A great read and a wonderful collection of stories around the press and also great research on all the photos. Classic. You have done a great job compiling the stories about the printing history of Prabhupada’s books which brings things into great historical perspective
ISKCON Desire Tree's Posts (20164)
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Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is always free from politics and institutional bashing or promotion. Just simply nectarean Krishna Katha!
For those of us who follow a plant based diet, which is a natural part of the Bhakti Yoga practice, there is a cloud hovering over the bright and candlelit Thanksgiving table. It’s the result of 45 million turkeys being slaughtered for this celebration of gratitude and a stark reminder of our complicity in it all. Just as we are burning up the earth with our overuse of fossil fuels, we are gathering enormous amounts of individual and collective karma by the slaughterhouse industry alone. The figures and startling and sickening.
Karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where the actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. Good actions bring goodness to our lives, and bad stuff brings pain and suffering. Where we are now is the result of our past activities, and what we do makes our future. There is also collective karma – the slaughterhouse industry world wide will have a huge impact on us all.
The law of karma is simple really and we see it in action all the time. I steal, I get caught, I go to jail. I am mean and nasty to others, I will get that back. I give generously, I will receive goodness in all kinds of ways. A Christmas Carol by Dickens is a classic tale of karma.
We humans, as opposed to the animals we so easily kill and eat, have evolved consciousness that allows us to stand back and examine our life and actions. If we don’t do that we are no better than the animals. If we do take the time to learn of this scientific law of nature, karma, we will see that we have many choices as to how to live our best life and reduce our karmic footprint – and especially our bad karma.
Why would we want to do that? “We are enjoying our meal now, let us not worry about our future.” Yes, we also have that choice (putting our head in the sand), but that is a fool’s paradise. Facing our life, our karma, and our choices can be a turning point in our spiritual life and our search for truth and happiness. What we eat is a good place to start. We are not only what we eat; we are also implicated in any violence that was involved on food’s journey to our plate. We also ingest that.
Here are some quotes to inspire us to change – for a better life and a better world.
“Indulgence in animal killing for the taste of the tongue is the grossest kind of ignorance. A human being has no need to kill animals, because God has supplied so many nice things. If one indulges in meat-eating anyway, it is to be understood that he is acting in ignorance and is making his future very dark.”
Srila Prabhupada
“By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The simple act of becoming a vegetarian will make a difference in the health of our planet.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” Albert Schweitzer
“You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”
Albert Einstein
“I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”
Leonardo da Vinci
“A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.”
Leo Tolstoy
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
Paul McCartney
“Animals are citizens too.” Srila Prabhupada
For those who have never been to Vrindavan, the monkeys in this small town roam wild and free. They are fearless and will try at any moment to get something to eat by stealing bags or other items right from peoples hands. They will enter houses and help themselves. They are most famous here for taking glasses right off peoples faces, jumping up to the nearest rooftop to chew until they receive some fruit in exchange.
The mind is often compared to a monkey, jumping here and there looking for something to enjoy. We should be careful of both kinds of monkeys.
I hold my glasses tightly
beneath the folds of my sari
fearful that a Vrindavan monkey
may jump on my shoulders
and steal them for barter.
I hold my japa beads carefully
within the practice of sadhana
least the monkey of my mind
will jump here and there
and take my thoughts away from Krishna.
I hold my life together
with reading the Gita
least the monkey of anxiety
ambush my day
and block me from depending on Krishna.
I hold my heart in openness
with good friends and teachers
so that the monkeys of doubt and fear
don’t steal from me
the opportunity of finding the truth.
I hold my hands outstretched
asking for help
so the monkeys of pride and false ego
don’t hide from me
the reality of my relationship with Krishna.
The monkeys of Vrindavan are here to stay, as is our energetic, restless monkey mind. Always close by and ready to take our thoughts and actions to all the wrong places, we should fear the power of the mind as we fear the Vrindavan monkeys. Mindfulness connected to Krishna is a practice to be embraced. It will save our life.
When the living being turns away from Krsna then suffering begins. Happiness only exists in the relationship with Krsna so when we turn away from Krsna, we begin to suffer. Then Krsna has also added a little suffering, he added some sand-in-the-sweet-rice. Why is this so? Because Krsna loves living beings dearly and Krsna is more eager for living beings to go back to the spiritual world than the living beings are themselves. Therefore Krsna cannot wait, so sometimes he puts a little sand-in-the-sweet-rice just so that when we take sense gratification, we come to the understanding that maybe sense gratification is not worth it – it will not let us go back to the spiritual world! So ultimately, the elevated liberated souls see even suffering as the mercy of Krsna.
Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2016/01/why-is-there-so-much-suffering-in-the-world/
Looking at some of the headlines for last couple of days, I wonder if India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sincere desire, or a difficult-to-materialize dream, will ever come true. After Digital India, Make in India, Clean India, Skill India, and a number of other projects, the PM has now launched the Startup India project. Understandably, his intention is to elevate India’s image on the global map, and although everyone agrees that he is a man with vision, and I also believe he has a vision, the question some ask is, whether the results of his actions are going in the right direction.
Here is a list of the top 10 public welfare schemes that NDA government, led by Narendra Modi, has launched in 2015:
1. Smart City Mission
2. One Rank One Pension (OROP) schem
3. Skill India:
4. Atal Pension Yojana (APY):
5. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana:
6.Digital India Programme:
7. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana:
8. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana:
9. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT):
10. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY): PM Modi’s birthday: Top 10 schemes launched by Narendra Modi in 2015 | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis
Whether these, and other upcoming projects, will lift India’s global image is no more a question. India is already on the global map under the Modi sarkar. The question that I ask is, whether Industrial growth is all that India has to offer to the world? I believe Modi also knows it well that India has much more to offer than just jobs but he is looking for the right opportunities to do so.
Although India has a rich spiritual culture and a great history of Vedic science, in today’s world, economy and military strength play a vital role when it comes influencing others. Considering this, Modi’s relentless endeavors for a materially developed India is not out-of-place, even from a spiritual point of view. This is true provided India simultaneously continues to work on reintroducing Vedic knowledge across all educational sectors without succumbing to various types of political propaganda. If not, becoming another so-called developed state will be of no real value.
At the same time. with a risk of appearing pro-NDA, I would say it is important that India remains under Modi’s leadership for the next decade or so in order to achieve the higher goal that India is capable of delivering for the benefit of the whole world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch ‘Start-up India’ movement on Saturday at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi with an agenda to foster growth for entrepreneurship in India. The first session kick started Startup India at 9:30 am with the topic ’21st …Times of IndiaBusiness StandardFinancial Express Start Up India: PM Modi announces Rs 10000 crore dedicated fund for start-ups – Daily News & Analysis
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday kick-started Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Start-Up India mission at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The Start Up India mission to be unveiled on Saturday envisages technology business incubators and …The Indian ExpressFirstpostFinancial Express Start up India: This is the beginning of big bang start up boom in India, says … – The Hindu
Basic issues like getting credit, electricity, paying taxes and resolving insolvency continue to be sluggish and difficult in India. In order to provide an impetus to the Indian entrepreneurial landscape, the Government is readied to launch the Startup …YourStory.comTimes of India Startup India initiative: States laid the groundwork, time for Centre to give … – The Indian Express (blog)
Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/why-startup-india-scheme-is-not-enough-for-india/
re is no division between the name and the named”(abhinatvaṁ nāma-nāmīnaḥ). This is certainly the Gauḍīya conclusion, but it does not mean that the name is just a sound with no meaning. It means that the the sound of the word is intrinsic to and inseparable from its meaning.
If the true Gauḍīya attitude is that name of Krishna has no meaning or is “beyond meaning,” why would the founding ācārya of the Gauḍīya school, Śrī Jīva Goswāmī, explain the meaning of the name in Tattva-sandarbha?
What’s a “Word”?
There is a difference between a sound and a word: a word is a sound that has meaning (viz. Śabda kalpadruma: sa ca dhvanyātmako varṇātmakaś ca).
Nouns are words whose meaning indicates a specific entity (viz. Bhāgavata Sandarbha: mano-grāhya vastuno vyavahārārthaṁ kenāpi saṅketitaḥ śabdo nāmeti).
There are two types of nouns, (1) those temporarily associated with the entity they identify, and (2) those intrinsically connected to the entity they identify. (Śabdaśakti Prakāśikā: ājānikaś cādhunikaḥ saṅketo dvividho mataḥ)
An example of the first type, if you call a person “Joe” long enough the word “Joe” comes to identify the person. This is a temporary, created association. An example of the second type is to name a town “Little Falls” because it is by a river with a small waterfall. Or to name a girl Summer because she was born in the summer and has a very warm personality. This is a natural association between the name and the named.
Eternal Descriptors of Eternal Entities
There are two types of nouns intrinsically connected to the entity they identify. The first consists of nouns like Little Falls and Summer – nouns relating to temporary entities. The second consists of nouns like “Krishna” “Hare” and “Rāma” – nouns relating to eternal entities. In the second case, the connection between the noun and the entity it names is eternal, and thus the name and the named are inseparable.
It is not an aparādhā to say that the name of Krishna is a word. It is an aprādhā to say it is an ordinary word, a sound temporarily associated with some meaning. If the name of Krishna was not a word it would not be called a “name.” The name is not an ordinary word, but it is simply an attempt to appear esoteric to say “the name is not a word,” or “the name is beyond meaning,” when everyone knows that a name is a noun, a noun is a word, and words are sounds that have meaning.
Great devotees like Śrī Gaurakishor and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said the name is made of letters. Letters form words. Everyone knows this. Everyone knows the name is a word, but what only the Vaiṣṇava’s know is that the name of Krishna is an “ajanika” word, an eternal noun for an eternal entity, and therefore “Krishna” and Krishna are indivisible (abhinatva).
How to Pronounce an Eternal Word?
Since the name and named are inseparable it stands to perfect reason that we cannot truly access one without the other. We cannot comprehend Krishna without comprehending “Krishna” (the word). And we cannot comprehend “Krishna” without comprehending Krishna. Thus ordinary people have absolutely no access to eternal words, which is why we doubt they even exist. It requires some comprehension of eternality before one can hope to pronounce and hear eternal words in their true form.
Thus we must start our endeavor to clearly understand Krishna. How do we do that? By contemplating śāstra under the guidance of someone who clearly understands śāstra (guru). For Gauḍīya’s the supreme śāstra is Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. So, by contemplating Śrīmad Bhāgavatam under realized guidance, we come to understand something initial about Krishna.
Once we understand something about Krishna, we don’t have to make any extraneous effort to try to think of Radha Krishna while chanting “Hare Krishna.” The entity being named naturally appears along with the sound of the name when it is an ajanika noun and we comprehend something about the entity.
In a sense, this works even with an ordinary noun. When you hear even an ordinary noun, like “Santa Claus,” do you not spontaneously think of christmas, a jolly fat man in a red suit, or whatever else you know or have associated with Santa in your memory? Similarly, if we know a little about Krishna by contemplating Bhāgavatam, then, by hearing “Krishna” we willnaturally become aware of a flute-player with a peacock feather in his hair, who is the root consciousness at the origin of all existence (or whatever it is that we may have learned about Krishna from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam). In this, please note carefully that we are not paying attention to anything besides the name. It is by paying attention to the name that the named (who is inseparable from the name) manifests in the consciousness simultaneously with the sound of the name.
This still is not a direct transcendental realization of “Krishna.” It is not entirely mundane either. It is a mental association created by the guidance we’ve recieved from transcendent sources: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam via Śrī Guru. These glimpses of the meaning of Krishna make it far, far easier to concentrate attentively on “Krishna” without any strange misunderstandings of what “Krishna” indicates.
Attentive, non-misconstrued chanting of “Krishna” is often described as “inoffensive.” It is beyond nāma-aparādhā, significantly closer to the REAL name, śuddha-nāma, not just the sonic counterpart of it, nāmākṣara. Since it is closer to the real name, the real entity named can be more directly perceived in our contemplation of “Krishna.” This allows us to more deeply REALIZE the things we have heard from Bhāgavatam’s ślokas.
So, hearing Bhāgavatam and chanting Krishna-nāma are symbiotic practices that go hand in hand. One doesn’t fully “work” without the other.
From Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī
I’ll end the post by referring to Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī’s statement:
atha śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhavet grahyam indriyai
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adah
“Śrī Krishna’s name and so on do not manifest within the reach of our senses. But if one is devotionally inclined, they will certainly manifest of their own accord on our tongue and so on.”
Sri Rupa says here that the true name of Śrī Krishna is not something that senses like a tongue can create. The tongue can pronounce the sound “Krishna” but cannot produce the eternal form of the word which is inseparable from Krishna. It is only when one has the proper attitude towards the name that the true name wants to manifest in our chanting, singing, or speaking.
To get a proper attitude towards the name, we have to clearly understand the person being named and our relationship to him. This is why I say that manifestation of the śuddha-nāma (pure, transcendental name) cannot be had without careful bhāgavata-śikṣā (study of the Bhāgavatam from a realized guru). This is why I say we have to strive to comprehend the Bhāgavatam and thus the meaning of “Krishna” so that we can chant more than the external sound “Krishna.”
Vraja Kishor das
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg. 7.5]
[Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.]
If we closely observe the situation in the world it is full of exploitation: the ‘haves’ exploiting ‘have-nots’, strong exploiting the weak, masculine gender exploiting the female gender, human species exploiting the lower species, powerful country exploiting the weaker countries, irreligion exploiting religion, cities exploiting villages, man exploiting environment, etc. The list of exploitation is vast and gets longer as the influence of kali-yuga progresses further. The history is also full with such exploitative stories.
One such village near Hyderabad is Veerannapet. It has a post-independence history of brutalities and atrocities committed by the rulers on the general people. This village is dominated by a caste known as “mudiraj” empowered to protect forests, water resources, land, etc., primarily ksatriya community. The village is primarily agriculture-based and has a history of cultivation of traditional rain-fed crops like millet, sorghum, pulses. Other occupations that exist here is also supportive of cultivation, comprising of carpentry, black-smithy, gold-smithy, cobbler, etc. This village also had a culture of “Pandava-sena” who visited the village in the early morning singing glories of the “Pandavas”. This goes on for six months and at the time of harvest they visit the farmers to collect their share of grains to support their livelihood. Pottery and weaving was also practiced. On the whole, the village was more or less self-sufficient for its various requirements.
Due to the history of discrimination imposed on the village, a majority of the people took to “naxilism”, an aggressive form of “communism”. The village had many prominent leaders who actively took part in the movement. Now this movement is on the wane in this area. The village also has a history of bio-diversity for rain-fed crops. This has now been replaced with commercial crops primarily dominated by Bt. Cotton The advent of roads, power, communication facilities saw a fast degradation of the culture of the village. The younger generation is moving to cities to escape from the “harsh environment of the village”.
It is in these critical times in the history of village that the Sri Govinda Gau Gram Prachar Yatra entered the village through the bus-party on December 25, 2015. Veerannapet happened to be the 36th village of the Yatra. This phase of the yatra was organized by HG Jananivas prabhu. A few years ago HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami had also visited the village and probably sown the seeds of change! The devotees met Mr. Srinivas, village Sarpanch, who welcomed the Yatra wholeheartedly. He made arrangements for the evening program. In the meantime, Mr. Salim from the City-cable recorded a video interview with the devotees comprising of Jananivas prabhu, Gourgopal prabhu, and Ram Lakshman prabhu. The video interview lasted for 45 minutes covering various aspects of agriculture, soil fertility, environment degradation, onslaught on the character of individuals and lastly the important topic of Mother Cow not getting its due protection. He said cow protection leads to improved soil fertility, with improved soil fertility comes healthy crops, from healthy crops come healthy living beings, thus raising quality of “goodness” in the living beings. The interview was shown on prime-time in the village. The interview also touched on sva-dharma of caring for Mother Cow, Motherland and Mother nature. As the interview was being recorded on a cross-road in the village, about 150 farmers from the village also had a chance to hear on these subjects. He also spoke on how “seeds” have become a contentious issue with a huge price being fixed by the seed companies. HG Jananivas could relate to the farmers on a different plane of providing seeds of traditional crops, especially suited for their climate zone. The villagers thus immediately identified themselves with the Yatra members as their “well-wishers” and became more attentive. He also said that there is a proposal to setup a seed bank near the village and demonstrate the resilience of the traditional crops vis-a-vis the commercial crops and hybrid seeds, organizing training programs and live demonstration of some traditional practices. Since the generation which had access to the traditional crops and technologies still exists, they could easily relate to whatever was being said. Later Mr. Salim was presented with a copy of Bhagavad-gita which he readily accepted. In a short time, he could realize the “mission” was in the village to “give” and not “take” as is generally the case.
Before the start of the program some devotees comprising of Sripati prabhu, Satya Madhav prabhu and Rasa Mandal prabhu traveling from the city joined the Yatra team. They were received with cheering and a good round ofprasadam comprising alubonda and mirchi bhajjies prepared by the Yatra cook Gajendra prabhu.
The village “drummer” haling from the village, as is the Yatra practice, announced of the evening program by visiting every street in the village. The gau-puja could not be performed due to absence of local breed of cows. However, there was a nagar-sankirtan for almost forty-five minutes and came back to the program venue on the cross-road. The program in this part of the Yatra was always kept in places where maximum number of people gathered in the evenings after their days’ work. This mostly happened to be a cross-road. Some carpets were laid on the road for the comfort of the villagers. In spite of chilly weather open to sky, the number of people gathered for the program was reasonably well—around 250 members. The Bhagvad-gita pravachan was given by HG Satyamadhav prabhu. He spoke on the subject of āhāra–nidrā–bhaya-maithunaṁ ca / sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām /dharmo hi teṣām adhikoviśeṣo // dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ
Though most of the people were drunk after hard-day’s work, the devotees always maintained a positive attitude in most of such situations. They wanted to be just instruments in the hands of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga and not mindful of the results. HG Jananivas prabhu narrated an easily relatable story from Mahabharat of a conversation between Yudhistra maharaj and his brother Bheem in the local dialect. He also spoke about the need for revival of traditional seeds which suited the region, about the shift from commercial to food grain cultivation and traditional agriculture based on natural manure derived from cow dung, use of natural pesticides, etc. The screening of the two documentaries brought the reality of situation right in front of their eyes not leaving much to their imagination. It was hard to believe that the people, who were completely under the influence of alcohol shed tears of repentance on hearing the agony of Mother Cow on being slaughtered. They agreed to take to traditional methods of farming, using bull and cow dung.
It was time for the program to draw to a close by kirtan and the youngest devotee Bhakta Nishkinchan took the mike and chanted the mahamantra to the consternation of the on-lookers. Ram Lakshman prabhu organized theprasadam distribution; 250-300 prasadam plates were distributed. Even in very difficult places the devotees distributed about 12 maha-books and about 50 small books.
It was observed that the Yatra undertaken by IDVM-India was also able to relate to the villagers, to the Holy Name, philosophy, and a level which is very prominent in their bodily consciousness i.e., means of livelihood, sustainability of land fertility and other resources, traditional technologies, traditional life-style, traditional crops, traditional foods, etc. This preaching approach was able to touch the lives of more suffering masses easily who otherwise were just nowhere near to “satvaguna”, so essential for taking up spiritual activity.
Due to a long history of exploitation they found some solace from the Yatra. Then the devotees tried to touch on core aspects of fulfilling their material-needs dovetailed with spiritual progress in a subtle way. This class of people though in “tamoguna”, are better than those in cities who get intoxicated because they do not know how to use their wealth. The villagers though used to degrading life-style are willing to accept “instructions” from the brahmanas andkastriyas if administered with care and love.
The only way the exploitation existing in the material world can be stopped is by surrendering to the “Supreme-exploiter” and “Supreme-plunderer” Lord Sri Krsna by voluntarily taking to devotional service. The only qualification required, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, “isms”, etc., is to just voluntarily become the “exploited” class on a spiritual plane. The Yatra intends to achieve this result though faced with massive challenges.
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra ki Jai!!
Source: http://www.iskconvarnasrama.com/home/yayeda%E1%B9%81-dharyate-jagat-36th-day-prachar-yatra-report/
Tattva Darsi means to see the absolute truth. We get our knowledge from the Vedic literatures. Our mission includes traveling to different schools and festivals in North America and providing books on yoga & meditation. Our home base is in Los Angeles, California. We are a group of monks who live together in a monastery. We have a temple open to the general public with spiritual music (kirtan), philosophy, and vegetarian feasts. Our society is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
……………
This project is to present what we do as traveling monks, and a means to keep in touch with the people we meet both online and on the streets! (Universities, festivals, etc.)
We have been working on this project for almost five months now. Before it was just an idea of “we should make a website..” But now we are in full swing and have gathered content of our lifestyle and are trying to open it up to the general.
Our goal is to share with people the ancient teachings of spiritual India, the Vedas, which according to the Vedas is beyond all material designations. Its a spiritual tradition that has been practiced for thousands and thousands (and thousands) of years by monks, yogis, and spiritual conscious persons all over the world. Anyone can learn the ancient practices of yoga and meditation no matter who you are, or where you come from.
We as traveling monks come from an internation society for Krishna consciousness, founded by our spiritual teacher and guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Our guru has transplanted these teaching from the heart of India into the hearts of the western civilization, without compromise of its original spiritual identity. He has brought Bhagavad Gita as it is.
Over the past five thousand years the book Bhagavad Gita has been circulating through the minds of great thinkers and soul seekers around the planet. Which teaches the origins of meditation.
We as monks dedicate our lives to distributing this knowledge to awaken the hearts of today’s society of a meditative, yet practical way of life.
We hope that you would like to join us on our spiritual mission and keep up with us on our adventures throughout North America!
Links: http://www.tattvadarsi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tattvadarsi108/
Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18386
By Hari Narayana Das
Batam is the largest city in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, across the Strait of Singapore, the third-largest city in Sumatra region and the eighth largest city in Indonesia. Located 20 km off Singapore‘s south coast, it is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub and part of a free trade zone the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle.
His Grace Samudrasena das (leader of ISKCON Batam) under the guidance of His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj organized the third Ratha Yatra festival with the help of devotees from different parts of Indonesia on 26th December 2015.
“Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it.”– SPL to Shyamasundara, 4th May, 1967
The usual system in Indonesia is that the devotees join a local parade or cultural event with the permission of the Government and simultaneously hold the Ratha Yatra festival as one of the ‘acts’. The Ratha Yatra committee was considering joining the annual ‘Batam Anniversary Festival’ but the Lord had other plans. He wanted to have a festival of His own!
Invitations were sent out and preparations were underway. There are only five families practicing Krishna Consciousness in Batam presently but their spirit is large and that reflects in the way they serve together to please Srila Prabhupada. Many devotees from across Indonesia arrived the day before the festival and helped in various services. The majority of devotees were awake till midnight decorating the Lord’s chariot with various flowers and lighting arrangements.
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“The faith increases in Krsna consciousness by our voluntary increase of serving Krsna. Serving Krsna is unlimited and He can accept our unlimited service, and award us unlimited transcendental pleasure in the unlimited service of the Lord…..” SPL to Brahmananda 20th February, 1968.
On the day of the festival devotees from Singapore and other parts of Indonesia arrived. Special guest Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj made a boat journey to attend the festival from Singapore. At 3pm all assembled in front of Their Lordships who were beautifully decorated with a variety of fragrant flowers and stunning ornaments. Bhoga was offered and followed by an arati ceremony. A welcoming dance was then performed by the children of the ‘Batam Gauranga Centre’ to get everyone in the mood of the festival. The leader of Batam’s Hindu Parisad gave an ecouraging speech appreciating the devotee’s efforts in organizing the Ratha Yatra festival. Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj then spoke on the significance of the Ratha Yatra festival. A recorded message by Subhag Swami Maharaj was played. He spoke on the life of Srila Prabhupada and how he introduced the ‘Lord of the Universe’ to the West. Maharaj mentioned that Jagannath went to the West to bless the residents of those countries who had never heard about Him. Now by His sweet will He is travelling to different places in Indonesia and bestowing His unlimited grace upon all, especially those who are working hard to please Him.
After the series of cultural acts, Their Lordships were placed upon Their chariots and Jagannathastakam was harmoniously sung followed by arati led by Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj. Coconuts were broken and conch shells were blown in order to invoke auspiciousness. Devotees then pulled the ropes of the chariot and the Lord was on His way for a 2km ride. The kirtan team attracted the public to join in the festival and chant and dance with the devotees. With their cameras and mobile phones, the public were constantly taking pictures of Jagannath and His followers. With the help of a police escort there were fortunately no disturbances throughout the parade. Cookies and fruits offered to Jagannath were distributed to all.
“For the present, you endeavor to make the Rathayatra Festival grand successful. You should arrange the procession and procedure so nicely that all the neighboring people may be attracted to join the procession.” SP letter to Upendra –1st June 1968
At 7pm the chariot arrived in Sumatra Conventional Building where prasad was distribute freely. The atmosphere was surcharged with a positive vibration that could be felt in all directions. The following day the festival appeared in the local newspaper.
“But I have not received any newspaper clippings, which I am very much anxious to see.” SPL to Shyamasundara, 15th July, 1968
The organizers of the Ratha Yatra committee would like to offer their obeisances to His Holiness Kavicandra Swami and His Holiness Ramai Swami, the GBCs for Indonesia. We are grateful for their support and for constantly guiding us in pushing forward Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankirtan movement. We are extremely grateful to His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj who has been inspiring us to explore new frontiers in preaching and performing this Jagannath Ratha Yatra in every city in Indonesia for the pleasure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We thank His Holiness Atmanivedana Swami for attending this event and inspiring the devotees. We offer our respects to His Grace Samudrasena das the leader of ISKCON Batam for helping to make this festival a success. Last but not least we thank Sesa das and Rasikananada das for their melodious singing which attracted all.
Jaya Sri Sri Jagannath Baladev Subadra Maharani Ki Jaya!
Jaya Sri Jagannath Ratha Yatra Utsava Ki Jaya!
Jaya Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya!
Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18382
By HH Kavicandra Swami
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what it means to give fifty percent. For most householders their income does not allow them to live and to give 50% to the temple.
The following from a purport by Srila Prabhupada might help to clear the air. I have inserted a few comments using [ ] to indentify them. The stress is on preaching, not what our our financial condition is. By finding some way to preach bhakti will be the most pleasing to guru and KRSNA. One need not be rich to please guru and Gauranga.
SB 1.5.37 Purport
The major portion of our monetary income, not less than fifty percent, must be spent to carry out the order of Lord Krsna. Not only should we give the profit of our earning to this cause, but we must also arrange to preach this cult of devotion to others because that is also one of the orders of the Lord.
[My understanding is that if one is using his home for the service of the Lord, offering everything to KRSNA and performing kirtan and scriptural studies with the family, the expense of the home is being used for devotional service.]
The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord’s name and fame all over the world. The scientific discoveries of the material world can also be equally engaged in carrying out His order. He wants the message of the Bhagavad-gita to be preached amongst His devotees. It may not be so done amongst those who have no credit of austerities, charity, education, etc. Therefore, the attempt must go on to convert unwilling men to become His devotees. Lord Caitanya has taught a very simple method in this connection. He has taught the lesson for preaching the transcendental message through singing, dancing and refreshment. As such, fifty percent of our income may be spent for this purpose.
[The home and spare time should be used for preaching. That could be by inviting guests for kirtan, discussion of philosophy and/or prasadam, depending on the persons invited. Sometimes it may only be prasadam. The family can also go for harinam sankirtan or book distribution.]
In this fallen age of quarrel and dissension, if only the leading and wealthy persons of society agree to spend fifty percent of their income in the service of the Lord, as it is taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
[Those who have wealth can support or build temples. They can finance KRSNA conscious festivals]
there is absolute certainty of converting this hell of pandemonium to the transcendental abode of the Lord. No one will disagree to partake in a function where good singing, dancing and refreshment are administered. Everyone will attend such a function, and everyone is sure to feel individually the transcendental presence of the Lord. This alone will help the attendant associate with the Lord and thereby purify himself in spiritual realization. The only condition for successfully executing such spiritual activities is that they must be conducted under the guidance of a pure devotee who is completely free from all mundane desires, fruitive activities and dry speculations about the nature of the Lord. No one has to discover the nature of the Lord. It is already spoken by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita especially and in all other Vedic literatures generally. We have simply to accept them in toto and abide by the orders of the Lord. That will guide us to the path of perfection. One can remain in his own position. No one has to change his position, especially in this age of variegated difficulties.
SB 1.5.37 Purport
Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18380
Lecture on Rising Above Goodness by Charu Prabhu in 2016
(Charu Das was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. He has been President, variously, of the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Berkeley (USA) temples.)
To Listen and Download - click here
Question: From my understanding of your class on the nine stages of BHAKTI, it could take a number of years before one got any experiential taste of the practice.
Answer: No.
It’s true that it usually takes years (or lifetimes) to come to the stage ofruci (characterized by a taste for the beauty and joy of sādhana-bhakti), but nonetheless one gets small fragments and crumbs of ruci even from the very outset, the very beginning of being involved with Krishna-bhakti.
In fact, śraddhā itself (the first stage) is the seed of ruci, and the stages beyondruci as well. Śraddhā is an attraction to the beauty and joy of Krishna-bhakti, which inspires one with faith and conviction that, “This would be great. I want this.” This śraddhā gradually becomes more intense and fully revealed as one progresses by practicing bhakti under the guidance of sādhus (sādhu-saṅga / bhajana-kriya), and thus dissolving antithetical things from the heart (anartha-nivṛtti). With fewer distractions from antithetical interests, we can practice with deeper concentration (niṣṭhā). This niṣṭhā is simply a more fully mature form of śraddhā, a more fully mature attraction to Krishna-bhakti. By practicing with concentration, we can appreciate the beauty of what we are doing – this is the next stage, ruci. Here, the śraddhā has become sufficiently intense so that it is now the main character of ones experience of sādhana.
The stages of sādhana refer to the primary, most prominent characteristic of our practice.
The stages of sādhana refer to the primary, most prominent characteristic of our practice. Every stage has some characteristics of some more advanced stages, but we are not at the more advanced stages until those more advanced characteristics become our primary, normal, predominant experience. For example, there is always some ruci (taste for the beauty of bhajan), even from the absolute beginning. But we don’t identify it as being the “stage” of ruciuntil that taste becomes the most prominent, constant, normative characteristic of our bhajan.
Vraja Kishor dās
Desire is a sense of longing or hoping for a person, object, or outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as craving. When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is aggravated by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain their goal.
The functions of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. When the mind is materialistic, or absorbed in material contact, it acts for material advancement of knowledge, destructively ending in discovery of nuclear weapons. But when the mind acts under spiritual urge, it acts wonderfully for going back home, back to Godhead, for life in complete bliss and eternity. Therefore the mind has to be manipulated by good and unalloyed intelligence.
Perfect intelligence is to render service unto the Lord. One should be intelligent enough to understand that the living being is, in all circumstances, a servant of the circumstances. Every living being is serving the dictates of desire, anger, lust, illusion, insanity and enviousness — all materially affected. But even while executing such dictations of different temperaments, he is perpetually unhappy.
When one actually feels this and turns his intelligence to inquiring about it from the right sources, he gets information of the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Instead of serving materially for the above mentioned different humors of the body, the living entity's intelligence then becomes freed from the unhappy illusion of materialistic temperament, and thus, by unalloyed intelligence, the mind is brought into the service of the Lord. The Lord and His service are identical, being on the absolute plane.
Therefore the unalloyed intelligence and the mind are merged into the Lord, and thus the living entity does not remain a seer himself but becomes seen by the Lord transcendentally. When the living entity is directly seen by the Lord, the Lord dictates to him to act according to His desire, and when the living entity follows Him perfectly, the living entity ceases to discharge any other duty for his illusory satisfaction. In his pure unalloyed state, the living being attains the stage of bliss, and thus, ceases all material hankerings and desires.
Lecture on Pastimes of Lord Jagannath by Bhakti Vinoda Swami on 03 Jan 2016
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Lecture on Spiritual Determination by HG Tamohara Dasa on 03 Jan 2016 at ISKCON Alachua
(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 02, Text 41)
(His Grace Tamohara Dasa has been involved in ISKCON leadership for many years. In addition to services of temple president, BBT manager and director of two gurukulas, he served as the director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office,He has been a GBC member since 2006 and currently serves on the executive committee of the international GBC.)
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 03, Chapter 16, Text 21 by HG Narayani Mataji at ISKCON Melbourne
(Her Grace Narayani Devi Dasi joined ISKCON in Boston in 1970. She has done many services for Srila Prabhupada including Deity worship in Calcutta temple, traveling book distribution in Western India for the Bombay temple, and teaching Bhakti Sastri, Bhakti Vaibhava and Bhaktivedanta courses in the VIHE in Vrndavana. )
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Consciousness is the essence of who and what we are. Consciousness exists without needing to be created, maintained, or destroyed. It expresses itself in various forms, seeking happiness. These forms need to be created, maintained, and destroyed. A specific form manifest from consciousness can die, but the essence of who and what we are never dies.
Is consciousness not even damaged by being stripped of its body? No, the soul is impervious – and is not really woven into the bodies it produces.
After explaining all this to Arjuna, Krishna turns his attention to Arjuna’s doubt, “Why should I believe any of this? Is there any proof that consciousness survives the death of the form it manifests?” In this video we explain the first part of Krishna’s answer, where he references the Upanishads. In the next video we will go into the other part of that answer, a logical answer without reference to the Veda.
Vraja Kishor explains this section of Bhagavad Gita by reading from his book, A Simple Gita, available through his website: http://www.vrajakishor.com
One of my favorite Bhagavad Gita verses:
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.
. . . The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything. He does not know that the mechanism of the body is produced by material nature, which works under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. The materialistic person has no knowledge that ultimately he is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. The person in false ego takes all credit for doing everything independently, and that is the symptom of his nescience. . . .
This verse keeps me from getting proud about my achievements, keeps me from getting depressed about my failures, keeps me from getting disturbed by others' success, and keeps me focused on my path spiritual goals.
When I come across those who just keep talking about themselves, especially about the good that they are doing, my mind immediately takes shelter of this verse. No doubt these people are doing many good things, but they forget that it's their nature that is driving them to do what they are doing. It's not them.
The fundamental spiritual truth is that we are spiritual souls who currently occupy a material body. This material body, along with its nature, is awarded to the soul based on its desires and past activities. But, as this verse states, the materially engrossed soul thinks that he is independently working even though he is always under the control of the nature he has been awarded by forces beyond him.
This illusion is perpetuated by others similarly illusioned who praise the successes of these illusioned souls. Real success is to get out of the control of material nature and reestablish oneself in one's constitutional position of being a selfless loving servant of God. When this happens, our original nature drives us to continuously serve the Lord with great joy.
The path to perfection is to just use one's current material nature in the service of God. Gradually the material covering will get eroded and one will get established in ones original nature that is selfless, loving, and God centered.
My trip to India brought a few surprises. It’s been some years since I was last there and things are changing fast. The cities are still the same bustling mess of teeming madness, much like anywhere else I suppose, but it’s in the outlying rural areas that I was most shocked. In my many visits to India I’ve always headed straight for a small village called Vrindavan, the most sacred place for Hindus where Krishna appeared some 5000 years ago. Last time there I remember taking pleasant rickshaw rides down a sandy road, greeted by welcoming cries from friendly locals as they drove their oxcarts or pedaled their pre-war bicycles with their entire familes somehow perched aboard. Cows and bulls lay peacefully in the centre of the road and barefoot women strolled by with two or three large pots of milk or yogurt balanced perfectly on their heads. On all sides temple bells rang out along with the prayers and chants of hundreds of holy men.
I had naively imagined that this timeless scene would never change. After all, India has withstood many invasions over the centuries, shrugging them off to maintain a lifestyle unchanged for millenia. But now it seems it faces its greatest challenge. The road I remember is now a wide paved affair, with horn-blaring four wheelers constantly jostling the rickshaws. Radios blast out rock music, and mobile phone shops and electrical goods sellers are replacing the tea stands and cloth shops. The holy men have retreated back to some distance, and all in all my attempts to soak in the spiritual mood and meditate on the Lord’s ancient activities proved rather more tricky.
Some might see it as a good thing that countries like India are coming on-line with the latest scientific advances, but I am not so sure. Going there to get away from all that for a while, I have always been uplifted and inspired by the tranquil atmosphere, the peaceful people, the simple lifestyle and above all the profound spirituality in evidence everywhere. It doesn’t appear to me that any of this is being at all enhanced by the rapid embrace of technology. No one seems happier, prices have shot skywards, and life has become generally more difficult for all.
We have our own experience of course. Everything is available to us in abundance, but does it really improve our happiness? John Ruskin said, “every increased possession loads us with new weariness.” Among the happiest people I saw on my pilgrimage where the simple monks who lived by the Ganges banks, possessing nothing but the clothes they wore and a pot for collecting water. Their days are spent in prayer and meditation, seeking union with God by constantly chanting his names.
I don’t think I’m quite ready for that, but I did manage to immerse myself in something like it for a couple of weeks and it certainly made a pleasant change from the high tech life back home.
Source: http://www.krishnadharma.com/is-this-progress-pause-for-thought/
