Lecture on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 09 Text 27 - Sunday Feast Lecture by HG Amal Bhakta Prabhu on 21 Sep 2014 at Los Angeles

(In 1976, wanting to deepen his realization of the Divine, Amal Bhakta Prabhu moved to West Los Angeles to study at the ISKCON temple various aspects of Bhakti yoga (the yoga of love and devotion to God) under the famous spiritual master A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)

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Lecture on One Devotee takes birth in Krishnas Lila and another in Bauma Vrindavan by HH Sivarama Swami Swami on 21 Nov 2014 at India

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. His family immigrated to Canada where some years later in 1970 he first came in contact with Srila Prabhupada's teachings, via his transcendental books. He became an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace in 1973 and accepted the renounced order of life in 1979.)

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Lecture On Initiation Ceremony by HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami on 19 May 2014 at Jagannath Puri

(HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami completed his B.E. from M.S University Baroda, MBA from Bombay University & worked for some time in a multinational Bank. He was initiated by the spiritual name His Grace Devamrita Dasa.)

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"Krishna Tees" devotion meets street/surf/skate fashion.

Krishna Tees is a devotional t-shirt project on KickStarter. The t-shirts are designed as spiritual conversation starters. They combine today's urban fashion with an understated expression of spirituality.

Nitai Das is a graphic designer from New Zealand and the creator of Krishna Tees. He went to school at the Christchurch gurukula and has been involved with Krishna consciousness throughout his life. Inspired by the lack of Krishna streetwear, he set about creating his own line of t-shirt print designs that deliver what he feels is the right balance of Krishna consciousness and street/skate style fashion. The goal is to further push Krishna consciousness into contemporary culture.

For those new to crowdfunding: Kickstarter has been used to fund 73,000 creative projects to the tune of $1 billion dollars since 2009. It's a way of getting the capital investment for a project by pre-ordering the product. It has been used to fund everything from feature films to key rings. If the funding goal is not reached however the project supporters are not charged and the project simply does not go ahead.

You can view the range of t-shirts at www.krishnatees.com and Pre-Order them on the KickStarter page www.kickstarter.com/projects/1978535676/krishna-tees.

Ram Navami 2015 marks 40 years since Srila Prabhupada Inaugurated the Krishna Balaram Mandir in Vrindavan. To celebrate we devotees have planned out a 5 day festival from 24-28 March, 2015. Daily, morning and evening, we will have the devotees who were there at the inauguration in 1975 share their memories of that wonderful occasion. There will also be cultural presentations by the devotees. One day there will be an amazing procession with the Utsav Deities. And the grand finale will be the most ecstatic triple abhishek of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Krishna Balaram, and Radha Shyamasundar on Rama Navami morning.

We especially want to invite those Prabhupada disciples who were there at that time to attend this festival. In fact we have arranged a certain amount of free accommodation for those who were there who book early! We are also arranging special prasadam for all the Prabhupada disciples who come, since we aren't getting any younger and our bodies have different requirements. For your reservations or other information you may contact: vrindavan40th.anniversary@gmail.com

Mark this date on your calendars and start making plans now to attend the wonderful 40th Anniversary of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir. For Information on nearby Guesthouses or other enquiries, you many contact our Welcome Center at wc.vrindavan@gmail.com

In service of Srimati Vrinda Devi,
Deena Bandhu dasa

Lecture On Srila Prabhupada Katha by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 05 Oct 2014 at ISKCON Vrindavan

(His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami was born in Bengal in 1945, he met with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada at the end of 1976.From their very first meeting, Srila Prabhupada gave His Holiness the assignment of translating his books into Bengali and made him his Secretary for Indian Affairs.)

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 71 Text 26 and Chapter 72 Text 01 All to become convinced of Krishna by HH Prahladananda Swami at Dallas

(Prahladananda Swami was born in 1949, in Buffallo, New York. He studied at the University of Buffalo, where he received a full scholarship. In January 1969 he joined ISKCON and rceived both initiations that year from Srila Prabhupada.)

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Lecture On Non Devotee Husband - Updesamrita by HG Sankarsana Prabhu on 01 Nov 2014 at Estonia

(In obedience to Srila Prabhupada, Sankarshan Das Adhikari has fully taken up the banner of pure devotional service to the Supreme Godhead, and made it his life's mission to spread the Krishna consciousness science as far and wide as possible throughout the world.)

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 03 Chapter 33 Text 29 Simply Depend on Krishna by HH Indradyumna Swami on 31 Oct 1984 at New Mayapur France

(Indradyumna Swami is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Sannyasi traveling preacher, and a guru or spiritual teacher in the Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition.)

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By Mukundamala Dasa
(Mukundamala Dasa serves full time at ISKCON Mumbai (Chowpatty). He is part of the India Back to Godhead team and teaches Krishna consciousness to students.)

People who want to go to heaven may not know exactly what they’re in for.

One morning when going through an Indian daily, I came across the obituary section and a list of deceased people being fondly remembered by their close relatives and friends. Each departed soul was given the title svargavasi, “a resident of heaven.” Although modern secular education teaches nothing about life on other planets and knows nothing about it I was surprised to see that people still believe their departed relative attained heaven. Has this person really gone to heaven? I wondered. Was he qualified to enter heaven and enjoy the heavenly delights and pleasures? What if he was a criminal or a butcher could he still go there? And if he did make it, is it all he’d hoped it would be?

Heaven and Hell: Myth or Reality

Scientists would have us believe that heaven and hell are mythical concepts found in religious scriptures. They feel such ideas were propagated to encourage people to lead moral lives in the hope of attaining heaven after death. But scientists fail to adequately explain the nature and cause of this unlimited universe and its diversities. It is quite reasonable to believe in the existence of heaven and hell within this universe. We find that even on this planet different living conditions exist from abject poverty to extreme luxury. Why shouldn’t a similar disparity exist within the universe?

The Vedic scriptures give us a detailed account of life on other planets, including heaven. They tell us there are fourteen levels of planetary systems in the universe and the heavenly planets, known as Svargaloka, form one of them. They are above Bhuloka, the earthly planetary system. Above Svargaloka are still higher planets, the topmost being Satyaloka, or Brahmaloka, wherein resides Lord Brahma, the chief engineer of this universe.

The happiness and pleasures experienced by the denizens of heaven are immensely superior to those found on earth. The chief of the administrative demigods, Indra, is the king of heaven. Indraloka, the planet where Indra resides, has gardens where one can associate with beautiful, angelic women and enjoy a profuse supply of soma-rasa, a celestial beverage. There are magnificent palaces, beautiful landscapes, and huge gardens with aromatic flowers. There are Gandharvas, celestial beings who constantly perform delightful music. These are the pleasures in the paradise of Indraloka. As one goes higher, beyond Indraloka into other celestial realms, the senses and their objects become subtler and the quality of sense enjoyment becomes greatly refined. In contrast to the heavenly planets, the sense enjoyment on earth is insignificant and is experienced on an extremely gross level.

Another feature of the higher planets is the difference in time scale. Scientists agree that the time on other planets is different from that of earth. The Vedic scriptures tell us that six months on earth equal twelve hours on Indraloka. The duration of life there is ten thousand years by our calculation.

Demigods like Indra, Candra, Varuna, and Vayu inhabit the heavenly planets. People residing there are predominately in the mode of goodness, not much affected by the lower modes of passion and ignorance. They are all devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, highly pious souls who strictly adhere to religious principles.

No one can barge freely, without restriction, into the heavenly planets. Today’s scientists try to enter various planets of outer space, and they claim to have succeeded in putting man on the moon. The Vedic scriptures reject such human attempts as childish. Just as countries restrict foreigners from entering, higher authorities restrict entrance to the heavenly planets. To enter the heavenly planets, one must have accumulated an immense supply of pious credits by performing many virtuous acts on earth. The karma-kanda (“path of works”) portion of the Vedic literature recommends certain sacrifices for persons desiring to go to heaven.

The Temporary and Miserable Nature of Heaven

Despite all the comforts and luxuries available on the higher planets, the Vedic scriptures often discourage us from going there. As part of the material creation, heavenly planets are temporary by nature and will eventually be annihilated. Although their life span may appear infinitely great when compared to ours, it is insignificant when compared to eternity.

And the miseries of earth birth, old age, disease, and death exist even there. In the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) Krishna says, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna: “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.” The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes how powerful demons frequently attack the demigods, who sometimes lose the ensuing battle. As a result, they lose their prestigious positions as controllers of the universe and are in constant anxiety.

Srila Prabhupada compares the material world to a prison, where different criminals occupy various grades of cells. Depending on the severity of the crime, the criminal is put into a certain cell the most horrible cells for the severest crime committed. Similarly this universe acts like a prison where the rebellious souls are sent to reform themselves and rectify their mistakes. Depending on our past activities, we are put into a certain living condition where we enjoy or suffer the results of our acts. For extremely pious acts, we are sent to heaven to enjoy godly delights. For sinful acts, we go to hell to suffer.

Sadly, even if someone qualifies to enter heaven, he will not be allowed to stay there permanently. Once he exhausts his accumulated pious credits, he must return to earth and start over again. Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (9.21),

te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam vishalam
kshine punye martya-lokam vishanti
evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna
gatagatam kama-kama labhante

“When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the principles of the three Vedic scriptures achieve only repeated birth and death.”

The Spiritual World

Krishna therefore encourages us to come to His own abode, the eternal spiritual world, full of bliss and knowledge, as opposed to the temporary, miserable material world. In Bhagavad-gita (15.6) He gives us a glimpse of the nature of His abode so that we may feel attracted to go there:

na tad bhasayate suryo
na shashanko na pavakah
yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama

“That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.” The spiritual world contains innumerable self-luminous Vaikuntha planets, where there is no need of sunshine, moonlight, fire, or electricity. Here in the material world, we see that all-powerful time controls everything and gradually brings everything to an end. Debilitating time is missing from the spiritual world. In that atmosphere the lower material modes of ignorance and passion are absent. Everyone is on the platform of shuddha-sattva, pure goodness. The Supreme Lord is the chief leader there, and all the inhabitants assist in His loving service. There is no competition for leadership, and everyone is a follower of the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita (9.21), “Instead of being elevated to the spiritual world, from which there is no longer any possibility of coming down, one simply revolves in the cycle of birth and death on higher and lower planetary systems. One should better take to the spiritual world to enjoy an eternal life full of bliss and knowledge and never return to this miserable material existence.”
The Purpose of Human Life

Human life is endowed with greater responsibility than animal life. Rather than focus our energy on obtaining better resources within the material world, we need to focus on how we can permanently solve the real problems of life, namely birth, old age, disease, and death. Otherwise we will simply keep going up and down the material world, as if situated on a Ferris wheel.

Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati, a great devotee of Lord Chaitanya, considers the heavenly planets and the position of the demigods phantasmagoria something imaginary, like flowers in the sky. A pure devotee is never allured by such heavenly opulences. Indeed, for a devotee engaged fully in the service of the Lord, external situations do not matter at all. As Lord Shiva explains in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.17.28), “Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation, and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.”

A devotee wants to always remember Krishna and serve Him. In a situation of extreme comfort and luxury, as provided in the heavens, one can get carried away by sensual pleasures and forget the Lord. Being conscious of this danger, a devotee focuses all his energy to achieve the eternal spiritual world. When he passes away, he does not want to be called a svargavasi, a resident of heaven, but a Vaikunthavasi, a resident of Goloka, the spiritual world.

Vyasa Puja Offering 2014

‘Forever Your Servant’
Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.

Once again, I stand before you on the annual occasion of your auspicious Vyasa Puja, the celebration of your appearance in this world. I take this opportunity each year to reflect on the great mercy you have bestowed upon me in the form of service to your mission. I am very happy to be a small part of your great legacy in fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s prophecy that His holy names would be heard in every town and village on this planet. I can report that beyond a doubt this is happening here in Poland, due in part to the festival program we have been maintaining for over 20 years. 

The preaching you started nearly 50 years ago continues to grow and expand despite the rapid advancement of Kali Yuga portrayed in ominous headlines and photos of the world’s daily newspapers. This alone is proof of the blessings you received from your own guru maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Once, when some of your sannyasi godbrothers complained to your spiritual master that he was giving you a householder at the time too much attention, he shot back, “Don’t complain. In the end he will do everything!” And indeed it has come to pass.

No one can contest your achievements in establishing Krsna consciousness around the world: your books, the farms you began, the gurukula system you introduced, the scientific approach you established for preaching Krsna consciousness the list goes on and on. But no less amazing in my eyes was your ability to deliver me. Before meeting you I fully embraced all the dreadful activities that characterize this horrible age. Once my father chastised me saying, “Son, you’re a misfit! There’s no place for you in society. I shudder to think what will become of you!” Srila Prabhupada, what he said was true; there was no place for me in material life. But by taking shelter of your lotus feet I was elevated to the topmost transcendental position of being your humble servant, a destination for which even the demigods surely aspire.

yatha kancanatam yati
kamsyam rasa vidhanatah
tatha diksa vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam

"As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brahmana.”

[Sanatana Goswami, Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12]

I have a long way to go before I attain perfection, but by serving you I am confident I can attain the supreme destination. The seeds of such service were sown in my heart when you accepted me as your disciple in a letter to my temple president on December 10, 1971. In that letter you mentioned the specific service that I would eventually take up as my life and soul. You wrote:

“I am very glad to accept these students as my duly initiated disciples and their names shall be as follows; Brian Tibbitts: Indradyumna Das, Ilene Tibbitts: Krpamayi Dasi and Heidi Paeva: Hrisakti Dasi. These are all very nice boys and girls and I have very much appreciated their attitudes of devotion and surrender as displayed in their letters to me. . I very much approve of your enclosed brochure, and I am pleased by your festival plan for colleges all over the state. I have received intimation from Rupanuga of a very large festival he is planning for Central Park. His conjecture is very nice and I want that many such festivals should be held in every town and city. I am always thankful to Krishna that I have somehow got so many wonderful boys like yourself to assist me in this way.”

It is through the festival programs I help organize, Srila Prabhupada, that I have established my deepest link with you. My constant prayer is that these festivals will please you as they bring hundreds of thousands of people into contact with Krsna consciousness each year. By such service I hope to achieve the goal of pure devotional service to the Lord. Srila Prabhodananda Saraswati made it very clear that the awakening of pure love of God is entwined with service to the samkirtan movement:

yatha yatha gaura-padaravinde
vindeta bhaktim krta punya rasih
tatha tathotsarpati hrdy akasmat
radha-padambhoja-sudhambu-rasih

"To the degree that we surrender to Lord Caitanya's service, to that degree we gain qualification for the service to Radharani's lotus feet in Vraja."

(Caitanya-candramrta, verse 88)

Each year, the meaning of this verse becomes clearer to me, for whenever I work hard to spread Krsna consciousness a strong desire to visit Vrindavan awakens within my heart. Conversely, after spending time in the dhama an equally strong desire appears in my heart to spread the glories of the holy names far and wide. I am confident that one day I will become qualified to understand and serve the innermost desires of your heart. I must only remain loyal to you and continue to endeavor to share my good fortune with others.

param gopyam api snigdhe
sisye vacyam iti srutih
tac chruyatam maha bhaga
goloka mahimadhuna

"The Vedas say that to a loyal disciple one may speak the confidential secret. Therefore, O most fortunate one, now please hear the glories of Goloka."

[Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Part 2, Chapter 1, text 6]

Srila Prabhupada, I am very happy in my service to you. I harbor no doubts, misgivings or illusions about my position as your servant. I would do anything for you. If you ordered me to go to hell and preach, I’d jump on the first train spiraling down to that lake of fire, happily chanting the holy names all the while. If you instructed me to preach in heaven, I’d arrive in that celestial abode with no other interest than to serve your order. This is because I’ve already seen heaven and hell in my many years of service to you in this world, and I’ve concluded there is no shelter other than your lotus feet.

Some time ago I had a dream in which you were sitting with a number of my senior godbrothers including Tamal Krsna Goswami, Giriraj Swami, Radhanath Swami, Vaisesika Prabhu and others. I was observing the scene from some distance away. At one point you smiled and said to them, “So all of you are going back to Godhead.” I was dumbstruck by your mercy, while at the same time wishing I could be as fortunate as them.

Suddenly Giriraj Swami noticed me and, being the dear friend that he is, he pointed me out to you. “Srila Prabhupada,” he said, “Indradyumna Swami is sitting over there. Can he come too?” You turned and looked at me and with a smile said, “Yes, he’s a nice boy. He can also come.”

Of course it was only a dream. However, you once said that although dreams are illusions, “dreams of the spiritual master are very nice.” Srila Prabhupada, I’ve never known your words to be untrue. It is one of the reasons that I have full faith in you and that my desire to assist your mission in this world becomes stronger day by day. You once wrote to me that you felt your spiritual master was always “watching over and protecting you.” Please also watch over and protect me as I assist you with your service in this world. Then at a suitable time, when you see fit, please grant me eternal service to you in the transcendental abode.

Forever your servant,
Indradyumna Swami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2014, Durban, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.4)

Nothing is easy; therefore first we have to work on our own conviction. We have to understand why we are doing this. The better you understand this, the more convinced you are.

I like the story of Karna. He was accepted as a disciple by Parasurama who had asked him before if he was a ksatriya. Everyone had told Karna that he was not a ksatriya so he said, “No, I am not a ksatriya.” So he was accepted by Parasurama and served him very nicely and he learnt all the astras and celestial weapons. Then, one day, Parmasurama was so pleased and was resting with his head on the lap of his disciple when an insect stung Karna in the leg. He did not want to disturb his spiritual master so with great determination, he managed to stay calm. Even though the pain was excruciating, he tolerated it and did not move. The spiritual master slept nicely but when he woke up, he saw the blood and asked what had happened. Then Karna explained that the insect had stung him in the leg. Then Parasurama smelt a ksatriya, he said, “How could you toleratei How could you tolerate such pain? No one can tolerate such pain, except for a ksatriya!”

So, I like that point because it shows that in a moment, the tolerance of a ksatriya is stronger than a brahmana but in the long-term, the tolerance of a brahmana is stronger! But why? Because the tolerance of a ksatriya is based on determination, “I shall do iti” but how long can you say thati one day, one week, one month, one year, ten years, twenty years? It is difficult. But the brahmana, his tolerance is based on knowledge and because it is based on knowledge, therefore his conviction is stronger because he sees that he has no other alternative, “What else can I do? I know it is hard to be a devotee; I know it is a struggle but what else is there to do? There is nothing else; there is no alternative!”

Lecture On Radhastami by Prabodhananda Sarasvati Swami on 02 Sep 2014 at ISKCON Vrindavan

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 07 Chapter 14 Text 15 How a householder should see devotees by Bir Krishna Goswami on 08 Oct 2014 at Sydney

(Bir Krishna Goswami spent his childhood in Long Island, New York. As an academically gifted student at North Western University, he began reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. Impressed by Srila Prabhupada's scholarship and saintliness Bir Krishna Swami became a member of the Krishna conscious community in Gainesville, Florida in 1971.)

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 07 Chapter 07 Text 18 Life is not a Combination of Matter by Prahladananda Swami on 21 Sep 2005 at Denver

(HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON’s founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. )

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 08 Chapter 16 Text 24 by Vijaya Prabhu on 15 Nov 2014 at Los Angeles

(Vijaya Prabhu is one of the best dentist in San Diego. Before I went to her I tried many other dentists in San Diego and my search ended when I met her. I and my kids have been with her for more than 10 years now and are very satisfied.)

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Lecture On Journey of Self Discovery by Radha Gopinath Prabhu in 2014 at Bhaktivedanta Hospital

(Radha Gopinath Prabhu is disciple of Radhanath Swami.)

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Lecture On Chaitanya Charitamrita Chapter 05 Text 18 No Indigestion in the Spiritual World by Prahladananda Swami in 2014 at Dallas

(Prahladananda Swami was born in 1949, in Buffallo, New York. He studied at the University of Buffalo, where he received a full scholarship. In January 1969 he joined ISKCON and rceived both initiations that year from Srila Prabhupada.)

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Lecture On Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05 Chapter 13 Text 13 The Real Forest of Enjoyment by Lokanath Swami on 15 Oct 2014 at Vrindavan

(Born in Aravade, a small village Maharashtra, Indian, he went to Mumbai for studying. In the year 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was touring India with his foreign disciples and had organized a pandal program in Mumbai.)

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