. I tried my best to chant like a lion. It was wild. But it really got rid of the blues.

…We all were ready to enter fire for him. At this point I should mention the other RD TSKP brahmacaris of that beginning period. There was Narada Muni Prabhu, Vishnudatta Prabhu, Dayal Chandra Prabhu, Sri Ballabha Prabhu, Patatriraja Prabhu, Hasyagrami Prabhu, and Jamadagni Prabhu. Soon Jamadagni left, while Aja, Riksharaja and Sri Galim Prabhus joined. During the two years I was with the RD TSKP, these devotees–and of course Maharaja and myself–made up the nucleus of the party. Bhakta Marty from Denver , who became Mahamantra Prabhu (and now is Bhakti Vishrambha Madhava Maharaja), joined us a bit later. He too became a core Radha-Damodara devotee.

By the time we arrived in Atlanta , I was so taken with Maharaja’s association that I went out on a Sunday, door-to-door, to collect $100 for him. In those days that was an almost unheard-of amount for one devotee to bring home. If a devotee came back with $20, that was really big news. I left Maharaja at 10:00 AM and returned at 8:00 PM to hand him $70 in bills and $30 in change. He was so pleased.

Another time I was going door-to-door in an apartment building, distributing books. …I was wearing dhoti, tilaka and shaved head. I knocked on a door and a man called from behind it, “Who are you?” I explained who I was and why I was at the door. I heard a woman say, “Open the door, let’s have a look at him.” In an instant, the door banged opened. I found myself face to face with a man aiming a revolver at my head. His wife was hiding behind him. I started preaching. Gradually the man lowered his gun and finally gave me a donation for a Krishna Book. I was so happy after that, because I had a great story to tell Vishnujana Maharaja when I got back to the bus! And, yes, he was very enlivened to hear it.

Vishnujana Maharaja was blessed with a soft, gentle heart. His prayer was that he might give that heart completely to the service of the lotus feet of his spiritual master and Shri-Shri Radha-Krishna. What fascinated me about him is that this mood of devotion was completely natural, and therefore completely authentic. …He was just following Shrila Prabhupada’s mood as he had personally experienced it. He told me a little about those (early) days. Before meeting Shrila Prabhupada, he lived in a tree on the Morning Star Ranch, which was a hippie commune outside of San Francisco . His name was Mark and his best friend was Tom (later to be initiated as Tamal Krishna das Brahmachari). Mark would sometimes come into the city to make a little money by selling wooden flutes that he’d carve on the farm. He’d sit with the flutes spread out on the sidewalk in Haight-Ashbury , sometimes wearing nothing but a blanket with a hole in the center through which he thrust his head.

He started visiting the temple on Frederick Street to join in the kirtanas. When the kirtana ended and Shrila Prabhupada started the lecture, Mark would stretch out on the floor and go to sleep, sometimes keeping his head on the lap of a girlfriend. Before joining ISKCON, he got married. His wife was very attached to him. She did not agree to join, so they separated painfully.

Vishnujana Maharaja told me that he became serious about joining after Shrila Prabhupada referred to him in his lecture (or perhaps it was in an instruction to the temple managers) as an example of a demon. It had to do with his sleeping in the class. Something like, “Here is a demon. Even he gets the opportunity to purify himself, he goes back to maya. So? Then go. Don’t come back again and again to do your nonsense here.” That’s not meant to be a quotation. It was Prabhupada’s mood, as least as Mark understood it then. It shook him up.

Later, after he’d been initiated, Shrila Prabhupada praised him: “You are advancing nicely.” “It is by your mercy, Shrila Prabhupada,” Vishnujana answered. “No, not like that. My mercy is open to everyone. You are taking it.”

Vishnujana had attracted that praise of His Divine Grace because of his ecstatic kirtanas. But sometimes Shrila Prabhupada had to chastise him still. Once Shrila Prabhupada was driven to see the evening chanting party in the Los Angeles streets. Vishnujana, as usual, was leading. But he was playing two mridangas at the same time. Shrila Prabhupada commented, “He cannot even play one mridanga properly, yet he beats two.”

From somewhere Vishnujana picked up a Mira Bai song that goes, “Gopala, Gopala, Devakinandana Gopala; Gopala, Gopala, Yasodanandana Gopala. “Shrila Prabhupada told him to stop singing it. “It may have been sung by great devotees,” he said, “but it was not sung by great authorities.”

Being a musically talented person, Vishnujana would invent melodies for the mahamantra. Once Shrila Prabhupada saw him composing a melody at the harmonium. “And what is wrong with my melodies?” His Divine Grace demanded.

Once Prabhupada asked why so many American gentlemen would go on walks with dogs on leashes. Vishnujana answered, “So they can watch how their dogs are nicely passing stool.” Shrila Prabhupada laughed and laughed at this.

Vishnujana Maharaja told us that he had personally witnessed Shrila Prabhupada talking to his spiritual master’s photograph, eyes flooded with tears.

About Vishnujana Swami Shrila Prabhupada said, “By his singing alone, he can go back to Godhead.”

Maharaja loved Shri-Shri Radha-Damodara. Here is the proof. One morning at 4:00 AM , he was preparing Their Lordships for Mangala-arati. By this time we’d left Atlanta . We were somewhere in the South, where winters are milder than Northern states like New York . But this morning it was soooooo cold! And there was no proper heating system on the bus. It was so frozen that Maharaja couldn’t move his fingers properly. I remember him so clearly, coming out from behind the velvet Deity curtains, bundled up against the cold, a forlorn look on his face. “It’s so cold. I can’t control my senses to serve Their Lordships,” he lamented. He was not complaining about the cold for himself. He was complaining for the sake of the Deities. That is love.

…A couple days later I got a phone call from Visnujana Maharaja. The Radha-Damodara bus had just gone up in flames in the middle of the desert! The differential on the rear axle got overheated and the grease and oil inside combusted. The devotees barely managed to save the Deities and themselves before the blaze turned the bus into a charred metal skeleton.

Maharaja went to LA and borrowed money from Karandhara Prabhu, the West Coast GBC. He bought a much better bus. The old one was just a plodding school bus; the new one was a long-distance coach. This was the first of a fleet of such busses. In the later part of 1974 HH Tamal Krsna Maharaja arrived from India to re-join his old friend from the Morning Star Ranch. Their teaming up was when the Radha-Damodara TSKP started to expand: first from one bus to three, then finally up to a dozen.

I mentioned earlier that I believe that Vishnujana Maharaja, though apparently not a siddha during his life, did achieve perfection. I know this from a vivid dream I had in the 1980s. Under an intense blue sky I saw a huge, perfectly manicured lawn extending in all directions as far as the eye could see. The only thing standing on the lawn was a huge white temple in the distance. I walked a long way across the grass to the temple, and then I started to climb wide marble stairs to reach the ornately arched entranceway. I noticed a sadhu sitting against a pillar halfway up the stairway. It was Vishnujana Maharaja. He smiled at me in the warmest way and said, “It’s wonderful here! When are you coming to join me?”

-His Holiness Suhotra Maharaja left this world from Mayapur while chanting Hare Krishna on his japa mala in his kutir in 2007 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7731

From Back to Godhead

One of the basic principles of Krsna consciousness is that one may utilize whatever talent he has in the service of the Supreme Lord. And it is a symptom of a bona fide spiritual master that he is expert in engaging everyone in practical transcendental devotional service. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has thus engaged a number of very talented artists in the service of the Lord by asking them to use their natural artistic inclination in painting pictures of the Supreme Godhead. According to all the revealed Vedic scriptures, God is not formless or void, but on the contrary He has the most attractive personal form. In fact He has many transcendental forms. Krsna appears and expands Himself in multi expansions and incarnations, and these are described in Vedic literatures such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written many books and continues to translate authoritative books about Krsna for the benefit of all mankind, and he has requested that this transcendental literature be profusely decorated with illustrations. His Divine Grace has also founded many temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and these are transcendental centers where men and women may come and engage in spiritual life by seeing the form of the Lord. Therefore paintings are needed in all the temples, as well as for illustrations in books. For these two reasons an art department has been set up in ISKCON for production of Krsna-katha art (art based on the pastimes of Krsna).

If a painting is done according to authoritative descriptions, it has the same potency as the Deity. According to the Srimad-Bhagavatam such paintings, when painted under authorized direction, in devotional service, are also considered incarnations of the Lord. In other words, Krsna is personally present in a picture of Krsna.

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada first came to this country in 1965, and he began at once to engage young artists in painting pictures to be hung in Krsna conscious temples. Many of the artists began painting only in Krsna consciousness, with no previous formal training. Srila Prabhupada wrote a letter in April, 1968, to one such artist, Jadurani Devi, who was feeling misgivings because she was not a highly developed artist. Srila Prabhupada wrote as follows: “I know that pictures in this country are sold not on the merit of the pictures but on the reputation of the artists. That system is also current in India. But to come to the point of being a reputed artist will require a long duration of time, and our time is very short. We have to finish our Krsna consciousness during our lifetime, and we should not waste a single moment for anything else. According to Caitanya-caritamrta a man is famous who is known as a great devotee of Krsna.

“Continue trying your best to make your pictures as nice looking as possible, but not to satisfy the senses of the rascal public. Yesterday I was in a Unitarian Church, and I saw there two pictures of logs and bamboos, and then it was explained to me by our artist Govinda dasi that these are modern art abstract paintings. Anyway I couldn’t see in them anything but a combination of logs and bamboos. There was nothing to impel my Krsna consciousness. If you want to be a great artist in that way, I will pray to Krsna to save you. If the public doesn’t buy, we don’t mind. Why are you anxious to sell? We shall distribute them to devotees without any price.

“In the beginning I was seriously corresponding with some Indian friends to get some good mrdangaplayers for our sankirtana street chanting, but when I found it too difficult to get a man from India, some of my students were given the rudimentary lessons in playing, and simply by practice they are now pulling on with sankirtana parties everywhere. My Guru Maharaja used to say that in a foreign land where one cannot speak the language with the natives very nicely, what does he do to get help when there is a fire in his house? In such an emergency one must express himself somehow or other to his foreign friends and get their help to extinguish the fire. But if he wants to learn the language first and then talk with the foreign friends to get help, then everything in the meantime will be finished. Similarly, if we have to learn and then paint, it will be a long-term affair. But we want so many pictures immediately for all of our books. So all the artists may always engage in painting works, and that painting itself will gradually teach them how to make things nice. Regarding organization of the artists, there is no need to waste time learning art from studying texts. We should always remember that our time is very short. I think that our artists should be satisfied with whatever they have learned already that is sufficient. They should simply engage in painting pictures always, and that will sufficiently teach them the art.

“In this connection I may remark that you have sent one picture of Narada Muni which I understand was copied from a so-called great artist, but Narada Muni’s body appears to be very sensuous. But he was a first-class brahmacari. He cannot have such a sensuous body. So you will do well not to work from the so-called well-known artists, but you should follow exactly the descriptions in the scriptures. The picture of Narada Muni which you painted in my presence was very nice and good-looking, but this picture here doesn’t appeal to me. Better not to worry about this sort of technique and style now.”

Srila Prabhupada has guided his artiststo the transcendental level in art. It is only by the blessings of the spiritual master that one achieves any success in spiritual life. It is said in Bhagavad-gita that the perfection of any prescribed duty is to please Krsna, and one can please Krsna by pleasing the spiritual master or the pure devotee of Krsna. Therefore the artists who are pleasing the spiritual master are using their talent for liberation. Moreover, the paintings shown on these pages, which can be seen in the various publications of ISKCON Press and in the temples of ISKCON, not only liberate the artists, but they also attract other people to the transcendental form of Krsna. Up to date the most notable effort of the art department has been the production of the fifty-five illustrations of Srila Prabhupada’s book, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Srila Prabhupada wrote that people are attracted to the book simply on the basis of the pictures, which very nicely explain the scriptural narrations.

Krsna consciousness is a personal philosophy, and the spiritual master is always personally thinking of his artists. Someone recently complimented Srila Prabhupada on the fine artwork in his book Krsna, and he said, “But the persons who painted these are even more beautiful shall the pictures.” In another letter to one of his art students, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “You may inform the artists that I am always satisfied by their work. I am satisfied only to see that everyone is always engaged in his respective duties. The teacher wants to see that the students are engaged in their handwriting work. As to who is writing with a nice hand, that is the secondary question. The teacher’s first duty is to see that everyone is engaged in handwriting. So if all the artists are always engaged in painting, that will satisfy me, and that will gradually make them experienced in making good paintings.”

While Krsna was being painted, Srila Prabhupada was sent samples of paintings, and he commented in a letter to one of his artists: “The art department is doing very nicely, and surely the production will improve even more by the grace of Krsna. You are all being inspired by Krsna how to portray the Lord and His associates for the devotees’ eyes, so everyone who sees these transcendental pictures will turn to become a devotee, and that is our aim.” Srila Prabhupada has seen from the beginning that Krsna conscious art is a strong and convincing means to engage people in Krsna consciousness. He has described the paintings as shutters which open the spiritual world for view, and he has requested the artists to flood the world with their paintings.

The authenticity of the paintings depends on the devotees’ scrupulously following the scriptures. Descriptions of the Supreme Lord are given throughout the Vedic literature, where His beautiful form is described in detail. For instance, in a purport of theBhagavad-gita As It Is His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, offering information from the Brahma-samhita, says, “The ideal yogi concentrates his attention on Krsna, who is called Syamasundara. He is as beautifully colored as a cloud, and His lotus face is as effulgent as the sun. His dress is brilliant, He is decorated with earrings, and His body is flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahmajyoti. He incarnates in different forms like Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha and Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He descends like a human being as the son of mother Yasoda. He is known as Krsna, Govinda and Vasudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend and master, and He is full with all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called the highest yogi.”

Srila Prabhupada has encouraged the artists to work nicely together. He has said that by painting together and discussing the subject matter of their work they will remain in samadhi, or absorption in constant thought of the Personality of Godhead. One cannot imagine how fortunate one must be to meet a bona fide spiritual master, for it is only with the guidance of such a spiritual master that one can perfect one’s life. The Krsna conscious art students always scrupulously follow the descriptions in the scriptures. Also, the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, has often given them additional descriptions. A team of four artists Devahuti Devi, Jadurani Devi, Muralidhara Das, and Bharadraja Das painted the illustrations for Krsna, and they received many specific instructions. For example in the second volume of Krsna there is a description in the text of prayers offered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the personified Vedas, but there is not much reference to their appearance. So the artists asked Srila Prabhupada, and in a letter of May, 1970, he replied: “The personified Vedasare just like great sages in appearance. Some of them may look like Vvasadeva, Valmiki, Narada, etc. Some of them are older, some of them are younger, some of them have full hair like Vyasa because they are householders, and others are brahmacaris, with shaved heads, but they are all great souls,paramahamsas, highly elevated in the transcendental science. As you suggest, these pictures will be needed for illustrating a long portion of text describing the prayers It is a very important chapter, and it should be appropriately illustrated. You are very able to choose suitable subject matter for the pictures, so please execute them carefully for Krsna’s satisfaction. If you need any other information, please write your inquiry to me, and I shall be glad to give you the proper direction.” On occasion the spiritual master has corrected the artists, as in a letter of 20 August 1970 regarding a picture showing the great sage Sukadeva reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam to the renowned King Maharaja Pariksit: “This picture is not to the point. Sukadeva Gosvami should be offered a nice raised throne, and King Pariksit should be sitting along with the sages on the floor on the bank of the Ganges. King Pariksit has no beard. His face should be very nice looking. He is a young king, between thirty and forty years of age.” Srila Prabhupada, however, has also told the artists to work on their own: “The best thing will be that you paint pictures to your best discretion. The controversial points you can send to me, and I will send instructions. All of you are expert painters, so your mutual decision for painting a picture is more valuable than my suggestion. The descriptions are already given in the books, so it should not be difficult to take out the points and prepare a sketch.” Such instructions from the spiritual master, although seemingly dealing with artistic techniques, reveal something of the extent of his philosophical realization. One can acquire transcendental knowledge after thousands of years of yogic meditation, or one can receive it in a minute by submissively accepting the word of the self-realized spiritual master. For example a letter of June 22, 1970, describes how to paint Lord Visnu, the form of the Absolute Truth who is seen by a yogi at the very culmination of his meditation. “Regarding the cover for The Lord in the Heart, Lord Visnu should be distinguished by Srivatsa on His chest. The Kaustubha jewel should be painted to look like a very precious jewel. Lord Visnu should be surrounded by an effulgence emanating from His person. The first concentration should be on the lotus feet of the Lord. They should be very distinct and very nicely decorated with jewels, sandalwood and tulasi.”

Transcendental art as shown on these pages easily attracts one to the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this is the perfection of human life. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Twelve, verses 1-2: “Arjuna inquired: ‘Of those who are properly engaged in Your devotional service, and those who are engaged by the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested which is considered to be the more perfect?’ The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: ‘He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect.’ ” Out of His infinite mercy, the Supreme Lord descends to this material world for the pleasure of His devotees and to rescue all living entities who are dragging on in this temporary world of miseries.

There is no one as successful as a disciple who uses his talent to serve Krsna under the expert guidance of his bona fide spiritual master. A sincere seeker of God consciousness will never minimize the importance of the spiritual master. But someone may ask, “If God is everywhere, then what is the need of the spiritual master?” The answer is contained in a comparison of the spiritual master to an electrician. Electricity is everywhere, but it is necessary for an electrician to come and make a connection before one can tap the electric flow for one’s telephone or radio. In the same way, God is present in His multi energies, but the pure devotee of God knows just how to use these energies of the Lord in His service. Particularly, the pure devotee spiritual master can show transcendental artists how to paint the personal form of the Personality of Godhead. Because he is completely conversant with the scriptures and is realized in love of Krsna, the spiritual master knows all the intricacies of the appearance of Krsna. He can authorize an artist’s work so that it becomes transcendentally worshipable as an arca incarnation, or incarnation of the Lord in material elements, such as in the form of statuary or oil on canvas. As for the artists who accept such eternal employment, their world becomes transformed from aimless vanity or from a simple labor of love into the perfection of human existence glorification of God through one’s occupation. Therefore we offer our respectful obeisances unto the spiritual master who is coming in disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29931

Bhaktivedanta Research Centre: These photos show handwritten pages from the original Svalikhita Jivani, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura’s autobiography. It is among the most treasured texts in the Birnagar Collection, entrusted to BRC by the caretakers of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura’s birthplace. It gives a detailed account that spanned most of his life from his birth in 1838 until retirement in 1894. BRC Publications Department has translated it into English. It is currently being edited and prepared for publication. 
Find them in better resolution here: https://goo.gl/N1pFaE

At the occasion of ISKCON’s 5Oth anniversary, the residents of New Mayapur are organizing  5 short padayatra walks for peace in the center of France. Each day the group of walkers will drive near 4 large cities  (Loches, Amboise, Châteauroux and Valençay) within a maximum of 50 kms radius from the temple and the nearby village of Luçay-le-Mâle.  The devotees will then do harinama through the city for up to 3 hours and will then drive back to New Mayapur. Janananda Goswami is planning to join the group every day.

On the last day, after harinama in Luçay,  Jaladuta Dasa will take his two oxen to carry the deities of Gaura Nitai for the last 2 kms all the way to the New Mayapur castle.  Unfortunately, due to some  health regulations, he’s not allowed to take them far from their goshala.  After a speech by Janananda Goswami and the friendly mayor of Luçay, Mr. Taillandier, there will be  a slide show of  Srila Prabhupada and Padayatras worldwide and a delicious prasadam.

Source:http://www.padayatra.com/france-you-are-invited-to-the-5-day-padayatra-in-the-area-around-new-mayapur-august-1-to-5/

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan congratulated ISKCON on turning 50 after ISKCON London’s Temple President, Jai Nitai dasa and Temple Secretary Bhava Bhakti devi dasi presented him with a box of cupcakes and copies of the 50th magazine on 13th July. The Mayor even tweeted this kind gesture to his followers on social media. The meeting was part of the special outreach initiative to express gratitude to the city of London in which 5000 cupcakes were distributed in key locations in London during morning rush hour to say, “Thank You London!”.

ISKCON London celebrated Incorporation Day with an all-day festival at their temple on Soho Street. The Deities, Sri Sri Radha Londonishvara were adorned in luminous new golden outfits offered to Them in honour of the occasion. The altar was decorated with white and gold flower garlands and decor. Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana was decorated with flower arrangements and artwork depicting the seven purposes of ISKCON. 

Special lectures were organised through the day on themes such as ’50 years of ISKCON’, ‘Seven purposes of ISKCON ’ and ‘The next 50 years of ISKCON’. A sumptuous prasadam feast was served which included a special 50th birthday cake. Devotees then set out on London’s bustling Oxford Street for a maha harinam, chanting and dancing along the way distributing delicious mango burfis.

In the evening, a special arati ceremony was followed by  the singing of melodious bhajans including ‘Markine bhagavata-dharma’ written by Srila Prabhupada while on board the Jaladuta and ‘Yadi Prabhupada na hoite’ composed by HH Jayapataka Swami. 

In appreciation of the efforts for the festival and the media and outreach activities, ISKCON50 Coordinator for London, Devaki devi dasi, said: “It was a truly glorious day. You could really see that Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara – the Lords of London – and the first installed Deities in ISKCON, personally installed by Srila Prabhupada himself – wanted to spread the glories of Their dear devotee, Srila Prabhupada, to the wider London community. At a personal level, it was definitely the most enlivening day of the year yet and shows what can be achieved when we serve together as a team to glorify and appreciate Srila Prabhupada for everything he has given us.” 

Source:http://iskconnews.org/london-mayor-congratulates-iskcon-on-turning-50,5711/

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.22.19

sangamah khalu sadhunam
ubhayesam ca sammatah
yat-sambhasana-samprasnah
sarvesam vitanoti sam

TRANSLATION
When there is a congregation of devotees, their discussions, questions and answers become conclusive to both the speaker and the audience. Thus such a meeting is beneficial for everyone’s real happiness.

PURPORT
Hearing discussions among the devotees is the only means to receive the powerful message of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For instance, Bhagavad-gita has been well known all over the world for a very long time, especially in the Western world, but because the subject matter was not discussed by devotees, there was no effect. Not a single person in the West became Krsna conscious before the Krsna consciousness movement was founded. But when the same Bhagavad-gita was presented as it is through the disciplic succession, the effect of spiritual realization was immediately manifested.

Sanat-kumara, one of the Kumaras, informed Prthu Maharaja that his meeting with the Kumaras benefited not only Maharaja Prthu but the Kumaras as well. When Narada Muni questioned Lord Brahma about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Brahma thanked Narada Muni for giving him a chance to speak about the Supreme Lord. Therefore questions put by a saintly person to another saintly person about the Supreme Personality of Godhead or about the ultimate goal of life surcharge everything spiritually. Whoever takes advantage of such discussions is benefited both in this life and in the next.

The word ubhayesam can be described in many ways. Generally there are two classes of men, the materialist and the transcendentalist. By hearing discussions between devotees, both the materialist and transcendentalist are benefited. The materialist is benefited by association with devotees because his life then becomes regulated so that his chance of becoming a devotee or making the present life successful for understanding the real position of the living entity is increased. When one takes advantage of this opportunity, he is assured of a human form of life in the next birth, or he may be liberated completely and go back home, back to Godhead. The conclusion is that if one participates in a discussion of devotees, he is both materially and spiritually benefited. The speaker and the audience are both benefited, and the karmis and jnanis are benefited. The discussion of spiritual matters amongst devotees is beneficial for everyone, without exception. Consequently the Kumaras admitted that not only was the King benefited by such a meeting, but the Kumaras were as well.

Niranjana Swami

This verse is part of the conversation between Sanat-kumara and Prithu Maharaja. The Four Kumaras appeared before Prithu Maharaja and Prithu Maharaja, immediately recognizing their identities, took advantage of their presence by inquiring from them. He said, “There’s no need to ask about your good and bad fortune because you’re always absorbed in bliss. Therefore I’m going to take advantage of your presence and ask you about how I can attain good fortune.

Prithu Maharaja had inquired from the sages, “Persons entangled in this dangerous material existence because of their previous actions, could such persons, whose only aim is sense gratification, be blessed with good fortune?” That was his question… a very relevant question. He’s taking the humble position of a person entangled in a web of sense gratification by asking, “How can I attain any good fortune in his life?”

Sanat-kumara replied, “Thank you”, and then says, “I’ve been very nicely questioned by you. Such questions are beneficial for all living entities especially because they are asked by you, because you’re always thinking of everyone else’s welfare. Although you know everything you ask such questions because that is the behavior of saintly persons.”

We see this exchange in many places of the Bhagavatam where the Bhagavatam speakers express their gratitude to the audience.

munayah sadhu prsto ‘ham
bhavadbhir loka-mangalam
yat krtah krsna-samprasno
yenatma suprasidati

TRANSLATION
O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Krsna and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self. (SB 1.2.5)

Suta Goswami thanked his audience for asking relevant questions in the same way as Sanat-kumara is thanking Prithu Maharaja. “Thank you for asking how to obtain good fortune. And although you say that you don’t have to inquire about my good fortune because you see that our status is always auspicious, I can see that not only is my status auspicious, but your status is auspicious too because you are interested in hearing such topics.

Therefore today’s verse explains the essence of Sanat-kumara’s answer to Prithu Maharaja. “When there is a congregation of devotees, their discussions, questions and answers, become conclusive to both the speaker and the audience. Thus such a meeting is beneficial for everyone’s real happiness.”
When the sages of Naimasaranya gathered to perform a sacrifice, they were performing a sacrifice for the benefit of the entire world. What was their sacrifice?…hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. It’s not that they sat in front a sacrificial fire, poured ghee into the fire and then expected that that was sufficient to benefit all humanity. They performed the ultimate sacrifice for this age. They gathered to hear, to discuss, and to glorify the topics related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that’s why Suta Goswami was so pleased by their questions.

The sages of Naimasaranya began the sacrifice by asking, “What is the supreme occupation for all mankind? In other words, “What dharma should all living beings engage in? The answer was the famous verse:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati

TRANSLATION
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. (SB 1.2.6)

So the only solution for satisfying the hankering, or the needs, of the eternal soul is to establish his connection with the Supreme.

Srila Prabhupada explains in a Bhagavad-gita commentary that the living entities in the material world suffer due to want of an ultimate goal in life. Without establishing an ultimate goal, people will continue to aspire for the fulfillment of so many lesser goals and will still not feel sheltered upon receiving the fruits of their efforts.

In other words, the only way the self can be perfectly sheltered and satisfied is by being fully engaged in devotional service to the Lord. And what is the means for obtaining devotional service? If devotional service is the ultimate goal, is the only activity which can satisfy the hankering soul, then a person should become eager to know how to obtain it.

In the conversation between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya, Ramananda Raya answers this question:

krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih
kriyatam yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam
janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate

TRANSLATION
“‘Pure devotional service in Krsna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price — that is, intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.'” (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 8.70)

One has to develop a greed to have it. There is no other way to obtain it. If one doesn’t become greedy to have it, it’s not going to just immediatley fall from the sky and immediately transform our hearts. Therefore when one obtains the association of a devotee of the Lord, that association is called divine grace. That’s why we refer to Srila Prabhupada as “His Divine Grace.” By His Divine Grace, even a person who previously had no inclination for devotional service can immediately develop an attraction to obtain it.

That desire is awakened in the heart. It’s already there, but it needs to be awakened.

nitya-siddha krsna-prema ‘sadhya’ kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya

TRANSLATION
“Pure love for Krsna is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens. (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 22.107)

Once it’s awakened, what does one have to do? Once it’s awakened, one has to make some effort. It’s not only by the effort of somebody else.

For example, if you have a very important engagement on a particular day, and somebody comes and wakes you up, “It’s time to get up.”

“Oh, I’m so tired.”

And they come back again, “Prabhu it’s time to get up.”

“Oh I’m just so tired, so tired.”

Even modern society takes all this into consideration. Now all alarm clocks always have a “snooze” button. Isn’t it? Every morning, they can count how many times they hit the snooze button. “Five more minutes. I can get five more minutes.” Then after five minutes passes, they think, “Well I can get five more. Why not?”

So either somebody comes and shakes you every five minutes or your alarm goes off every five minutes, but you have an important event that day. Once somebody wakes you up, you have to make the effort to stay awake. Whether it’s your alarm clock or somebody else coming and waking you, you still have to make the effort, “OK. I’m going to get up, and I’m going to take a cold shower. And then I’m going to stick my hand in my bead bad and stay awake.”

Isn’t it? The first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is offer our obeisances to our spiritual master. Then we have to make the effort to stay awake.

Lord Caitanya is calling, “Jiv Jago, Jiva Jago. Wake up sleeping souls. How long are you going to sleep on the lap of the witch called Maya.” So Lord Caitanya is making the call to everybody, “Wake up!” He’s making the first call. “OK. Time to wake up.” But are we going to expect him to keep on coming back to say, “Wake up. Wake up”… again and again and again. He’s got better things to offer you than to tell you to wake up.

We have to make the effort to stay awake and therefore that effort is our responsibility. How to stay awake. So by the mercy of “His Divine Grace”, he wakes up the sleeping soul. He tells us that we are the eternal servants of Krsna. Our constitutional nature is to render pure, loving, unmotivated, devotional service to Him. And then he has so many more things to tell us after we’re awake… about how to stay awake. How to realize our actual spiritual identity. That realization awakens in those who are eager to obtain it. We have to make the effort.

atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah

TRANSLATION
“‘Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Krsna’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Krsna consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Krsna really is.’ (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 17.136)

Krsna can only be understood by spiritual senses which become purified, beginning with the tongue. When the tongue is used for discussing transcendental topics about the Lord, then either by speaking about Krsna or by inquiring about Krsna, we can then take responsibility. We might say, “I’m not Krsna conscious.” But then you can inquire about Krsna. That’s exactly what is happening right here in this exchange between Prithu Maharaja and Sanat-kumara.

Prithu Maharaja took the position of being very fallen and engrossed in sense gratification and he said, “This is a very dangerous material existence because I’m entangled because of my previous actions in this material existence. How can any person who is so entangled in sense gratification have any good fortune in life? How can they be blessed with good fortune?”

So he took the position of asking, although he could have spoken. All realization was there but he took the position of asking. And Sanat-kumara says, “Oh thank you so much. You are helping me. I’ll benefit from this opportunity. You’re engaging me in devotional service.” He was so grateful. “You’re so merciful that you are giving me an opportunity to speak about transcendental topics. I know I can’t speak about anything else because you’re not interested in hearing anything else. I’m so grateful. I know I won’t get away with talking about Maya to you because you don’t want to hear anything about Maya. You are so kind. For my benefit you’ve asked this question. Thank you.”

Therefore both the speaker and the hearer, they benefit because the only topic is transcendental subject matter.

There are many things that I wanted to speak about this morning but we have a schedule to follow today. I want to end at the appropriate time, at 9:00. I was going to read this later, but I’ll read it now because I want to make sure it’s read. It’s a very wonderful verse from the fifth canto of the Bhagavatam. I really like it. It’s spoken by Jada Bharata to Maharaja Rahugana.

“Who are the pure devotees mentioned here? In an assembly of pure devotees, there is no question of discussing material subjects like politics and sociology. In an assembly of pure devotees, there is discussion only of the qualities, forms and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is praised and worshiped with full attention. In the association of pure devotees, by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attached to the service of Vasudeva.”

PURPORT
The symptoms of pure devotees are described in this verse. The pure devotee is never interested in material topics. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has strictly prohibited His devotees to talk about worldly matters. Gramya-varta na kahibe: [Cc. Antya 6.236] one should not indulge in talking unnecessarily about news of the material world. One should not waste time in this way. This is a very important feature in the life of a devotee. A devotee has no other ambition than to serve Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Krsna consciousness movement was started to engage people twenty-four hours daily in the service of the Lord and in His glorification. The students in this institution engage in the cultivation of Krsna consciousness from five in the morning to ten at night. They actually have no opportunity to waste their time unnecessarily by discussing politics, sociology and current events. These will go their own way. A devotee is concerned only with serving Krsna positively and seriously. [End of purport] (SB 5.12.13)

These will go their own way! In other words, they will go on anyways and it will be their own way. Of course, someone might say, “Well this verse is speaking about an assembly of pure devotees, but I’m not a pure devotee.” But we already established that the only real solution to the problems of life is to become purified. Any effort we make to try to counteract one fruitive activity by another fruitive activity is going to entangle us further. That’s exactly what material life is. Material life is a constant endeavor to counteract reactions to past sinful life. And that’s why Prithu Maharaja said, “I’m a sense gratifier and my current situation is simply the result of my previous activities.”

He didn’t say, “How do I counteract the results of my previous activities?” That’s how materialists think. How to avoid suffering to obtain happiness and to mitigate distress. Prahlada Maharaja explains:

“In this material world, every materialist desires to achieve happiness and diminish his distress, and therefore he acts accordingly. Actually, however, one is happy as long as one does not endeavor for happiness; as soon as one begins his activities for happiness, his conditions of distress begin.” (SB 7.7.42)

An intelligent person should try to stop the cycle. Not “How do I counteract my past sinful reactions so that I can be [so-called] happy now.” This happiness is temporary. Therefore Lord Rsabhadeva instructed his sons, instead one should look for “brahma saukhyam”, real happiness, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.

An intelligent person looks for the real solution. He becomes greedy for attaining the opportuinty to hear about Krsna, the only solution. Therefore when devotees get together, they utilize their time to its full potential. They don’t waste time discussing politics, sociology and current events. These will go their own way!! They are going to go their own way. Why should we waste time discussing these things? No solution comes by discussing these things! They will still go their own way. Better I become Krsna conscious. Better I get together to discuss topics related to Krsna. It’s in my hands. It’s my responsibility to utilize my life wisely. In other words, it’s my responsibilitiy to stay awake!

Certainly by “divine grace” somebody will come and tell us to wake up. Don’t stay sleeping in the lap of the witch called Maya. But how to stay awake? The way to stay awake is to utilize this human life to it’s full potential… and the best opportunity for this is in the association of devotees. A devotee will be eager to ask, “Please, can you tell me something Krsna conscious?” And we should say, “Thank you. You saved me. My tendency would have been to talk nonsense but you saved me by asking the right question.

Then when devotees become inspired in this way, what is the result? Prabhupada explains that in the commentary today. He says,

“The word ubhayesam can be described in many ways. Generally there are two classes of men, the materialist and the transcendentalist. By hearing discussions between devotees, both the materialist and transcendentalist are benefited.”

In other words, when devotees become inspired by topics about the Supreme Lord, then anybody who comes in contact with such discussions can also obtain divine grace. Devotees can be carriers of divine grace. Materialists become devotees by association with such devotees.

Both the devotees are benefitted and the materialists are benefitted. Or as it is stated in verse that we just read from the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, “Even the impersonalists become devotees. The verse states that, “…by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attached to the service of Vasudeva.”

So therefore when the sages asked their question to Suta Goswami, “What is the supreme sacrifice, or highest activity, meant to benefit all humanity?”, the sages then performed that sacrifice by sitting and hearing the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anyone who comes in contact with such discussions are reminded of the need to wake up. Once awake, they then become eager to stay awake.

That’s why it’s so important for devotees to regularly come together to discuss transcendental topics. When devotees come together, sometimes they think, “What are we going to do with each other? Should we play football? That will keep us all engaged. Good exercise. What else? There must be other things that we can think of to keep us busy so that we don’t fall into maya.”[Devotees laugh]

It’s so clear. Well someone may say, “Well I don’t have any taste for that. Well then Bhagavatam states that one should seek out the association of devotees who will give you some taste.

ta ete sadhavah sadhvi
sarva-sanga-vivarjitah
sangas tesv atha te prarthyah
sanga-dosa-hara hi te

TRANSLATION
O My mother, O virtuous lady, these are the qualities of great devotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek attachment to such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious effects of material attachment. (SB 3.25.24)

The pernicious effects of material attachments will be counteracted and a natural taste will awaken. But even if I still don’t have taste, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, that a sages should act for his own purification.

“The yogis, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intelligence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification.” (Bg 5.11)

An intelligent person will therefore think, “Yes. Even though I don’t have a taste, because it’s pleasing to Krsna and it’s pleasing to the Vaisnavas, I’ll do it for my own purification.”

susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat

TRANSLATION
O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva. (SB 1.2.16)
And what do devotees ask those who serve them to do? What did Prabhupada ask his tender, neophyte followers to do when they came and heard from him in 26 Second Avenue? He took them out and introduced them to giving the holy name to others.

In the “Prabhupada Lilamrita” there is a wonderful description of the first harinama the devotees went on without Prabhupada. The devotees were just so ecstatic because they were so eager to go back and tell Prabhupada what they did. They couldn’t wait. They burst into his room, “Prabhupada. We went out and we chanted today!” And Prabhupada was so pleased. Oh yes. Now you are understanding. Now you understand what pleases me. This makes me very happy. You have understood my message. Thank you so much.

This is how to serve the devotees. Even if we don’t have taste. We do it for our own purification because by serving them, we develop some taste. We benefit and anyone who comes in contact with us benefits. We don’t water down. We give the essence because it is the essence which purifies the heart, puts us on the path of pure devotional service and keeps us on the path. It keeps us awake, so that we won’t fall back asleep again and forget what the purpose is of this life.

So Sanat-kumara is saying, “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak and then he said, “This is the solution.

“When there is a congregation of devotees, their discussions, questions and answers become conclusive to both the speaker and the audience. Thus such a meeting is beneficial for everyone’s real happiness.”

This is a partially-edited transcription of a Srimad Bhagavatam lecture (SB 4.22.19) given on May 17, 2014 during the Ukrainian Counselor Retreat.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29942

Ananda Vrindavana Devi Dasi: Before I pick up my beads to do my chanting meditation, I have 3 points of focus – I’m not this body, God is a person, and I have a relationship with Him.
I’m not this body is one of my favorite meditations. I like to sit quietly and hold my body still. I am the observer. I am conscious of my hands, my breath, my thoughts. I remember – yesterday, years ago, minutes ago. I think ahead – tomorrow, old age, the next hour. When I remember I am not this body I feel relief, more complete, and a real sense of freedom.
My second meditation, another favorite, is that God is a person. Although I heard this from a very young age in Catholicism, it wasn’t until I studied the path of Bhakti yoga that it made more sense to me. Krishna, the Sanskrit name for God, makes the idea of a personal God very attractive. The source of all life has to be credibly incredible. When I meditate on the premise that God is a person, I sense His presence, I sense protection, grounding, connection and belonging.
My third meditation is another, another favorite. Here my meditation is that I have a relationship with Krishna. When I hold still, slow down, or rise early I reflect on this. What does this relationship look like? Is it one of fear or love or both? How do I present myself? What do I ask for, or not? What does Krishna ask of me? What does the best, most complete form of this relationship look like?
When I pick up my beads and begin to chant the mantra, I am facing into that relationship. My 3 meditations have brought me here. Now I connect. Throughout the chanting I find myself returning to them in different ways. I chant with a longing to return to the spiritual world, a desire to engage in service, and a wish to develop affection and love for Krishna.
I also ask not to blow it – that I don’t lean too much on spiritual rules that my emotions are tied, or fall too much on the human side that I don’t touch transcendence. I pray for balance – that my humanity can nurture my spirit and that my spirit reminds me to be a better person, and a better human.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29945

We bhakti yogis exercise a lot. We exercise our voice and ears for several hours everyday chanting our mantras, we exercise our heart to love Krishna, exercise our intelligence to control the mind (which never stops exercising it’s desires).  We do, however, tend to neglect exercising our body.

This may be due to our understanding that we are ‘not the body’. As it is said, we are a soul with a body, not a body with a soul. We may think it more spiritual to nourish our soul and not worry about the body.  Actually, neglecting either body or soul is a mistake – for we are together for as long as we are in this body and we need to take care of both.

We may say we are too busy or lazy. If we are honest, that the lazy reason is generally more accurate.

Srila Prabhupada would end each letter with, “I hope this meets you in good health.” He would walk briskly everyday, and have a one hour massage.

To be healthy takes work, and exercise is an important part of the job. The benefits of exercise are well known – it moves stress out of our body, it lifts lethargy and depression, clears the head for better thinking, helps us sleep better, be more creative, have a stronger immune system, and experience less aches and pains in the joints. The list goes on and on.

Who has time to exercise? We should ask – Who has time not to? Yes, we do get busy but let’s remind ourselves that taking time out to exercise saves time in the long run (pun intended). We may walk, or swim, or do yoga, or get on the elliptical, or bicycle ride–find the exercise that works for you and do it daily. 20 minutes is the minimum.  It will have a powerful effect on your energy level for both your spiritual practices and regular life living.

And finally, my secret tip: find an exercise buddy. Pair off with a friend or partner and report to each other daily – send a quick text. Having to report to someone is super helpful when it comes to pushing ourselves off the couch and out the door to exercise.

What exercise tips would you like to share to keep ourselves fit for serving Krishna? Use our new comment stream below and join the conversation!

http://iskconofdc.org/the-yoga-of-exercise/

It is written in the Bhakti teachings that inattentiveness while chanting is a type of madness. Imagine inviting someone to our home. We half open the door when they arrive, and all evening we are distracted – phone calls, text messages, conversations with others, glancing at the TV in the background, looking out the window. Our guest feels unwelcome, unwanted, and indeed wonders why he was invited at all. But we keep inviting them back again and again! Madness!

Giriraja Swami reminds us,  “When we chant the holy name, we are inviting Krsna, and we should treat the holy name with all the respect, all the reverence, all the care, all the attention, and all the devotion that we would show Krsna if He came personally. It is a very serious practice. But at the same time it is a very blissful activity if we really give ourselves to it.”

Gone With the Wind

Can I go with You? On the sound of Your holy name?
I am running to keep up, but easily distracted.

With a nod I am off with my mind
Linking arms, walking in deep conversation about anything and everything.

Please wait for me, let me walk with You.
You are so undemanding. Immediately You leave
When others arrive and I forget

Then look around and find You in the shadows.
Come! Come! I want to give You my full attention
I promise I won’t leave You anymore

Then I am gone again – gone with the wind
And You patiently await my return. Like a dropped stitch
I must come back and pick it up and I realize, it is not You who leave – but I.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/gone-with-the-wind/