All wondrous phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, either in the material world or in spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krsna’s divine energies and opulence. He is the supreme cause of all causes & the essence of everything living or non living. Anything extraordinarily opulent, beautiful and glorious should be considered as a fragmental manifestation of Krsna’s splendor. All things are existing due to Krsna’s entering into them as supersoul. Krsna is supreme object of worship. The Bhagavad Gita has long been a source of inspiration and guidance for the world. In this class we will explore how to adopt the spiritual habits from this great book and how they will transform your life and bring you wisdom, happiness, and fearlessness.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17459

By Nanda Priya Nivedita Devi Dasi

While the rescue face for Chennai’s recent flood is over here comes the most difficult phase – the after math. Battered by rains, Chennai is now looking for relief- Relief from not just the heavy showers and a flooded city, but looking forward to hygienic food, shelter, clothing and medical assistance. It’s now that Chennai needs you the most.

Help the helping hands – Like the rest of the city, ISKCON Chennai is also waking out of the shock and reaching out to the people with nourishment, medical aid and personal needs. ISKCON Chennai volunteers are tirelessly trying to help all the affected places. Over 6000 plates of Prasadam are being distributed everyday. Besides distributing in public shelter houses, the volunteers are moving even into streets still knee deep in water and giving the Prasad door to door. A total of 30,000 plates of Prasadam have been distributed. We want to expand that to more areas in Chennai adding items like water, bed sheets, mosquito repellents, new clothes, tooth paste, brush etc.

Preventing any epidemic is a need of the hour. ISKCON Chennai has organised a medical camp in residential areas surrounding the temple. The doctors, the corporation cleaners are in need of basic utilities like gloves , face masks etc. Supply of medicines to the people is essential as well. With your donations ISKCON Chennai can do much more!

Not to forget that the Chennai temple has suffered heavy damages in the current flood situation.Estimated losses to the temple are very large.We request devotees and well wishers to come forward and help us for these loses as well.
Your servant,
Nanda Priya Nivedita dd

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17466

Academic Excellence.
Syama Sakhi devi dasi: The Bhaktivedanta Swami Secondary School at New Govardhana, Iskcon Australia, is intent on creating an environment of academic excellence, Krishna conscious goals and understanding, and meaningful character development. To these ends, this year the gurukula has invited various guest speakers to the school and taken students to different events outside of school. This allows students to broaden their understanding of this world and their role in it.
One such event students attended was the GRIP leadership conference for secondary schools. GRIP is an independent organisation that exists to train and develop leaders with a special focus on school students and the educational sector. Hence, our school captains, Anjali, Gaur, Bimala, Balaram, Lakshman, Suniti and Kalindi received the opportunity to attend the GRIP leadership conference that took place on the 26 October at the Tweed Civic Centre.
The aim of the one-day conference was to inspire secondary school students to take up effective leadership roles in their schools. Through topics like, ‘How to improve your public speaking skills’ to ‘How to make your events more dynamic’, the conference offered our students a chance to broaden their leadership skills. It also enabled them to meet many other teenage students from across Australia.
The whole event was excellent. The students experienced their first professional conference and made valuable contributions throughout.
We are hopeful that through such training offered by the gurukula, the students will be able to develop excellent leadership skills valuable to their life inside and outside of school.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17470

Baker Extraordinaire: Amber Borsotti! 

Mandakini devi dasi: Sydney-born Amber Borsotti was two years old when she was first introduced to the Hare Krishna Vedic lifestyle. Three years later she was enrolled in New Govardhana gurukula where she remained for the next six years before relocating to New Nandagram, Victoria.
Amber returned to Murwillumbah when she was 15, settling into householder life by the time she was 16. A busy and dedicated mum, she has five children ranging in ages from four to 17.
With the family growing up, Amber and her husband, Leonardo, considered some working options. They finally agreed to venture into the bread-making business. Amber had entertained four passions in life: architecture, psychology, fabrics and food. Having produced quality bread on the farm in earlier years, friends and family members had often urged her to “go into food”.
Months of hard work followed as the couple researched equipment and painstakingly developed their own special recipes. The result is an impressive home bakery and an outstanding product called ‘Levadura’, which consists of organic, artisan sourdough (a much healthier and tastier alternative to commercial bread).
When a retail opportunity opened up at Uki Farmers Market at the end of September, Amber and Leonardo took the initiative, and on their first outing ended up selling their entire stock.
Production has since increased from 50 to 90 items twice a week, and still there is a demand for more.
The bread is naturally leavened, requiring Amber and Leo to “rise” at 1.00 am on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to prepare their batch.
Variety being the spice of life, alongside the basic loaves there is much to choose from. For example, savoury loaves like Olive, Rosemary and Pecorino; Dark Euro-style Rye with Caraway and Fennel; and Vegan Fruitful Loaf and Sweet Spiced Rye and Fig, to name a few. Melt-in-themouth croissants and chocolate scrolls, as sampled by the author, must be tasted to be believed.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17468

Sri Saranga Thakura -- Disappearance An important branch of the Shri Chaitanya tree, Shri Sharanga Thakura (Sharanga Murari) lived in Mamagacchi, Modadrumadwipa (Navadwipa). Staying under a Bakula tree, Sharanga Thakura worked hard every day to please his worshipable Deity. Single handedly, he would collect fruits, vegetables and firewood. He would also beg rice, cook, bathe, dress, and feed his Lord. After a full day of Deity service Sharanga would cross the Ganges River to join Mahaprabhu's Hari-Nama sankirtana party in Mayapur. During one visit, Lord Gauranga noticed that Sharanga's beloved Bakula tree was drying up and almost dead. Lord Chaitanya embraced the tree with His beautiful golden arms. Completely rejunvenated, the tree burst forth with green leaves and fresh super fragrant flowers. To this day, Devotees of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu worship this special kalpa vriksha tree of Shri Dhama Mayapur. Some Devotees collect small pieces of wood, which occasionally fall off, and make neckbeads or worship it.

Sharanga Thakura vowed to never initiate disciples despite Lord Chaitanya's insistence. One day he relented and decided to initiate the first person he saw. While bathing in the Ganges he brushed against a floating corpse. Suddenly it sprang to life. Stunned, the man slowly identified himself and bowed down to Sharanga Thakura who had just miraculously renewed his life. After giving him mantra diksha, Saranga Thakura became famous as "Sharanga Murari Thakura," because the disciple's previous name was Murari.

In Vraja lila Sharanga serves Radha-Gopinatha as Nandimukhi-sakhi. By taking a forty five minute rikshaw ride from downtown Navadwipa, you an still see the Deities of Sharanga Thakura and the kalpa vriksha Bakula tree.

Read more about Sri Saranga Thakura on www.gaudiyahistory.com 

If you ever desire to cross over this ocean of material existence and achieve the lotus feet of Supreme Lord Sri Hari then please take shelter of Srimad Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures.Srimad Bhagavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellows will never be attracted to any other literature. Srila Vyasadev collected whatever Vedic conclusions were in the four Vedas and 108 Upanishads and placed them in the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra. In the Vedanta-sutra, the purport of all Vedic knowledge is explained, and in Srimad Bhagavatam the same purport has been explained in eighteen thousand verses.

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By Padmapani das

Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been faced with unprecedented danger and uncertainty. Recent headlines suggest that the threat of terrorism has reached critical proportions. News of another possible attack in the U.S. has been circulating in the press and the rhetoric of war has dominated world politics for quite some time. Once again we are forced to contemplate our fragility and mortality in this material world. Anything can happen now — and we know it.

For those of us old enough to remember, these recent events may conjure up memories of the Great Northeast Blackout in 1965. As a resident of Canada, I remember it well. Although quite young at the time, I distinctly recall the sense of fear and vulnerability that arose in my heart. I realized for the first time that our civilization wasn’t as strong and secure as we had been led to believe.

“At 5:27 p.m., November 9, 1965, the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark. From Buffalo to the eastern border of New Hampshire and from New York City to Ontario, a massive power outage struck without warning. Trains were stuck between subway stops. People were trapped in elevators. Failed traffic signals stopped traffic dead. And, at the height of the Cold War, many thought Armageddon had arrived. One pilot flying over a darkened New York City stated, ‘I thought, another Pearl Harbor!’ By 5:40 p.m. that evening, 80,000 square miles of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada, were without power, leaving 30 million people in the dark. New York City was particularly hit by this blackout, due to its reliance on electricity for nearly all aspects of city life.”

(The Blackout History Project)

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was staying in New York at Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio on Riverside Drive. He had recently arrived from Butler, Pennsylvania where he had been a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Agarwal for a month after arriving in the U.S. from India. Describing the blackout in a letter to Sally Agarwal, Srila Prabhupada wrote the following words:

“Yes there was all darkness in New York on the 10th instant and it was not a happy incident. I learn that many people remained in the elevators and in the subway trains for more than seven to eight hours in darkness. I do not read newspapers but there must have been some mishaps also which we do not know. That is the way of material civilisation too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilisation depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter to “My dear daughter Sally,” November 13, 1965)

More than forty years later, the world is even more dependent on electricity and petrol. The Internet (on which this website is being published) has become the preferred method of communication. We now (reportedly) have satellites orbiting the earth which allow us to communicate across the globe in seconds. Our methods of warfare are now laser-guided and accurate to the Nth degree. Yet are we any safer as a result?

Intelligence reports claim that the Internet is now being used by terrorists and others of ill intent who communicate freely with each other. In fact, the World Wide Web itself may be attacked and brought down at a moment’s notice. The very fabric and infrastructure of our society could unravel without warning. The situation is perilous. Therefore Srila Prabhupada continually warned us that there is danger at every step in this material world (padam padam yad vipadam), and he urged us to immediately take to Krishna consciousness for the solution to all problems:

“As long as we are in this material world, there must be calamities because this is the place of calamity. But even with calamities our business should be to develop our Krishna consciousness, so that after giving up this body we may go back home, back to Krishna.”

(Teachings of Queen Kunti, Chapter 8)

Not only has Srila Prabhupada helped us to identify the source of all our miseries in this temporary world (duhkhalayam asasvatam), but he has meticulously provided the means of relief in his voluminous books and instructions. Despite that we are now in the midst of troubled times in a perpetually troubled world, we are still very fortunate to have Srila Prabhupada as our eternal spiritual preceptor. Although he has physically departed from this world, Srila Prabhupada so mercifully continues to guide us. The only qualification is that we hear from him sincerely and with faith.

“In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter, November 22, 1974)

In whatever condition of life we may now find ourselves it is to our eternal benefit to arrange our lives in such a way that we can follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to the best of our ability. Although we can never fully repay him for the tremendous gift that he has given us all, at the very least we can be loyal to Srila Prabhupada and stick tightly to his lotus feet. After all, there is no safer place to be.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17424

Sita Rama das: Sati and satim are Sanskrit words translated as, chaste. The most significant meaning of the word chaste, is that one’s body, mind, and words are dedicated exclusively to Krishna.

SB 11.18.17 Purport:

Kunti is described herein as sati, or chaste, due to her unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna.

SB 2.4.1 Purport:

The word satim is very significant. This means “existing” and “chaste.” And both imports are perfectly applicable in the case of Maharaja Pariksit. The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one’s attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna without any diversion, as instructed in the Bhagavad-Gita (15.15)… the King continuously concentrated his mind upon Lord Krishna, which made him perfectly chaste in devotional service… And by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master, he was perfectly able to concentrate his chaste mind further upon Lord Krishna as a matter of course. END CITATION.

Thus we see the real meaning of chastity!

In BG, 15.15, Krishna says the purpose of all Vedic instructions is to know Him. The most important two instructions are to always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. The only purpose for all the other rules is to facilitate this chastity. Anything disconnected to this chastity is useless!

SB 1.2.8 Translation:

The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. END CITATION.

I want to address the fact that, according to the Vedic literature, the prescribed duty for a woman is to become a chaste wife. Based on the fact that the purpose of all the Vedas is to know Krishna (BG 15; 15) the logical conclusion is, that becoming a chaste wife is the best means for a woman’s attention to be drawn to Krishna without diversion.

Thus we see the purpose of being a chaste wife!

How can a women be dedicated to her husband and, at the same time, be dedicated to Krishna without diversion? The answer is; because Krishna is so wonderful that he sets up a system where all human beings can, while acting according to their conditioned material nature, dovetail their work, transcend material nature, and do the same work exclusively for the satisfaction of Krishna. In the Srimada Bhagavatam we find many glorious examples of individuals, who, by practicing devotional service, came to the level of preforming their prescribed duties for Krishna’s pleasure, only; in other word out of pure love for Krishna.

These examples are instructive, but one must get personal directions from a bonafide Spiritual Master to follow this path. Lord Caitanya compares devotional service to tending a garden. The seed of devotion has been planted in us and we need to tend to it so it will grow into a tree which reaches the spiritual world. However when a seed sprouts, weeds also sprout, and these weeds look just like the sprout.

In the beginning of devotional service, we are essentially filled with nothing but material desires, which are compared to weeds. These material desires are the cause of material actions. We are to continue our actions according to our material conditioning, but do so for the satisfaction of Krishna. We will inevitable be confused, at times (we will think a weed is the sprout and vice versa).

We might think that an action is material and want to renounce something which should not be renounced. Conversely, we might be performing our duty for sense gratification and think our endeavor is to please Krishna. When this is extended, a devotee puts a spin on what the duties of another should be. In other words he fools another into thinking their duty is to serve his sense gratification. So we need a Guru to overcome the confusions that arise within ourselves and the confusion which results from hearing instructions/ perspectives from devotees who are also confused.

The general instructions for devotee couples is a fertile field for confusion. Both husband and wife take up household life because they have material desires; along with the desire to perform their prescribed duties for the satisfaction of Krishna. It is very easy for a wife to get caught up in focusing on, and demanding, a particular duty of the husband which satisfies her sense gratification and it is equally easy for the husband to emphasize the duties of the wife that satisfy his sense gratification. This is a relatively minor problem between two people but it becomes compounded when such devotees feel compelled to insist that everyone in the movement accept their confused ideal; and then they condemn those who do not except their flawed perspective. So the key is to have a Guru who one can rely on for accurate and unbiased instruction.

Of course before accepting a Guru we read the Bhagavada Gita in order to see the example of the perfect Spiritual Master, Lord Sri Krishna, and then we can see if the Guru is teaching in the same spirit. We also see Arjuna’s example of performing one’s prescribed duty for the pleasure of Krishna. It sounds cliché but the key is to understand that we are not the body. All flawed perspectives are based on neglect of this fundamental truth.

Queen Kunti, like her son, Arjuna, is an eternally liberated soul who plays the part of one with material attachments in order to teach us by her example. As the most chaste wife and mother, she prays to Krishna to sever her tie of family affection which perpetuates the bodily conception of life.

Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 24

Queen Kunti said:

O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the Pandavas and the Vrsnis (SB 1.8.41).

Purport:

Generally a woman has affection for both her father’s family and husband’s family, and therefore Kunti prays to Krishna, “I am a woman, and women are generally attached to their families, so kindly cut off my attachment so that I may be thoroughly attached to You. Without You, both families are zero. I am falsely attached to these families, but my real purpose in life is to be attached to You.” This is bhakti

As long as I think, “I belong to this family,” “I belong to this nation,” “I belong to this religion,” “I belong to this color,” and so on, there is no possibility of becoming Krishna conscious. As long as one thinks that one is American, Indian, or African, that one belongs to this family or that family, or that one is the father, mother, husband, or wife of this or that person, one is attached to material designations. I am spirit soul, and all these attachments belong to the body, but I am not this body. This is the essence of understanding. END CITATION

But Queen Kunti is not giving up her association, duty, or love for her family, which is comprised of pure devotees. Her example is a lesson to us on how to perform our family duties for the pleasure of Krishna and thus become spiritually attached instead of materially attached. Srila Prabhupada describes this in the next chapter.

TQK Chapter 25:

Her affection for the Pandavas and the Vrsnis is not out of the range of devotional service, because the service of the Lord and the service of the devotees are identical. Sometimes service to the devotee is more valuable than service to the Lord. But here the affection of Kuntidevi for the Pandavas and the Vrsnis was due to family relation. This tie of affection in terms of material relation is the relation of maya, because the relations of the body or the mind are due to the influence of the external energy. Relations of the soul, established in relation with the Supreme Soul, are factual relations. When Kuntidevi wanted to cut off the family relation, she meant to cut off the relation of the skin. The skin relation is the cause of material bondage, but the relation of the soul is the cause of freedom. This relation of the soul to the soul can be established by the via medium of the relation with the Supersoul. END CITATION.

Devotee marriages are conducted under the direction of Krishna and the Spiritual Master, therefore the relation of one soul to another soul is possible. The only way to transform the material relationship into a relationship of, soul to soul, is to engage in the Yuga dharma- Chanting Hare Krishna. There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way!

Thus we have the only way for all of us to become chaste devotees of Krishna!

So we have given the Scriptural definition of chastity, the purpose for it, and the only way to achieve it.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17430

Shyamasundara Dasa: This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and a reporter took place in Philadelphia during July of 1975.

Reporter: The Krsna consciousness movement has been what some would consider sexist, because certain propensities for women have been defined, by the devotees or the Vedic scriptures — I’m not sure which — and I wondered if you would comment on that. The allegation is not necessarily that the movement is against women, but that it defines inferior roles for them by their natural traits.

Srila Prabhupada: We give equal roles spiritually. Materially, one person is an assistant, another person is a manager. How can you avoid this? Everyone will be a manager, nobody will be an assistant’ Can you achieve equality materially’ Materially one person is a parent, another is a child; one is an assistant, another is a manager; one is a woman, another is a man. How can you stop this? But spiritually they are all equal.

Reporter: So then what is happening materially is unimportant?

Srila Prabhupada: The thing is that when you come to the spiritual platform, when you see the spirit soul within everyone — then that is equality. For instance, you are differently dressed, in a red blouse, and I am differently dressed. This difference must be there. There are so many men and women — and they are differently dressed. You cannot say they are equal with respect to their dress.

But within the dress — as spiritual beings — they are all the same. In Bhagavad gita Lord Krsna says that through spiritual vision, we can see a learned scholar, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater as equals. And yet materially, how can they be equal?

If I invite a learned scholar and ask him, “Please sit down with this dog,” will he be pleased? He will feel insulted. I may see that within the dog there is a spirit soul and within the learned scholar there is a spirit soul. But if I say, “Oh, you may be a learned scholar and you may think the dog is just a dog, but I see you as equals,” that will be an insult. So the fact is that we cannot disturb the divergent material situation, but at the same time we have to understand what the situation is spiritually.

Artificially, on the platform of the material body, you may make man and woman equal, but actually it is not a fact.

In one place in the Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that one who has spiritual vision sees everyone as equal. And yet in another place the Supreme Lord says, strisu dustasu varsneya jayate varna-sankarah: unless you protect women, low-class men will seduce them, and society will be burdened with unwanted children. Just take this “women’s liberation” — it is simply a trick by the men. Now the men can have free prostitutes, that’s all. And once a man makes a woman pregnant, he can go away and let her choose between begging support from the government or killing her child . . . abortion. You may not like to hear it, but “women’s liberation” means that the men have tricked you. So to make progress toward the end of spiritual realization, we must make some slight material distinction: women must be protected.

If we were actually discriminating against women, then how could it be that in our temple we are enjoying together? We are enjoying because actually we are equal — on the spiritual platform. We do not say, “You are a woman. Oh, you cannot become a devotee.” No. We welcome everyone. We request everyone, “Come to the spiritual platform. Then everything will be nice.” When one is spiritually realized, he knows that spiritually there is no distinction between himself and anyone else — and so he becomes happy. In the material conception, one person is always trying to take another person’s position. But in the spiritual conception there is no more hankering and no more lamentation, because everyone understands that spiritually we are one.

Here at our temple you can see it practically: the boy is dancing, the father is dancing, the black is dancing, the white is dancing, the young are dancing, the old are dancing. You can see it practically. The woman is dancing, the man is dancing — everyone is dancing. They are not dancing artificially, like dogs. They are dancing out of spiritual ecstasy. This is the spiritual platform, the “dancing platform.” They are dancing naturally, spontaneously, because they are realizing God, because they are in relationship with God. They are feeling the ecstasy that “we are all servants of Krsna “

And this is despite any material distinctions. A man’s bodily structure and a woman’s bodily structure are different. How can you say they are equal? If a man and a woman are equal materially, then why doesn’t the man also become pregnant? The distinction is there by nature. Sometimes people think that I am making the distinction, but the distinction is already there. But despite this distinction, when the man and the woman think in connection with Krsna — “I am a spirit soul; my function into serve God” — then they are equal.

Our proposition is that artificially we should not try to make equality. That will be a failure. It is already a failure. For instance, in London I saw a woman police officer. So I was joking with her: “If I capture your hand and snatch you, what will you do? You will simply cry. So what is the use of your being a police officer?” A police officer requires bodily strength. If there is some hooligan, he can give him a slap or catch him; but what will a woman do? So we say, “Be practical.” Artificial equality will not endure.

We are all equal, undoubtedly, because we are all spirit souls. Asmin dehe: within everyone’s material body there is a spirit soul. That we have to understand first of all, and then if we cultivate knowledge and understanding on that platform of spirit soul, then we shall feel equal and there will be no disturbance. Everyone will be peaceful. That is wanted. We are stressing this point — that if you say artificially that we are equal, it will not have any effect. But when you understand that we are equal spiritually, that will be beneficial. That will bring peace and happiness all over the world.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17440

By Ambarisa Das

Hare Krsna,
PAMHO, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Devotees,

As previously mentioned, we have been concentrating on the interior and exterior finishing work for the TOVP.
We talked about the Pink Sandstone from Rajastan and the Grc Workshop.

While the pink stone was arriving to Mayapur, Sadbhuja Prabhu was returning from Bolivia.
He had to travel to pick the best quality blue marble from our Bolivian vendors.
Bolivian blue marble is a very prestigious marble, only an expert can select a good batch.
This splendid blue marble will be used for the altars of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panchatattva and Guru Parampara.
This is our last purchase of the Blue Marble from Bolivia.

The art team has also been very busy.
Led by Bhaskara Prabhu, they created a 7 feet (2.1 M) tall murti of King Indra in Ganga mud and straw.
This murti will appear in the left wing of the temple, over-looking the Nrshimha Dev altar.

Indra, the king of Suwarga Loka and the Demigods, bows down to the fierce form of Lord Nrshimha Dev.
In this pastime of the appearance of Lord Nrshimha Dev, as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th canto, other demigods will be present offering their respects to the Lord.
Once a model is created, the casting progress will commence to make the murtis. Next they will be colourfully painted.

New Govardhana Sunday School (Australia). Kisori devi dasi Recently I interviewed Indranila devi dasi about the Sunday School she runs at New Govardhana.
Kisori (K): What’s your inspiration for running the Sunday School?
Indranila (IN): I thought the children were a bit unsupervised and not positively engaged on Sundays. I also feel very inspired by Aruddha devi dasi’s book, which advises how to teach our children Krishna consciousness. 
K: Please explain how it all works. 
IN: We have three different age groups – under four years old; four to six year olds; and six to 10 year olds. The first two groups run for an hour each, while under four year olds have activities that include kirtana, Krishna conscious nursery rhymes, cognitive development such as matching, sorting, numeracy and literacy with Krishna conscious props, stories, drawing, playdough and coloring-in. The four to six year olds have kirtana, story time with questions, role play pastimes and craft to enhance the learning and comprehension. Finally, the six to 10 year olds learn songs, and read then discuss for 90 minutes. The teacher plays ‘devil’s advocate’ during these discussions. After that there is either games or craft to further solidify understanding in a practical way. K: What is attendance like? 
IN: Attendance ranges from eight to 15 children. I ask for $1 fee per child per session to cover costs. 
K: What is the feedback that you have received so far? 
IN: Parents appreciate the Sunday School, but are often too busy or exhausted to bring children every Sunday. 
K: What have you got planned for the future? 
IN: The general plan is to inspire children to participate with the Vaisnava community and feel connected. The core focus is to plant the bhakti seed and help them flourish by giving quality guidance and education so we can have children who are strong and confident in themselves as devotees and compassionate enough to want to share Krishna consciousness with the rest of the world. I would appreciate more parents coming forward to help. Then we could include programs for older children and teenagers.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17445

If you think that ignoring the risks involved in accepting android app permissions is similar to accepting the terms and conditions before installing a Windows software then you are likely to land in a serious problem.

On the other hand, assuming that allowing apps to execute certain functions means always inviting dangers is also unreasonable for if you don’t allow it the app cannot perform certain functions and so won’t get installed.

Under the circumstance, it is a good idea to take a careful look at what it involves when you allow an app the permissions it may ask for. Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti, an author atSoftonic, has this to say:

Every time you install an app, you have to accept permissions. But what are you really agreeing to? Are they dangerous for your privacy and security? The recent drama over Facebook Messenger permissions had people freaking out over how sinister some of them sound.

To use the camera, internet, and other resources on your mobile phone, Android apps ask for permission. Apps are only installed if you agree, and you can only accept or reject all of them at the same time (it’s an all-or-nothing system). The problem arises when permissions are combined: to review them all is exhausting, so you just end up accept them without looking.

To accept these permissions without thinking can have consequences, such as SMS being sent without you knowing, or the theft of personal data, as happened with the Balloon Pop 2 virus. It takes less than a minute to check the permissions, a minute that can save you from major problems in the future (like having to change all your passwords).

Below, I’ll detail the current permissions that apps request prior to installation, and I’ll explain why they can be dangerous and what you can do to avoid future problems.

Read full story http://features.en.softonic.com/stop-ignoring-android-app-permissions

Krishna Priya grew up as a Hare Krsna devotee in the ISKCON New Vrindaban farm community in West Virginia. Her parents were initiated by Srila Prabhupada and are both very talented and artistic.

I first met Krishna Priya in 2003, while she was studying for her B.A. in English and later her M.Ed. in Secondary English Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville. We were roommates, sharing the old trailer at the Vaisnava Academy for Girls, from which she has graduated a few years prior. Krishna Priya was immersed in her studies and eventually became a very competent and successful teacher.

She went on to marry Navin Shyam Prabhu and together they moved to California, where she was a Fellow of the Institute on the Teaching of Composition and Literature at the University of California, Irvine. She has instructional experience in various contexts, including teaching Language Arts to middle school students at St. Norbert Parish School (a Catholic school in Anaheim, California) and teaching multiple subjects to upper elementary students at Bhaktivedanta Academy (a Hare Krishna Montessori school in Alachua, Florida).

We felt very fortunate when in the summer of 2014 Krishna Priya and her family, which then included her three and a half year old daughter Varada Lila, decided to move to Dallas. Krishna Priya, although pregnant at that time with her second daughter, Kairava Chandrika, immediately began sharing her great talent with us at TKG Academy. She frequented our Preschool class, teaching the young students about Deity Worship and the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Most recently, she volunteered to teach Public Speaking to the Upper Elementary class. Leaving her young baby at home with her husband, every Tuesday she comes to teach the students the various aspects involving the skill of delivering a speech and making presentations. Krishna Priya brings her vast knowledge and experience, along with natural talent for teaching at an energetic, engaging pace. We are happy and grateful to have her volunteer at our school and look forward for a time when she can take up a more prominent role in our teaching staff.

Source:http://www.tkgacademy.com/news-updates/in-the-classrooms/parent-volunteer-spotlight-krishna-priya-devi/

“Raganuga Sadhana deals with Krishna’s intimate Vraja-lila and therefore is not appropriate for the general public. Thus Raganuga should not be the focus of a preaching mission.”

Krishna’s intimate Vraja-lila is not appropriate for the general public, why did the acarya who took Krishna consciousness to the general global public immediately present “The Krishna Book” – the intimate lila from the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam? Why did he also immediately publish Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and a presentation of Sri Rupa Goswami’s Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu (as Nectar of Devotion)?

It seems clear that this acarya did not exactly share the notion that Krishna’s Vraja-lila is not appropriate for the general public. Nor did Vyasa himself subscribe to it, for Vyasa highlighted Krishna’s intimate Vraja-lila in Srimad Bhagavatam – the Veda he wrote especially for the general public in the most morally debased epoch, kali-yuga. Quite the opposite in fact, Vyasa realized that Krishna’s intimate Vraja-lila is the only viable medicine to attract the jiva out from its useless infatuation with bhukti and mukti.

Knowing this, we might now better appreciate the point that Krishna’s intimate vraja-lila is the only real subject that should be “preached” to the public. Far from being something to hide, it is the essence of what we must distribute! But the trick is that it cannot be explained or learned effectively by an audience or speaker who does not deeply realize the spiritual form of it. Therefore our presentation of the prayojana (Krishna’s intimate lila) must be accompanied by solid presentation of the abhidheya (the practices necessary to truly comprehend that lila) and the sambandha (the philosophical nature of the participants in this lila, the aspects of reality itself).

So, the big challenge here is that Krishna-lila has to be accessed from a real guru – a person who has deeply realized the true spiritual form of it – not from a fool who only understands it as some legendary erotica or academic novelty. To meet this challenge, the first priority of a real “preaching mission” is to produce such gurus by properly guiding the personal practice of its members on the path of Raganuga and Vaidhi.

“Raganuga Sadhana involves meditating on Krishna’s romantic activities. So, if we still have material lusts in our heart, it will excite these lusts.”

We must remember the idea of “milk touched by the lips of serpents.”

Yes, if one hears Krishna’s madhurya lila from a person who doesn’t have true spiritual realization of it – considering it merely another type of erotica, or just some academic curiousity – then one might find one’s material lusts excited by such discussions and meditations. This does not mean that we should not hear Krishna’s romantic pastimes, it means we should not hear them from fools!

If we don’t know Krishna’s romantic pastimes, we don’t know Krishna, because romantic love is the essence of his divine personality. So, avoiding Krishna’s romantic pastimes is not an option for anyone with the aspiration to become a Krishna-bhakta. The key is not to avoid hearing or meditating on these things, but to avoid learning about them from fools who do not realize what these pastimes truly express and reveal about the Divine.

If hearing about Krishna’s intimate qualities and activities will increase our lust, what is the meaning of this extremely important verse [Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.39]?

vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca vinnoh |
sraddhanvito ’nusrnuyad atha varnayed yah |
bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kamam |
hrd-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah ||

“Anyone who carefully and deeply hears
this tale of Vinnu playing with the wives of Vraja
attains the supreme pure devotion, and conquers lust
which is a disease of the heart impossible to cure
by any other method.”

The key is to hear these lila’s carefully and deeply. To “actually hear” them. Explaining this verse in chapter 33 of Krishna Book, Srila Prabhupada writes, “If one actually hears rasa-lila, he will become completely freed from the lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the highest level of spiritual understanding.”

“Since Raganuga Sadhana involves meditating on romantic forms, it is best suited for those with no attachment for material sexuality. Thus it is best performed by celibate Sannyasis and Brahmacaris, not by housholding Grhasthas.

This seems strange. If Krishna-lila is sexually dangerous, then it makes at least as much sense to say it is least appropriate for people for whom it is important to maintain absolutely strict celibacy. But this is just an argument for argument’s sake. The real truth is that Krishna-lila is not sexually dangerous unless heard from someone who doesn’t truly have any deep grasp of what that lila truly expresses.

If raganuga sadhana is mostly for absolute celibates, what is the meaning of this extremely important verse which indicates that there is no significant difference between self-realized munis and the reprobate general public when it comes to being attracted to Hari [Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.10]?

atmaramas ca munayo nirgrantha apy urukrame |
kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim ittham-bhuta-guno harih ||

“Hari’s wondrous qualities inspire
both the self-realized realized sages and the ordinary reprobates
to pure devotion.”

If raganuga sadhana and madhurya-lila is meant for pure and exalted people only, why does Sri Krishna Caitanya distribute them to the morally low and mundane masses of kali-yuga, and not to the pure and exalted spiritualists of satya-yuga???

If raganuga sadhana is mostly for absolute celibates why was Narottama das Thakur the only significant person in his entire generation who was a lifelong celibate with a shaved head? Sri Syamananda, Sri Srinivas, Sri Ramacandra Kaviraj, and Sri Rasikananda were all householders.

If raganuga sadhana is primarily for sannyasis how do you explain this: the exalted practitioner of raganuga sadhana who began the effort to bring Krishna consciousness to the general masses around the world – our acarya Sri Bhaktivinode Thakur – was the father of fourteen children and never took sannyasa or left his wife?

If raganuga sadhana is mostly for absolute celibates why didn’t Sri Rupa Goswami say so when he was defining it for us? He said that raganuga sadhana is for anyone who can become significantly attracted to the hope of attaining a specific type of love for Krishna. This is the only stipulation specified by him and by the Gaudiya acaryas following him. The idea that absolute celibacy is a requirement or a significant advantage is someone else’s optinion, not theirs. Therefore followers of acaryas need not consider this opinion very significant.

“Raganuga Sadhana may encourage people to be slack and lazy in their vows and adherence to rules.”

The idea that raganuga sadhana is something without rules and regulations is a complete misconception, held only by people who have not learned about it from the source texts, and who have no hands-on experience practicing it in its original form. Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, the original text that defines raganuga sadhana, makes this absolutely clear in 1.2.296. Therefore it is not that Raganuga Sadhana would make anyone slack and lazy in their vows and practices. Quite the contrary, it is a lack of understanding about what raganuga really is which causes people to slacken.

“There is a more advanced way to practice Bhakti-yoga, and in it you don’t follow so many rules and regulations.” As long as people have this foolish misconception about raganuga in their heads, they will be encouraged to think, “I don’t have to follow so many rules and regulations. It’s not necessarily bad.”

Therefore the best strategy is not to try and hide the facts about Raganuga sadhana from the neophyte practitioners, but to understand the true facts and teach them clearly to all practitioners, even from the earliest stages.

The fact is that Raganuga Sadhana follows as many rules as Vaidhi Sadhana, and, externally, the practice of both are largely identical. It is simply that Raganuga Sadhana follows the rules with a passion to achieve a specific kind of intimate love for Krishna (“Raga”), and Vaishi sadhana doesn’t have this passionate and specific motivation behind (and focus within) its actions.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada discouraged Raganuga Sadhana.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada discouraged the sahajiya-apasiddhanta which is based on misunderstandings of what raganuga-sadhana is and what it is for. He presented the true form of raganuga-sadhana, as taught and exemplified by the original Goswamis of Vrndavana, solidly based on sravana and kirtana as the foundation of smarana and the foundation for developing and cultivating lobha into raga and, finally rati.

Source:https://vicd108.wordpress.com/

Dear Devotees, 

well wishers & friends Dandavats. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Chennai has been declared as a national disaster zone and is witnessing it's worst crisis in more than 100 years. 

Part 1: ISKCON Chennai is engaged in supplying daily meals to more 1500 flood displaced families sheltered in government schools. We want to expand that to more areas in Chennai and items like water, bedsheets etc. (For more details see the bottom of this message). 

Our Food for Life bank account details are as follows: 

Acc name ; ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE Acc no; 423010100035200 AXIS BANK Branch ; NEELANGARAI/THIRUVANMIYUR IFS code; UTIB0000423 

Contact: Mobile/whatsapp- Sukirti Madhavi DD: 9790710432 /Prassana Gopinath Das: 9840043330 

Email: agd.iskcon@gmail.com 

Part 2: ISKCON Chennai TEMPLE has suffered heavy damages in the current flood situation. Estimated losses to the temple are in the range of 25 million to 30 million rupees. (2.5 to 3 crores). 

We request devotees to come forward & help for the same. 

For your reference list of damages are listed down. 

1. Temple structure repair and restoration 
2. Water supply infrastructure including sump, pumps etc. 
3. Electrical infrastructure including equipment 
4. Temple premises cleaning and restoration 
5. Brahmacari kitchen equipment 
6. Kitchen store - all grains and grocery items completely spolied 
6. Sannyasi ashram 
5. Temple vehicles (fully submerged in flood water) 
6. Temple gift shop and restaurant interiors are damaged. 
7. Public Facilities - Bathroom & drinking facility. 

Other damages are yet to be assessed. 

TEMPLE ACCOUNT DETAILS: Acc name ; ISKCON CONSTRUCTION Acc no; 423010100026071 AXIS BANK Branch ; NEELANGARAI/THIRUVANMIYUR IFS code; UTIB0000423 

Contact: Mobile/whatsapp- Sukirti Madhavi DD: 9790710432 /Prassana Gopinath Das: 9840043330 

Email: agd.iskcon@gmail.com 

MORE DETAILS: 
Food for life:

I 5 sq.km area around temple is badly effected & 5000 people are displaced who are without basic amenities of food, water & medicine, toothbrush, paste, soap etc. 

As of know we are supporting 1500 families with food for life program @ Perambur centre in Chennai. We plan to start temporary kitchen near our main temple for these 5000 effected people.

We urgently appeal and request you to contribute wholeheartedly to help temple to recover from this setback. 

Your servant 
Sukirti Madhavi DD 
Secretary TMT (temple management team) 

CC: GBCs HH Jayapataka Swami and HH Bhanu Swami 
TEMPLE PRESIDENT Sumithra Krsna Das

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is always free from politics and institutional bashing or promotion. Just simply nectarean Krishna Katha! 

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Waterfront Festival Mauritius. 
Here again we are glad to announce the coming of the 8th Annual Hare Krishna Waterfront Festival to be held on the 11th to 13th December 2015.
In context of the celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in Mauritius this year’s festivities are more promising with Snan Yatra, Deep Utsav and an open Air Youth Concert along with a Maha Aarti of New Manasi Ganga. Lots of Senior and Special Guests will also be present.

Special Attractions:
Kids Corner
Questions and Answers
Vegetarian Snacks
Drama Dance
Cooking Demos
Mantra Rock Music
Fireworks

Invited Guests
His Holiness Bhakti Chaitanya Swami
His Holiness Kadamb Kanana Swami
His Holiness Lokanath Swami
His Holiness Navayogebdra Swami
His Holiness Dhira Damodara Swami
His Holiness Bhakti Anugraha Janardhan Maharaja
His Grace Mahatma Prabhu

Be part of the festival and experience the everlasting bliss.
Should you be keen to know more??. Should you be interested in any kind of help in support of the festival??. Or you are just excited to be part of the feel free to contact us.

Contact Persons in Mauritius.
Vrsabhanu Das: 57918835
Sundara Lala Das: 57772747

Source: https://www.facebook.com/events/729384607192313/

Ter Kadamba (8 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: After visiting Yavat, where Radharani lived for some time, we walked to Ter Kadamba, a sacred place where Rupa Goswami did bhajan 500 years ago. Mother Sitala spoke on the pastimes of Rupa Goswami and Bada Haridas prabhu led us in singing the glories of the Six Goswami’s. It was our final parikrama of Kartika, and one of the best as well.

Source:https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/videos/10205186658569007/?l=6504231797449343231