What Men Always Wanted to Know About Women

By Devaki Devi Dasi

During January the Institute for Spiritual Culture in Mayapur launched for the very first time the course “Men in Spiritual Culture – what Men Always Wanted to Know about Women”. A wonderful group of around 40 intelligent men attended all five sessions of three hours each with great eagerness and interest. The audience was very mixed: a couple of Prabhupada disciples were there, a few school teachers from the Mayapur Community, Bhakti Sastri teachers, many young fellows from all corners of the world, some boys who grew up in our ISKCON movement and are now in their twenties, some senior devotees from the Mayapur Community. Really, very inspiring indeed…! One might ask: “How is it, that a woman is delivering a seminar for men?” Actually, this course is all about women – what men always wanted to know about women, and never even thought of asking….! And who else should give such a seminar but a mother…! Our audience was greatly interested in the presented topics – listening with wrapped attention, asking good questions and engaging in lively discussions. The participants also put on humorous yet deep and meaningful role plays at the beginning of each session, summarizing the topics of the previous day’s discussions – a great tool to deepen our learning experience. Krsna is giving us a perfect and sublime system in the form of spiritual culture, which is meant to give us stability and harmony in this material world, so we can whole-heartedly develop our forgotten relationship with Him. However, if we think our system is better than Krsna’s system, then we will get chaos, instability, neglect and suffering. And this is the problem in these modern days of Kali Yuga: Krsna’s system is lost and forgotten. Prabhupada taught us that for every material problem there is a spiritual solution – even for horrible things such as child abuse, violence against women, etc. These things come as global reactions for not accepting Krsna’s system. If we would not be able to offer solutions to these problems – what would be the value of Krsna consciousness?! In this course “Men in Spiritual Culture” we gain deep insights into Krsna’s system. Unless our men deeply understand the most important position and role which women are meant to play within human society, they will not deeply understand and embrace their role as protectors and providers. The feminine energy is very powerful. We women have the power to inspire the very best within a man (SB. 1.9.27.,4.21.4., 4.26.15.) or to disempower him. Once men deeply realize this, it becomes of the greatest importance for them to keep their auspicious source of energy and inspiration healthy, balanced and strong. Therefore Manu Samhita (3.56) instructs us: “Where women are honoured, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honoured, no sacred rite yields rewards.” We concluded this course with a pizza feast – indeed a good reason to celebrate its success….! Some participants were sharing that it was the most transformational week in their entire Krsna conciousness.

Radhanath Swami Speaks at Divine Life Society’s International Headquarters

Srila Prabhupada’s Ecstatic Symptoms–Srutakirti das,

March 1975, ISKCON Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir Many joyful adventures took place daily while traveling with Srila Prabhupada. So much nectar flowed from the regulated activities of personally serving our glorious Gurudeva. Who could imagine anything more wonderful than cooking, massaging and tending to the needs of His Divine Grace, except for being present when His Divine Grace exhibited ecstatic symptoms? It was the rarest of treasures. These exceptional events invariably took place while Srila Prabhupada sat on his Vyasasana in the temple room during his lecture. The most widely known took place during the Mayapur festival. Hundreds of devotees were assembled in the temple room while Srila Prabhupada spoke. Suddenly, he stopped and became silent with his eyes closed. Everyone in the room became still, not wanting to disturb him. A pin drop could be heard. We didn’t dare breathe too loudly. This went on for some time. Hundreds of devotees were transfixed on His Divine Grace’s ecstasy, each being transported by his rapture. Our minds were overwhelmed with blissful anticipation. Srila Prabhupada carried us all to another realm. Suddenly, one sannyasi seated near the Vyasasana began loudly chanting, “Nama om Visnu-padaya…” I felt jolted from a heavenly realm. Gradually, the reluctant devotees began to join in the kirtan. Soon, Srila Prabhupada regained his external consciousness and joined his disciples in the kirtan. After the kirtan, there was disagreement amongst the devotees. Some criticized the sannyasi saying, “How could you do that? Srila Prabhupada was in ecstasy. You could see no one else was chanting. You should have stopped.” “Oh, I thought I would chant,” he replied. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”Brahmananda Maharaja was Srila Prabhupada’s secretary at the time. He was trying to mediate in this matter, but no one could arrive at a conclusion. So, he agreed to take the issue to Srila Prabhupada. We went into Srila Prabhupada’s room in the afternoon. “Srila Prabhupada,” Brahmananda Maharaja said. “Do you remember at the lecture when you stopped speaking and went into ecstasy?” Before he could continue, Srila Prabhupada responded in the sweetest voice, sounding a little embarrassed. “I do not do that very often,” Srila Prabhupada said. “No, Prabhupada,” Brahmananda said, understanding Srila Prabhupada’s humility. “But, when it does happen, what should we do? Should we just sit there, Srila Prabhupada? Or should we chant japa?” “Yes, just chant,” Srila Prabhupada said. “Chant Hare Krsna. Why are you making it such a big thing? What is to be done? Just chant Hare Krsna. That is all right.” As always, there is no way to properly describe how Srila Prabhupada spoke. When Srila Prabhupada said, “I do not do that very often,” it was the most innocent voice I had ever heard. The gentle grace and humility he displayed was amazing. He was apologizing for exhibiting the symptoms of a pure devotee. It appeared that Srila Prabhupada felt awkward exposing us to his ecstasy. One of the most wonderful things about His Divine Grace was the way he always made us feel that if we just followed the process of Krsna Consciousness, then we could advance to the perfectional stage without difficulty. It seemed that he didn’t want to discourage us by showing how special he was, thus allowing us to consider Krsna Consciousness too difficult for neophytes. He gave us hope. He made us feel that Krsna Consciousness was for all of us. He always spoke of himself in the plural, “We are Krsna’s servant.” Srila Prabhupada included us. Just as he transported us on that special day in Mayapur, he continues to take us “Back to Home, Back to Godhead.” Srila Prabhupada, thank you for a peek into your private ecstasy. I would have relished the opportunity to sit at your feet in that temple room for hours. I can only imagine where you were. I take great pride in knowing that you are the topmost personality within these three worlds. Still, you spoke humbly about revealing a glimpse of your ecstasy. I beg for the chance to hear your sweet voice again and again. Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada–Srila Prabhupada Uvaca–Srila Prabhupada’s Ecstatic Symptoms–Srutakirti das

By the TOVP Team

The TOVP Team is making a 108 day tour of North America, starting March 14 2015, to commemorate the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in USA in 1965. This tour has been organized by the leaders of the North American yatra as an opportunity for the congregation to participate in building the Mayapur Chandradoya Mandir as a collective effort of all the vaisnavas to offer this temple to Srila Prabhupada, as their gratitude for giving the world this wonderful ISKCON society.

The tour opened with a presentation at the Alachua Community on Saturday, March 14th. There was a very large turnout of devotees from Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and other nearby cities. The presentation was presided over by his grace Jananivas Prabhu, Ambarish Prabhu, Swaha Mataji and Radha Jivan Das. The devotees showed an overwhelming response to the presentation by making pledges toward the temple construction to the tune of $850,000. Next, the team traveled to Dallas, and made a similar presentation at the temple on Sunday. More than 300 people from the congregation attended, with another surprising response of $1,000,000 in collective pledges. The temple president of Dallas, Nityananda Prabhu, was pleasantly surprised by the generosity, since he was expecting us not to collect any more than $50,000. He has been so pleased to see his congregation respond so favorably to the Mayapur Project, that he has further pledged $1,000,000 from his temple congregation, to be sent to Mayapur.

The tour will be traveling to Denver, Hillsborough and Philadelphia in the next week. The devotees are very pleased to his grace Jananivas Prabhu come to America for the purpose of raising awareness about the TOVP, and are taking the project very seriously by his presence. Ambarish Prabhu and his wife’s traveling to the major temples is also having a positive effect on the hearts of the devotees, who are seeing the humility with which they are approaching the devotees to come forward and donate.

The response from the congregation of the American yatra is far beyond our expectations, and we are humbled to see the depth of their devotion and gratitude to Srila Prabhupada by their performance.

Sri Mayapur Dham Ki Jay, Sankirtan Yajna ki Jay, Srila Prabhupada Ki Jay

TOVP Team

Expressing Our Wishes Before Death: The Importance of Advance Directives By Mahavisnupriya devi dasi Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world on Lord Krishna’s request to teach us how to live a pure life of Krishna consciousness which also includes how to finally pass away from this world. For us, planning for our final chapter of life involves getting many material decisions made beforehand. Planning ahead or laying out a road map lets our transitioning from this mortal world move more smoothly while not leaving our loved ones in crisis or grappling with unknowable but important issues on their own. Getting our wishes made clear on paper will also give us peace of mind, so that we can focus more on our spiritual departure. These documents are known as Advance Directives. Advance Directives aren’t just for older adults. Unexpected end-of-life situations can happen at any stage of life, so it’s important for all families to prepare these documents in advance. These Advance Directives spell out clearly our last wishes and ensure that the rights of the ill, injured or dying can control decisions about their own medical care. These directives guide choices for doctors and caregivers if you’re terminally ill, seriously injured, in a coma, in the late stages of dementia or near the end of life. By planning ahead, you can get the medical care you want, avoid unnecessary suffering, be unhampered by unnecessary procedures and relieve caregivers of decision-making burdens during moments of crisis or grief. You also help reduce confusion or disagreement about the choices you would want people to make on your behalf. These documents consist of 1)-power of attorney or naming a person as your health representative, surrogate, or as a patient advocate, as they are known legally in 42 states. 2)-A living will spells out in detail your wishes regarding the kind of medical care you would like to receive. 3)-A letter of instruction covers all other material decisions that are important to you, such as, who gets my Deities and spiritual books? What type of remembrance service do I want? Who should be notified in your extended family of your departure? Power of Attorney The person you name may be a spouse, other family member, friend or members of our Krishna Consciousness faith community. You may also choose one or more alternates in case the person you chose is unable to fulfill his or her role. Living Will A living will is a written, legal document that spells out medical treatments you would and would not want to be used to keep you alive, as well as other decisions such as pain management or organ donation. How do you feel about antibiotics and antiviral medicines, etc.? These can be spelled out clearly here. Letter of Instruction The third part of the road map—a letter of instruction—isn’t a legal document, but it helps families find important information and saves them from having to dig through papers during a crisis. This document is a three-part personal letter that goes with the will. The first part includes the names of people to contact and instructions for planning a funeral. The second part covers financial affairs such as lists of important accounts and phone numbers that must be notified of your status. In the last part, you can give away meaningful possessions, like your Deities, your books and write special messages to family members and dear friends. Taken altogether, the Advance Directives and the letter of instruction give your family a road map for your wishes. Put your desires in writing by completing these three important documents: a living will, a health-care power of attorney, and a letter of instruction. You can get more information from the Aging with Dignity website, especially by looking at the form titled, 5 Wishes or the AARP website on line regarding Advance Directives. It is the intent of our New Ramana Reti, Alachua, community to have an advanced directive on file for all our members, as the temple desires to serve each devotee personally while meeting all your needs.

Hare Krsna, PAMHO, AGTSP

ISKCON's purpose one is - "To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world."

Please go like our facebook page for our very helpful forthcoming book we will publish by Lords and Vaisnava mercy. It is now called "Heal Addiction with Bhakti Yoga and Stay High Forever" - there is science, expereinces and scripture in the book which will be helpful to many people. We have contacted the government and Medical Insurance companies here in South Africa with proposals to "Educate people" on things devotees know about the disease of addiction. https://www.facebook.com/bhaktiyogaandaddiction

When we lived in Sri Dhams India we realised there are Millions of healthy Vegetarians, and millions of people who dont know this - one thing the meat industry propagates is that vegetarianism is unhealthy - please like this facebook page to pass on on this important message. This is also education for peace. https://www.facebook.com/TAMOHV

One very important thing needed to implement purpose one of ISKCON is to be positive - please pray for us to be positive as much as possible. And to help me along, we want to collect positive stories from everywhere, not just Krsna Conscious stories... Lord is involved in everybody's life.. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Good-News-Magazine/1420246928269803

Please pray for us to be able to facilitate these services. And anybody who can help us publicise, pelase do.

Yours in service,
Gouranga-das

HH Bhakti Charu Swami Hare Krishna. When Srila Prabhupada went to the West, Krishna actually created the perfect arrangement for Srila Prabhupada. The United States of America, at that time, was in a perfect situation to receive Srila Prabhupada. If we look at the history of America, then we can see that soon after the second world war, America reached the height of it's material prosperity. At the same time, the youth of America became disillusioned. They saw that money cannot buy everything. Especially the most important need for everybody - love. Money cannot buy love. Other situations also created a situation where American youth became disillusioned and disgruntled. They started to look for a positive alternative. They started to wonder what would make their lives worth living.

In the mid 60's we see that America was going through a very special phase, like the counter culture. They were searching for a positive alternative. At that time, they were thinking to find that positive alternative through sex and drugs. Many of the youth at that time actually left a life of prosperity, comfort, and materialistic achievements. They came to the streets.

It was around that time when Srila Prabhupada arrived in America. It was a perfect situation, in 1965, the height of the counter culture movement. Srila Prabhupada gave them the real positive alternative to the materialistic way of life. What was that? Krishna Consciousness. We see that so many young American boys and girls became attracted to Srila Prabhupada. Many of them are present here. They came forward, being attracted by Srila Prabhupada's wonderful personality. This is how the Krishna Consciousness movement started in America.

At 26 Second avenue, Srila Prabhupada established the first ISKCON center. He registered the institution of ISKCON at a small little storefront, but he called it the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We can see what a vision Srila Prabhupada had. Actually, it was really a vision, a vision into the future. Srila Prabhupada knew what was going to happen. A saintly personality like Prabhupada is a trikaladarshi. He can see the time in its three aspects: past, present, and future.

We see only the present. And the past is a hazy memory. The future lies in a dreamworld. Srila Prabhupada had a perfect vision. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness. When the movement was established in America, Prabhupada went to the West coast, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, the kingdom, the perfect world of the youth of America. All of the youth from America were converging in San Francisco. Srila Prabhupada saw that this was the real field for his preaching.

Srila Prabhupada went to the West coast. In that respect we must remember that Mukunda Maharaj played a very significant role. He is the one got the 26 Second Avenue storefront for Srila Prabhupada. Then Srila Prabhupada sent him to the West coast to start another center like that in the thick of the youth culture of America in Haight Ashbury. There, the youth culture of America again became naturally attracted to Srila Prabhupada.Among them was Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

He joined Srila Prabhupada in 1968. Srila Prabhupada went to a place where the young Americans were living in the redwood forest near San Francisco. He was so aloof from the materialistic culture that he was living in the forest. But Srila Prabhupada went to that place and it was just love at first sight. He left everything. Even that commune that he was living in. He came with Srila Prabhupada to San Francisco after one meeting, maybe even just one sight of Srila Prabhupada, attracted him to his lotus feet.

Then we see what an important role that he played in the Krishna Consciousness movement. It was as if he was just sent by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist Srila Prabhupada. Actually, Srila Prabhupada at one time, I remember.one devotee was lamenting about his past. He was telling Prabhupada that his life was so sinful. Srila Prabhupada said, "As soon as I called, you came."

Whatever they were doing was not really important. They were just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come to America and then they came. Srila Prabhupada himself said that these boys and girls were sent by his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. These young Americans were sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist him in his mission.

When we see the life and activities of Tamal Krishna Maharaj, we see how much he had done for Srila Prabhupada. He was in the front line all of the time. At that time, in Los Angeles they had bought a Temple, a church. And who would be the President? Who did Srila Prabhupada select to be the President of the most important place for ISKCON? Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

Around that time, Shyamasundara Prabhu and Mukunda Maharaj and Gurudasa Prabhu, along with their wives Malati Mataji, Yamuna Mataji, and Janaki Mataji, had developed some relationship with the Beatles, mainly George Harrison. At that time, George Harrison and the Beatles were the most important people in the world of the youth. The whole youth of the world was bouncing with their music. This George Harrison became attracted to Krishna Consciousness. When things started to develop there in London, Srila Prabhupada sent Tamal Krishna Maharaj. Not so much to cultivate George Harrison, but to establish the Sankirtan Movement, to start book distribution. In London, then Paris, then Frankfurt, Tamal Krishna Maharaj started to establish the Krishna Consciousness movement in those areas.

This land where we are sitting, where we are situated today, initially there were a lot of difficulties to get the land because some people here did not want us to come. They did not want Srila Prabhupada to come and establish a center here. There were a lot of difficulties to get a piece of land. The buyers would come, somebody in the interest to sell the land, but then somebody would come and dissuade him from the deal. Two or three times the deals fell through. But then Tamal Krishna Maharaj was sent by Srila Prabhupada and he succeeded.

He made all of the arrangements. He came here with a lawyer, sat under a banyan tree which is by the side of the road, and signed the deal. Tamal Krishna Maharaj told me that at midnight he alerted Calcutta. Srila Prabhupada was still awake waiting for him to come back. He offered the agreement, the sell deed, to Srila Prabhupada.

I also had the good fortune of seeing Tamal Krishna Maharaj for the first time here in Mayapur. I remember my roommate was one American devotee, Tirthapada Prabhu. I saw Bhavananda Prabhu and another person, a very bright looking and handsome individual. They were walking. I remember the first sight and I immediately offered obeisances. It was so overwhelming. The sight was so impressive. My heart was immediately filled with appreciation and respect for him.

Srila Prabhupada was here at that time. That was in 1977. Tamal Krishna Maharaj became Srila Prabhupada's secretary. I was just a new devotee at that time, but during our first meeting Srila Prabhupada asked me to translate his books into Bengali. So I was translating his books and I had easy access to Srila Prabhupada. At those days, to go near Srila Prabhupada was practically impossible. Thousands of devotees were surrounding him, dying to have his darshan. So it was very difficult to get anywhere near Srila Prabhupada. Because of this service, I had the good fortune to approach Srila Prabhupada whenever I wanted it. Everybody knew that I was translating. Srila Prabhupada was actually guiding me. He was training me up.

One day while I was translating, Srila Prabhupada gave me a stack of Bengali letters. He asked me to reply to them. When I finished replying to those Bengali letters, Srila Prabhupada gave me a stack of Hindi letters to reply to. Srila Prabhupada used to give me the dictation and I used to handwrite them. Then Srila Prabhupada used to sign them.

In this way, when I started to reply to those letters, one day Srila Prabhupada told me that he was appointing me as his secretary for Indian affairs. Then he called Tamal Krishna Maharaj, who was his secretary at that time. He called Tamal Krishna Maharaj and told him about the appointment and suggested that I move into the room where Tamal Krishna Maharaj was staying. So that gave me another inconceivable good fortune - to be with Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

It was on top the Lotus building where we were sharing one room. That was an inconceivable good fortune for me. I had the good fortune of being trained up by him. He was so exemplary. I remember he used to get up every day at three o'clock. When he would get up, he would switch on Srila Prabhupada's tape. He would go to the bathroom and this tape was playing. I used to wake up hearing it. It was so nice to wake up lying in the bed listening to Prabhupada's tapes. Then Tamal Krishna Maharaj used to come out of the bathroom and then I would go.

We had a very wonderful relationship. I always treated him like my elder brother. He was so senior. Although, according to materialistic calculations, he is six months younger than me. I was born in September of 1945. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was born in March of 1946. So in that way it made him six months junior. When he found out, he was kind of joking, he said, "You're a senior to me, but I treat you like my junior." I used to tell him that, "You are so far advanced, so much senior to me." He was serving Srila Prabhupada so nicely.

This is how I had the good fortune of sharing a room with him wherever we went. From Mayapur we went to Bombay, from Bombay we went to Rishikesh, from Rishikesh we went to Vrindavan. Wherever we went we would always stay in the same room. Even if I said, "No, no, you stay in that room by yourself," he insisted that I come stay with him.

Even after Srila Prabhupada left, when Tamal Krishna Maharaj would come to Mayapur, he would share the room with me. He used to come and stay in my room until he got his room here in the Conch building. Although I always had a lot of respect for him, he would treat me like a friend.

I remember in Rishikesh sometimes we used to go for a walk. Srila Prabhupada was in Rishikesh. A few of us were with Srila Prabhupada. Sometimes in the afternoon Tamal Krishna Maharaj and I would go for a walk. We used to go across the Lakshman Jhula, across the Ganges, and then would go upstream. One day we walked like that and then we sat on a boulder on the bank of the river. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was telling me, "You're so fortunate to be born in India. Just to take your birth in India, you have come so close to the Vedic culture and to Krishna Consciousness."

I said, "Well that may be, but that's not me." I was not at all close to Indian culture in those days before I came to Krishna Consciousness. We were brought up with the understanding that the West is the best. So that was the culture. I was telling him, "The way you are serving Srila Prabhupada, I can very clearly see that you have been sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist Srila Prabhupada." He laughed and said, "You don't know my background."

Sometimes we had some very nice encounters also. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was known for his temper. He had another name which was Hot Tamale, because he has such a hot temper. When he used to get angry it was really something. He didn't get angry with me so often though.

In those days, I was a brahmacari. From Mayapur we went to Bombay. He was a little annoyed with me. I don't want to go into the details. He started to blast me. Finally he said, "I curse you that you'll get married!" In those days, for us to get married was something like the worst thing that could happen to a brahmacari. I was completely devastated. I went to Srila Prabhupada and told him that Tamal Krishna Maharaj cursed me that I would get married. Prabhupada replied, "You're already married. Go tell him that you're already married to Krishna."

In this way, we had so many wonderful encounters with him. At the bottom of it, the reality of it is that he was very affectionate to me, and I had a lot of respect for him. We had a deep bond between us. Sometimes there was an expression, "Tamal's man." I feel proud to admit that I am "Tamal's man." He was always very protective.

So today is Tamal Krishna Maharaj's disappearance. I want to end the class with one point. Tamal Krishna Maharaj's disappearance was very sudden. For six years, Tamal Krishna Maharaj did not come to Mayapur to attend the GBC meeting. He was studying. First, he did his undergraduate course in America. Then, he was doing his PhD in Cambridge. After completing that, he came to Mayapur after six years. He had so many ideas. He wanted to set up a University in Calcutta and eventually extend it to Mayapur. But all of a sudden, he was gone. Some of us had the feeling that Tamal Krishna Maharaj knew that he was going to leave.

I had an experience just about two or three days before Tamal Krishna Maharaj left his body. We were chanting together in his room. Tamal Krishna Maharaj stopped and said, "Take care of those boys in Calcutta." He had a few disciples there. "You are their father." I said, "No, I am the uncle. You are the father." He said again, "No, no. You are their father." He went on like that for some time. I could not understand why he was speaking like that because every body knows that the spiritual master is the father and that his godbrothers are the uncles.

This was one indication that I had that he knew that he was going to leave. He was requesting that I take care of his boys. All glories to His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. Gaura Premanande Haribol.

Florida Is “The Rathayatra State” With Over A Dozen Festivals

For many, the season of Rathayatra, or the Festival of Chariots, won’t start until the summer. But Florida, which has become “The Rathayatra State” with a record-holding one dozen festivals in-state and more organized by Florida devotees out-of-state, is already kicking off its celebrations.

Most of the festivals are organized by devotees from Alachua county’s New Raman Reti, the largest ISKCON community in North America. They include former president Bhadra Das, second-generation devotee Govinda Syer, and Dharmaraj Das, who organized Rathayatras in his native Guyana for fourteen years before beginning the same service in Florida in 2002.

During that first year, Dharmaraj helped organize three Rathayatra festivals, and that number has been growing ever since.

This year, the season began at the ISKCON Alachua temple on March 8th with Snana Yatra, during which three-foot Deities of Jagannath (the Lord of the Universe), His brother Baladeva and sister Subhadra were bathed in a special abhisekh ceremony. The Deities are cared for by Yadunandana Dasi, who has worshipped Lord Jagannath for the past thirty-five years.

The first Rathayatra of the year took place on March 21st in historic downtown St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565 and is the oldest city in the United States.

That will be followed by Rathayatras in Tallahassee on March 28th; Clearwater Beach on May 10th; and on May 23rd Daytona Beach, where last year Mayor Derrick Henry and his police commissioner brother Patrick Henry attended a pre-parade ceremony where they read Bhagavad-gita verses aloud and honored prasadam (sanctified food).

Tallahasse

Next on July 19th comes Tampa Bay Rathayatra; on August 15th Jacksonville Beach, where farmers’ markets and local yoga groups participate in the after-parade festival; and on September 23rd a Rathayatra at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. A festival in Miami is yet to be confirmed.

Devotees will also bring Lord Jagannath’s chariot and kirtan to join in on Clearwater Beach’s Centennial Parade on May 27th; the 450th anniversary of the town of St. Augustine on September 8th;  the Gator Football Team’s homecoming parade in Gainesville in October; and Christmas parades in High Springs and Alachua in December.

But that’s not quite enough for Dharmaraja, who built the festivals’ two chariots – one of them 36 feet tall – with his son Nitai Pran. He’s also organizing Rathayatras outside of Florida in Nashville, Tenessee; Valdosta, Georgia; and North Carolina this year.

Even more incredibly, he’s even involved in festivals overseas. Last year, he and other devotees helped organize the first Rathayatra in San Juan, Puerto Rico, building a new cart there; bringing all the equipment needed for a festival, and even chartering an airplane to bring participants from Alachua.

“It was very successful – the location right in downtown old San Juan was packed with thousands of people,” he says. “And they loved us so much. The permit had taken five-and-a-half months to get, but right after the parade the authorities came and handed us our permit for 2015.”

St. Augustine

This year, the second annual San Juan Rathayatra will be held on December 27th, after which devotees will transport Lord Jagannath’s chariot by ferry across to the Dominican Republic for a Rathayatra in its capital Santo Domingo. There are even tentative plans to hold a festival in Jamaica too, possibly as soon as next year.

Each Rathayatra begins with an inauguration ceremony consisting of a small fire yajna, mantra-chanting, and the local mayor sweeping the road in front of the chariot with a broom, as the King of Puri, the original home of Rathayatra, traditionally does.

A parade follows in which devotees pull Lord Jagannath’s chariot through the city or down the beach with large ropes, as others chant and dance, attracting the smiles and intrigue of onlookers.

After the parade, a two to three-hour stage program is presented in an auditorium or outdoor bandshell featuring philosophical dramatic skits, Bharatnatyam or Odissi dance, speeches by city officials, and a big concluding kirtan which has members of the public dancing and singing along.

Seven hundred to as many as 3,500 of Srila Prabhupada’s books are passed out, as well as over 2,000 plates of prasadam. Meanwhile guests can browse devotional clothing, books and other items at the gift store, or find out more about Krishna consciousness at the Question and Answer tent.

Youth and second generation devotees from Alachua often help out with the festivals, assisting in setting up the 5,000 pound collapsible chariot and the tents on the festival site, and participating in dramas, kirtans and more.

Jacksonville

Florida’s Rathayatras have been a major success and ingratiated devotees to officials and dignitaries. Last year Fland Sharp, the mayor of Jacksonville Beach, requested every business along the beach to advertise Rathayatra with fliers in their stores.

Sharp also issued a proclamation for “Rathayatra Day,” while the Rathayatra chariot won first prize at the St. Augustine Christmas Parade in 2012 and 2013, getting dubbed “most unique float” and “best overall float.”

“I’m told it’s the first time in North American history that ISKCON Rathayatra festivals received trophies for first place two years in a row,” says Dharmaraja.

Praise has come from overseas, too, from none other than the very top as far as Rathayatra is concerned – the King of Puri.

“He sent me emails thanking us [ISKCON] for having Rathayatras all over the world,” Dharmaraja says.

Florida Rathayatras have also attracted many people to Krishna consciousness. Some have joined ISKCON as a result of the parades; a preaching center is being established in Jacksonville as a result; a Bhakti Vriksha congregational community is growing in Tampa; and the Indian community of Daytona Beach is offering ISKCON land to build a Jagannath temple there.

Within the next month, Dharmaraja expects his Festival of Chariots Foundation Inc. to receive 501C3 non-profit tax exemption status, meaning Florida Rathayatras will receive financial support from businesses rather than just devotee donations, allowing them to be more sustainable for the long haul.

Besides that, Dharmaraja has received a request from ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission to do something special for the 50th anniversary in 2017 of the first Rathayatra festival in the West. Ideas include a manual on how to do everything required to organize a Rathayatra, from building a cart to presenting yourself to city authorities and getting permits. Dharmaraja also wants to establish a website with links to schedules and plans for all ISKCON Rathayatras throughout the world.

“From day one, Rathayatra has been the service I settled into in Krishna consciousness,” he says. “So naturally it has become my heart and soul.”

For more information, please visit festivalofchariots.org or facebook.com/rathayatras

Baladeva Vidyabhusana Project Update and Rupa Gosvami’s Hari-namamrta-vyakarana

Baladeva Vidyabhusana Project Update

and Rupa Gosvami’s Hari-namamrta-vyakarana

By Dr. Demian Martins

I am glad to announce that while searching for Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s works, I found a manuscript of Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Hari-namamrta-vyakarana. Just as Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Sat-sandarbhas were based on Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami’s notes on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, similarly Srila Rupa Gosvami’s grammatical treatise is the work which inspired Jiva Gosvami to write a full-fledged version of it. This is corroborated by Gopala dasa in his Amrtasvadini-tika, one of the original Sanskrit commentaries on Jiva Gosvami’s grammar. In the beginning of the text, Rupa Gosvami offers obeisances to Lord Hari and expresses his wish that the devotees may relish the Lord’s Holy Name through this grammar. This concise exposition of grammatical rules may help those who desire to acquire a basic knowledge of Sanskrit in the way it used to be taught by Lord Caitanya.

After several years of search, recently one of the primary goals of the Vidyabhusana Project has been attained: all printed editions of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s works, as well as possibly all articles ever written about him, have been digitized. This is the outcome of years visiting innumerable libraries all over India and going through hundred of catalogues and reference books to be sure that nothing was left behind. One of the benefits derived particularly from old editions is that they may have been based on manuscripts which do not exist anymore and might have readings different from those found in the available manuscripts. The files are being gradually uploaded and available for free.

During my quest for Vidyabhusana’s lost commentaries on the ten Upanisads, on a few occasions there were individuals trying to dissuade me claiming that he never wrote them. For a while I was looking for some evidence that those commentaries were ever written and the first hint I got was from an article published in the Sajjana-tosani magazine in 1897 in which Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura clearly affirmed that among the works of Vidyabhusana which he read are “the commentaries on some Upanisads.” Surprisingly, this was not accepted as evidence by some, albeit supposedly members of Bhaktivinoda’s parampara. Many decades later, Krishna dasa Baba wrote in the appendix to the Isopanisad-bhasya, published by him in 1966, that he was searching for the lost commentaries on the other Upanisads, among which were the Katha and the Kaivalya. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell us the source of this information. It was only recently that I found a clear and definitive evidence in the notes written by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, originally published in 1930 in a compilation called Prabhupader Vaktravali, in which he mentioned that once he desired to published the Dasopanisad-bhasya and wrote to his friend Visvambharananda-deva Gosvami, a leading Syamanandi scholar, who replied that because the manuscript was too worn-out, it was ‘given away to the Yamuna.’ It is my great hope that there might be a copy left somewhere and I am doing my best to find it.

It is being very difficult to catch up with the translation work among so many travels, yet I have already finished translating Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Gaura-gana-svarupa-tattva-candrika and Prabodhananda Sarasvati’s Viveka-satakam, and both should be coming out soon. As for Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s Tattva-dipika, devotees and scholars suggested that I provide sufficient explanatory notes to help average readers to follow the philosophical topics discussed there, which will take some time to be done.

The objectives of the Baladeva Vidyabhusana Project are as follows:

1. Search for lost manuscripts. (Such as the commentaries on nine Upanisads, Sandarbhas, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc.)

2. Digitally preserve manuscripts currently existing in different libraries.

3. Digitally preserve all editions of Vidyabhusana’s books.

4. Digitally preserve articles written about Vidyabhusana.

5. Type all the original texts in digital unicode system, which can be converted into Devanagari, Bengali and Oriyan characters.

6. Prepare a critical edition for each work.

7. Translate all the works into English.

8. Publish all translations with the original Devanagari text.

9. Investigate and verify existent biographical data of Vidyabhusana, including historical evidences of the conflict between the Gaudiyas and the Ramanandis of Rajasthan.

10. Publish a comprehensive biographical work.

The credit of whatever success was achieved so far goes to the devotees, friends and well-wishers who have kindly come forward to offer assistance. 

VIP Visits Mayapur

Mr. Cesare Bieller, Consul General of Italy at Kolkata, visited ISKCON Mayapur. Around 40 different nationals live peacefully as a community in Mayapur. We have few devotees from Italy residing at Mayapur and they came together to welcome and meet the Italian Consul General. Ganga Das (an Italian National), our Deputy Director had invited Mr. Cesare Bieller to visit Sri Mayapur. Ganga das took him on a tour inside the campus, temple and had organised a meet with Italian devotees. Mr. Cesare was very much appreciative of the initiatives of ISKCON and expressed his willingness to develop Sri Mayapur as a tourist destination. He was concerned about the National Highway, which needs repair and maintenance and urged ISKCON to take it up with local government to fix the road. He was pleased to know about works under progress to connect Sri Mayapur by waterways. He also discussed on different modes of transport that will facilitate the tourists visit to Mayapur. Mr. Cesare also received transcendental gifts from Sri Mayapur.

VIP Visits Mayapur

Mr. Cesare Bieller, Consul General of Italy at Kolkata, visited ISKCON Mayapur. Around 40 different nationals live peacefully as a community in Mayapur. We have few devotees from Italy residing at Mayapur and they came together to welcome and meet the Italian Consul General. Ganga Das (an Italian National), our Deputy Director had invited Mr. Cesare Bieller to visit Sri Mayapur. Ganga das took him on a tour inside the campus, temple and had organised a meet with Italian devotees. Mr. Cesare was very much appreciative of the initiatives of ISKCON and expressed his willingness to develop Sri Mayapur as a tourist destination. He was concerned about the National Highway, which needs repair and maintenance and urged ISKCON to take it up with local government to fix the road. He was pleased to know about works under progress to connect Sri Mayapur by waterways. He also discussed on different modes of transport that will facilitate the tourists visit to Mayapur. Mr. Cesare also received transcendental gifts from Sri Mayapur.

Pishima: Srila Prabhupada’s sister

Pishima is Sleeping in My Bed–Srutakirti das, September 1974, ISKCON Krsna Balarama Mandir, Vrindaban, India

Srila Prabhupada stayed in Vrindavan for six weeks. During this time, he was very ill. In many temples around the world, 24-hour kirtan was being held. His sister, Pishima was also staying at the temple in Vrindavan much of the time. She was concerned and wanted to see her brother as often as she could.

One of my duties was to minimize this as much as possible. It was not an easy or enjoyable service. It was no coincidence that Pishima’s powerful determination was similar to Srila Prabhupada’s. She never listened to me. In fact, she would become quite upset and angry with me. She had a way of slipping into his room when no one noticed.

After one of her visits, Srila Prabhupada called me into his room.

“I am a sannyasi,” Srila Prabhupada said. “It is not good that she stays in the room when no one else is present. Even she is my sister . . . Because she is my sister, she cannot understand it. I cannot have a woman in the room with me, even though she is my sister.”

One afternoon I walked into the servant’s quarters, which was also my bedroom, and she was sleeping in my bed. I was amazed. I hurried into Srila Prabhupada’s room, where he was sitting at his desk. I offered my obeisances and had a look of anxiety on my face.

“Prabhupada,” I said. “Your sister is sleeping in my bed. I don’t know what to do.”

“She cannot,” Srila Prabhupada said. “You tell her! She must be told that she can’t be doing these things. It is not good. They’ll talk.”

Srila Prabhupada was referring to the local sannyasis, caste goswamis, and godbrothers who might criticize our beloved Gurudeva. Srila Prabhupada often said that everything must be first-class while in Vrindaban or we would not be taken seriously. As always, being the acarya, he set an example for us.

“It is not good that she is spending so much time like this,” he continued.

“Prabhupada, I can’t say anything to her,” I anxiously explained. “She won’t listen to me. She only listens to you.”

That day he spoke to her for quite a while. I don’t know what the conversation was about, but I do know that when I went to the servant’s quarters the following day, I cautiously peeked into the room and there she was, sleeping in my room, quite soundly. I gave up. I left the area and found a spot on the other side of Srila Prabhupada’s room. She knew her brother was transcendental and it didn’t matter to her what anyone else thought in regards to her being a woman. She was his sister. Her resolve to be near her pure devotee brother was much greater than my ability to prevent her from doing so. She did whatever she had to do to get Srila Prabhupada’s association. I later mentioned to him that she had been in my room again.

“She is my sister,” he compassionately said. “She wants to be around me.”At the end of 1977, Satsvarupa Maharaja told me that Srila Prabhupada had asked her forgiveness for his offenses.

“Sometimes you may have come to see me and my disciples have not let you in,” he told her.

I beg forgiveness from Bhavatarini for my many offenses that I committed while trying to do my service. I beg that in the future my love for Srila Prabhupada will develop to the degree displayed by his sister. By her determination, she was able to be Srila Prabhupada’s younger sister and assist him throughout their lives. I pray to have the same desire that Bhavatarini had to serve the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada life after life.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada–Srila Prabhupada Uvaca–Pishima is Sleeping in My Bed–Srutakirti das
——————————–
Joking with His Younger Sister, Pishima–Srutakirti das, July 1973, ISKCON Calcutta

I first meet Bhavatarini, Srila Prabhupada’s sister, during this visit to the Calcutta temple. From then on, she was always known as “Pishima” which, I think, means “sister.” She was an incredible sight. She was a few inches shorter and quite a bit heavier than Srila Prabhupada, but her face was undeniably like a female Srila Prabhupada. Whenever she came to the temple, she brought sweets and gave them to her older brother, Srila Prabhupada. She then distributed them to all of the devotees in the temple. She loved to associate with Srila Prabhupada and spent as much time as she could in his presence.

It was impossible for me to understand their conversations, since I didn’t understand Bengali, but sometimes His Divine Grace described some details. It was obvious she had great love for her brother, not just on a material platform, but was able to comprehend his topmost spiritual position as well. She cooked for him often. This was a source of great anxiety for his disciples because she always used mustard oil in her cooking, which Srila Prabhupada said, “. . . was difficult to digest.” Once, when she was approached about this method she responded, “He can digest nails, if he wants.”

One day, as I massaged Srila Prabhupada before lunch, Srila Prabhupada said to me, “Do you know any person who is fat, without eating?”

“No, Srila Prabhupada,” I said. “I don’t know anyone. Are you referring to your sister?”

He laughed loudly.

“Yes!” Srila Prabhupada said. “She tells me she is eating just a little bit, but she keeps on gaining weight. You don’t know anyone who keeps on gaining weight without eating, do you?”

“No, Srila Prabhupada,” I said chuckling. “I don’t think it is possible to gain weight without eating.”

Now both of us were laughing.

“Yes!” Srila Prabhupada said. “I don’t think so either. I think your conclusion is correct. She has to be eating very much. She tells me she is not eating, but I know she is eating. She complains to me about her health, that she doesn’t feel well. I told her, ‘You are so fat. How can you be healthy?’ She said, ‘I don’t know how. I am hardly eating at all. I don’t know how I am so fat?'”

I continued massaging Srila Prabhupada understanding how comfortable he was in his hometown surrounded by his family. I was so grateful to be able to associate with Srila Prabhupada during such intimate moments. I could see his concern for his sister’s health as he sometimes said that disease came from anxiety, uncleanliness and overeating.

That evening Srila Prabhupada was giving darsana to his disciples. Pishima was also present in the room. She didn’t mind that she could not understand the conversation. She enjoyed being with him as much as possible because she unconditionally loved her brother. How elevated and fortunate she was to have a natural love and affection for Srila Prabhupada!

“Look at her sitting there,” Srila Prabhupada said smiling. “Look at her … how fat she is.”

Everyone began laughing, including Srila Prabhupada and Pishima. He continued poking fun at her in a rascal-like, boyish way.

“She is so fat,” Srila Prabhupada said. “Look at her, how fat she is. She says that she doesn’t eat, but still she gets fat.”

The room was filled with laughter. Pishima enjoyed seeing everyone laugh and didn’t realize that her older brother was making fun of her. Srila Prabhupada enjoyed his joke and relished his disciples being a part of it. It was a rare and wonderful moment for everyone.

Srila Prabhupada, seeing you in that happy, carefree lila was pure nectar. I pray that in a distant lifetime I can bring a smile to your face as you laugh at me in my foolish predicaments. Presently, in my fallen condition, the only emotion you can feel for me is compassionate concern or annoyance due to my bumbling inability to properly or attentively follow your instructions.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada–Srila Prabhupada Uvaca–Joking with His Younger Sister, Pishima–Srutakirti das

The Times: March/Campaign For The Yamuna: An Epic Opportunity

By Bhaktisiddhanta Swami

The disheartening implications of the Yamuna crisis and the heartening networking of environmental and devotional groups in the campaign to save it have brought upon us a great opportunity. At this moment over 50,000 Yamuna enthusiasts march to Delhi with a prediction of 100,000 by the 22nd of March, Brajabasins, Sampradayik and Vyasa acaryas, yogis, agricultural union members, dancing children from Maan Mandir, Barsana, to secure a long term mandate in government policies to allow India’s most sacred and famous river, the Yamuna to return, unimpeded to the Homeland of Braja.

All places are made sacred by the presence of the Yamuna, which is 100 times more sanctified than the Ganga; the Varaha Purana even describes that the spiritual power of the Yamuna in Mathura(the birth place of Sri Krsna and Lord Varahadeva) is 100 times greater than the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayaga.

A historical event, in the present times, is at hand to support the greatest cause, a rally for India’s spiritual heritage, a unification of diverse spiritual camps, Hindu, Muslim, Christian etc., a common cause and denominator, the congregational chanting of the holy names, unity in diversity, a modern page out of the Caitanya Caritamrita.

This is not a protest, but a rally for an ‘uncompromising awareness’. This is the example set by Srila Prabhupada, utilizing ‘time, place and circumstance’ in the upholding of dharma.

As concluded by the GBC:

‘Whereas bringing the Yamuna waters back to Vrndavana is direct service to the holy Dhama of Vrndavana which is direct service to the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha Krsna.

Whereas the aforementioned campaign can increase the public’s appreciation of ISKCON.

Whereas the aforementioned campaign can help ISKCON worldwide insofar as ISKCON will be seen at forefront of the environmental movement.’

Srila Prabhupada’s exact words were, ‘I have given you the framework; all you have to do is decorate it. And I have given you the decorations; all you have to do is hang them.’

The support of the Yamuna, knowing well that this is a form of Krsna, an arena of the Lord’s prakat and aprakat lilas(manifest and unmanifested pastimes), an instinctive devotional call, can be shown by a heart felt physical presence in an epic campaign and march. What a great opportunity for the most prominent international spiritual society to be visible in such a public viewing.

With the times of environmental concerns, a cutting edge in collective communications, the watering of such a tree as the ‘Yamuna concern’ will undoubtedly provide ‘fruits within our individual gardens of service, where ever we are situated.

This will demonstrate to the world that Iskcon truly stands for a mature accommodation of all the departments of devotion which the acaryas have principally outlined, whether it be nama sankirtan, arcana, or the ‘common sense’ decoration details of care for the dhama(Yamuna) as a unified and interdependent venture; all of which require implementation, not disempowering discrimination. They are supportive, codependent, and inseparable to one another.

For the devotees of the Lord, an epic opportunity, a circumstantial design of the Supreme has come before us to serve the Lord, Who Himself manifests as, glorifies as His own, His dhama (the Yamuna river). The choice in reciprocation is ours; if not you or I, some one else will come forward in triumphant glorification.

Best Wishes

Your servant,

Bhaktisiddhanta Swami

Hare Krsna dear devotees,
please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. You might know already what happened in Vrindavan to a 82 years old Russian mataji.

I just created a petition and want to ask you for your help to spread it.

The petition started yesterday, it is called:

"Indian Government and government of Mathura district: Increase the security of the pilgrims in Vraja Bhumi"

This issue is very important for the security of pilgrims in Vrindavan, especially for women, and together we can do something about it!

Read more about it and sign it here:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Indian_Government_and_government_of_Mat hura_district_Increase_the_security_of_the_pilgrims_in_Vraja_Bhumi/?esVyjeb

Please forward to as many devotees as possible.

Campaigns like this always start small, but they grow when many people get involved. At the moment, after not even 24 hours, it's already signed by devotees from 25 countries. There is a good possibility that we reach our goal!

Your servant
Revati dd

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

God’s names are a divine gift that can lift us from the conditions of material life and return us to our original spiritual freedom.

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for kindly participating in this Krishna consciousness movement. This knowledge, bhagavata-dharma, was spoken by Bhagavan Himself, Lord Sri Krishna. Bhagavan is a Sanskrit word. Bhaga means fortune, and van means one who possesses. So bhagavan means the supreme fortunate. There are six principal opulences: beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, and renunciation. One who possesses these in full, without any rival, is called Bhagavan.

Bhagavata-dharma means the relationship between the devotees and the Lord. The Lord is Bhagavan and the devotee is bhagavata, or in relationship with Bhagavan. Everyone is related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as a father and son are related. That relation cannot be broken at any stage, but sometimes it happens that the son, out of his own independence, goes out of his home and forgets the affectionate relationship with the father.

We living entities are part of God. When we want to live independently of God, the conditional stage of our existence begins. “Conditional stage” means we accept a material body, which is conditioned in so many ways. For example, the body undergoes six kinds of change: It is born at a certain date, it remains for some time, it grows, it gives some byproducts, it dwindles, and at last it vanishes.

Besides these six changes of the body, we face many tribulations. There are the threefold miseries: those pertaining to the body and mind, those offered by other living entities, and those caused by natural disturbances. And the whole thing is summarized into four principles, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Together these make up our conditional life.

Our Original Consciousness

To get out of these conditions of life, we must revive our Krishna consciousness, or God consciousness. Krishna means the Supreme Lord. God consciousness, or Krishna consciousness, is our original consciousness. Just as it is natural to remember our father in this life, it is natural to remember our original father. But we forget the supreme father, Krishna, and we want to live independently to enjoy life according to our whims. That is so-called independence. But by such independence we are never happy, so for this illusory happiness we transmigrate from one body to another. Each type of body has a particular facility for happiness. We want to fly in the sky. But because we are human beings, we have no wings and cannot fly. But the birds, although they are lower animals, can easily fly. If you analyze you’ll see that every type of body has a particular facility that others don’t. But we want all facilities of life. That is our inclination.

For example, modern scientists are trying to go to other planets, but they’re conditioned, so they cannot go. There are millions and trillions of planets before us the sun, the moon, Venus, Mars. Sometimes we wish, “How can I go there.” But because we are conditioned and not independent, we cannot go.

Originally, because we are spirit soul, we were free to go anywhere. We have immense independence, but we are now conditioned by this body. Therefore the human form of life is an opportunity to get back our original independence. That is called Krishna consciousness. That is freedom.

Two Kinds of Material Body

We have our spiritual body within the material body. That is our real identification. Now we are covered by two kinds of material body. One is called the subtle body and the other is called the gross body. The subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and false ego, and the gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Generally we can see the gross body; we cannot see the subtle body. I know that you have your mind. I know that you have intelligence. You know that I have a mind and intelligence. But I cannot see your mind, I cannot see your intelligence, I cannot see your determination, I cannot see your thoughts, feelings, and will. You see my gross body made of earth, water, air, and fire, and I can see your gross body. And when your gross body is changed and you are carried away by the subtle body, that is called death.

Death means we change the gross body. For example, you have your shirt and coat, and you may change the coat but keep the shirt. Similarly, we keep our subtle body and give up the gross body; that is called death. And by the laws of nature the subtle body carries us into the womb of another mother. Then we develop another gross body with materials supplied by the mother. And when the body is prepared, we come out of the womb to work again with our subtle and gross bodies.

Bhagavata-dharma means that we have to transcend both the gross and subtle bodies and come to the spiritual body. It is very scientific. And as soon as we come to our real, spiritual body, being freed from the gross and subtle bodies, then we actually feel happiness and independence. The process of Krishna consciousness is the highest benediction for human society because it is trying to bring the human being to the platform of the spiritual body transcending the gross and subtle material bodies. That is the highest perfection. Human life is meant for coming to that platform, the spiritual platform, transcending the gross and subtle material bodily concept of life.

Therefore this Krishna consciousness movement is very important. Those who have taken to it are very, very fortunate.

“I Am Wasting My Valuable Life”

I shall explain a song sung by Narottama Dasa Thakura, one of our predecessor acharyas, or teachers. His songs are accepted in our Vaishnava society as Vedic truth. He has written in simple Bengali language, but it contains the Vedic truth. He has written many songs. One of them begins hari hari biphale janama gonainu: “My dear Lord, I am simply wasting my valuable life.” Narottama Dasa is speaking for people in general. Although we have been born as human beings, we do not know how to use human life. We are just like animals. The animal eats; we simply make arrangements to eat unnaturally. That is our advancement. In the animal kingdom every animal has a particular type of food. A tiger eats flesh and blood, but if you give the tiger nice oranges or grapes, he’ll not touch them, because those are not his food. Similarly, a hog eats stool. If you give the hog nice halava, it will not touch it. You see? Every animal has a particular type of food. Similarly, we human beings have our type of food. What is that? Fruits, milk, grains, vegetables. Our teeth are made for such foods. If you take a fruit, you can easily cut it into pieces with your teeth. If you take a piece of flesh, it will be difficult to cut with these teeth. But a tiger has a particular type of teeth, and he can immediately cut flesh into pieces.

We are advancing in education, but we do not even study our teeth. We simply go to the dentist, that’s all. This is our advancement of civilization. The tiger never goes to the dentist. Its teeth are so strong that immediately it can tear raw meat into pieces. But it doesn’t require a dentist, because it doesn’t eat anything unnatural for it. We eat anything; therefore we require the help of a dentist.

The human being has a particular type of business. That business is to study and discuss the bhagavata life. That is our natural business. We should try to understand Bhagavan, God. The relationship between Bhagavan and the bhakta, or devotee, is called bhagavatadharma. The business of human life is very easy: Simply hear about Krishna. Krishna is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are part of Krishna.

Suppose I have forgotten my home. I left my home a long time ago and have forgotten my father. So if somebody reminds me, “Do you know such-and-such gentleman? He is your father. You were playing in such a way, your father was helping you . . .” In this way, if he simply talks of my father, I will remember my home. Similarly, we have forgotten our relationship with Krishna. If we simply hear about Him, then we will remember.

It is a simple process. We simply have to hear about Krishna. Krishna is situated in everyone’s heart, and we have forgotten Krishna, our supreme father, on account of material contamination. So hear about Krishna attentively. You haven’t got to do anything else. It doesn’t require that you become an M.A. or a Ph.D. No. God has given you two ears, and if you kindly submissively hear from the realized souls, then your life will be successful.

Deliverance by The Holy Name

I was explaining Narottama Dasa Thakura’s song. Let me finish it. He says:

hari hari! bifale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya,
radha-Krishna na bhajiya,
janiya Suniya bisa khainu

“My dear Lord, I received this valuable human form of life, but I have wasted it for nothing. This life is meant for understanding Radha and Krishna, but I did not do so. Therefore I have knowingly taken poison.” Sometimes a person takes poison to commit suicide. He knows that as soon as he’ll take the poison he’ll die. Similarly, one who is not taking to Krishna consciousness is drinking poison. This life is the opportunity to become Krishna conscious. And if you don’t use this opportunity, that means knowingly drinking poison.

Golokera prema-dhana harinama-sankirtana. Just as we receive radio sounds from different countries, from the spiritual world we receive the vibration of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Rati na jan milo kene tay: “I could not get my attachment to this transcendental vibration.” Samsara-bisanale, dibanisi hiya jwale, juraite na koinu upay: “I am suffering constantly with the poison of this materialistic way of life, and I did not try to get out of it by taking shelter of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.”

Then Narottama Dasa says, brajendra-nandana yei, Saci-suta hoilo sei. “In this age, the same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared five thousand years ago as the son of Nanda Maharaja that Krishna has appeared in this age as the son of mother Saci.” Lord Caitanya’s mother’s name was Saci-devi. Balarama hoilo nitai: “The same Balarama who appeared as Krishna’s elder brother has appeared as Nityananda.” What is the business of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu? Dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo delivering the lowly, wretched souls with the holy name.

There are two kinds of people within the material world. One is committing sin and the other is suffering sinful reactions. Papi-tapi. That is our business. In this life, I am suffering the resultant action of my past impious activities and creating another set of impious activities so that I shall suffer next life. Hariname uddharilo: But everyone can be delivered simply by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Thank you very much.

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

God’s names are a divine gift that can lift us from the conditions of material life and return us to our original spiritual freedom.

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for kindly participating in this Krishna consciousness movement. This knowledge, bhagavata-dharma, was spoken by Bhagavan Himself, Lord Sri Krishna. Bhagavan is a Sanskrit word. Bhaga means fortune, and van means one who possesses. So bhagavan means the supreme fortunate. There are six principal opulences: beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, and renunciation. One who possesses these in full, without any rival, is called Bhagavan.

Bhagavata-dharma means the relationship between the devotees and the Lord. The Lord is Bhagavan and the devotee is bhagavata, or in relationship with Bhagavan. Everyone is related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as a father and son are related. That relation cannot be broken at any stage, but sometimes it happens that the son, out of his own independence, goes out of his home and forgets the affectionate relationship with the father.

We living entities are part of God. When we want to live independently of God, the conditional stage of our existence begins. “Conditional stage” means we accept a material body, which is conditioned in so many ways. For example, the body undergoes six kinds of change: It is born at a certain date, it remains for some time, it grows, it gives some byproducts, it dwindles, and at last it vanishes.

Besides these six changes of the body, we face many tribulations. There are the threefold miseries: those pertaining to the body and mind, those offered by other living entities, and those caused by natural disturbances. And the whole thing is summarized into four principles, namely birth, death, old age, and disease. Together these make up our conditional life.

Our Original Consciousness

To get out of these conditions of life, we must revive our Krishna consciousness, or God consciousness. Krishna means the Supreme Lord. God consciousness, or Krishna consciousness, is our original consciousness. Just as it is natural to remember our father in this life, it is natural to remember our original father. But we forget the supreme father, Krishna, and we want to live independently to enjoy life according to our whims. That is so-called independence. But by such independence we are never happy, so for this illusory happiness we transmigrate from one body to another. Each type of body has a particular facility for happiness. We want to fly in the sky. But because we are human beings, we have no wings and cannot fly. But the birds, although they are lower animals, can easily fly. If you analyze you’ll see that every type of body has a particular facility that others don’t. But we want all facilities of life. That is our inclination.

For example, modern scientists are trying to go to other planets, but they’re conditioned, so they cannot go. There are millions and trillions of planets before us the sun, the moon, Venus, Mars. Sometimes we wish, “How can I go there.” But because we are conditioned and not independent, we cannot go.

Originally, because we are spirit soul, we were free to go anywhere. We have immense independence, but we are now conditioned by this body. Therefore the human form of life is an opportunity to get back our original independence. That is called Krishna consciousness. That is freedom.

Two Kinds of Material Body

We have our spiritual body within the material body. That is our real identification. Now we are covered by two kinds of material body. One is called the subtle body and the other is called the gross body. The subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and false ego, and the gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Generally we can see the gross body; we cannot see the subtle body. I know that you have your mind. I know that you have intelligence. You know that I have a mind and intelligence. But I cannot see your mind, I cannot see your intelligence, I cannot see your determination, I cannot see your thoughts, feelings, and will. You see my gross body made of earth, water, air, and fire, and I can see your gross body. And when your gross body is changed and you are carried away by the subtle body, that is called death.

Death means we change the gross body. For example, you have your shirt and coat, and you may change the coat but keep the shirt. Similarly, we keep our subtle body and give up the gross body; that is called death. And by the laws of nature the subtle body carries us into the womb of another mother. Then we develop another gross body with materials supplied by the mother. And when the body is prepared, we come out of the womb to work again with our subtle and gross bodies.

Bhagavata-dharma means that we have to transcend both the gross and subtle bodies and come to the spiritual body. It is very scientific. And as soon as we come to our real, spiritual body, being freed from the gross and subtle bodies, then we actually feel happiness and independence. The process of Krishna consciousness is the highest benediction for human society because it is trying to bring the human being to the platform of the spiritual body transcending the gross and subtle material bodies. That is the highest perfection. Human life is meant for coming to that platform, the spiritual platform, transcending the gross and subtle material bodily concept of life.

Therefore this Krishna consciousness movement is very important. Those who have taken to it are very, very fortunate.

“I Am Wasting My Valuable Life”

I shall explain a song sung by Narottama Dasa Thakura, one of our predecessor acharyas, or teachers. His songs are accepted in our Vaishnava society as Vedic truth. He has written in simple Bengali language, but it contains the Vedic truth. He has written many songs. One of them begins hari hari biphale janama gonainu: “My dear Lord, I am simply wasting my valuable life.” Narottama Dasa is speaking for people in general. Although we have been born as human beings, we do not know how to use human life. We are just like animals. The animal eats; we simply make arrangements to eat unnaturally. That is our advancement. In the animal kingdom every animal has a particular type of food. A tiger eats flesh and blood, but if you give the tiger nice oranges or grapes, he’ll not touch them, because those are not his food. Similarly, a hog eats stool. If you give the hog nice halava, it will not touch it. You see? Every animal has a particular type of food. Similarly, we human beings have our type of food. What is that? Fruits, milk, grains, vegetables. Our teeth are made for such foods. If you take a fruit, you can easily cut it into pieces with your teeth. If you take a piece of flesh, it will be difficult to cut with these teeth. But a tiger has a particular type of teeth, and he can immediately cut flesh into pieces.

We are advancing in education, but we do not even study our teeth. We simply go to the dentist, that’s all. This is our advancement of civilization. The tiger never goes to the dentist. Its teeth are so strong that immediately it can tear raw meat into pieces. But it doesn’t require a dentist, because it doesn’t eat anything unnatural for it. We eat anything; therefore we require the help of a dentist.

The human being has a particular type of business. That business is to study and discuss the bhagavata life. That is our natural business. We should try to understand Bhagavan, God. The relationship between Bhagavan and the bhakta, or devotee, is called bhagavatadharma. The business of human life is very easy: Simply hear about Krishna. Krishna is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are part of Krishna.

Suppose I have forgotten my home. I left my home a long time ago and have forgotten my father. So if somebody reminds me, “Do you know such-and-such gentleman? He is your father. You were playing in such a way, your father was helping you . . .” In this way, if he simply talks of my father, I will remember my home. Similarly, we have forgotten our relationship with Krishna. If we simply hear about Him, then we will remember.

It is a simple process. We simply have to hear about Krishna. Krishna is situated in everyone’s heart, and we have forgotten Krishna, our supreme father, on account of material contamination. So hear about Krishna attentively. You haven’t got to do anything else. It doesn’t require that you become an M.A. or a Ph.D. No. God has given you two ears, and if you kindly submissively hear from the realized souls, then your life will be successful.

Deliverance by The Holy Name

I was explaining Narottama Dasa Thakura’s song. Let me finish it. He says:

hari hari! bifale janama gonainu
manusya-janama paiya,
radha-Krishna na bhajiya,
janiya Suniya bisa khainu

“My dear Lord, I received this valuable human form of life, but I have wasted it for nothing. This life is meant for understanding Radha and Krishna, but I did not do so. Therefore I have knowingly taken poison.” Sometimes a person takes poison to commit suicide. He knows that as soon as he’ll take the poison he’ll die. Similarly, one who is not taking to Krishna consciousness is drinking poison. This life is the opportunity to become Krishna conscious. And if you don’t use this opportunity, that means knowingly drinking poison.

Golokera prema-dhana harinama-sankirtana. Just as we receive radio sounds from different countries, from the spiritual world we receive the vibration of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Rati na jan milo kene tay: “I could not get my attachment to this transcendental vibration.” Samsara-bisanale, dibanisi hiya jwale, juraite na koinu upay: “I am suffering constantly with the poison of this materialistic way of life, and I did not try to get out of it by taking shelter of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.”

Then Narottama Dasa says, brajendra-nandana yei, Saci-suta hoilo sei. “In this age, the same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared five thousand years ago as the son of Nanda Maharaja that Krishna has appeared in this age as the son of mother Saci.” Lord Caitanya’s mother’s name was Saci-devi. Balarama hoilo nitai: “The same Balarama who appeared as Krishna’s elder brother has appeared as Nityananda.” What is the business of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu? Dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo delivering the lowly, wretched souls with the holy name.

There are two kinds of people within the material world. One is committing sin and the other is suffering sinful reactions. Papi-tapi. That is our business. In this life, I am suffering the resultant action of my past impious activities and creating another set of impious activities so that I shall suffer next life. Hariname uddharilo: But everyone can be delivered simply by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Thank you very much.

By the Global Office, ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations

The Global Office for the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of ISKCON has appealed for volunteers who can serve on the International Team for this milestone event in the history of ISKCON.

“The celebrations are being planned across six continents in 75 countries, and are being organised by a team of volunteers,” explained Romapada Das, the International Coordinator for the 50th Anniversary. “But we need more volunteers to ensure that these festivities create the maximum impact around the world.”

The global celebrations for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary will be flagged off by mega-events in India and America that will track Srila Prabhupada’s epic journey on the Jaladuta from Kolkata to Boston in 1965. Other events being planned include festivals to celebrate or educate people about Vedic culture including music, food and yoga. Projects that will communicate ISKCON’s achievements in the last 50 years to stakeholder groups around the world include a 48-page colour publication, a special 50th anniversary movie, an international exhibition and a membership campaign.

The Global Office currently need volunteers who can serve in the following areas

Marketing
Branding
Website design and development
Website administration
Graphic artists
Public relations
Content writing and blogging
Social Media
Event management
Project management
Souvenir design and manufacturing
Movie production: script-writing, shooting, editing

Devotees willing offer their services can write to:

The International Coordinator, ISKCON 50th Anniversary Celebrations, Email: romapada@iskcon50.org

Please supply the following information when you write to the Global Office:

1. Legal name and spiritual name (if any)
2. Contact details and address
3. Local temple
4. Age
5. Educational qualifications
6. Preferred area of service
7. Experience in the preferred area of service
8. Number of hours per week you can volunteer
9. Events or projects you are interested in helping (see list on website)
10. Any other information

For more information you can contact the International Team at: info@iskcon50.org

TOVP Tour Daily US Diary: Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1: On Thursday, March 12 around 6:30pm the Lord in the form of His Padukas and Sitari arrived at Radha Jivana prabhu’s home to an ecstatic reception kirtan led by devotees from the Gainesville Krishna House.

The Padukas and Sitari received an abhishek, and Jananivas prabhu received a foot washing and spoke about Mayapur and the TOVP project to all the assembled devotees. Prasadam was served.

Day 2: On Friday, March 13, the Lord’s Padukas and Sitari were taken to Radha Jivana’s office where They were greeted with kirtan, and Jananivas prabhu spoke to all the devotee employees.

From there they went to Ambarisa and Svaha prabhus’ home in Gainesville, Florida for a special reception. Arati was performed and prasadam distributed to all the devotees.

EXCITING EVENTS FOR THE 40th ANNIVERSARY IN VRNDAVANA !!!

On-going 5 Day Schedule for the 40th Anniversary Festival of the Krishna Balarama Mandir (March 24-28)

Day 1- Tuesday, 24th March
• Welcome / Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HH Gopal Krsna Maharaja
• Sumptuous Prasad being served
• Beginning of Kirtan Mela “VRAJ RAS” in the Temple Courtyard 
• Memories in Krsna Hall by senior devotees who were serving 
Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana
• Evening Cultural Program in Krsna Hall (6:30pm – 9pm)

Day 2- Wednesday, 25th March
• Srimad Bhagavatam Class given by HG Gunarnava das prabhu 
• Sumptuous Prasad being served
• Book launch: ”Vrndavana is my Home” A History of Srila Prabhupada’s Krsna Balarama Mandir …by Daivisakti dd prabhu
• Memories in Krsna Hall by senior devotees who were serving 
Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana 
• Evening Cultural Program in Krsna Hall (6:30pm – 9pm)

Day 3- Thursday, 26th March
• Srimad Bhagavatam Class given by one of the senior devotees who were serving Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana 
• Sumptuous Prasad being served
• VRAJ RAS Kirtan mela in the Courtyard
• Srila Prabhupada’s Vrndavana Parikrama with Deena Bandhu das prabhu, visiting the Sacred Places where Prabhupada had pastimes. 
• Memories at Radha Gokulananda Temple by senior devotees who were serving Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana 
• Evening Cultural Program in Krsna Hall (6:30pm – 9pm)

Day 4- Friday, 27th March
• Srimad Bhagavatam Class given by of the senior devotees who were serving Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana
• Sumptuous Prasad being served
• Grand SobhaYatra, PRASAD breakfast at the Goshala
• VRAJ RAS Kirtan mela in the Courtyard
• Memories in Krsna Hall by our senior devotee guests
• Evening Cultural Program in Krsna Hall (6:30pm – 9pm)

Day 5 Saturday 28th march, Rama Navami:
• Srimad Bhagavatm Class given by one of the senior devotees who were serving Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana 
• Sumptuous Prasad being served
• Abhishek at 10:00am
• VRAJ RAS Kirtan mela in the Courtyard
• Hema Malini (possibly)
• Memories in Krsna Hall by senior devotees who were serving 
Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana
• Evening Cultural Program in Krsna Hall (6:30pm – 9pm)Finale
• Panca Gauda prabhu concluding the 40th Anniversary Festival

Senior speakers include:
Gopal Krsna Maharaj, Brahmananda prabhu, Gunarnava prabhu, Kisori prabhu, Surabhi prabhu, Gurudas prabhu, Gurukrpa prabhu, Akuti prabhu, Dhananjaya prabhu, Yadubara prabhu, Visakha prabhu, Sruta Kirti prabhu, Turiya prabhu , Deena Bandhu prabhu , Daivi Sakti prabhu, and many more senior Vaisnavas who were serving Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavana.

*We have 64 confirmed senior Prabhupada disciples coming to participate!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and the Krsna Balarama Mandir

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Cultural Entertainment for the 40th Anniversary

(6:30pm til 9pm in KRSNA Hall)

24th .….Deena Bandhu prabhu welcoming guests for the opening of the 40th Festival Entertainment with the beginning of manasa Vrndavana Parikrama, along with a slide show of Vrndavana photos on large screen with Krsna Balarama’s classical musicians
Parividha prabhu presenting his KRSNA cultural cabaret. 
Madhura Theatre from Moscow presenting Agni and Butterfly
Manipuri dancers presenting the six Seasons of Rasa Dances and their Martial Arts

25th…..Deena Bandhu prabhu with manasa Vrndavana Parikrama 
Parividha prabhu presenting his cultural cabaret. 
Bharat das with his Bharat Natyam offering of scenes from Krsna lila
Manipuri dancers presenting the six Seasons of Rasa Dances and their Martial Arts

26th…..Deena Bandhu prabhu continuing with manasa Vrndavana Parikrama. 
Adi Yogi’s Vaikuntha Players performing KRSNA BALARAMA Lila
Panca Gauda prabhu and the Vrajavadhus

27th… Deena Bandhu prabhu continuing with manasa Vrndavana Parikrama. 
Parividha prabhu presenting his cultural cabaret. 
Madhura Theatre presenting scenes from Ramayana 
Chaytanya Nitai dd singing BHAJA HURE MANA with Kulis/ Audience participation 
Moscow’’s Hanuman Theatre Company presenting NIMAI

28th… Deena Bandhu prabhu ending his manasa Vrndavana Parikrama. 
Hanuman Theatre Company presenting Bhagavad-gita 
Madhura Theatre presenting Krsna and Kaliya
Grand Finale: Venunad Kala Kendra presenting Odissi dance drama of RAMAYANA 
Panca Gauda prabhu concluding the 40th Anniversary Celebrations