The theory of overpopulation was explained by Srila Prabhupada at the famous New York Ratha-yatra festival in 1976.  I remember clearly, We were at the park, in one of the worlds largest cities, sourounded by thousands of people, and Srila Prabhupada was speaking about how Krsna is feeding the world…

The Sydney Opera House Event.
Damodara Pandit dasa: The Sydney Opera Event is an A-List ISKCON 50th Anniversary global event. We anticipate that many VIPs (government officials, actors, musicians, and so on) will attend. It will also be streamed globally and a commemorative DVD and CD will be produced.
The purpose of this event is to expand the global appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON movement through a wonderful performance art event. We are looking at inviting ISKCON’S top performance artists to participate.
The evening will be a cultural gala evening, but all acts will fit into a narrative of the Hare Krishna Movement’s roots, inception, growth, achievements and future.
The event has the working title ‘Transcendental Journey: Krishna 50 years on’. The first draft of the storyboard has been completed by Deva Gaura Hari dasa and Damodara Pandit dasa. The story presents Srila Prabhupada’s departure from India and then backtracks to the movement’s source, including the Lord’s pastimes in Navadvipa, Jagannatha Puri and Vrindavana. Then the night will explore the Hare Krishna Movement, expanding in the west with scenes including 26 Second Avenue, Hippy Hill, women of bhakti and the second generation.
We believe it will be a fabulous night out. Get ready. Get excited!

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17386

By Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)

I recently heard a woman say, “least but not last.” She meant to say the usual, “last but not least,” but somehow, due to a slip of the lip, or perhaps because of some mild form of dyslexia, she inverted the words in this somewhat humorous way. And this got me thinking about humility, which people sometimes confuse with low self-esteem, thus viewing it as an inferior quality. To think of oneself as “least” is the last thing one would want to do.

Our Krishna-conscious tradition, however, exalts humility as among the greatest qualities: “Humility may vanquish might, humility may vanquish weakness. There is nothing that humility may not accomplish. Therefore, humility is greater than it initially seems.” So says the great Prahlad Maharaja in the epic Mahabharata (Book 3, Chapter 28).

Just as people tend to confuse humility with low self-esteem, there are those who correlate its opposite — high self-esteem — with pride and self-absorption. But this is also far from true. People with a healthy sense of self-esteem generally exhibit a humble attitude in relation to others. Their egos are not threatened by admitting and correcting mistakes, although those who truly have low self-esteem tend to be defensive and often feel compelled to prove they are right.

Humility, in fact, is a quality that is lauded in all the great religions of the world, even if practitioners are not always able to live up to it. As an example, one need merely look at the Christian tradition. In the work of St. Thomas Aquinas, the famous 13th-century Catholic philosopher, we find that the word itself is derived from the Latin humilis, which means “low, humble, from the earth.” He also declares that humility is a cardinal virtue “which assists in keeping oneself within one’s own bounds, not reaching beyond one’s limitations, but submitting to one’s superior” (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).

Christian teaching tells us that humility is the foundation of true spirituality and inferior only to faith. However, humility is considered the first virtue because it removes the obstacles to faith. It removes pride, thus making one a fit recipient of grace. According to the words of St. James, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

A humble person is understood as being unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. Extrapolating freely, it becomes clear why this is a significant quality for spiritual practitioners.

Humility and Krishna Consciousness

The Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 22.78–80) lists twenty-six qualities that are incumbent upon a serious practitioner. Amani, meaning “humble,” or “free from false prestige,” is one of them. In our Krishna-conscious tradition, such humility has deep implications, ranging from a respectful or even reverential mood toward God, nature, and all living beings to not wanting to be worshiped by others — not usurping God’s position, either grossly or subtly. Humility should not be artificial but honest and natural. Various scriptural passages confirm its importance in terms of not engaging false prestige (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 22.80); not desiring inordinate respect for oneself (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.12 purport); a general humble disposition (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.20.16 purport); and bidding adieu to pride (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.13 purport).

In the Bhagavad-gita (13.8–12) Lord Krishna, describing a person who is truly in knowledge, presents a list of ethical and moral values, including humility, which is listed first. Its pride of place has deep meaning in the Vaishnava tradition.

Surpassing all scriptural quotations for the importance of humility, we find the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself in the guise of His own devotee, offering the loudest proclamation. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, He says,

[inset] O Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya, hear from Me the symptoms of how one should chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra to awaken very easily one’s dormant love for Krishna.'” (Cc Antya 20.20)

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” (Cc Antya 20.21)

uttama hana apanake mane trnadhama
dui-prakare sahisnuta kare vrksa-sama

“These are the symptoms of one who chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Although he is very exalted, he thinks himself lower than the grass on the ground, and like a tree, he tolerates everything in two ways.” (Cc Antya 20.22)

vrksa yena katileha kichu na bolaya
sukana maileha kare pani na magaya

“When a tree is cut down, it does not protest, and even when drying up, it does not ask anyone for water.” (Cc Antya 20.23)

yei ye magaye, tare deya apana-dhana
gharma-vrsti sahe, anera karaye raksana

“The tree delivers its fruits, flowers and whatever else it possesses to anyone and everyone. It tolerates scorching heat and torrents of rain, yet it still gives shelter to others.” (Cc Antya 20.24)

uttama hana vaisnava habe nirabhimana
jive sammana dibe jani’

krsna’-adhisthana

“Although a Vaishnava is the most exalted person, he is prideless and gives all respect to everyone, knowing everyone to be the resting place of Krishna.” (Cc Antya 20.25)

ei-mata hana yei krsna-nama laya
sri-krsna-carane tanra prema upajaya

“If one chants the holy name of Lord Krishna in this manner, he will certainly awaken his dormant love for Krishna’s lotus feet.” (Cc Antya 20.26)
[end inset]

In other words, humility is important not only in our day-to-day affairs, but it is also essential in developing love of God.

The Caitanya-caritamrta continues:

[inset] As Lord Chaitanya spoke in this way, His own humility increased, and He began praying to Krishna that He could discharge pure devotional service.” (Cc Antya 20.27)
[end inset]

Thus, showing by His own example how an ordinary soul on the path of Krishna consciousness should pray — existing in a mood of true humility — Mahaprabhu paves the way for all practitioners, then and now.

Conclusion

Ultimately, humility refers to realizing one’s position as a tiny jiva – a spirit-soul — part and parcel of Krishna, a servant of the servant of the Lord. But, in this world, the jiva’s conditioning and materialistic ego are often difficult to overcome. The desire for name, fame, wealth, position, profit, adoration, distinction and gain has a tremendous hold over us, afflicting our consciousness and influencing almost everything we do. Oftentimes, our arrogance seems unconquerable.

Still, by associating with truly advanced spiritual practitioners — the guru and other serious devotees — and by hearing the words of scriptures, we can attain true humility in due course. But we have to want it – we have to be honest with ourselves and admit that we need it.

An honest person will never be offended by hearing truthful ideas. Only one who offends truth – by living in a way that brings one further away from it — will feel offended when hearing truthful words. The spiritual teacher speaks the truth, and to the extent that the hearers’ hearts are possessed of truthfulness and sincerity, to that extent he or she will be receptive to hearing the importance of humility. Even if at first it feels like an affront to our ego, if we are honest and sincere, that jarring sensation will subside and we will submit to its undeniable truthfulness, and gratefulness will overtake our consciousness.

Honesty and truthfulness, then, are two essential elements of humility. They manifest as one’s ability to honestly assess oneself, to recognize and admit one’s own faults and defects as a conditioned jiva, and to admit the truth of one’s compromised situation. Sadly, many of us try to create a false image of ourselves, both to posture, to convince ourselves of our own greatness, and to manipulate others into believing that we are great, too. Only through internal honesty can we begin to make real progress in spiritual life. Thus, to clean out the conditioning that has accumulated in the heart over many lifetimes, one has to first recognize its presence, to admit that it is there, and then to do the needful — to remove it in all earnestness. Without such truthfulness, how can we make tangible progress in developing humility?
END

Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa) is an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is founding editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies and an associate editor of Back to Godhead Magazine. Rosen is also the author of numerous books, including the popular Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance (Continuum International, 2000) and The Hidden Glory of India (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 2002). Several years ago he was called upon by Greenwood Press, a major academic publisher, to write the Hinduism volume for their “Introduction to the World’s Major Religions” series. The book did so well that they further commissioned him to write Essential Hinduism, a more comprehensive treatment of the same subject, under the auspices of their prestigious parent company (Praeger), and the book is now receiving worldwide acclaim. Rosen’s books have appeared in several languages, including Spanish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Swedish, Chinese, and Russian. His forthcoming work, Krishna’s Song: A New Look at the Bhagavad Gita (Greenwood, 2007), will explore key philosophical points in the Gita to illuminate the ancient text’s overall teaching and philosophical narrative.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17479

This holiday season, ISKCON Brampton invites you to a spiritual gathering that promises to invoke euphoric vibrations of your soul through Drama, Music and Dance.

Please join us for an intimate holiday event, consisting of a spellbinding theatrical production by His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami, enchanting kirtan with internationally renowned kirtaneers Gauravani and Ananta Govinda prabhus & mesmerizing bharatanatyam by Komala Kumari; A wonderful way to spend the holidays. No need to leave your children behind...separate children's activities to keep the younger attendees entertained too. A full vegetarian dinner and beverages will also be served.

Parking is free and public transit is right at the door step of the historic Lester B. Pearson Memorial Theatre in Brampton.

Dress in your best and walk the red carpet upon your arrival as you are greeted by our VIP’s and photographed for memorabilia. Interact with the theatrical performers during intermission while your taste buds are stimulated by the elegant vegetarian preparations from Govinda’s Restaurant in Toronto.

Celebrate throughout the night with International talent who will not only entertain you but give you their association.

Canada’s own Walking Monk will pull you along in his trails of theatrics as he conveys the many pastimes of Krishna.

All of this while the Children will have the opportunity to engage in some of the cultural elements of the holidays; while being entertained by the finest wizards of magic and illusion.

Don’t miss this opportunity to end your holidays on a spiritual high and journey that will kick start your resolutions into the New Year.

Limited premium and VIP seating available.

Source:http://iskcontoronto.blogspot.in/2015/12/bhakti-mela-event-december-28-2015.html

At the Hare Krishna Centre, the month of December is a busy one, as we celebrate our annual Srila Prabhupada Marathon - a collective effort by Hare Krishna temples around the world to share the knowledge of ‘Bhagavad-Gita’ and other spiritual books with public in a grand way. To-date, over five hundred million pieces (500 Million / 50 Crores) of Vedic literature have been distributed around the world by ISKCON.  There are many ways for you to get involved!

The Gift of Knowledge - "Sastra Dana"
In the Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna states, “For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (BG 18.68 & 69)

Taking this instruction to heart, your Toronto Hare Krishna Centre has been distributing tens of thousands of these spiritual books, including a whopping 50,000 last year, and hopes for another 50,000 in 2015. In the last 7 years, we have distributed almost 200,000 books in and around the GTA. Many of these books are placed in hospitals, hotels, community centres, immigration centres, waiting rooms and other publicly accessible spaces through the generous donations of our community. Books (outside of shastra daan) are also distributed for donations on the street, at festivals, door-to-door, etc.

Thus, we are asking for your help with “Sastra Dana” or sharing of knowledge, by sponsoring Bhagavad-Gitas or even other Vedic texts. For example, sponsoring 108 hard-bound Bhagavad-Gitas is $1,080, 108 soft-bound Gitas is only $540, and 108 other smaller Vedic books is $216. You can give as much as your heart desires. There is no minimum, and no maximum, the whole world is in dire need of this literature.

Source:http://iskcontoronto.blogspot.in/2015/12/book-marathon-2015-join-effort.html

By Dhananjaya Das

The last time George associated with a large group of devotees was when he and his wife, Olivia, visited the Manor in the summer of 1997. We had invited him to a celebratory dinner a few days after we got permission to build the new approach road.

This dinner was held shortly after we had another amazing fundraising dinner called “Prabhupada’s Dream”, during which guests and patron members of the Manor were invited to raise funds to buy the land for the approach road. That evening the target was to raise one million pounds.

We rented a large circus tent with a stage, set many tables, and served a nice dinner. There was a positive response—within two hours we raised 800,000 pounds—but we were 200,000 short until Michael, an Irish businessman patron member who imported Indian clothing, so appreciated Prabhupada’s Dream of having 150 acres of land for 150 protected cows, that he pledged 200,000 pounds.

Michael had only once before been to the Manor and at that time he had taken part in arati and heard a lecture, but that evening was the first time he had attended a special patron’s dinner and he pledged more than any other patron member.

What he pledged was a substantial amount of money for anyone, especially for a person of non-Indian origin. It was an auspicious evening. George agreed to come to our second dinner, but we didn’t know if his wife would come. Both were invited but Olivia never attended our public functions.

She wasn’t a great fan of the Hare Krishna devotees—she followed somebody else—and she left it up to her husband to go to such things. But this time she came. A Gujarati disciple of Shivaram Swami named Sruti Dharma and I went to the car park at the Manor to welcome them.

They had brought rubber Welly boots with them because they were enthusiastic to walk through the fields to see where the new approach road was going to be built, and we did that. We walked from where the main gate would be all the way to the Manor property, which is about a half a mile.

We stopped to talk along the way and George observed the fields, “How far does the property extend on this side of the road? How far on the other side of the road? Are you going to have any kind of hedges or trees so that the road doesn’t look ugly, so it doesn’t spoil the overall beauty of the farmland?”

We got into the details and when we were returning George said, “If you want to have a successful business, I suggest you start a garden center.” In England, garden centers are usually incredibly successful. Families who’ve just moved into their home buy trees and shrubs, flowers and herbs. George said, “If you do that, I don’t think you need planning permission for this.”

He’d put a lot of thought into this idea and as I said, he identified himself as a gardener first and a musician second. He said, “I’ll help you set it up and with whatever you need.” We were happy that he was so open-minded about our project.

Then we took him to the temple with Radha-Gokulananda’s altar, Sita-Rama, Laksman, and Hanuman’s altar and the little Gaura-Nitai Deities between Them. George offered his full dandavats to the Deities, Olivia offered her pranams and they both took charanamrita. Then we went into the dining room.

The history behind this dinner is that in 1982 the local District Council decided that it didn’t want to have the Manor as a public place of worship because the building hadn’t been planned as such. They wanted to close down the Manor.

Our 15-year campaign to keep the Manor open was basically a freedom of religion case. During that time reporters were always interviewing the devotees. We were in newspapers, on television, and on the radio.

At one time the Manor had been owned by Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital, an old hospital in London, for a nurse’s training college. Mrs. Ruffles had bought it from Saint Bart’s with the idea of turning it into a nursing home, but she couldn’t carry the financial burden and so she sold it.

Then we moved in and suddenly festivals were going on with thousands of visitors and many cars were in the village. We didn’t want the villagers to be irate with our festivals—we wanted to take the strain off the village.

After a long, hard battle, in 1996, the British Government’s Secretary of State for the Environment, John Gummer, announced on television that, “the government gave permission for the construction of an access driveway which by-passed the local village, plus full planning permission for the Manor to be used as a place of public worship.”

Before that neither the government nor the District Council had recognized us. That was a great victory for us and that’s why we had this victory dinner, which was a nice feast cooked by my wife, Bala Gopala.

Everybody who had been involved in the campaign—over 200 people—were there, all VIP guests including some MP’s, legal people, newspaper people and so on. Akhandadhi mentioned all the different guests that were present and praised and honored everybody.

Finally he came to George and said, “We have to thank George because this would never have happened if he hadn’t agreed to donate this property.” George was an honored guest, but he wasn’t expected to say anything.

But before he spoke, Olivia stood up and said, “I am deeply touched by what I’ve heard and seen tonight, and I feel impelled to say that George has got true friends here, and I feel happy for him. And I feel happy that I didn’t miss the opportunity to witness this amazing gathering.”

This was the only time that Olivia had come to the Manor. Before, when I called George and she answered the phone, she would be rude. I used to pray that she didn’t answer the phone. She would try to stop me from intruding into their privacy by visiting her husband.

Olivia didn’t like us until that evening. After she sat down, Shyamasundar and Mukunda presented George with a little Prabhupada murti with a Prabhupada hat and glasses and a bead bag and a little book rest and a miniature size Bhagavad-gita, a little vyasasana and a sannyasi danda, and a little pair of kartals and a little pair of glasses. It was cute.

George cradled Prabhupada and said, “I’m going to take Prabhupada home with me tonight.” It really touched him. He said, “I didn’t want to say anything, but I feel I’ve got to. First of all, I feel ashamed that I never participated in this campaign.”

George hadn’t given any support, either verbally or in the press or in any other way. He said, “But I was following it on television or in the papers. I knew what was going on. In the back of my mind I thought if it didn’t work out, if you had to close the Manor, you could move over to my place in Henley and take over Friar Park—that could be your new temple.”

He was so moved by what he had heard that evening that he was talking from his heart. Everybody started clapping like anything.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17455

If we are Krishna Conscious, any type of occupation will suit me and we shall always be satisfied. Therefore, I recommend you to read books more and more and try to understand the subject matter from different angles of vision and be always discussing it with your godbrothers even while you are working at the press. Letter to Bhargava — Los Angeles 13 June, 1972: So I am requesting all of my students to read my books very seriously every day without fail. In this way, if your mind becomes absorbed at least one or two hours daily in the transcendental subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and other books then very easily you will make your advancement in Krishna Consciousness. I am very much stressing at this point that all of my students shall be very much conversant with the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, and that they should read our books very diligently at least one or two hours daily and try to understand the subject matter from varieties of angles.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17457

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

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

By Nanda Priya Nivedita Devi Dasi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baker Extraordinaire: Amber Borsotti! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By Padmapani das

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

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

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

(The Blackout History Project)

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Teachings of Queen Kunti, Chapter 8)

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

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

(Srila Prabhupada letter, November 22, 1974)

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

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

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

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

SB 11.18.17 Purport:

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

SB 2.4.1 Purport:

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

Thus we see the real meaning of chastity!

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

SB 1.2.8 Translation:

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

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

Thus we see the purpose of being a chaste wife!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 24

Queen Kunti said:

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

Purport:

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

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

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

TQK Chapter 25:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reporter: So then what is happening materially is unimportant?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Ambarisa Das

Hare Krsna,
PAMHO, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Devotees,

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

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

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

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

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

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