Indradyumna Swami: Talavan is one of the 12 major forests of Vrindavan. Nestled in the paddy fields of Talavan is a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Balarama, who killed the ass-demon Denakasura there. We enjoyed a wonderful day at Talavan having long kirtans and recounting the numerous pastimes that took place in that transcendental abode.

Watch Video Here: https://goo.gl/w2Z8g3

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=16922

A beautiful dancing rendition by Srimati Campakalata Devi Dasi and her team of the Yadi Prabhupada Na Hoita song written by HH Jayapataka Swami (9 min video)

Lyrics:

(1)
(yadi) prabhupada na haita tabe ki haita
(e) jivana bahita kise?
nitai-gaurera apara karuna ke dita sakala dese
If Srila Prabhupada had not come, what would have happened? How could we have passed our lives?
Who else would have distributed the unlimited mercy of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga all over the world?

(2)
pascatyera yata papi duracari sunyavadi mayavadi
tadera uddara karibare mana hena kon dayanidhi
Which other compassionate person would have endeavoured to deliver the miscreants , sinful, impersonalistic and voidistic people in the West?

(3)
tadera nikate kon jana asi bilaita harinam
sabhya jiva rupe gadite tadera ke haita aguyan
Who else would have come to distribute Harinama to them? Who else would have come forward to transform them into civilized beings?

(4)
dese dese hari-vigraha seva arati ratri-dine
ratha yatradi mahotsava saba sikaita kon jane
Who else would have taught them how to worship the Deity form of Lord Hari day and night with arati-kirtana, and how to conduct the Ratha-yatra and
other grand festivals

(5)
gita-bhagavata caitanya carita premamrta rasasara
kata na sundara sarala kariya ke bujhaita ara
Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrta contain the essence of the nectarean mellows of love of Godhead.
Who else would have explained these scriptures so clearly and beautifully?

(6)
kata kasta sahi prita mane rahi ke va dita harinam
ke dita modera puri vrndavana mayapura mata dham
Who else would have tolerated all difficulties, and distributed Harinama with a pleasant heart?
Who would have given us the dhamas such as Mayapur, Vrindavan and Jagannatha Puri?

(7)
parama mangala sricaitanya maha-prabhura siksa dhana
acare pracare sada amadere ke karita niyojana
The teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu constitute the greatest and most auspicious treasure.
Who else would have engaged us in constantly practicing and preaching it?

(8)
premakalpataru nitai-gaurera krpa kana labhibare
niravadhi jaya-pataka hrdaya tomare sarana kare
Sri Sri Nitai Gaura are desire trees of love of Godhead. Desiring a drop of Their mercy, Jayapataka’s heart incessantly takes shelter of Your Divine grace.

By Rsiraja Das

In two previous posts published on my blog [1] I explored the flaws in the materialist reduction of free will to rationality and discussed the use of free will in science. The second post concluded by arguing that every conscious experience involves choices, and these may be good or bad - depending on whether they are successful. This post extends the above arguments to incorporate our everyday notions about morality - i.e. good and bad - in the context of science. The key claim is that what we call a “working theory” is not just one that is compatible with all the observable facts, but also one that frees us from the consequences of the choices. A “non-working theory” is one that which creates consequences. The difference between a working and a non-working theory is called karma in Vedic philosophy, by which our false notions about reality bind us to the world.

From Philosophy to Science

The previous two posts argued for the inclusion of choices in our thinking about the world from a philosopher’s standpoint. They showed why the denial of free will is false because science depends upon free will in its method of fact and theory selection, since facts underdetermine theories and theories underdetermine facts.

This argument may be adequate for the philosopher of science, but not for the scientist who is looking to formulate a new theory of nature which can be empirically tested. If free will is real, then its presence must be empirically testable. What kinds of theories are needed to formulate such predictions? This post will try to fill that gap.

As argued in the earlier post, choices result in the selection and interpretation of facts. The standard scientific approach to this selection and interpretation is that it might produce a false theory if our selection and interpretation is flawed, but the fact that I possess a flawed theory of nature has no consequences other than my personal illusion. This position in science arises from the rejection of meanings in the natural world. That is, whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is not an objective fact about the world, and merely our interpretation. The theory I formulate about the world, therefore, also has no natural consequences other than my mind being under illusion.

The rejection of meanings in the world is itself an outcome of the mind-body duality in which all interpretations of the world are in the mind, but not in matter, and since science only measures material objects, this truth has no material consequences. I have separately shown why this separation is a problem in science - it results in incompleteness. For instance, if you are asked to describe the meaning in a book, and you respond by measuring the height, weight, and speed of the book, you will incompletely describe the book. Many books may have the same height, weight, and speed, and measurement of such properties will not decide the meaning. If, therefore, science relies on the measurement of physical properties and rejects meanings as being natural properties of the book, then it will also remain predictively incomplete. Common examples of such incompleteness are seen in the proliferation of randomness in probabilities in modern scientific theories - e.g. quantum theory and the theory of evolution.

Science and Meanings

The remedy for this flaw requires a revision to our notions about matter from being meaningless things to meaningful symbols. Whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is now an objective fact about the glass, not just our interpretation.

Clearly, now, since the meanings about the world are present in the world, the consequence of a false theory cannot merely be my mental illusion. Rather, a false theory must also have some material consequences - i.e. those that act on my body.

The key point is that the inclusion of choices in science depends on a revision to our materialist ideology by incorporating yet another category of matter - meaning.

In Vedic philosophy, these two categories of matter are called sthula (gross) and sukshma (subtle) matter. If science remains limited to sthula or gross matter, then choices can never be part of science, although they can be part of philosophy of science. Choices become part of science only when meanings themselves are viewed materially - although not the same kind of matter that science presently studies - because now the effects of choice (selection and interpretation) are also objective facts in matter (and not just in the mind).

Cause, Effect, and Consequence

When meanings are objectively in matter, then numerous questions about meanings - such as the aesthetic in some art, the form in some music, the meaning in a book, the economic value of an object, the goodness of action - will all be scientific questions rather than a matter of our social-cultural-national sensibilities.

It now becomes possible to distinguish between two kinds of causalities.

First, the interaction between material objects - which is traditionally modeled as a cause-effect relation - is now modeled differently as the interaction between meanings rather than as the interaction between things. This results in new kinds of laws that deal in addition and removal of meanings. For example, if you have a statement “I love you”, and you add the word “too” into it, the resulting meaning differs depending on whether the resulting statement is “I too love you” or “I love you too” (as one of many). If you were measuring the physical properties - e.g. mass - then the two additions would appear identical, and the physical theory will therefore incompletely explain the effect. The cause-effect relation with meanings can however be used to explain the difference between “I too love you” and “I love you too”, even though both statements have the same mass.

Second, since the addition of the word “too” creates two different meanings due to two kinds of choices, it is now possible to speak about the consequence of that choice, depending on whether the statement is true or false. Note that the question of truth arises only after the question of meaning has been settled. If the meaning itself is unknown, then the truth of that meaning cannot be judged. The cause-consequence relation therefore follows a semantic formulation of the cause-effect relation.

The cause-effect relation now deals in meanings, while the cause-consequence relation deals in truth. If the world is devoid of meanings, then the cause-effect relation is incompletely understood, and the cause-consequence relation simply cannot be comprehended. The shift from physical properties to meanings, therefore not only modifies the currently known laws of nature, but also inducts a new class of laws that were previously unforeseen. The latter represents the consequences of making a choice, and they apply to the person or individual who makes the choice.

The Law of Karma

The law of karma in Vedic philosophy (and indeed in numerous Eastern religious philosophies) is a moral law that judges a person’s actions. All judgments are based on whether an act is right or wrong, and these judgments are in turn based on comprehending the meanings of actions. For instance, before you can judge whether an act of shooting is right or wrong, you must first comprehend a physical sequence of events as “shooting”, which itself requires associating meanings with facts. If meanings are in our minds, then judgments too must be only in our minds, and not factual. However, when meanings become objective, then their judgments also become objective.

The law of karma is the objective and natural judgment of an action because nature is understood as meanings rather than physical things. Such a law has no place in current science because meanings are not objective. In a semantic science, however, meanings become objective, and hence their judgments are also objective. Now, it is possible to speak about cause-consequence relationship as natural laws.

While karma is often viewed as moral consequence, it is also a natural consequence although based not on the physical facts, not even based on the meanings of those facts, but on the judgment of whether those facts are true or false. It is noteworthy here to distinguish between facts and truths - both facts and truths exist, but not all existing things are true. E.g., falsities can also exist, and their existence doesn’t make them true.

Karma is simply the difference between the truth and the fact. This difference is objective and natural, and in Vedic philosophy, for every false action, a subtle material object is created which represents this difference between truth and fact. The living being (the individual who makes the original choices) is carried into new experiences due to this new kind of objective reality, which we can’t measure until it actually manifests into a result. In a sense, it exists, but it cannot be observed until it produces a result. If we deny its existence, then we cannot predict. But we cannot postulate its existence like the existence of a classical material object. Therefore, until this reality is converted into a phenomena, it exists as a possibility that would be fructified in the future.

The order in which this possibility is converted into a reality is a more complicated topic that I will not discuss here. For the interested reader, I have discussed this topic at length in Moral Materialism. This book also discusses the applications of this idea in the context of modern physics: specifically, the quantum probabilities can be understood as the potential for future results (measurement) created as a consequence of past actions (state preparation). The uniqueness of this view is that the quantum wavefunction is not probabilities although there are potentials. That is, if you have performed good actions, the result is definitely good, but it exists not as real objects, but as potentials to be fructified later. By rejecting probabilities we can complete the scientific description, without actually reducing it to a classical material world (it is noteworhty that many physicists today think that the quantum world becomes classical).

New Realities and Natural Laws

Skeptics often question the existence of the soul. The short answer to this challenge is that the existence of the soul can be scientifically proven through a new kind of scientific law that deals not in cause-effect but in cause-consequence relationships. As noted above, the former deals in meanings, while the latter in truths. Therefore, saying that “I love you too” may have one consequence if it is true, and another one if it is false.

The difference between these two utterances, therefore, cannot be modeled purely based upon the meaning of the statement (let alone the physical properties of the statement) but only based upon their truth. However, before this truth-based law can be formulated, the meaning-based laws must be understood.

The consequences of actions remain with the soul and carry that soul forward from one experience to another. Why some people have a good life, while others have a bad one, can be scientifically explained by the idea that these experiences are caused by a reality that cannot be observed until it manifests. Since it can be observed when it manifests, it must be supposed to exist. The only mystery is how it is created, and how it is destroyed. Karma is created only when our actions are false, and it is destroyed when its results have been reaped. The consequence, in effect, realizes the previous difference between truth and fact, thereby forcing you into a false state to counteract the falsity that you created previously. The law appears to be moral, but it is actually natural.

The scientific evidence for the existence of the soul is the law of karma. This law is two steps removed from current scientific laws which are laws of physical properties. Science must evolve to first incorporate meanings, and then truths. It is when science has taken these two steps, that choices would be seen as not only creating effects but also consequences for the actors. We will then see that these choices are free when they are true, but they bind us into consequences when they are false.

All that we consider mystical today can be scientific, although the concepts, laws, and theories underlying this mystique depends on a new way of thinking.

Empirical Success and Truth

The Vedic view about free will is that there is a soul which makes choices. The soul is transcendent and cannot be measured by material measurements; however, its presence can be detected by the consequences it creates on its own experiences. To validate these consequences, we need a law that makes accurate predictions, and this law is called the law of karma. It is as much a natural law as other laws in science, although it deals in truth conditions, and not meanings (or physical states).

The current denial of free will based on physical laws is flawed because these laws themselves were created by choices of fact selection and ordering. By recognizing these choices, we can update our philosophy of science to explicitly see the role of choices in the creation of scientific theories. However, only when science itself is modified to view meanings in matter can the real (consistent and complete) laws of cause-effect can be formulated. These laws will in turn indicate the cause-consequence laws, which will then present the scientific avenues to confirm a role for free will and the soul.

There can be numerous scientific theories that will appear to “work” upon a chosen set of facts and a chosen type of ordering scheme. But all these theories are not necessarily true, because there will be other theories that explain other facts in different ways, and the combination of these various theories will be logically inconsistent. An example of such theories is quantum theory, general relativity, and thermodynamics, which all “work” with limited set of facts, but they cannot be combined because combinations create logical contradictions. Such “working” theories are actually false, and would be replaced by a theory in future that is true - i.e, that is both consistent and complete.

In living by false theories, our choices are not just creating effects, but also consequences. We commonly see the effects of science - e.g., machines and technologies - but we don’t often understand their consequences - e.g. environmental, social, and cultural degradation. A new kind of science is needed that not only predicts the effects better than current science, but also frees us of the consequences of these choices.

[1] The previous posts on free will are called Do We Have Free Will? and What is Free Will, Really? You can read them on www.ashishdalela.com/blog

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=16951

Vaishnavanghri Sevaka das: For Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON) this year 2015 is very important as it marks the beginning of golden jubilee celebrations, which started from Jaladuta yatra in August 2015. Now the disappearance centennial of Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja on November 22, 2015 (Utthana Ekadasi) will make the celebration more auspicious and successful. Srila Babaji Maharaja disappeared from this material world on November 17, 1915, which makes the disappearance day in 2015 as the disappearance centennial festival.

There are unlimited pastimes of Srila Babaji Maharaja, which are all carefully recorded for the benefit of present and future generations as guidance in non-duplicious devotional service. He occupies the 30th position in our disciplic succession as the initiating spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja. The disappearance pastimes of Srila Babaji Maharaja are so astonishing that even common men will be taken by surprise. At his disappearance time heads of many mathas wanted to own the dead body for constructing a Samadhi as the means of constant fund collection. But, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja, who was not a Sannyasi at that time, but a celibate brahmachari, vehemently opposed their attempts. He boldly declared saying, “ I am the only disciple of Srila Babaji Maharaja. Though I am not a Sannyasi like you all, but a strict Celibate brahmachari. Only the one who is pure in character with complete renunciation can give Samadhi to Srila Babaji Maharaja. One who within last one year, or the last six months, three months, one month or at least within the last three days had not any illicit sex with a woman only can touch the spiritual body of Srila Babaji Maharaja. If anyone touches it without meeting this criterion, he will be ruined”. A skeptical police officer expressed his doubt upon hearing these words by saying, “what evidence can be sought for this?” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati confidently said “I will have faith in their words”. At that moment for the police officer’s surprise everyone turned away one by one, not able to touch the divine body of Srila Babaji Maharaja. Such are the powerful pastimes of Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja.

Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja strongly propagated non-duplicitous haribhajana with complete renunciation. He had only one disciple, who had one moon like disciple among many stars that is Srila Prabhupada. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the festivals of our eternally liberated acharyas for a rapid progress in spiritual journey, which enables us to contribute something to Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON). So let’s individually and collectively pray for the mercy of Srila Babaji Maharaja for triumph of ISKCON in all fronts all over the world in coming years. 

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=16959

So the other day was Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day and although a little sombre is also a time to reflect and show gratitude for a life less ordinary, indeed non of us would be practitioners of bhakti if it hadn’t been through Srila Prabhupada’s service in fulfilling his guru maharajah’s wishes.

However my time wasn’t spent reading or watching Srila Prabhupada but watching closely clips and classes of my own Guru Maharaja HH Devamrita Swami; who has dedicated his life in serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission.

It was indeed hard for those disciples of Srila Prabhupada to comprehend their spiritual master leaving his body, and I have been meditating on the fact that at some stage in my devotional life the same difficulty and heartache will face me; yes one day my own beloved guru maharajah will leave his body.

So I watched closely trying to grasp and understand what has kept my own guru maharajah serving his beloved Guru Maharajah and how to serve so nicely despite many adversities; what is the key.

Firstly I noted love, for love motivates most of what we do and love for sri guru means even in absence one remains loyal.

But what I noted was that my Guru Maharajah is and remains totally convinced by the words and writing’s of Srila Prabhupada, that these words are enough to convince him that this is the solution to the problems each of us face here in material existence; and looking at how to enliven and enthuse others to read and learn from the books his guru maharaja Srila Prabhupada wrote.

Love and being completely convinced without a moments doubt.

If it wasn’t for this and his continuing enthusiasm to present to each and every one of us I wouldn’t be slowly growing in my own realisations in Krishna Consciousness.

So now as my guru maharajah simply follows and maximises the opportunity this human form of life provides to increase our dormant love of Krishna and sharing that with everyone he meets; may I too become this inspired and convinced to dedicate my own life fully in service to Sri Guru.

And as my guru maharajah followed the example of his guru maharajah Srila Prabhupada may I also learn and follow.

This was my thought’s yesterday I pray as always it makes sense, and as always welcome thought’s and corrections.

Hare Krishna

Source: http://david.deltaflow.com/?p=3284

The month of Kartik presents a special time of year when there is ample opportunity for spiritual reflection, growth and inspiration.  During this month, there are a multitude of festivals which help us to focus our lives in a very Krsna conscious fashion.

While most festivals involve grand celebrations, one special festival allows us an opportunity to reflect on the incredible life of Srila Prabhupada.  On Sunday, November 15, 2015, the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple marked Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day (the anniversary of his passing).

Festivities actually began at 11:30am with kirtan, a reading and the offering of flowers (puspanjali) to Srila Prabhupada.

Later on, during the evening Sunday Feast, the festival continued with a class by both Bhaktimarga Swami and Krsnadas Kaviraj das wherein they expanded on the incredible contributions that Srila Prabhupada made to our movement and world.  There was a very nice interactive element where the audience had a chance to share their realizations about Srila Prabhupada's contributions to the world.

The special Sunday Feast also featured the launch of the annual Srila Prabhupada Book Marathon!  During this time of year, known as the season of giving, Hare Krishna temples around the world make a focused effort to share and distribute as many of Srila Prabhupada's books as possible!

To help pump our community with enthusiasm, devotees welcomed our famous "Walking Bhagavad Gita" who helped explain all the exciting things that will be happening during the marathon.  One feature worth noting is the creative and unique "thermometer" which will help us see how we are doing on our goals for the marathon.  Each week, a cutout of Srila Prabhupada will be raised up a ladder towards the Jaladuta (the boat which he traveled on to America in 1965).  So, in essence, as we work towards our goal we will watch each week as Srila Prabhupada "climbs" the ladder and gets closer to the Jaladuta!

All in all, it was a special Sunday Feast where we had a chance to honour Srila Prabhupada and also get enthused about one his most dearest desires - sharing his books with the world!

Source: http://iskcontoronto.blogspot.in/2015/11/festival-report-srila-prabhupada.html

Caitanya Simha das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and friend and well-wisher to so many devotees, left his body today in the early morning hours at Sri Mayapur dhama, on the disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada,( also happened to be his birthday) to continue his journey back home to Godhead. He started so many on their path, built temples and opened farm communities, worked on Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi and at present with TOVP. The funeral procession, attended by Mayapur Community devotees took place in the afternoon and his body was laid to rest on the banks of Ganges. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for saving this soul, for saving all of us.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=16937

“Once, in Detroit, a child started to make a noise while Srila Prabhupada was talking. The mother started to chastise the child and Srila Prabhupada said. ‘In vedic culture children cannot be punished.’ So, then the mother’s husband began to chastise her for having chastised the child. Srila Prabhupada said. ‘In vedic culture women cannot be punished.’  So, then the temple commander started to chastise the husband and Srila Prabhupada said. ‘In vedic culture brahmanas are not punished. Then he said that our society consists of children, women and brahmanas so no one can be punished.”

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=10403

PAMHO AGTSP
We have just received sad news from Vrindavan - His Holiness Gaur Krishna Das Goswami has left his body (17 th November 2015).

Born on 22nd January 1964 in Bihar India, His Holiness had recently got sanyasa initiation on the auspicious occasion of Aprara Ekadasi i.e. 14th May 2015 at Haridwar on the banks of holy river Ganga from His Holiness Radha Govinda Swami Maharaj.

His Holiness was known for giving beautiful Hindi Discourses on Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Bhagavad Gita and many other Seminars.

We will share more news as it comes.

You may watch his video discourses here

His beautiful audio lectures are available here 

Recently, ISKCON desire tree was involved in the process of constructing a website for him. The site is under development. You may visit and view the content - www.gkdgoswami.com

You may leave your comments here 

There was a subdued atmosphere in London on Saturday night, with fewer people on the streets and a visible police presence after the events in Paris the previous evening.

The devotees were out as usual though, in fact with an even larger sankirtan party than normal as we celebrated ahead of Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day the following day.

One lady stopped me, mentioned the diversity of our group, and commented about the positivity and happiness we were generating.  She contrasted it to the mood of the previous two days and said they
should put a clip of us on TV.  There were tears in her eyes; clearly she had been touched by the devotees and (unbeknown to her) the power of the maha mantra.

Sri Harinama Sankirtan Yajna Ki Jaya!
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya!
Nitai Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol!

Photo Gallery

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As you may know, the Congregational Development Ministry grants annual awards to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the development of our congregations in order to both  recognize the work they have done and inspire others.

An *Award *may be given to someone who has worked consistently over a long period of time (more than 5 years) for the cause of supporting congregational devotees or to someone who has made an outstanding contribution or instigated a novel program which has resulted in a stronger, more caring or larger community. 

A *Recognition* may be given to someone who has made a significant contribution although this has been implemented for a shorter period of time (2 to 5 years) than the Award category.

A *Merit *may be given to someone who made a significant contribution for a shorter period of time (from 0 to 2 years).

We would be very grateful if you provide us with the name and contact details of someone whose contribution should be recognized in the above mentioned ways. Since we give joint awards to married couples, please also indicate if the person is married.

Please use the section at the bottom of this letter to make your nomination. If you want to make more than one nomination, simply copy and paste the blanked information fields.

The Awards and Recognitions are presented at the *ISKCON  Congregational Development  Annual Award Ceremony* during the Gaura Purnima Festival in Sri Mayapur Dhama.

Thank you,
Your servant,
Manjulali M.S. dd

* Nominations for an award given by the Ministry of Congregational Development*
* Name of nominee:*
* Contact details (email):*
* Name of spouse:*
* Reason for nomination:*
* Number of Years doing this service:*
* From (Country):*

*.ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry*
*"Helping you to expand your Congregation"*

Phone number:  (91) 3472245619

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Kindly donate at: www.iskconcongregation.com/content/donate

Radhanath Swami: Terrorism is born of false ego. Strife and friction are caused when we understand only the letter of the religious law but ignore the spirit behind it. Unity and brotherhood of mankind can happen when we transcend the external differences and focus on the spiritual essence of all great traditions.
The essence of every religion is sincerity in cleansing our own hearts, and cultivating humility by honouring every living entity as a child of God. We must educate the youth about these universal principles which teach us to love God and love every
living being as a child of God. – Radhanath Swami

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=21559

By Urmila Devi Dasi

“MOTHER OF ALL LANGUAGES” (how Srila Prabhupada referred to Sanskrit on a morning walk, Bombay Nov 20, 1975)

The children stare at the chart of Sanskrit written in Devanagari letters, which literally means “the script of the demigods”.  “Uh ahh, i ee, oo ooh, ay igh, oh ow . . .,” they chant.

As the students recite the Sanskrit alphabet, I recall that Krishna tells Arjuna, “I am the letter ‘a’.”   That Sanskrit letter, combined (sandhi) with ‘u’ to form ‘o’ and joined with ‘m,’ is the pranava, or omkara, which is also Krishna.  This Sanskrit letter ‘a,’ pronounced like the ‘u’ in ‘bus,’ a simple sound of breath without the use of tongue or lips, is the beginning of all language. (letter Hayagriva 68-10-07).

Krishna speaks all languages and accepts prayers in any one of them. Still, Sanskrit, which is the language of His own abode and the planets of the demigods in this universe, is especially suitable for understanding and glorifying Him.

So, when we started a gurukula, we first looked for a Sanskrit teacher.  Over many years, we had several teachers who used varying methods, achieving mixed results.  I suppose we included Sanskrit in the gurukula simply because Prabhupada told us it was compulsory (letter Gopala Krsna 76-06-24).

Then we couldn’t find a teacher.  Reluctantly, with great doubt as to possible success, I surrendered to Krishna’s clear demand: to learn some Sanskrit and teach it myself.

Immediately I faced, internally, the scrutiny to which I subject all details of all subjects we teach to our students: why?  Why Sanskrit?

What is perhaps most obvious is that knowing some basic vocabulary and grammar makes it easier to memorize verses because the verses make sense rather than being a string of unintelligible sounds.  (lecture 73 SB in LA)  Why memorize at all? Memorization helps knowledge to be internalized rather than dependent on always having a book on hand to consult.  Without some Sanskrit knowledge, verses are very difficult to memorize, or even read.  We can remember them so much more easily if we understand what we memorize.  And just learning the Sanskrit and English translation separately isn’t the same as being able to think of the meaning as one says each Sanskrit word.

When we can understand what we memorize, appreciation of the scripture deepens.  (garden conversation London July 25, 1973).  Just as an expert literature teacher helps the students analyze each important phrase or word, those who know even a little Sanskrit can immerse themselves in a depth of understanding little guessed at by simply seeing the surface of meaning.  As Prabhupada wrote Satsvarupa Maharaja, “As you begin to study the Sanskrit words, in each word you will find a treasure house of different understanding.”

After memorizing and deeply studying many verses, one can firmly know what is and is not a bona fide interpretation and application of the scriptures. (room conversation London, Sept. 11, 1969)  We can easily see how not understanding the original language can lead to serious problems; For example, some Bibles have “food” translated as “meat” so that the hapless reader, ignorant of Aramaic and Greek, thinks that a particular Bible verse sanctions meat-eating.  In the same way, there are many translations of the Bhagavad-gita or Srimad Bhagavatam that distort and misrepresent the actual meaning.  With some grounding in the original language, Sanskrit, one will know where to place their faith and be able to help those who’ve been misguided by twisted understanding.

Those with such an education in Sanskrit can preach effectively on the basis of scripture. (room conversation, London, Sept. 11, 1969) Anyone, even if illiterate, can have firm individual faith in a bona fide guru and Krishna just by chanting Hare Krishna.  But at least some persons should be prepared to preach on the basis of an in-depth knowledge of sacred texts.  At least we should give all our children the opportunity to become so prepared, even though only some will take full advantage of that opportunity.

Those who attain expertise in Sanskrit can read all the Vedic literatures.  (lecture SB 76 in VRN)  There are many wonderful devotional works by great spiritual teachers, acharyas, that are gradually becoming available through the work of such experts.

What of persons like me who never become so expert?  What of a spiritual practitioner who can’t even memorize more than a handful of verses?  Does Sanskrit study benefit him or her?  Even those persons who have little interest or ability in language can at least learn how to pronounce Sanskrit properly. Prabhupada said (room conversation, Toronto, June 17, 1976) that he could judge the progress of our gurukula students by how nicely they could chant and pronounce Sanskrit verses.  He wrote Pradyumna (70-04-05) that proper pronunciation would “be a great help for me . . .(as it) will be another effect of transcendental sound vibration.” When we adults who’ve been raised in the West mispronounce Sanskrit, saying for example, “Bhai Bobbee” (brother and sister-in-law) instead of “Vaibhavi”  (a great, glorious personality) a knowledgeable person may smile in understanding. After all, a native English speaker tolerates a foreigner saying “dessert” instead of “desert.”  But those who are born and trained in Krishna consciousness have every reason to learn properly from the beginning, just as the children of immigrants to American generally speak flawless English.  This is such an elementary principle of our children’s education that Prabhupada considered an education without it “a useless waste of time.” (letter to Aksobhya 74-09-03)

Finally, our society of devotees, as well as society in general, will benefit if at least our children learn Sanskrit, even if we can’t study it as adults. Formerly, the language of the educated was Sanskrit, whatever the local dialect. (lecture CC 1967 in NY)  There is ample evidence that Sanskrit was once spoken throughout the whole world. (morning walk, Bombay, Nov 20, 1975)  Prabhupada suggested that Sanskrit be the national language of, at least, India, if not the whole world.  That common language, which is so much a part of culture, will help to break down the barriers of nationalism, bringing people to the understanding that Krishna is the proprietor.  That would be the real United Nations. (room conversation, Bhubaneswar, Jan. 29, 1977)  If at least among educated people, there is one language, Sanskrit, and one culture, Vedic, then there will be no disunion.  (lecture CC 1967 NY) To a very small extent, the few Sanskrit terms that are fully integrated into ISKCON terminology represent this unity of culture in our world-wide movement. How much more would this language unify us if we pronounced it properly and with understanding?

It is essential that we remember, when considering the study of any subject that will help our Krishna consciousness rather than being the study of Krishna consciousness directly, that all such study is a means to an end. We don’t want to encourage every spiritual seeker or every child to be a Sanskrit scholar any more than we expect every person to be an artist or accountant, both of which talents can certainly be used in Krishna’s service.  Nor do we want anyone to become a scholar for its own sake, playing with grammar and word meaning as an intellectual exercise.  It is our duty to give all our children the basic knowledge of Sanskrit, as much or more so than it is our duty to teach them basic math or geography.  And those of us who start the spiritual life as adults can use the format of Prabhupada’s books with the word-by-word translations and pronunciation guide to at least gain some rudimentary familiarity with this divine and perfect language so loved by the Lord and saintly persons.

a great on-line Sanskrit course

Three quotes from Prabhupada

Source: http://urmiladasi.com/sanskrit-the-mother-of-languages/

Vrindavan: Srila Prabhupada Abhishek on His Disappearance Day - 2015 (40 min video)
“The devotee is also dying, and the nondevotee, sinful man, is also dying. What is the difference?” So there is much difference. The example is given: just like a cat catching a rat in his mouth and at the same time carrying his cubs in the mouth. Superficially, we can see that the same mouth is being used, but one is feeling comfortable being carried by the mother, and another is feeling the death knell. Similarly, at the time of death, the devotee’s feeling that they are being transferred to Vaikuntha, whereas the ordinary sinful man is feeling that the Yamaraja, the dutas, the constables of Yamaraja are dragging him to the hellish condition of life. So one should not conclude simply by seeing that he is dying.

By Lokanath Swami (excerpt from his Padayatra Story book)

Introduction by Gaurangi Dasi editor of the book):

Sankirtana Dasa quit his body last Janmastami, after a few years of struggle with cancer. He was certainly a valiant vaisnava soldier. Fully dedicated to the mission, willing to take risks and undergo austerities to spread the holy names and the glories of Sri Sri Radha Krisha. His name fitted him very well. He was truly humble and satisfied in himself. I never heard him complain, talk or gossip about others. He had no time and no desire for that. Krishna had chosen to free him from all material attachments, including his very body. I’m happy he left at such an auspicious moment.

To honor his memory and help us remember and appreciate him better, we’d like to share with all of you this section of the padayatra book. You’ll see that Sankirtana Dasa very much wanted to continue padayatra around Taiwan. I pray that in his memory some devotees from Taiwan or from anywhere , will be inspired to organise more padayatras in that country, in any other country. Nitai Gaura Premanande !

Sankirtana Das and his black magic cow

In 2008 Sankirtana Dasa was not new to padayatra. He had first heard of padayatra in 1987. After ending his career as a book distributor in Europe that year, where he found the mood no longer suited him, he traveled to India. He was introduced to padayatra in V?nd?vana in1987 when he attended an information session led by Bhadra Dasa, who was recruiting devotees to join the walk from Vrindavana to Dwaraka. It was then Sankirtana realized that padayatra was just what he’d been looking for.

He went on to walk for almost a year in India, doing book distribution all along the way. “People are much less defensive there, and they reciprocated with us more than they did in the West,” he said. “In India you’re not a sect member but a genuine representative of a tradition. You have every reason to feel your value. In India you even take pride in being Srila Prabhupada’s representative, whereas in Europe you always have to fight that sect image they put on you.”

Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had come to padayatra for a short visit, invited Sankirtana to Southeast Asia, where he preached in Taiwan for about six years. In 1995 he returned to India to assist the team at the Centennial Office in Delhi, coordinating the Sahasra Tirtha Jala project until the end of 1996. One of the aims of the Centennial was to have a hundred padayatras in one hundred countries, so Sankirtana corresponded with a devotee from Taiwan to encourage him to do padayatra there, but the walk never happened.

Sankirtana Dasa: I always had the idea to do a padayatra in Taiwan. In the summer of 2008 I went to Bali, where the devotees are very artistic. They helped me build a little ratha – basically, a cow with an aluminum body. It was very light. It was one meter long, one meter high, 40 centimeters wide, with had two small wheels of about 20 centimeters in diameter. It has two long wooden sticks for a harness. We made the small cow body with bamboo and then covered it in black fabric. It had a nice Styrofoam head with beautiful horns. Then I shipped it to Taiwan. There are three small centers in Taiwan, but no full-time devotees. I tried to get some local devotees to walk with me, but all of them had full-time jobs and couldn’t come during the day. But I wasn’t discouraged. I had planned it as a one-man performance. My idea was to first find out how it would be before inviting other devotees from abroad to walk around the whole island.

Sankirtana walked from Taipei to the northern half of the country in the beginning of September 2008. He was alone with his magic black cow! On the side of the cow he had written the name of his website in large yellow letters: “www.walk4cows.net.” Those who visited would have seen the several articles he had posted there related to cow care and the benefits bestowed by mother cow. His main message was that people should make an effort to break free from the oppressive industrial society, and that to accomplish this goal they needed to be educated in spiritual life.

Through a small door in the cow’s side he placed books, a mosquito net, a mat, an extra dhoti, a bucket, and some dried fruit and muesli. On top of the cow’s frame he installed a sound system and an MP3 player to constantly play Srila Prabhupada singing the maha-mantra. Few people speak English in Taiwan, but after having spent six years in Taiwan Sankirtana was fluent in Chinese. Communication wasn’t a problem.

Sankirtana Dasa: The first day out, one devotee came with me for a few kilometers to take pictures, and then I was alone. There are lots of weird people in Taiwan, and maybe some of those who saw me pulling this unusual cow, also thought I was weird! Sometimes people thought I was insane, but because I was shaved up and looked neat and clean, they realized I was indeed sane and appreciated that I was a monk. Despite an enormous modernization of the country during the past fifty years, the Taiwanese people have retained much of their culture and, with it, a service attitude toward monks, many stopping to offer me water, milk, or fruit. Many simply made gestures of approval. Whenever I got a donation I gave a little book in Mandarin, Elevation to Krishna Consciousness or Easy Journey to Other Planets. One time the leader of a Taoist group gave me the equivalent of $65. There were lots of exchanges as people invited me to sit with them and then asked me questions. Sometimes they stopped their cars to have a better look and talk with me. Without an advance party, I was able to find suitable resting places in either a Taoist or Buddhist temple or under cover in a housing area. A few times people invited me to stay in their homes for the night. Sometimes I would sleep in the open on a mat and under a mosquito net. I tried to stay near a petrol pump or temple, because then I would have water to bathe with in the morning. The next day I would get up, chant Hare Krishna, and walk 40 km from 6 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.

The impact on the public was positive. During the first six days of his walk, Sankirtana did two radio interviews and was featured in a newspaper article. The themes developed on his website – now receiving thirty visits a day – seemed to appeal to all classes of people, especially the elderly. In the past, the cow and the ox used to be somewhat respected for economic considerations – the milk she was giving and the labor he was providing – but China is now a heavy meat-eating country.

At some point, Sankirtana Dasa interrupted his walk to take some of his yoga students to India, resuming his place with his magic cow three weeks later for another seven days on other parts of the island.

Sankirtana Dasa: Basically, it was a trial run. I discovered that walking on the street with the cow ratha was not too risky and that the police patrols never seemed to bother with me. I wanted to see how it would be with more devotees. Now I can see that we can easily take a bigger cart, a bigger sound system, and a bigger battery. The difficulty is that it would be costly to fly a whole crew of foreign devotees to Taiwan. Usually foreigners are given only a one- or two-month visa. So anyone who can afford a ticket to Taiwan and likes to walk, please contact me and we can settle for an ideal time to continue. We’d be able to trek around the whole island in about two months.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=21534

-Vaishnavanghri Sevaka das

Two historical statements about the transcendental literature of Lord Krishna have created a divine atmosphere to reclaim the fallen souls of Kaliyuga around the world. The former statement resonated in the heart of a pure devotee of Lord Krishna, who is none other than His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, whereas the later one has been resonating in the hearts of followers of Srila Prabhupada for the past 50 years and designed to vibrate in such hearts for next ten thousand years. That amazing statement, “Please distribute my books”, was spoken by Srila Prabhupada as the ultimate commandment.

“If you ever get money print books” was the divine statement by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati goswami Maharaja that acted as the seed of the tree of book distribution. This wonderful tree has its roots deeply penetrated in the heart of Srila Prabhupada, who requested all his followers to distribute his books, thus allowing the branches and sub-branches of the tree to spread all over the world.

“My first concern is that my books shall be published and distributed profusely all over the world. Practically, books are the basis of our movement”.

“Distribution of books and magazines is our most important activity. Without books our preaching has no solid basis”.

“The test of the strength of our preaching work is that we sell many books and magazines”.

“All programs must go on, but it is a fact that this book distribution program is very, very important”.

There are many such instructions by Srila Prabhupada, which emphasize only on one point, “Please distribute my books”. I composed a lyric (given below) entitled “Please distribute my books”, which is presented in a video format (at the URL given below) for an audio visual feast on the occasion of Srila Prabhupada’ s disappearance day. Relish the video and try to share it with everyone that you know through your social media network to let them know the desire of Srila Prabhupada.

URL of the video song: https://youtu.be/mK22OD-vZn8

Lyric of the song “Please distribute my books”:

Srila Prabhupad Sings in our hearts

Hey devotees

O devotees

My dear devotees

Please distribute my books

Please distribute my books

By distributing my books

You please me immensely (Please)

Distributing my books means

Waging great war on maya (Please)

Flooding world with my books

Bring piety and peace (Please)

My books are panacea

Distribute leaving inertia (Please)

Profusely distribute now

Let it be golden jubilee vow (Please)

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=21529

Dear Maharaja/Prabhu,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The GBC is pleased to invite you to the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) 2016 in Sridham Mayapur, India, on February 24 – March 2.

If you already attended a previous ILS you already know what an amazing event it was, with over five hundred ISKCON leaders in 2102 and more than a thousand in 2014; Consider some of the past successes of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga: We spent 8 days participating in over 85 seminars and workshops presenting valuable ideas on how to spread Krsna Consciousness and care for devotees. We learned about the GBC’s strategic plan and the work being done to implement it. We listened to Srimad-Bhagavatam classes given by our most senior leaders. We took part in unforgettable parikramas and kirtanas. We relished the association of so many devotees that are performing similar services.

Please don’t miss the ILS 2016 – the year of the 50^th anniversary of ISKCON! We have a whole slate of new seminars and we plan second level training for those who attended introductory level seminars from the previous ILS. Even if you have attended in the past, you will find new, insightful and practical seminars that will help you improve your service.

Join Srila Prabhupada’s followers from around the world and attend this symposium of presentations, seminars and loving exchanges; take back home practical tools to increase your effectiveness, recharge your batteries and sharpen your vision for the future.

For 2016 we plan to cover a wide variety of topics in the 80 to 100 seminars we are organizing: Book distribution, devotee care, communications, team-building, fundraising, temple administration, using social media and the internet in our outreach, inspiring talks on how to be a better leader, the importance of ISKCON, education, strategic planning, rural development and sustainable communities, Srila Prabhupada’s position as the Founder-Acarya, and much more. The great majority of these seminars are newly created.

You will have the chance to meet leaders from around the world, share successes and struggles with others who understand the work you are doing, gather fresh ideas and new solutions, and make friends with devotees doing comparable service for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. A sharing of association, vision, inspiration, and education in the holy dhama of Mayapur – the potential benefit cannot be measured.

For ILS 2014 we had asked a donation of 100 US dollars to all participants to be able to cover all expenses; unfortunately not everyone donated and it was a struggle for the organizers to meet all the financial obligations; therefore this year there is a registration fee of 85 US dollars for the full eight days – including breakfast, lunch and dinner prasadam, all the seminars you can take, the educational materials, the parikrama, etc. The special fee of 85 US dollars will only be available till the 31^st December 2015, as a special reciprocation with those who register earlier and allow us to front all the preliminary expenses. From the 1^st January 2016 the registration fee will raise to 95 US dollars. We are able to maintain these fees at this low amount (less than 11 dollars per day, all included) also due to a significant donation from TOVP team (Temple of Vedic Planetarium):  As a gesture of appreciation and goodwill, they have sponsored half of the cost for accommodations for all devotees.

So please register today at https://www.ilsglobal.org. This will ensure your space at the ILS seminars.

Once you register for the ISKCON Leadership Sanga, we will send you the information to reserve your room. Remember that your room does not require any further payment as it is included in your ILS registration fee. We will also send you all the information you will need for this most wonderful event.

Please circulate this to other leaders you know. This year we want to expand those invited to include the important department heads in the temple and to congregational leaders – such as Bhakti-vriksha Chakra leaders and corresponding levels of leadership; if in doubt about who should or could come contact us.

For questions on who is eligible to attend the ILS 2016, please contact Gopal Bhatta das at gkstein@earthlink.net.

For general questions please contact Bhaktin Alex at info@ilsglobal.org

We look forward to hearing from you.

Your servants of the GBC Strategic Planning Team,

Gopal Bhatta das, Kaunteya Das, Lalita-manjari Dasi, Laxmimoni Dasi, Rasa-krida-parayana Dasa, Subhananda Das, Varsana Dasi, and Vraja Vihari Das