Hare Krishna

Source:http://servantoftheservant-ananda.blogspot.in/2015/12/become-budhah-first.html

Although I have been travelling around England recently, I’ve been following the ongoing dispute about the Church of England’s attempt to promote prayer by commissioning a 54-second film – a cinema advertisement, so to speak, for The Lord’s Prayer. 

This was designed to be shown before the new Star Wars film. At the last minute the cinema chain stopped the film from being shown – even though it had been approved by the relevant advertising body. It gave as a reason that it ‘might be offensive to some people.’

I despair at the state my country has got itself into. Just coming up to Christmas, who on earth would find a short piece about Christian prayer ‘offensive?’ It might be better to show the ad and then let those who are so offended reveal themselves.

Yesterday I was in Leicester, and right opposite the back door of our temple is the Town Hall. The imposing brick building has the very largest, flashing, green neon **Merry Christmas** sign I have ever seen. Leicester has, as many will know, the largest population of Hindus in the country, outside London. As far as I know, not one Hindu has ever begrudged this overt celebration of Christmas. Hinduism is a broad and diverse collection of religious strands, and is inclusive, appreciating all attempts to serve and know God.

Those who recognise that the same God is being worshipped, despite the differences in names used by the worshippers, will acknowledge  and appreciate the paths of everyone, giving them freedom to express their deepest feelings of faith. And those who recognise the importance of religion, generally, in preserving morality and order in society, will welcome the range of human emotions that comes along with worship, particular the celebration of festivals. It is very sad that we seem to have taken the wrong turn in our understanding of freedom of religion and expression.

To make these cinematic religious matters slightly more complex, the short filmSanjay’s Superteam, by Toy Story makers Pixar, is now being shown in some cinemas just before their new film The Good Dinosaur. The short film features, in cartoon forms, Lord Vishnu, Hanuman and Durga. While I’m delighted that the names and forms of the deities are being broadcast, I am troubled that we seem to be relentlessly diminishing the religion that has been the foundation of much good in this country. The problem is that intolerance toward Christianity in the name of preserving the peace will be followed by more intolerant behaviour in the future.

It is understandable that people look for new forms of religious expression as they tire of old forms. The path of Bhakti seems to be attracting the attention of seekers everywhere. Krishna is mentioned by the bad character in the trailer for another superhero movie: X-Men Apocalypse. The anti-hero introduces himself by saying: “I have been called many things over many lifetimes, Rama, Krishna, Yahweh…”

There may be many more occasions where Bhakti makes an appearance in popular culture. Certainly, there is a great variety of rich culture to be mined in the search for new forms of spiritual expression. I do feel, however, that religion itself must be protected, so that even the concepts preserved by those faiths do not disappear from our conversations. That would be a sad world. Merry Christmas.

Source:https://deshika.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/taking-christ-out-of-christmas/

Grumble, grumble, grumble

Grumble, grumble, grumble. Someone who takes himself, others, and everything else very seriously. The primary focus is on problems, always critical, frowning, angry, hurried, frustrated, and stressed. Someone who is waiting for life to get better, for things to be different. Is this you?

You had your chance to experience and explore life and its many facets – the beauty as well as the hassles. But in a way, you took it for granted. You spent your time grumbling, wishing life was different.

We all get too serious at times. Perhaps it’s human nature. Yet there is an enormous difference between someone who gets serious from time to time, and someone else who is constantly in the grumble mode. The good news is, it’s never too late to change. In fact, once you see how ridiculous it is, you can change quickly.

A grumbler will blame life for his sour attitude. He will validate his negativity by pointing to the problems and hassles that he must face. He will justify his position by pointing out the injustices of life and the flaws of others. He hasn’t a clue that his vision of life stems from his own thoughts and beliefs.

The world has become too serious. If you’re part of this sad trend, it’s time to change. 

 Srila Prabhupada's Nectar


 Srila Prabhupada's Quote

Simply by chanting the Holy Name of Krsna --:

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,Hare Hare

 Hare Rama, Hare Rama,Rama Rama,Hare Hare --

a devotee of the Lord can approach the supreme destination easily and happily, but this destination cannot be approached by any other process of religion.

 Bhagavad Gita

Srila Prabhupada: “I am very pleased that you are taking my order to distribute books so seriously. All blessings of Krsna are on these girls who are working so hard to distribute my books. That is very nice that you want to distribute more books than Tamala Krsna Goswami’s sankirtana party.”

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17575

Written by Nandan

After a full day of classes and meetings, in the evening Kadamba Kanana Swami attended the Appearance Day celebrations of his spiritual master HH Jayadvaita Swami (24 November). The celebrations were held at Sacidevi’s (a senior Mauritian disciple known for her loyalty and resourcefulness) apartment. The apartment was beautiful with gorgeous Krsna pictures all over the place. Behind the building was a green field where jackals would howl at night. There was also a quiver of impressive looking wooden arrows which I learned belonged to Samba Prabhu (husband of Sacidevi) who is really into archery.

An august assembly of around 40 devotees were present in Sacidevi’s home. They seemed to be from all over the world. There was a nice kirtan to welcome Maharaj from somegurukulis and then Maharaj started a slow light ambientkirtan to set the mood. Initially, Maharaj started off with themangalacharan prayers and then was going to go into the Guruvastakam prayers but for some reason, the chords on the harmonium were too high so instead he decided to go straight into a Hare Krsna kirtan. It was fantastic!

Maharaj then spoke on HH Jayadvaita Swami, starting off by mentioning how Jayadvaita Swami could not come because he is a revolutionary who was busy promoting a book he had recently written on a most awkward part of the Bible called Ecclesiastes. This scripture tells of a King called Quohelen who enjoyed all the worldly pleasures but found it all empty. But why in the world did Jayadvaita Swami write a book on that!?

He was part of a Jewish background and went to Sunday school which was really boring but on one occasion, the normal boring Rabbi was not there and instead a young dynamic Rabbi came there and spoke on the Ecclesiastes. It resonated with Jayadvaita Swami so much and he realised that most of what is out there is meaningless. Eventually, he checked out the Hare Krsna movement because University was also meaningless and the rest is history…

Even though he joined the Hare Krsnas at a very young age, Jayadvaita Swami still conceded that it was too late! It was already a burgeoning movement by then and the days of Brahmananda Prabhu’s leadership were gone. Anyhow, he was a ten fingered typist and soon began his career as an editor of books and quickly became part of the core editing team. Then Maharaj read out his own offering which was based on the Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.19.

Maharaj reminisced about his various experiences with his Guru such as the time when they went to the Taj Mahal with Jayadvaita Swami’s mother and how his mother marvelled at the romanticism of the monument to which Jayadvaita Swami simply replied, “YUCK!” Then there ensued an argument between mother and son in which Jayadvaita Swami’s mother had to accept defeat after admitting the transitory nature of the Taj Mahal’s beauty! This recollection raised immense laughter from everyone present in the room.

There was also the time when Jayadvaita Swami took out the plug from the amplifier in one of the Mayapur establishments as they were playing disproportionately loud music. So getting back to why Jayadvaita Swami wrote the book was because never was there a book that questioned life so much as the Ecclesiastes and never was there a book that answered those questions like the Bhagavad-gita.

Maharaj then said that he does not know who Jayadvaita Swami was in his previous life but it is obvious that he was someone special. Maharaj made the interesting point that different people have different types of intelligence. Like Ravindra Swarup Prabhu whose intelligence is like bubbles, popping up with new elucidations, whilst Devamrta Swami’s is like a razor – sharp and to the point. Trivikrama Maharaj’s is like a grinding stone, slow but gets through everything. But Jayadvaita Swami’s is like lightning, illuminating from one point to another and deeply penetrating. Ravindra Swarup Prabhu once said that Jayadvaita Swami is an intellectual giant.

Maharaj went on to say how his book is very scholarly and it may leave you cross eyed. But the book has been written primarily for outsiders. His editorials for ‘Back to Godhead’ were so exciting. One day, he may just decide to go and peach on the moon and Maharaj guessed that he would have to get involved too. More laughter!

Maharaj spoke of the special walk that Jayadvaita Swami has where he just floats right through. It is like he is not affected by things, whereas when Maharaj was asked to do difficult things, he admitted that he would be on the ground getting scratched and battered and eventually getting through it!

When Maharaj got initiated by Jayadvaita Swami, he knew he would not just be a manager.
Soon he was asked to be GBC for France but then Jayadvaita Swami just laid it down raw for Maharaj and told him, “No, you be a Guru… on my behalf!” Like a Ritvik!! And this was slap-bang in the aftermath of the whole Ritkvik debate in which Jayadvaita Swami was a key player. Then with a grin on his face, Maharaj told us he then realised this was a game and he was the ball. Anyhow, Maharaj eventually became a guru in his own right so it is true that Jayadvaita Swami didn’t make him a manager but he made him something else.

After Maharaj got shot, Jayadvaita Swami told him to go to a famous astrologer called Ashok Ray. Incidentally, this was the same astrologer who made the famous comment about Srila Prabupada, saying he has the ability to build a house in which the whole world can live. Anyhow when this astrologer met Maharaj and Jayadvaita Swami, he said of Jayadvaita Swami that he is the most broadminded person he knew and he would do anything to push the movement forward. Maharaj found this amusing, afterall you would think Jayadvaita Swami would be a conservative as he is so strict.

It is very hard following in the footsteps of a celestial but that is what it feels like with Jayadvaita Swami but Maharaj expressed his determination to do just that and eventually become a saintly person just like Jayadvaita Swami.

After a few more stories, Maharaj asked his various disciples to talk about their recollections on Jayadvaita Swami. Various stories, anecdotes and realisations came from a variety of devotees such as Samba Prabhu, Ter Kadamba Prabhu, Sadbhuja Prabhu and Gurudas Prabhu.

After hearing the other offerings, Maharaj gave a final thought on Jayadvaita Swami and that is that he is very grave and grave people fix their minds and never change their minds. This summed up Jayadvaita Swami perfectly. Afterwards, kirtan and sumptuous prasadam followed and right at the very end, Maharaj performed a first grain giving ceremony for the baby of Yamunarcharya.

When the program finished, Maharaj strolled back to the senior brahmachari ashram with a host of disciples under the Mayapur night sky.

HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaj ki Jai

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2015/12/honouring-hh-jayadvaita-swami/

I am watching a very good television show with my wife and son – it’s called The Walking Dead. It’s set in a zombie apocalypse scenario and shows how human beings try to survive. It’s much more about human psychology than about zombies.

One of the most disturbing and terrifying things the show reveals is that humans wind up being much more dangerous to one another than zombies. You would think that the survivors would think, “we are all humans, we have a common enemy and a common goal, let’s unite and fight together.” But what actually happens is that a lot of people think “I need to survive. My needs, and the needs of those related to me, come first – before everyone else.” In The Walking Dead, humans rarely ever unite or cooperate with one another – they mostly fight and try to conquer one another’s dwindling resources.

The realism of this depiction is disturbing.

It is, to me, vividly analogue to the way Gauḍīya’s recently split themselves into minute factions and war amongst one another.

“We are Gauḍīya Maṭh, you are not. We hate you.”

“We are are the bābājīs. We represent the real tradition. You don’t, so we hate you or pity you at best. Anyway, you are certainly not one of us.”

“We live in a temple, and you don’t – so you are a blooped fringie and we are the real deal.”

“We are ISKCON, and you are not. You are completely bogus and we are completely bonafide.”

“We are the ritviks. You are the Prabhupāda-usurpers. We will focus all our attention on defaming you, and none on faming Krishna.”

“We are the book distributors, you are the  gopī-bhāva club. We never want to be as useless as you. Prabhupāda hates you.”

“We are mañjarī’s, we are pure. You are impure, you just want toenjoy Krishna in the guise of Sakhi-anugata. Therefore we don’t want to be touched by your shadow.”

So much ever-more-minute fractioning of what is essentially a single family of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s followers! We all have such similar goals and hopes, and we all face such similar obstacles and pitfalls. The way we are unable to band together in unity just seems so exactly similar to the way humans tear each other apart in The Walking Dead.

So much “diti” – division. Diti is the mother of the Daityas, demons – selfish beings absorbed in the consequent anger and hatred. Aditi (unity) on the other hand, is the mother of the divine forces, Adityas – self-sacrificing beings who help the world, and therefore experience peace of mind and come closer to understanding love.

Division is not an inviting path to tread, but it seems that the Gauḍīyas are swimming in it. We need to focus more on hearing Bhāgavatam and chanting Hare Krishna, and less on our cross-examination. This bhajan-kriya will effect anartha-nivṛtti, which will cure this ugly situation.

Vraja Kishor das

books, classes & more: www.vrajakishor.com

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

To establish Sridhama Mayapur, the audharya dhama, as the World Headquarters of the Hare Krishna Movement and bring it to the forefront and attention of the entire world, as well as to show our love and gratitude to Srila Prabhupada for this most rare benediction and gift he has given us in the form of the ISKCON society, we all need to work together to make our acharyas’ vision become manifest. Srila Prabhupada said that the temple was already built, but we must take this opportunity if we want to be the instruments and receive the transcendental credit, or someone else will.

With the announcement by the GBC Chairman, Praghosa das, of 2015 as the Year of the TOVP, and the coming of ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary in 2016, along with the overwhelming success of the current North American TOVP Tour, a new and effective fundraising plan has been devised to collect the required funds for its completion. This is the Pledge Program whereby you can make a pledge from one of 10 different donor options and pay it off over the course of 3, 5, or even 7 years, leading up to the Grand Opening in 2022. Anyone can participate and make a substantial pledge, paying it off in small monthly amounts. The 10 Ways to Donate are as follows:

1. Radharani Coin (Diamond Patron) – $1,000,000
2. Chaitanya Coin (Platinum Patron) – $250,000 (7 have already been pledged)
3. Nityananda Coin (Gold Patron) – $108,000 (25 have already been pledged)
4. Advaita Coin (Silver Premium Patron) – $51,000
5. Gadadhara Coin (Silver Plus Patron) – $25,000
6. Srivas Coin (Silver Patron) – $11,000 (452 have already been pledged)
7. Radha Madhava Brick – $2500 (343 have already been pledged or paid in full)
8. Golden Avatar Brick – $1600 (857 have already been pledged or paid in full)
9. Nrsimhadev Tile – $1000 (673 have already been pledged or paid in full)
10. Square Foot – $150

The six coin pledges include a solid metal commemorative coin as a gift to you, as well as the Radha Madhava and Golden Avatar Bricks and Nrsimhadev Tile with your name on them, and your name inscribed on the TOVP Devotional Wall of Fame, amongst other benefits. Simply make your pledge selection below and you’re on your way to helping make the TOVP a reality. Make a pledge today and become an instrument in Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement. It’s a once in MANY lifetimes opportunity.

Source:http://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! With great pleasure the VIHE wishes to invite you to the in-depth, step-by-step, systematic Bhakti-vaibhava course, cantos 1&2, in Vrindavan, running from December, 21, 2015 to March, 2016.

Shrimad Bhagvatam class: H.G.Sarvabhauma das, H.G.Adi Purusha das, H.G. Kamal Lochan das & H.G. Prashanta devi dasi  Additional courses: Meters in Srimad Bhagavatam; Six systems of
Philosophy; 10 Topics of Shrimad Bhagvatam.

To apply: Please write to vihe.courses.admissions@pamho.net and register.

Web site: www.vihe.org or call +917895101709 (Damodarashtak Das)

Your servants at the VIHE
Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education
www.vihe.org
www.facebook.com/vihe.vrindavan

By Parvati devi dasi

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Once again, I wish to extend my thanks to so many of you who were inspired to come forward this year to help build up the Samadhi Maintenance Fund Fixed Deposit as well as the working account. We are halfway to the $200,000 goal. It is certainly Krishna’s blessing to have so much international participation in this wonderful service in Vrndavana Dhama. How can we ever pay our debt to Srila Prabhupada?

**So far:

1- We were finally able to install the “Changing Bodies” Diorama upstairs in the Museum complete with timed lights in the heart regions of the figures. Videos we took may be available with ITV Vrndavan, which will be up-graded soon. We were the first super event on the list of celebrations for Vrndavan Temple’s 40th Anniversary Festival. At the Diorama inauguration, on Vasant Panchami, Janardana Swami spoke very enthusiastically and laughed, “Now we have a Museum!” Bhima das spoke of the brilliant preaching to be done by these displays, citing the example of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur’s Theosophical Diorama Display in Calcutta. Dioramas are so impactive; you don’t even have to know how to read the explicit descriptions to grasp the philosophy. Narahari das revealed that as soon as he saw a similar diorama in Juhu, he immediately headed for the book table for as many books as he could carry and became a full time devotee. Bhaktisiddhanta das, the original inventor of this diorama, noted that Srila Prabhupada wanted Diorama Museums in every temple because of the preaching potential. He is presently helping to organize the dioramas for the Mayapur planetarium. 4 are exactly the same dioramas previously approved (out of a total of 6) by the VEB for our Museum downstairs, before
(I’m sad to say) it was decided to continue with the mall. The diorama figures were donated by Jitarati das and the basic photo digitals were provided by Bangalore and modified to expand the message. Then we added a few perfect verses in steel signage on the platform. The very real looking artificial grass they all stand on was probably from Malaysia. Anyone who wants a copy of the digitals to make their own presentation for their temple is welcome to contact me. Really, every temple should have one of these.

2. WE REARRANGED PART OF THE TIMELINE displaced by the diorama up there. Later, we’ll catalogue what the maha photos are if anyone wants to give a token donation for them. We put Hindi translations of the framed English descriptions of the timeline photo display, steel plate nameplates for the Deities’ case, and also steel plate descriptions of the parampara on the pillars in front of them. Very handsome. We also replaced the kitchri of pictures ahead of you as you enter, with a huge 7′ x 7′ colorful picture of the ecstatic sankirtan party of the Panca Tattva, above the Six Goswamis and framed flex descriptions of the Yuga Dharma, Panca Tattva and the Sad Goswamis. The sun shines brilliantly onto this display most of the afternoon. Very effulgent.

3. We fixed a bunch of damaged carved marble and construction errors and replaced the curtains with beautiful maroon velvet.

4. A NEW SLIDING DOOR mechanism was installed for the Samadhi altar. Works a lot easier than the other one.

5. Vrndavan das (president of the Surat Temple) did a beautiful service by gold-plating various frames on the doors of the altar and baseboard under the inside all around the altar under the doors on the inside too.

6. Gardens: We had a wonderful monsoon and growing-season this year. So we were able to plant a lot of Night Queen (very fragrant at night and early morning) and Mehendi, which also has very fragrant flowers. They are growing prolifically, aren’t attractive to the monkeys, and will cover the boundary area on the roadside. Soon as they become available we will plant some more seasonal flowers that should last through Kartik and add a little color. We got a donation of 500 Freesia bulbs, which should bloom by Gaura Purnima.

7. Original entrance pillars to the Samadhi front gate on the boundary were re-clad with the carved marble we salvaged when the municipality had us move the boundary back. It’s simply beautiful.

8. The ladies kirtan group seems to be growing more and more popular. Visitors love sitting and chanting with them for Srila Prabhupada’s pleasure. Now they have started an afternoon session.

9. The Museum was meant for preaching. Although there were so many obstacles, we have steadily broadened our Free Temple Tour Program. It has diversified in amazing directions.

There are many arms on this body of campus preaching. We have an expanding Japa programme upstairs in the Samadhi, headed by MADHUSHRESTHA DAS, daily engaging hundreds of visitors in chanting a round of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, the mantra of deliverance for the Age of Kali. You may remember BHAKTISIDDHANTA prabhu’s classic diorama reliefs upstairs in the Samadhi, which exhibit the pastimes of Srila Prabhupada with reference to the Samsara Prayers. Now there is a new exhibit of 39 Parampara Acaryas in the arches above Prabhupada’s altar, with appropriate descriptions of our Brahma Madhava Gaudiya Sampradaya on the upstairs parikrama walls. So there is a lot preaching the first floor and book distribution going on. There is limited space, but freedom of movement.

The results speak for themselves-ever-increasing. They need more volunteers to cover the time after 7 pm. So many people; so few preachers to meet them. Some individual devotees make their own hours and take groups on tours of the Samadhi, the diorama, Prabhupada’s House and the temple, or just pick a spot and preach to people coming in, like DEVANANDA PANDIT DAS, who continually takes out tours around Vrndavan/Braj, and Char Dham, among other places. That man has a variety of other preaching projects including Vedic special cooking classes using clay pots and cow dung as fuel. One of our Free Temple Tours ladies, VRNDAVANI DASI, meets people in the evenings coming for Samadhi darshan and gets them all to chant Hare Krishna-and they are so happy someone took the trouble to welcome them personally, beaming with smiles. Free brochures in Hindi and English are handed out to all.

Recently, a man from Punjab requested the Bhishma Dept. for the honor of sponsoring the printing of 25,000 of those. They finished, and we reprinted 30,000 more. CAITANYA CHAKRAVARTI DAS from the pujari department also organizes wonderful home programs in his spare time PERSONAL CONTACT PREACHING is very effective and very rewarding spiritually. It is the essence. It is a nice first impression for the pilgrims, as Peter Burwash would say-more interactive than standing behind shop table waiting for people to take out their wallets. Since the inauguration of the Changing Bodies Diorama upstairs in the Museum side, the NAMA HATTA preachers have organized 4-6 devotees to draw visitors upstairs, preach to them with the fabulous preaching tools of a diorama and the Movement’s time-line, sell more books and get them down to their office to become active participants in our process with lectures. It’s very exciting preaching. This is organized by RADHA SHYAMSUNDAR DAS (longtime prolific preacher) AND GOURANGA DAS (one of our stars from the humble beginnings of the Free Temple Tours). We hope the rest of the brahmacari ashram and community members catch this infection.

If everyone in the brahmacari ashram volunteered at least one hour of their time daily to this rewarding type of preaching, the ecstasy is unimaginable. When YOU visit Vrndavana, jump into this ocean of mercy yourself! The traveling kirtan program, headed by SARANGA DAS is invited to places all over the country, travels and distributes Hare Nama and so many books. They need to have a little more communication with the temple management, though, to refine the process and let us all share the enthusiasm of their preaching. The Rural Development Team has diversified into village self-sufficiency preaching, bus book distribution, medical and nutritional programs, khadi type products and more. INDRANEELAMANI DAS heads up this admirable program, in his spare time, in addition to his other services growing the Temples flowers and running the Bakery/Sweet shops which support a substantial portion of our Temple’s Finances, despite the inadequate facility it has. Who can estimate what he could do with the proper facility?

**Next few months we would be happy to accept inspired donations to cover the costs of the following projects: 1- Cover the costs of the Diorama ($6,000) . 2- The upstairs Museum photos of the Panchatattva and other signage ($200) 3- New fans ($300). 4- $3000 for the paramapara Deities glass house and signage 5- First floor Samadhi arch framed parampara acarya photos and description signage ($1000) 6- Garden development ($500)

**We always need (prices keep increasing): o $2,000 per month for cleaning, painting, general maintenance, gardening, etc. o $1,000 per year for continual stone polishing of the marble exterior and interior o $1,500 per year for up-grading exhibits o $1,500 per year for up-grading Prabhupada’s altar o $2,000 per year repairing damages caused by traffic, weather, pollution, age, etc.

**ANNUAL INCOME** from Sept.2014-Sept. 2015 1. The Vrndavana Samadhi Maintenance Fund now has about Rs.92,00,000 on Fixed Deposit, which gives 9% interest. These donations perpetually serve Srila Prabhupada with the interest. We now have the annual minimum costs, which don’t cover most special projects or repair costs. 2. Many devotees donated for special projects anonymously this year. We had one anonymous donor who donated Rs.90,000, and another over a lakh. 3. Hundi donations were Rs.5,200,029, double of last year. 4. Our larger donations mainly came from our Jagat Priya and Mandapa prabhus (ACBSP) from Australia, Vishnu Murti das’s wife Rohini devi dasi (donated in honor of her husband, former chairman of Mombasa Temple), Srivallabha das and the Dubai community; Prassannatma das, Tyaga Caitanya das from Malayasia, HH Kesava Bharati Swami HH Subhag Swami, and HH Dhanudhara Swami. Many others gave various amounts for which we thank you all for your generosity and commitment to our Founder-acarya’s working account and Fixed Deposits as well as specified projects. 5. Total donations: General Donation Rs. 6 lakhs Hundi Collection Rs. 5.3 laks Interest on FD Rs. 8 laks

**INCOME NEEDED** **WHAT YOU CAN DO**

We aim to build up a Fixed Deposit of $200,000 to use the interest for expenses in addition to the donations for new projects. This will cover inevitable costs and give an increased cushion for future surprises in the aging structure. Srila Prabhupada’s Vrndavana Samadhi Maintenance Fund needs you now! All participation is welcome. No donation is too large or too small. Please choose a convenient method for your personal service to Prabhupada’s Samadhi Mandir: 1. Annual commitments to the Fixed Deposit presently vary from $108, $501 to $1,001. 2. One-time donations as above. 3. Substantial donations to any of the above on-going projects for the working account. 4. We have a lot of leftover marble now situated in a pile near the Goshala entrance. If you know someone with a project, tell them to take a look. Or if you just want a piece for a souvenir, take something and give from the heart to the Samadhi Hundi, unless you want a receipt. 5. We also have pewter German Silver) medallions for a donation of Rs.1,000, varieties of Maha velvet curtains and bolsters and carved teak originally meant for the arch behind the Deity; retired photo blowups. They will be available at the different Deity Maha-tables during festivals, or just contact me. 6. We also have stone tiles, originally from the front of Srila Prabhupada’s house, and also some from the veranda and steps between Prabhupada’s room and kitchen at the Radha Damodar Temple. His Divine Grace would have walked on them thousands of times. For that, you have to meet me personally and name your price.

**HOW TO HELP** Whether you wish to give to the Vrndavana Samadhi Fixed Deposit, or to some specific project of the Samadhi, contact me please
(parvati.acbsp@pamho.net) here in Vrndavana. I will let you know the easiest and least complicated way to send your donation, and will be very happy to answer any other questions you may have. There is probably one of our reliable representatives near you who can carry your generous donations directly to Vrndavana. Recently, the temple changed some accounts to Axis Bank Ltd. So some of the old information listed on previous Newsletters and all our 5,000 brochures is now updated as follows: o Samadhi rupee donations for sending money locally or abroad: o To ISKCON Vrndavana, SBI ac#10684301765, IFC code: DSBIN0016533 o Foreign donations to AXIS Bank A/c #910000100-145-5239 Swft code: AXISINBB086 I FSC code: UTIB0000794

o On-line donation iskconvrindavan..com click option of online donation

o US Tax exemption: www.vedic-cf.org

Try not to send foreign checks. They take forever to process. However you do it, communicate it to me so I know to look for it in case of technical delays. Easiest is to wire to our bank, send cash directly, or even an international money order with some reliable person. To insure appropriate handling, address your envelope to Samadhi Maintenance Fund, attention Parvati devi dasi WITH A COVERING LETTER. You can also e-mail me. Please state your name, address and the purpose of the donation, so proper documentation can be made and receipts can be sent along with special gifts. Kindly specify that your donation is for the Samadhi, either a special Samadhi project, for the Samadhi Fixed Deposit or in general for the Samadhi working expenses. I thank all of you for helping me to serve the Samadhi better and beg to remain

Your servant, Parvati devi dasi, Samadhi Office.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17541

****Advantages of Being a Krishna Devotee**** (^_^) Devotee of god
(Believer)

1. You will always be sure more confident that Krishna will protect you
Always.
2. No matter how much fallen you are, Spiritual master will never leave you
3. Don't worry about depression, Krishna kirtans are immediate reliefs
4. you don't need to get scared of anyone or anything, our superhero is in
always charge to rescue us by just one call in return for love.
5. You are never ever gonna be alone.24/7 365/366days he is in charge of
taking care of us perfectly any time anywhere.Eternal Companion
6. We are servants of the lord, But Krishna treats you as VIPS.He will
never bear an insult against his surrendered souls. He used his sudarshana(
DISC) weapon most powerful just for his devotee who was tested by a sage.
7.The most beautiful part is knowing you have an eternal mother and father.
that's sounds great isn't it?
8.Krishna is your True eternal Husband, Friend, Father, Child. Mother and
Everything you need him to be.
9. He crosses limits just for your love.
10. He has everything still accepts one handful of Flattened rice.
11. You will never be Disappointed.
12. You do a little service he considers it has the greatest of all
13. The one who always want you be happy.
14. You don't need a net, mobile, currency, Satellite, or not even you need
to walk along for a temple .you can speak to him at any instance. He
resides inside of your heart, Before you think he is there within you and
within everyone even The animals bees ants all the species.
15. The merciful mother.
16. She keeps supporting no matter how fallen bad child you are.
The best example is When Rama is with sita, Most of the asuras were
forgiven just because of her presence. Even Ravana would have been alive if
sita mother was next to Rama.
17. She is the mother for all the beings.
18. She helps you to grow materially spiritually.
19.Even If Krishna intends to punish you, Mother keeps supporting you, you
can hide behind her ask her forgiveness just realize the mistake she will
fight for your protection even with Krishna.
20. This mom is most beautiful, caring, loving, never let you go out of her
arms,
21. You will have best mother all the time, being with her you will be the
favorite of Supreme Lord.
22. We are actually eternal. That's wow, and no one dies no one cries. We
are the part and parcels of the eternal lord
23. You have a magic world, you can fly play with Krishna.
24. You will never lose any of you friends in that magical world
25. All are equally highly intelligent. Even trees grants your wishes
26. Knowing you are a soul, a soul cant be burnt, killed, hurt, No discrimination, no religion, no fights, all are beautiful. The only differentiation you can make out is Knowledge. Whoa!
27. Your Father is the creator, King of scientist. Lord of Brahma, Lord of Shiva, Father of jesus, father of 32crores of demigods. King of Scientist,
he makes no discoveries but creates. Your father has all magical powers.True hero of all the time.
28. You can know the truth behind your birth, Secret behind the death
That's a surprise.
29. All you need to do is chant his names sing, eat delicious prasadham
(food offered to him with love)roam around all the temple Around the globe
enjoy the nature,Dance.
Swim in Rivers. Spend a happy life finally love him more Enter the magical
eternal World called Vaikunta.
30. The one who accepts Leaf, flower, fruits, Pure water, As an offering
filled with true love.
31. You will be never bored.
32. Lord of death will be scared to come near you, Krishna will send his
personal managers to bring you back home
33.Good news is you will be never betrayed, cheated for trusting him loving
him more.
34. You will lose Many things by chanting his name! Anger, ego, lust, bad
habits, Selfishness, Loneliness, Fear Etc etc.
35. He promises to give you Knowledge about him if you just will for it.
36. He is ready to accept you the way you are.
37. You don't need to a hindu, muslim , christian, rich, powerful,
beautiful. All you need is love for him a will to understand Him.
38. Krishna is always thinking about you. Just turn back to Lord
39. He Protected Gajendra an Elephant. So he is merciful accepts devotion
in any case. You dont need human too. He is impartial excepts no money gold
valuables, The one quality is Chant call his name with love!
40. Give him love get back Unlimited.

There is countless happiness. These are Just a trailer. Welcome to our happy world you will be never sad for being a devotee surrendered soul.

Question: I have a question regarding a statement I heard in the past and remembered recently:
Seeming paradoxes are found in various places in scripture. For instance, in one scripture it may be said “all the forms of the Lord are equal,” while in another it may be said, “no other form of the Lord is as complete as Krishna.” While he didn’t use this particular example, I have heard from an advanced Vaishnava that such “contradictions” force us as readers to stop and contemplate instead of speeding along thinking that we understand things. I’m wondering if this understanding is correct and if you can elaborate to provide clearer understanding?

Answer: As you have hinted within your question, what ‘appears’ to be paradoxes or contradictions within scripture are only seemingly so; factually, there is no real contradiction.

In some instances, scriptures are deliberately filled with apparent double-talk. A typical example is the language of the Upanishads: e.g., “The Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and yet He is outside of everything.” (Isopanishad Mantra 5) Such contradictory statements are provided to indicate His inconceivable, transcendental nature. He walks, but His walking is nothing like the walking within this mundane realm. So, thanks to these paradoxes, we are induced to reconsider and reform the deep-rooted material conceptions in our mind when contemplating the Supreme Absolute Truth.

It is not necessarily that all such contradictions are purposefully presented by the scriptures in order to get us to contemplate. It is just the nature of Absolute Truth, which appears to us to be contradictory when we try to capture it within the limited vocabulary of language or within the limited framework of our material mind and intelligence. But by patient and repeated aural reception of the whole message, and by receiving clarification from a realized soul, such contradictions become resolved. The Bhaktivedanta Purports explicitly serve this purpose!

Some of these apparent contradictions, which often become topics of debate among inter-faith discussions, are resolved by understanding the example of higher and lower level mathematics. One may learn in a simple way in elementary math that it is not possible to subtract a bigger number from a smaller one, but as one progressively learns the concepts of negative numbers, rational and irrational numbers, imaginary numbers and so on, instead of seeing contradictions, one’s understanding becomes wider and deeper.

Often, what appears as contradiction is due to our own lack of understanding or preconceptions about what God or spiritual life must look like. Sometimes it is seen that even when Reality is presented in a very simple and straightforward manner, people find it hard to reconcile. A common example is in understanding how Krishna favors His devotees like the Pandavas. God is supposed to be impartial and yet He gives different rewards to different living entities and He particularly seems to favor and take the side of His devotees. This is not a contradiction, but appears to be so because of not understanding that He EQUALLY reciprocates with everyone as they approach Him. As one’s spiritual understanding and realization matures, such things cease to be contradictions but rather become another impetus for deeply appreciating the qualities of Krishna.

Another way to understand the same thing is that all contradictions are reconciled in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. That is to say, He is simultaneously equal and yet different from all of His other expansions, He is simultaneously impartial and yet partial to His devotees, He is simultaneously present everywhere and yet never leaves His abode in Vrindavan and so on.

Another fundamental reason for seeing contradictions is often due to not understanding Krishna’s Personal nature; Krishna is a Person and He has desires, likes and dislikes, and freedom. Behind all the variegated arrangements one can experience within the material creation, and behind all His dealings with different living entities — is Krishna’s very personal, loving, compassionate nature and inimitable capacity in reciprocating with His different parts and parcels. How He acts and why He does certain things may not always follow a set pattern or formula. Thus, His will is said to be “inscrutable”.

The common tendency amongst those educated in the modern school of rationalism is to try to subject everything, including spiritual topics, to analysis and rationalization and reductionism — but these tools fail us miserably in trying to understand Spirit. You are likely to be familiar with the famous example of the five blind men — each of them came up with completely contradictory pictures of the elephant, while in fact none of them were close to whole truth. Our approach to scripture is often like those blind men, and thus we run into many “contradictions”. Therefore, in order to learn the truth, it is indispensable to approach a seeing man, i.e. a self-realized soul. Under the guidance of such a spiritual master, one can systematically learn to reconcile all contradictions and see the Whole Truth.

This brings us to your next question.

Question: Also, in light of the above it seems necessary at some point for those engaged in hearing and reading to make references between guru, sadhu and shastra in order to develop correct understanding. However, I’ve also heard that one should hear from a single source in order to avoid confusion. This is a seeming contradiction in itself, which leads to the question: when is the right time to implement this system of understanding?

Answer: Once again, there is no contradiction in this principle, although there seems to be! The bona fide sadhu, shastra and guru are always in line with each other – the three-point check involves observing how each of them reinforces each other, which solidifies our faith in each of these.

Being familiar with shastra and previous saintly persons is essential to ascertain a bona fide guru in the first place, and yet factually one can have no access to the first two without the help of the latter. For instance, how would we know what is the bona fide version or meaning of Bhagavad-gita, without the help of a faithful representative of Bhagavad-gita in disciplic succession, such as Srila Prabhupada? But as we hear or study Prabhupada’s books and observe his life, we see that he had no personal opinion to offer; both his prachar as well as achar were perfectly in line with and bringing to life the messages of Bhagavad-gita and the teachings of the previous mahajanas which he presented. Thus, we can affirm that “Here is a bona fide guru”, based on the authority of sadhu and shastra, not just by personal or popular opinion. Simultaneously, the personal purity, empowerment and example of Prabhupada’s life reinforces our faith and understanding in the validity and practicability of shastra and the teachings of previous acharyas. Thus, reference to sadhu-shastra-and-guru help reinforce each other, and yet simultaneously it is through one’s personal spiritual master that one can gain access to sadhu and shastra, as well as properly understand how to practically and systematically apply their teachings in our personal life.

The three-point check is rendered futile if one doesn’t develop absolute faith in any one of them. Once having ascertained a bona fide spiritual master – in the light of sadhu and shastra — and having developed firm confidence that here is a transparent representative of Krishna and the disciplic succession, one should then set aside all of one’s personal conceptions and hear from the spiritual master in order to learn the proper conclusions of scriptures. This firm faith is the fulcrum or basis from which one is able to overcome all contradictions. Please note that the disciple still appreciates the spiritual master in the light of sadhu and shastra, not independently; but his reference to sadhu and shastra is not exactly for the purpose of perpetual cross-checking. Such an attempt to try to validate and substantiate every action or statement of guru or sadhu or shastra is not helpful when done without proper guidance – it could lead one into the realm of “apparent contradictions” discussed above, and weaken one’s faith, especially for the neophyte student who does not have deep grasp of scripture and spiritual principles.

By hearing from one spiritual authority, especially in the beginning stages or when one is riddled with contradictions, one develops the ability to see in synthesis. Isopanishad uses the word ‘anupasyatah’, or seeing through authority, by which one can become undisturbed by dualities. (Iso Mantra 7) The spiritual master knows the mentality of the disciple – what his doubts and possible areas of confusions could be – and thus he helps to address them and trains the disciple to see the world through the eyes of scriptures. Having gained the maturity and ability to see everything in synthesis, then one is able to hear from multiple sources and not become disturbed, because of having been troroughly trained FIRST to see the underlying essential unity.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17555

A Program was organized at Smt.Santosh Ahlawat’s (MP) Home which was attended by two more Member of Parliament Mrs Riti Pathak and Smt Anju bala and many others. The program which consisted of Kirtan, 30 minute talk followed by Ques Ans for another 30 min was very well received by the participants.

The VIPs there received Srila Prabhupada books, Prasad and asked various questions on the philosophy. There were enthusiastic to host similar programs in future as well.

It gave us good opportunity to interact with some leaders and share some elements of Krsna Consciousness with them.

Hare Krishna.

In Your Service

Keshav Murari Das

President, ISKCON Rohini

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17543

Chant Hare Krishna for peace! (4 min video)
Public in London sharing their feelings about Hare Krishna!
Key quotes from this video: 
‘If people will be connected to the life like the Hare Krishna devotees are, the world would be a better place’
‘To invest in peace and reflect peace is a very powerful thing’
‘The only life on Oxford street today is… the Hare Krishnas’ 

Source: https://goo.gl/Vsw0A1

By Dayal Mora das

The time was coming around for the temple to send me to India again. Finally! I have the great fortune to serve as brahmachari leader at Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara Dham and I have been serving here for three and half years. I’m into Harinam and it’s a blessing that I can call this service one of my main services.

It was not difficult to choose a destination to request since I had recently seen Parasuram’s video from a Vraja Mandala Parikrama, or Padyatra, from 2010 which was super inspiring and I had been immediately attracted. (https://vimeo.com/10101860) What could be a better means of honouring the forests of Vraja than walking amongst them, chanting Harinam with an ox cart and two beautiful bulls from which tons of prasadam and books are distributed to the Brij Basi’s? We simultaneously visit the many ancient holy places dating back to the The Supreme Lord’s manifest pastimes on this planet as well as please the local inhabitants of this worshipable tract of land, a people undoubtedly very dear to Lord Krishna. And all of this during the month or Kartik!

In my previous life before coming to devotional service and ISKCON, I had oftentimes preferred travelling a little off the beaten track. In this way I found that one gets to see the reality of each place, meet the people who live there and there is an added element of excitement and adventure.
Thus this program seemed to be my cup of tea and surely a good program to invoke the blessings of Srila Prabhupada, the Vaisnavas and the residents of Vraja! I wrote to Para and got a place on the tour. By the Lords grace I was on my way to Vrindavan.

I hadn’t been too mental during the build up to the parikrama, I had decided to simply get out there and do the best I could, however from time to time I naturally did ponder briefly about how My body would hold up in the conditions, after all I had never been on padyatra before. My service was to perform sankirtana for 6 hours a day covering up to 25 km and it wasn’t clear where we would be taking rest in the evenings.

Kartik was as late as it gets this year with it beginning late October and finishing 25th November. With a nice crew of 6 souls we hit the road the day after we landed in India. I managed to pick up a walking harmonium and a mosquito net before setting out, both items I felt were absolutely essential for one month on the road in Vraja.

For those not familiar with the Vraja Mandala Parikrama, ‘parikrama’ means ‘to circumabulate’ and in doing so we honour and show respect to the object we are circumambulating. According to Lokanath Swami’s new book Vraja Mandala is 168 miles, not including internal parikramas. We would encircle the entire area of Vraja on foot.

Surprisingly even to myself the daily routine came very naturally and we happily traversed kilometre after kilometre constantly hearing the Holy Names vibrating in the ether around us. In fact it was The Holy Names which carried us through the quiet and busy roads, towns and villages and I was simply fortunate enough to be on the ride. Out of the 6 man crew, three of us usually were available for the service of chanting before the oxcart. As well as myself there was Vaikuntha Prabhu from Russia who had been on the tour several times before, as had Loka Saranga Prabhu from Czech. I soon realised that all the members had performed this yajna for several years in succession I and began to wonder if the same was going to happen to me. In addition we were joined a couple of weeks into the parikrama by one devotee from Nigeria, another brahmachari called Tribuvanath. Arjuna and his good wife Krishna Mayi would hand out books and bananas on the move whilst Para drove the ox-cart.

Me and Loka would take turns beating the mridanga, Vaikuntha would bash the cartels and we would alternate the singing. Vaisnavas are very tolerant and the team were kind enough to allow me to sing my little heart out for hours on end playing my new squeeze box with great enthusiasm! I felt that as the month drew on our relationships became very sweet through this chanting and every day we were overcoming obstacles and sharing experiences. Performing service together and serving one another is the way to build friendships in Krishna Consciousness.

It would take too long to describe all the sacred places we visited, needless to say they were all beautiful, enriching and purifying to see, smell and touch and pay obeisances to. As a city based front liner I found great joy in being out in the countryside for a change away from the bustling areas of Mathura and Vrindavan. What bliss we experienced chanting all day from dawn, which was when we would usually set off, until dusk when we pull in to our final stop for the evening. Our daily bath in the Holy Name was glorious.

We would usually be with or very close to the official Parikrama party, which this year consisted of 1500 devotees from all over India and the world. We were part of the main Parikrama party but at the same time a little separate which is understandable since we have a slightly different program. For example each evening we would drive the Harinam and oxcart into a village which the team may or may not have visited before in previous years.

Someway before the village came into view the banana throwing pastimes would begin in earnest as Para and Arjuna launched an untold number of yellow torpedoes into the sea of village children scrambling and diving, fighting and seemingly having the time of their lives in a frenzy of banana catching mayhem. Somehow the children would usually have advanced warning that we were coming and run out of the village to meet us on the road literally sprinting like anything to be amongst the first to get those bananas and books.

The same scene would be repeated in every village and we never tired from seeing the explosion of enthusiasm that these blessed children displayed at the prospect of receiving Thakurji’s mercy in the form of these bananas. It was incredible to see day after day how just like an army of untiring monkeys these children competed with great tenacity, and at the risk of life and limb (seemingly) they each pocketed one, two, three or more bananas. The bigger boys were the best catchers and the parents and village elders would look on in delight as their children revelled in the fun of the oxcart pastimes. The children look forward to the carts arrival every year.

We would then reach a suitable place in the village and whilst the kirtan continued Para and Arjuna would set up for the next instalment of the program, a movie! Thanks to the solar panels on the roof of the oxcart, batteries, a retractable screen, a projector and an amplifier, the oxcart is swiftly transformed into a mini cinema. All the village kids gather around, eyes transfixed upon the huge screen, the smaller ones at the front and the cooler, older ones with flashy shirts purchased in town would hang out at the back. The elders of the village often in the more traditional dress would be amongst the crowd. It seemed as if the whole village was there!

After 2 or 3 episodes of ‘Little Krishna’, the punching preaching movie would be shown. This year the movie shows scenes of the western world with all its glitz and glamour which seems so attractive, but as the film progresses it reveals the darker sides to western civilisation with is multitude of wars, violence, slaughter houses, drugs and discontent. Life is short and death is closing in for us all. Remain a Brij Basi and enjoy the best culture, your own culture, the culture which reminds us so much of the pastimes of Sri Krishna Himself. The very fact that this truth is being explained by a bunch of white skinned westerners adds weight to the message.

Once the movie concludes we pack up and prepare for rest as by this time it’s dark. If we are not invited in for supper by the friendly villagers we relish the opportunity to practice the sadhu style means of getting ones sustenance. Madhukari! Para would take me along as he showed me how to beg from door to door like a honey bee, taking from each family only one or two rotis and a little milk and in this way not being too much of a burden on any individual family in the village. A few doors later and we had a veritable feast to offer to Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara. We would then sit together on the cart munching down roti after delicious warm roti, made with freshly ground grains and cooked often before our eyes. Washed down with ample warm cows milk, what could be better after a good days preaching in the most sacred place on earth? Lord Chaitanya Himself walked this land and Krishna appeared and grew up amongst these people. How can we be much better situated? Laying back satisfied and excited about the next day and snuggled up in my sleeping bag I’m thinking how I could live like this forever.

Some other highlights of the Parikrama were:
Bathing in the various sacred kund’s which are so wonderfully available to all in Vraja, a far cry from the UK and its chlorine filled swimming pools!
We were able to visit some places off of the general Parikrama route such as Surya Kund which is a pastime place which Radharani Herself still visits daily and also where Gaura Kishore das Babaji Maharaja performed many austerities.
Blue cows! Although apparently becoming rarer to see in Vraja we saw them so many times in ever greater numbers and more closely. In fact on one of the last days we were only a few meters from one of these wild native creatures which is I suppose something between a cow and a deer. He seemed to like the sound of our harinam!
Our Govadhana Parikrama was a little different. Instruments in hand we circumambulated Giri Raj at breakneck speed in a rickshaw with the Holy Names streaming from the rear of the vehicle. “Don’t let Lokanatha Swami see me” joked Para as we hurtled past his Parikrama party!
However for me the topmost highlight was developing friendships and experiencing the Dham in the association of and serving alongside such cool devotees. They would not want to be glorified, but for me that association made the pilgrimage so nectarean. Now I understand a little better why these devotees cannot stop themselves coming year in year out on this ecstatic program and what an opportunity it is to do so! Maybe next time I could improve my capacity for serving them and make some real advancement.

“You have only spoken about good things, nothing went wrong?”, you may cry. Well surprisingly, aside from the usual day to day difficulties, it is true… except for the mad bull episode! We had to swap one of the bulls early on due to a leg problem but somehow or another we were given a replacement bull which was basically a psychopath. My first view of this bull was seeing this huge fearful beast running full pelt towards us in the campsite for the Parikrama party. I found out later that by this time it had already tried to kill Para and escape a couple of times. I was most impressed by Para’s determination the next morning to harness the insubordinate brute to the oxcart despite being run over more than once. Needless to say this grumpy, grouchy and overly paranoid excuse for a bull was also discharged later and swapped with a much more humble bull of good character who was willing to pull Their Lordships and Their devotees along the dusty roads of Vraja and thus advance in Krishna Consciousness. It was explained to me later on that these kinds of things happen from time to time when dealing with bulls, and I was informed of some historic instances that had occurred over the years which were both hilarious and far more frightening.

My deepest realisation was in regards to my long lost and forgotten eternal relationship with the Lord’s Holy Name which was to some degree improved and gratefully taken back to London for the benefit of the unfortunate souls there. Sri Harinam Sankirtan key jaya! Though certainly I’m still but a tottering infant stumbling along the long winding pathway back to Goloka Vrindavan, a month on the road in Vraja has graciously gifted me a greater taste for chanting the Holy Name of Krishna. Thank you so much Braja Bhumi Dham! Now I must distribute The Name with greater intensity and without false pride, and then hopefully by Her grace Srimate Radharani may invite me back again for more service one day soon for Her divine pleasure.

Hari Bol!

For more details about this greatest of ways to spend ones Kartik, you are please recommended to read Lokanath Swami’s new book named ‘Vraja-mandala Darsana’

I have been asked a few times upon my return to London about the austerity there in Braj. In the purport to Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is 17.16, His Divine Grace writes that austerity of the mind is performed by training the mind to always be thinking of how to good for others. So my humble recommendation is to go to see the 12 forests of Braj with the intention of doing good for others and taste the sweetness of this austerity for yourself.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17523