By Prabhupada Ashraya Dasa   

The devotees of ISKCON Aravade recently completed a glorious seven-day padayatra to Shri Dham Pandharpur, carrying the divine forms of Sri Sri Gaur Nitai Sundar and Srila Prabhupada. Nearly 400 devotees joined this sacred journey, transforming the roads of Maharashtra into a moving temple filled with kirtan, katha, and prasadam.  

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/hundreds-join-padayatra-from-iskcon-arvade-to-pandharpur/

By Atma Tattva Das,

The devotional community at ISKCON New Talavan, Mississippi, USA, is preparing to inaugurate their newly constructed temple complex, built for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Radha-Kantha and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, through a series of public events scheduled from May 14 to May 25, 2026. The multi-day, in-person program will include a Vastu Yajna, kirtan gatherings, and a formal opening ceremony, marking the completion of a project that has been under development for several years.  The opening reflects a broader effort within ISKCON communities to establish durable centers of worship and outreach in rural settings.

The project has been undertaken by members of the New Talavan community, an established ISKCON farm community in Mississippi, with support from donors and a small construction team working largely on-site. The initiative was significantly shaped by donor Dr. Jagdish Somani, who sponsored the construction in memory of his late wife and encouraged a transition from renovating an older structure to building a new temple.

Radhe Shyam Ananda Das, who joined the construction effort during its second year, describes the shift as a defining moment. “The original idea was simply to renovate the pujari room,” he said. “But it became clear that building a new structure would better serve the long-term needs of the community.”

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/new-talavan-temple-nears-opening-after-years-of-community-work/

Excerpt from the lecture by HH Nirañjana Swami

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 8.16

Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma, March 4, 2014

The following is a partially-edited transcription of an excerpt of a lecture given on March 04, 2014 in Śrī Māyāpur Dhāma – CC, Ādi-līlā 8.16

This verse stresses the importance of chanting the Holy Name so that one can achieve the ultimate goal of this chanting. I wanted to read something also in connection to this. It is short but very relevant to this verse. In the words of our param-guru Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in answer to the question, “How should we chant the Lord’s Holy Names?” I find this very relevant to myself and therefore I’ve been sharing it with many devotees and I would like to read it first, and then in some way try to explain the meaning behind it.

“Pure devotees do not chant the Lord’s Names to counteract sinful reactions, accumulate piety, attain heavenly pleasures, to mitigate famine, devastating epidemics, social unrest, disease, civil strife or to obtain wealth or an earthly kingdom. Since the Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to ask Him to fulfill our wishes is to treat Him as our servant. This is an offense. Therefore, calling the Lord’s Names for any reason other than to attain His devotional service is useless. Jesus Christ told us not to take the Lord’s Name in vain.

However, this does not mean that we do not need to always chant the Lord’s Names, while sleeping, awake, eating or enjoying happiness. To chant the Lord’s Names, begging for His service, is not a useless activity. It is our only duty.

But to make a show of chanting for some other purpose – in other words to fulfill our own desire – is useless. We should not take to the chanting of the Lord’s Names uselessly. We should not chant to attain religiosity, economic development, sense gratification or liberation. Instead we should always chant to attain the Lord’s service.”

I thought this was very relevant. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura here explains that unless one is actually chanting for the service, then any other purpose – any other purpose – is materially motivated. And he gives a long list of what is materially motivated: for social unrest, for epidemics, for material prosperity, any chanting to relieve distress, whether individually or collectively.

Therefore, he uses a strong word, he says it’s ‘useless’ – which we may question, because sometimes we hear so many verses which explain that even once chanting the Holy Names of the Lord will eradicate all kinds of sinful reactions for millions of births. And here somebody may be chanting, collectively with a large group, for a particular purpose, yet he defines it as useless chanting.

It makes me think of a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the 3rd Canto, spoken by Devahūti. She says that anyone whose work does not lead to religious life; and any one whose religious, ritualistic performances do not elevate one to renunciation; and anyone who is situated in renunciation that doesn’t lead to devotional service to the Supreme Lord, is to be considered to be a dead body, although breathing.

Here, in this verse, emphasis is given on the ultimate goal. If we want to actually achieve the ultimate goal of chanting, which is the essence of today’s verse, we have to become free from offenses. And unless the ultimate goal is achieved, which is devotional service to the Supreme Lord, any other achievement is useless. Because the only full achievement of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, is to achieve love for the Supreme Lord. Love, which is freed from all material desires.

Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.1]: as Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains: such devotional service should be freed from the influence of karma and jñāna. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also states that [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.22],

bhukti-mukti-spṛha yavat
pisaci hṛdi vartate

As long as the desire for bhukti (the desire for material enjoyment) and mukti (the desire for relief from suffering, liberation), are within the heart (these desires are considered to be like two witches which haunt one like a ghost), then one will never be able to taste the bliss of devotional service to the Supreme Lord. And therefore it is stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta that the goal of chanting is to achieve this love.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura here also states that to approach the Lord for something for ourselves is an offense. We should not ask anything for ourselves. He says that all these other purposes for which one chants are considered to be useless, unless we actually purposely, with intent, sit and intensely pray for the service to the Lord. That service, that opportunity to engage in devotional service, is bestowed by the mercy of the Lord, and also bestowed by the mercy of the devotee of the Lord.

Śrīla Prabhupāda in his commentary quotes the verse that Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura emphasizes as the siddha-praṇālī for Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, which is, [Śikṣāṣṭakam, verse 3]

tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

Lord Caitanya Himself has stated, when explaining this verse, that a devotee who is engaged in the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord does not retaliate, even if he is rebuked or chastised. He never retaliates or says anything to anyone else about such activity. He gives an example that, even if a tree is cut, the tree will not complain, and even if the tree is drying up, it will not ask anyone for water. He says that such forbearance must be practiced by the devotee. Thus a Vaiṣṇava should engage in the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord, and he should never ask anyone for anything for himself. If someone offers, he will accept, but if someone doesn’t offer, he is satisfied to accept whatever comes by its own means.

But then He says something very, very important: this type of behavior solidly maintains a devotee’s devotional service. This type of behavior: he doesn’t ask, he tolerates. So forbearing! There is a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,

tiraskṛtā vipralabdhāḥ
śaptāḥ kṣiptā hatā api
nāsya tat pratikurvanti
tad-bhaktāḥ prabhavo ’pi hi

“The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.”[Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.18.48]

This verse is spoken about Parīkṣit Mahārāja by Śamīka Ṛṣi, when he learnt that his son had garlanded a snake around Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s neck. He was extremely disturbed, because he understood that Parīkṣit Mahārāja is a saintly Vaiṣṇava. In his heart he was thinking, “If only Parīkṣit Mahārāja would counteract what has happened to him by cursing my son, then that will be proper, just punishment for him.”

But then he realized, “Wait a minute!” tiraskṛtā vipralabdhāḥ, śaptāḥ kṣiptā hatā api. “How will it be possible? Parīkṣit Mahārāja wouldn’t do that. Because devotees of the Lord are so forbearing, that even if they are cheated, cursed, neglected, disturbed, insulted or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves. What can I do? Parīkṣit Mahārāja will never counter-curse. I can only simply pray to the Lord, that somehow He sees the situation and He understands what needs to be done to correct the situation, because Parīkṣit Mahārāja will never counter-curse my son.”

Such is the characteristic of a devotee. A devotee is so forbearing. Cheated, cursed, neglected, insulted – insulted! – disturbed or even killed! But he will never avenge himself. Why? Because he is so forbearing, he is so tolerant!

This type of devotional service, this type of mood in the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord, as stated by Lord Caitanya Himself, is the behavior that solidly maintains devotional service for the devotee. It gives him the means by which he can actually be situated in devotional service, because he is so tolerant that the Lord cannot neglect! Others may neglect, but the Lord will not neglect! How can the Lord neglect such a devotee?! He cannot neglect! He cannot turn away.

Look what happened to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja! When Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was cursed he didn’t even pray to the Lord for protection, but the Lord protected him. Durvāsā Muni first went to Lord Brahmā; then he went to Lord Śiva; and then he went to Lord Viṣṇu. Of course, Brahmā and Śiva were not able to provide him relief, because that’s what he wanted, he wanted relief. “Please relieve me.” Brahmā says, “I can’t.” Then Lord Śiva says, “I can’t.” And then he came to Lord Viṣṇu and said, “Please look at me, I am suffering.” And Lord Viṣṇu says, “Sorry, I can’t do anything to help you.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in his commentaries to these verses explains the mood the Lord has in His conversation with Durvāsā Muni. When Durvāsā Muni approaches the Lord for protection and says, “Please, can You mitigate my distress? You have invoked this cakra, certainly You can remove it.”

But the Lord says, “I am sorry, I am not independent. I am completely under the control of My devotee. The devotee is always in My heart and I am always in the heart of My devotee. The devotee doesn’t think of anyone but Me and I don’t think of anyone but him.”

And then, what does Durvāsā Muni say? He says, “Certainly, when You see somebody suffering and they are coming to You for protection, certainly You must be inclined to feel for his suffering.” He’s begging, “Please have a heart.”

And the Lord says, “Sorry! Actually I can’t even think of your suffering. I don’t have a heart and I can’t even think of your suffering.”

Durvāsā Muni says, “How is it possible?”

And then the Lord explains, “My devotee is so dear to Me. He is My devotee because He always takes Me into the core of his heart, and he is always praying to Me, ‘Please let me engage in Your service.’ My devotee doesn’t want anything else. He’s always thinking how he can serve Me. So therefore, I approach My devotee and I say, ‘Please let Me give you something.’ But My devotee says, ‘I don’t want anything.’ And the Lord says, ‘I want to give you something. Anything!’”

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=63836

By Bir Krishna Das Goswami

To read the following article on the original pdf document (61MB) click here: https://devoteecare.org/magazines/004souvenir%20complete%20_%2060MBFILE.pdf

Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88995

From Back to Godhead

Far from being a sentimental activity, devotional service is based on well-defined principles that systematically guide a practitioner to ultimate perfection.

Discussions about the relationship between science and religion usually end in a stalemate: Scientists accuse religionists of relying too much on faith, which they say is experimentally unverifiable, while religionists accuse scientists of relying too much on physical and chemical laws, which they say fail to measure the emotions and sentiments of a conscious living entity. The scientists fail to address or even acknowledge consciousness and its attendant needs; religionists fail to provide a satisfactory scientific and logical explanation for the practices they follow. The refusal of scientists to experiment beyond mechanistic science and the inability of religionists to present religion as a bona fide science have only widened the gap between the two parties.

A study of the Vedic scriptures, however, reveals that the true Vedic religion is not a matter of blind faith but is an actual science, verifiable by experiment. Unlike conventional religions, which force their practitioners to accept dogma on faith, the Vedic religion (also known as sanatana-dharma, bhagavata-dharma, or Krishna consciousness) repeatedly prods its students to inquire and question at every step. Sentimental practice is never encouraged. While other religions teach us to love and serve God, the beauty of the Vedic scriptures lies in their ability to explain the dynamics of this spiritual relationship by revealing the precise, well-defined principles that underlie it. A deeper understanding of this subject will nourish the faith of the faithful and satisfy the intellect of the intellectuals.

1. The Law of Attraction

Newton’s law of gravitation states that every object possessing mass attracts every other object with a certain strength, called the gravitational constant, or G. Furthermore, the effect of G (called force, or F) reduces as the distance between the two objects increases. According to the spiritual law of attraction, every spirit soul is attracted towards the Supreme Soul, Krishna. Being an eternal part of Krishna, we are constitutionally meant to love and serve Him. All we need to do is uncover our loving propensity by practicing devotional principles. Just as iron filings get attracted to a magnet, all of us in our pure state have a natural attraction towards Krishna. Lust and many other unwanted things prevent the full exhibition of these loving feelings, just as rust prevents the full attraction of iron filings towards a magnet.

The spiritual law of attraction differs from Newton’s law in some areas. Whereas the attractive force (G) exerted by each mass on other masses is the same (G is a constant), the attraction (in this case, the affection or love) that Lord Krishna has towards the wayward spirit souls is much greater than what those souls have towards Him. Srila Prabhupada writes, “He [Krishna] is just like an affectionate father, who is more eager to see his son than the son is to see him. There is no contradiction in such a quantitative difference in affection.” (Mukunda-mala-stotra 1, Purport)

The attraction between Krishna and His devotees is unaffected by the physical distance between them, unlike the attraction (F) between two physical masses. Other material barriers, like the language in which a prayer is intoned, one’s social or financial standings, or any other mundane criteria, have no effect on this spiritual relationship.

In sharp contrast to Newton’s law, the attraction between Krishna and His devotees has been known to increase with distance. Love in separation from Krishna is described as the highest form of love, higher even than love in union with Him. The most exalted devotees, the gopis of Vrindavan, experienced this form of love. After first enjoying a decade of Krishna’s association in Vrindavan during His early pastimes, they later had to undergo a century of separation from Krishna while He spent His time in Hastinapura and Dwarka. All the while, their love for Krishna kept increasing despite their being separated by a great distance.

Bhakti, or loving devotional service, is known as shri-krishnakarshini, “that which attracts Krishna.” Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in Jaiva-dharma, “The devotee whose heart is infused with shuddha-bhakti [pure devotion] attracts the attention of Krishna—along with that of all His close associates—by the power of his love. Love is the only way to conquer Sri Krishna; no other means are viable.” By the power of his devotion, Prahlada, although a five-year-old boy, could attract the Supreme Lord Nrisimhadeva, who appeared just to protect His dear devotee. Between a magnet and iron, it is the magnet that has the power to attract, not the iron. But with bhakti, the devotee—an infinitesimal spirit soul—can attract the infinite, all-powerful Krishna.

2. The Law of Reciprocation

Like Newton’s third law of motion, the law of karma states that for every action there is a reaction. However, the karmic law—an aspect of material nature, which is working under Krishna’s direction—is universal; it does not act merely in the realms of physics or chemistry. Pious actions result in pleasurable reactions, while sinful actions lead to hellish sufferings.

In the Bhagavad-gita (4.11), Krishna says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly.” To those who consider God impersonal, He reveals Himself as the impersonal Brahman. To yogis who meditate on the form of the Lord within the heart, Krishna reveals Himself as the Paramatma, the Supersoul, who resides in the heart of every living being. But to those who accept Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is eager to reveal His supreme form of sac-cid-ananda: His eternal personal form of full knowledge and bliss.

When Krishna entered the wrestling match Kamsa had organized in Mathura, He appeared differently to different groups of people: “The various groups of people in the arena regarded Krishna in different ways when He entered it with His elder brother. The wrestlers saw Krishna as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathura as the best of males, the women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious rulers as a chastiser, His parents as their child, the king of the Bhojas as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form, the yogis as the Absolute Truth, and the Vrishnis as their supreme worshipable Deity.” (Bhagavatam 10.43.17)

Fully surrendered devotees of Krishna receive the greatest reciprocation from the Lord. The Chaitanya-bhagavata relates the story of Vasudeva Datta, a greatly powerful devotee of the Lord. Feeling extreme pain to see the sufferings of conditioned souls, Vasudeva Datta requested Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to let him suffer for the sins of everyone in the universe. The Lord was so pleased by Vasudeva’s compassion that He said, “This body of mine belongs to Vasudeva Datta. . . . [He] may sell Me wherever he likes.” (Chaitanya-bhagavata, Antya-khanda 5.27–28)

Devotees are ready to sacrifice everything for the pleasure of the Lord, and the Lord is ready to give Himself to His devotee. Srila Prabhupada writes, “This transcendental reciprocation exists because both the Lord and the devotee are conscious. When a diamond is set in a golden ring, it looks very nice. The gold is glorified, and at the same time the diamond is glorified. The Lord and the living entity eternally glitter, and when a living entity becomes inclined to the service of the Supreme Lord he looks like gold. The Lord is a diamond, and so this combination is very nice.” (Gita 9.29, Purport)

The principle of reciprocation assumes extreme proportions when we offend great devotees or render service to them. The scriptures repeatedly warn us about the dangerous effects of vaishnava-aparadha, offense at the feet of an advanced soul. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu described this as “the mad elephant offense,” which can uproot and destroy the tender devotional creeper we are struggling to cultivate. The best way to avoid this is to always remain humble, expect no respect from anyone, and offer all respect to others.

On the other hand, service rendered to a pure devotee awards us untold benedictions. For example, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh (Bhag. 5.5.2): A little service offered to a devotee opens immediately the doors of eternal liberation.

3. The Law of Subjugation

As the master of the universe, Krishna controls everything and everyone. But one who has bhakti can control Krishna by love. Bhakti-yoga therefore is superior to all other spiritual practices, like karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, or ashtanga-yoga.

The story of King Ambarisha and Durvasa Muni reveals this point clearly. Durvasa Muni had attempted to kill the pious Ambarisha for an insignificant offense. But Ambarisha remained unfazed and took complete shelter of the Lord. To protect His dear devotee, the Lord released His personal weapon, the Sudarshana chakra, and destroyed the demon Durvasa had sent to kill Ambarisha. The chakra then started chasing the Muni to kill him. Durvasa fled the scene and approached various demigods for help. Unable to get shelter from anyone, including Indra, Brahma, and Shiva, the great mystic finally approached Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntha, requesting the Lord to withdraw the scorching chakra and thus save his life. To his surprise, the Lord expressed His inability to protect him and ordered him to beg forgiveness directly from Ambarisha. Lord Vishnu said,

aham bhakta-paradhino
hy asvatantra iva dvija
sadhubhir grasta-hridayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyah

“I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.” (Bhag. 9.4.63)

Only after being forgiven by His devotee, the Lord assured, would Durvasa stop being chased by the chakra.

Other examples of Krishna’s subjugation to His devotees: As a small child, Krishna would dance like a puppet when the adult gopis of Vrindavan clapped their hands. During the rasa-lila, sometimes the gopis would sing and Krishna would dance just to please them.

Pure love of God is of the nature of Krishna’s internal potency, or Srimati Radharani, and has the power to bring Krishna, the greatest person, under His devotee’s control. The Pandavas, for example, bound Krishna with pure affection and kept Him always near them. As Narada Muni said, “My dear Maharaja Yudhishthira, all of you [the Pandavas] are extremely fortunate, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, lives in your palace just like a human being. Great saintly persons know this very well, and therefore they constantly visit this house.” (Bhag. 7.10.48)

4. The Law of Unification

The perfection of bhakti-yoga lies in dovetailing all of our desires for the pleasure of Krishna. In other words, a devotee sets aside all selfish motives and wishes to fulfill the desires of Krishna. In this way, the desires of Krishna and the pure devotee are one. Whenever a pure devotee speaks, he is speaking on Krishna’s behalf, presenting whatever the Lord would Himself say.

Devotional service to Krishna is so sweet that the devotee and the Lord sometimes forget their own identities. They are so much in tune with each other that there is no difference in their purposes. Ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya mayi te teshu capy aham: “Whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Gita 9.29)

Again, in the story of Ambarisha and Durvasa, the Lord makes this famous statement:

sadhavo hridayam mahyam
sadhunam hridayam tv aham
mad-anyat te na jananti
naham tebhyo manag api

“The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them.” (Bhag. 9.4.68)

It is important to note that the oneness attained by a devotee is different from the oneness impersonalist philosophers imagine they will attain by merging with the Supreme. A devotee rejects such oneness as hellish because it means the end of his individual identity, and thus the end of his chance to serve the Lord. Srila Prabhupada gives the example of a green bird entering a green tree. Deep within the branches and leaves, the bird may not be visible to an observer standing below, but the bird never loses its existence. It enjoys the tree’s fruits and flowers. A devotee who has returned to the spiritual world similarly enjoys service to Krishna with ever-growing freshness and sweetness under the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet.
Judge Your Progress in Bhakti

Rupa Goswami, a sixteenth-century Vaishnava saint and a direct disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, describes the systematic developments a devotee undergoes while practicing the science of bhakti. In the beginning one has faith (shraddha) in some form of divinity or in saints or scriptures. This faith, which is compared to a seed, helps one seek out the association of saintly devotees (sadhu-sanga), where the seed sprouts and takes root as a creeper. Receiving nourishment in the form of hearing and chanting the holy names and glories of Krishna (bhajana-kriya) under the guidance of devotees, the creeper grows luxuriantly. In the process, all the unwanted things in the heart that block the progress of bhakti go away (anartha-nivritti), clearing the path for the creeper.

Carefully cultivating spiritual practices and steering clear of all obstacles, the devotee achieves steadiness (nishtha) in bhakti. At this stage the waves of love of Godhead first appear. As the spiritual practices continue, the devotee’s steadiness matures into intense taste (ruci) for devotional activities, removing all threats of the recurrence of unwanted habits. Such a person is known as an uttama-adhikari.

Shivarama Swami, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has written Suddha-bhakti Cintamani, based on past acharyas’ commentaries on Vaishnava literature. Discussing the advanced stages of pure devotion, he writes, “As devotees cultivate that taste, they develop concentrated attachment for Krishna (asakti). That attachment polishes the heart to such an extent that at times devotees think that Krishna has appeared there. At other times they intuitively understand their relationship with the Lord, though such realization is still immature.” (p. 303) “At bhava [the next stage], when they transcend the boundaries of matter, the touch of the pleasure potency immediately awakens pure greed in their hearts.” (p. 610) “Love of God (prema), the full manifestation of pure goodness, is like the sun. When a single but fully potent ray of the Krishna-sun touches a devotee’s heart, ecstatic devotion instantly becomes manifest. Just as a spark falling onto dry leaves quickly grows into a forest fire, one ray of pure goodness entering a devotee’s heart quickly flares into a blaze of love for God.” (p. 307)

Attaining the stage of pure love of God is the perfection of our existence, the goal of the human form of life. If we remain sincere, Krishna’s mercy is assured. Like any other science, if we stick to the principles and carefully avoid the dangers, we are bound to attain success in this life.

Recently, thanks to the pervasive presence of Vaisesika Dasa, ISKCON’s Minister of Book Distribution, the devotees of ISKCON London Sankirtan brought an unusual surge of spiritual energy to the streets of London on the grand day of the Monthly Sankirtan Festival (MSF).

This devotional, inspiring, and encouraging spirit was further enhanced by the presence of Nirakula Devi Dasi, who commemorated every devotee’s endeavor.

Sankirtan warriors from the Bhaktivedanta Manor and ISKCON London Soho Radha Krishna Temple united with one heart and purpose as they charged towards the streets of central London. The mission was bold and spiritually significant — the sacred distribution of Srimad Bhagavatam and the echo of the Holy Names on the street, to every soul we meet.

This MSF is a powerful declaration of intent as devotees came together in full support of the Bhadra Campaign’s ambitious goal of distributing 100,008 Bhagavatam sets, while ISKCON London embraces our very own, humble and personal offering of 600 sets to honor 60 years of ISKCON.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/london-devotees-unite-for-bhadra-campaign-book-distribution/

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi, 

Sankirtanamrita: The Nectar of Sri Krsna Sankirtana, the newly released book by Navina Nirada Dasa, published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), has been acclaimed across the ISKCON world as a landmark contribution to Vaishnava literature. Blending memoir, philosophy, and practical guidance, it offers a deeply personal exploration of sankirtana, which is the sacred mission of sharing Krishna consciousness through transcendental literature from nearly four decades of lived dedication.

His journey began in 1984, when he joined ISKCON in Zurich at just 15 and soon became one of the leading book distributors. He has since traveled extensively around the world, served as ISKCON’s Minister of Book Distribution, trained thousands in preaching and leadership, founded the Vaishnava Academy in Mayapur, and was the first devotee to earn his Bhaktivedanta degree from the Mayapur Institute. He started a spiritual center in San Francisco and continues to teach, mentor, and personally distribute books, thereby embodying the message of his work.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/book-review-sankirtanamrita-the-nectar-of-sri-krsna-sankirtana/

B.g. Lecture 1969:

Devotee: Prabhupāda? Does Lord Jesus Christ appear in the spiritual sky with the body he manifested on the earth?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise how there can be resurrection? Ordinary body cannot be resurrected. He appeared in his spiritual body, certainly. Jesus Christ told, if I remember, that “Lord, excuse these persons,” who were crucifying him. Is it not? He knew that “These rascals, they are killing me, but… They are offending certainly. So they do not know that I cannot be killed, but they are thinking that they are killing.” You see?

But that was offensive, therefore he begged Lord to be excused because God cannot excuse to the offenders of the devotee. He can excuse one who is offender to God, but if somebody is offender to the devotee, God never excuses. Therefore he prayed for them.

That is devotee’s qualification. He prays for everyone, even of his enemy. And he could not be killed. That he knew. But those rascals, they thought they were killing Jesus Christ.

Source: https://ramaiswami.com/srila-prabhupada-on-jesus-christ-3/

A former student of psychology traces his life, from childhood to now from looking up to others to looking into himself.

On June 17, 1959, with summer vacation just a few days away, I walked onto my grammar school playground in a lighthearted mood. Just then my best friend Billy rushed over to me with wide eyes. Did you hear the news?!”

“What news?”

“This morning Superman killed himself! He shot himself in the head with a luger!”

At first I thought Billy was kidding, but soon I noticed that everyone in the yard was talking about the story George Reeves, TV’s Superman, had committed suicide. II couldn’t believe it. A hero how could a hero do that? I couldn’t believe it. A hero how could a hero do that?

As Emerson said, “It is natural to believe in great men.” And in his book, The Hero, American Style, Marshall William Fishwick remarks that “people are ineffective without leaders. The search for paragons is inherent in human nature.” In an article inToday’s Health magazine, social critic Marya Mannes goes a little further. She says, “Unless we have some image of human greatness, of human excellence, to build on, we shall find it difficult to be animated by great dreams. We will be only moles burrowing in the darkness.”

For its part, modern psychology calls its equivalent of the hero or paragon the “ego ideal.” A person forms his ego ideal by picking out traits of parents, friends, and others in the society at large. Researchers are quick to point out that healthy models make for healthy people, while sick models, like Hitlers and Stalins, make for sick people and a sick world.

Social commentators are concerned about today’s shortage of inspiring, healthy models. “Where Have All the Heroes Gone?” asks Edward Hoagland in The New York Times Magazine, and U.S. News & World Report talks about “The Vanishing Hero.” So perhaps I was right, back there on the school playground, in feeling I’d been let down.

By the time I’d entered high school, most fictional heroes struck me as cardboard characters. I had to pass them by. Now, political leaders, past and present, replaced them. Then, in my freshman year of college, in 1965, the Watergate mood hit me early.

On the afternoon when Georgetown University played host to some members of Congress, I was one of the first students to trot up the steps of Harlan Hall. My mind was filled with anticipation. I wanted to get involved in government; it seemed a good way to work with people. During my first few months at school, I’d absorbed as much as I could of the theory and history of government, and now came a bonus the chance to talk with the people who were making the history I was studying.

As I stood on the thick red carpet, the university’s past presidents stared down at me from their portraits on the old wood walls. Even their grave faces couldn’t douse my enthusiasm. In less than forty minutes I’d be sharing the room with the country’s leaders.

While I was thinking this way, a congressman dressed in a blue blazer bounded up the steps and walked hurriedly across the room. Several friends and I approached him and started asking questions, but he seemed totally intent on wherever he was going. He never slowed down.

“Boys,” he said, “I’m a Johnson Democrat. That answers all your questions. Now, where’s the bar?”

As we stood there openmouthed, the congressman glided past us and ordered a bourbon on the rocks,

My other brushes with politicians only reinforced this first bruised impression. With the world so much in need of unity and cooperation, I felt turned off by so much small-mindedness. It all seemed like a cheating, losing game, and I didn’t want to play it. So after my sophomore year I opted for a change psychology.

At least psychology could tell you something about what was going on inside people. What surprised me was that all this inside knowledge of human nature just seemed to turn psychologists into pessimists. I’ll never forget the day when one of my best professors, Dr. M., compared human beings to lemmings.

“The lemming is a peculiar breed of rat that lives in Scandanavia,” said Dr. M. in his usual intense way. “Every so often it seems to happen without any rhyme or reason one lemming starts running frantically across the countryside. This ‘running fever’ spreads to the other rats, and soon a kind of mass hysteria infects them. For months and months they migrate, only to reach the coastline and a dead end.

” ‘Dead end’ that’s really what it is. Without hesitating, the lead lemming leaps into the sea, and all the rest follow him. The few that survive produce some more, and then they go through the suicide sequence all over again.

“Maybe we’re like the lemmings. World Wars I and II, Vietnam, the Middle East,… World War III it’s a frightening thought, but if you look at our record,… maybe that’s the best we can do.”

In his book Motivation and Personality, psychologist Abraham Maslow talked about this kind of thinking. He chided not only psychologists but also many others in the intellectual community for denying “the possibility of improving human nature and society, or of discovering intrinsic human values, or of being life-loving in general.” During my college days I empathized with Maslow’s criticisms. Yet even more appealing to me were his positive insights about human potential.

Early in his career, Maslow had become disgusted with modern psychology’s obsession for studying mental disease. He felt that the study of sick and crippled persons could only produce a sick and crippled psychology. Maslow reversed this trend by researching the dynamics of health. He wrote,

If we want to know the possibilities for spiritual growth, or moral development in human beings, then I maintain that we can learn most by studying our most moral, ethical, or saintly people.

Maslow’s research reached its height in his description of the fully healthy or “self-actualized” person. In Towards a Psychology of Being, he wrote, “In these healthy people we find duty and pleasure to be the same thing, as is also work and play, self-interest and altruism.” In an earlier essay he had pointed out,

For such people virtue is its own reward…. They spontaneously tend to do right because that is what they want to do, what they need to do, what they enjoy, and what they will continue to enjoy.

The self-actualized displayed clearer perception of reality, more openness to experience, greater spontaneity, and a firmer sense of identity. They also possessed greater creativity, treated different kinds of people equally, and had a greater ability to love. They valued justice, simplicity, beauty, individuality, joy, and honesty.

The more I read about self-actualization, the more I liked it. But there was one hitch. Maslow didn’t know how the self-actualized got that way:

We simply do not have available today enough reliable knowledge to proceed to the construction of the One Good World. We do not even have enough knowledge to teach individuals how to love each other.

I still wanted self-actualization, but naturally I didn’t know how to get there either.

By this time I was in my senior year. Most of my classmates (even those who shared my feelings) kept themselves busy by applying to graduate schools or jockeying for a job. I could have forgotten my predicament that way and buried myself in some institutional cubbyhole, but something inside me refused to allow it. “You can’t fool yourself. You’ll never be happy by doing that.” With mixed emotions, I kept to that conclusion.

In other words, in so many ways this was a frightening decision to make. There were so many nagging questions. “Will I become an oddball and cut myself off from my family and friends?” “How will I support myself?” “Will I get into something worthwhile, or will I just wind up getting nowhere fast?”

At the same time, I knew that something was missing, from my life and from the lives of most people. I wanted to ferret out that “something.”

Searching

I climbed the stairs out of the dungeonlike subway, not far from the West Village. It was October 16, 1969. After jogging four blocks, I arrived at 735 Spring Street. I tried to open the door, but it was bolted shut. I rang the bell, and soon someone was peering through the peephole. “What’s your name?” said the muffled voice. I replied (as I’d been instructed), “Danny the Red.” The door creaked open, and a smiling brunette with glasses and a collegiate sweater greeted me. Behind her stood three men with baseball bats. She continued the interrogation.

“Who sent you?”

“I met Mark Folsom up at Columbia, and he suggested that I come down and check things out.”

At the mention of “Mark” the three men dispersed and the girl’s smile widened.

“Good. My name’s Andrea. Let me introduce you to Ted Gold.”

Blotched mimeograph paper, crumpled coffee cups, pop bottles, and hundreds of crushed cigarette butts littered the brick floor of Ted Gold’s office. The walls were plastered with posters of the revolutionary masses and the pantheon of armed struggle Lenin, Mao, Castro, and Che Guevara. Ted Gold himself had reddish hair, thick glasses, and an energetic though ruffled air about him.

“What do you know about communism?” he asked. No pleasantries.

“Just what I’ve learned in college and from a few books I’ve read.”

Gold’s line of vision sank to the floor, then honed back in on me.

“Communism means violent revolution,” he said. “There’s no redeeming value in this capitalistic society none.”

“None?”

“None! Insurance, welfare, social security these are all stopgap measures designed to tranquilize the masses and prevent them from rising up and smashing their oppressors. There’s nothing of value in this society-NOTHING! Our job is clear. We must tear this rotten structure down brick by brick until nothing can stop the revolution.”

Since the main purpose of my visit was to hear about the radical movement’s vision of the perfect society, I asked, “After you’ve torn everything down, what will you replace it with?”

Gold fidgeted. It appeared I’d asked the wrong question.

“We don’t have time to worry about things like that. All we have to do is rip this society apart. What happens after the revolution will take care of itself.”

“That’s all you can tell me?”

“So you’ll help us tear it down?”

“I don’t know. Let me think about it.”

He didn’t care for my answer, and I hadn’t cared for his. Since he wouldn’t or couldn’t tell me any more, I left.

Almost five months later, on March 7, 1970, a headline in the New York Times read, “Townhouse Razed by Blast and Fire; Man’s Body Found.” The firemen theorized that a gas leak had triggered the blast, but the man’s body was too disfigured for immediate identification. Then, two days later, the Times ran Ted Gold’s picture and tagged him as the disaster’s victim. Familiar with Gold’s radical background, the police decided to keep sifting through the debris. Finally, on March 11, the Times front page said, “Bombs, Dynamite, and Woman’s Body Found in Ruins of 11th St. Townhouse.” According to Chief Inspector Albert Seedment, “The people in the house were obviously putting together the component parts of a bomb, and they did something wrong.”

For two years I’d been searching for a workable solution to the problematic life I saw all around me but without much success. I was beginning to sense that, though billed as a haven of peace and love, the so-called counterculture harbored about as much narrow-mindedness as there was anywhere else.

The first real light appeared in the spring of 1971, when I started investigating Eastern meditation. The descriptions of enlightened meditators closely matched Maslow’s ideal of the self-actualized person, and there was a practical way to get there.

The cultural difference didn’t really bother me much. Although I wasn’t a very religious person, I’d sometimes thought, “I don’t know what truth is, and I don’t care if a red, white, black, yellow, or brown man speaks it or if it comes from the north, south, east, or west. All I know is, I want it.”

From the start, I sensed the power of turning inward, the power of meditation. At one and the same time, I was becoming more aware of my inner self and more aware of the people and events around me. Yet I noticed that many spiritualists, including big teachers, became not so much self-realized as self-serving.

For instance, after you had gained a little spiritual power, the next step the “in” thing to do was to admit that you were really God, posing for now as a mere mortal. It got to be sort of dizzying, meeting all these yogis who were actually God. Then gradually it began to make sense. If you were God you could pretty much get what you wanted. God doesn’t have to ask twice. But, to be fair, these divine debauchees provided some of the best comedy I’d ever seen.

For example, one day during the summer of 1972, at a green-lawned country retreat, I was sitting in on a verbal meditation. The Great One said, in a sonorous voice, “Feel that you are that same power that has manifested innumerable suns, moons, and stars…. Feel yourself creating and maintaining innumerable … owwwwWWWWW!!” All at once a severe toothache jolted the Great One’s jaw. The meditation seemed to be ending a little sooner than the supreme will had ordained, but perhaps toothaches were just a divine entertainment. His other pastimes included phobias for mosquitoes, airplanes, and death. And, to make matters worse, the Great One was in constant anxiety about whether the United States government would grant him immigration status.

Nonetheless, I stayed convinced that meditation could awaken the self. All I had to do was find a way to practice it purely. I carried on as well as I could. Then, one day in the spring of 1973, I was walking through the Port Authority Bus Terminal, on 40th Street, to catch a Greyhound to the Catskill Mountains. The noise level at the terminal was high hundreds of arriving and departing buses, honking taxicabs, and bustling travelers.

Suddenly, above the tumult, I heard a woman’s voice call out, “Hey, yogi!”

I stopped dead in my tracks. You didn’t have to be clairvoyant to tell that I was interested in yoga and meditation. My white pants and Indian shirt were giveaways. Still, I couldn’t help thinking, “Who cares about yoga in the Port Authority?” I turned around and saw a smiling young American woman dressed in an Indian sari. She had a travel bag across her shoulder.

“Hare Krsna,” she said, folding her hands together in a traditional, prayerlike greeting.

“Hare Krsna,” I replied.

“My name’s Daiva Sakti. What’s yours?”

“Daniel.”

During our pleasant conversation, I told her that two years ago I’d married a girl who also meditated.

“Do you have any children?”

“Yes, a baby boy named Maitreya.”

When Daiva Sakti heard that name, her face lit up in near ecstasy.

“Maitreya!” she said, reaching into her travel bag. “Have a look at this book. It’s about the great Vedic sage Maitreya.”

“Maitreya was a Vedic sage? But don’t the Buddhists consider him to be the coming Buddha [enlightened one]?”

Daiva Sakti smiled. “Twenty-five hundred years before Lord Buddha appeared, the sage Maitreya lived in India, and this book has his teachings.”

This revelation whetted my curiosity so much that I offered to buy the book. I handed her a ten-dollar bill, said “Thank you,” and rushed off to catch my bus. As soon as I’d settled into my recliner, I absorbed myself in reading. This book was so attractive that it took me only three days to finish.

To my delight, the book told about the irrationality of trying to be God. “God is conscious of everything past, present, and future, and also of each and every corner of His manifestations, both material and spiritual.” But as for the ordinary person, he “does not even know what is happening within his own personal body. He eats his food but does not know how this food is transformed into energy or how it sustains the body.”

The author. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, recommended bhakti-yoga (unselfish loving service) as the sure cure for all forms of egotism. My college friends and I had joked that newspaper headlines should herald the big ego as public enemy number one. Now the idea of conquering the big ego by bhakti-yoga captivated my mind. Srila Prabhupada said that this service attitude was “dormant in everyone … the natural inclination of every living being,… the highest perfection in life.”

I recalled how I’d enrolled in college with the idea of landing a job in public service. All my life I’d been serving someone or something my parents, my teachers, my friends (even my car). Srila Prabhupada pointed out how big businessmen had to serve their customers and the president had to serve his country. It seemed that no matter what I did, it would be some sort of service. And, as Srila Prabhupada said, you could reach the ultimate state of consciousness by directing your service toward the complete whole, or Krsna.

I was able to pick up the logic of practically everything Srila Prabhupada wrote. His students, who were making Krsna consciousness available in such hectic places as the bus terminal, also impressed me. Nonetheless, my experiences with counterfeit groups made me reluctant to get involved. It was only after several months of thinking and reading Krsna conscious books that I decided, in the winter of 1973, to check into this process more closely.

Practicing Krsna Consciousness

According to the ancient Vedic literature (which the Krsna consciousness movement publishes, in English) your personality depends on the kind of sound you hear. Loving, truthful, spiritual sound creates a loving, truthful, spiritual personality; self-motivated, materialistic sound creates a self-motivated, materialistic personality. When I thought about it, I realized that perhaps I’d never heard a spiritual sound in my life.

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

Generally, spiritual sound is called mantra. Man means “mind,” and tra means “release.” A mantra, then, is a sound vibration that can release the mind from self-centered, material thought processes. Chanting mantras was nothing new to me; for more than four years I had chanted all kinds of mantras. Yet chanting the Hare Krsna mantra Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-gave me astonishing results. I wanted to cleanse and refresh my mind and heart, and chanting Hare Krsna was like taking a shower on the inside.

Also, I observed how the benefits of chanting Hare Krsna carried over into the everyday lives of other chanters. And my own experience was similar to that of my friend Howard Resnick, who said, “I didn’t follow any particular leader. I just saw that chanting Hare Krsna was a bona fide process, and that people who practiced it were becoming happy.”

After I started chanting, my personality started developing rapidly. Having chanters as friends helped. Instead of wasting time in small talk, they were thinking about “Who am I?” and “What’s the best thing I can do with my life?” The all-embracing scope of Krsna consciousness especially pleased me.

At least seven years earlier, I’d seen how pettiness and the party spirit cause most of the world’s conflicts. Now, by chanting I experienced each person as part of a harmonious whole (God). Deep inside I felt the same as everyone else, and at the same time completely unique. I felt more united with other people, and, paradoxically, more of an individual. Instead of being at loggerheads, in Krsna consciousness the group and individual enhanced each other. And I saw that simply by chanting, thousands of people were realizing this ideal in their own lives.

Already, I’d found that almost every theme sounded by progressive thinkers (like Maslow) came in for full development in the techniques and literature of Krsna consciousness. I wanted to share my realizations, so I started lecturing about Krsna consciousness in grammar schools, high schools, and colleges. At first, many of the listeners had their doubts, but after an explanation, the majority found Krsna conscious methods and goals agreeable. Many teachers told me that their students had reacted with more interest to my presentation than to any other class in the semester. Gradually I realized that I was touching upon that missing “something” I’d felt the need for during my own college years.

I asked many teachers to assess the current student mood. They said, almost without exception, that the students of the mid-1970s had turned apathetic. Apparently the questioning, questing spirit of the ’60s had gone away. But how could anyone blame the students? Who could they look to unstable movie and TV stars, unprincipled politicians, unsure teachers, self-destructive revolutionaries, self-indulgent saviors? Old or new, the heroes were tarnished. Still, when I talked with the students about the pleasure of spiritual living, glimmers of excitement played on their faces.

By 1975 I was ready to fill out my personal observations about Krsna consciousness with scientific evidence. Psychology seemed like a natural approach to take, so I invited several psychologists with no prior experience of Krsna consciousness to study the effects of chanting Hare Krsna. The findings of Drs. Allen Gerson and Ronald Huff, along with interviews I conducted, confirmed my impression that chanting produces a state of human health that modern psychology is just beginning to imagine.

Here are some highlights of the research. Dr. Gerson, a practicing clinical psychologist who also specializes in psychological testing, reports that chanters “are more keenly aware and have sharper mental cognitions.” Richard Arthur, an instructor of English at Rutgers University, brought to mind Maslow’s self-actualized person when he told me, “Chanting makes me more aware of what to do and what not to do. And now, I naturally feel happy about doing the right thing.”

In addition, the psychologists found chanters brimming with self-confidence. Art director Nathan Zakheim affirmed to me, “After years of being a closed-in person and trying to protect myself from experiences, now I’m really different. Chanting makes me so exuberant that I sail through situations that used to stymie me.” Dr. Gerson notes that chanters are seldom if ever bored, but “are always in a state of discovery that allows them to see things more vividly.”

Also, Dr. Gerson detected that chanting promotes creativity in all spheres of life. “I’m astounded,” he said, “with the percentage of creative people among chanters.” Daniel Clark, a thirty-five-year old filmmaker who has been chanting Hare Krsna for ten years, told me how chanting affected his creativity. Clark said, “Before I started chanting, I thought myself limited to films, but now I see that I have a talent for writing, lecturing, acting. You can do anything, in a sense. You don’t become a superman, but all your hang-ups go away. Then you find that your capabilities as a spiritual person are very great.”

Robert Grant, a successful young publishing executive, says that chanting even improves business aptitude. “Now I’m doing all kinds of things management, publishing, working with artists things I’ve never done or displayed any skill for. I find that chanting Hare Krsna gives me the insight on how to do it.”

As housewives like Mrs. Stephanie Lindberg have found, chanting inspires people to give their daily routines a creative touch. Mrs. Lindberg related to me, “Now my mind is bubbling with new ideas. By chanting I experience a freedom that makes my life more creative and stimulates me to use my talents in ways I never thought of before.” Mr. Grant reported a similar feeling to me when he said, “I feel some connection with God that makes me do things in a spontaneous, joyful, uninhibited way.” It’s interesting to note how these experiences recall those of the ancient sages. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam Dhruva Maharaja delights, “Krsna, You have enlivened all my sleeping senses my hands, legs, ears, touch sensation, life force, and especially my speech.”

The psychologists verify that chanters enjoy a strong sense of identity and uniqueness. Dr. Ronald Huff (a clinician with an extensive background in bio-feedback) notes “greater individuality in the way chanters relate to the external experience, indicating greater uniqueness.” After more than fifty case studies, Dr. Gerson concludes, “Chanters have a clear sense of identity. They know who they are in relationship to the universe, where they’re going, and how they can improve themselves and the world around them.”

A secretary, Heather Payne, disclosed to me that chanting allows her “to overcome any prejudices I may have felt toward people.” Here, both psychologists score the Krsna conscious process highly. Says Dr. Gerson, “The democratic character structure [the ability to treat people fairly] comes through strongly in chanters.”

With this greater tolerance, chanters naturally have more ability to love. Richard Arthur told me that in his better moments of chanting, “I relate to people on the basis of love, and I can feel them pick up on it.” Judy Guarino, an illustrator in her early thirties, remarked, “I experience affection for people I’ve never known before. Now I’m able to be a better friend.” According to Dr. Huff, “Parents who chant enjoy more expressions of mature and meaningful affection with their children.” Dr. Gerson describes chanters as “open, friendly, warm, and outgoing as a group, as well as individually.”

In fact, chanters report that their love approaches what Daniel Clark called “cosmic a love of the whole world with all its human beings, animals, and plants, and ultimately for God.”

So research shows chanting the Hare Krsna mantra to be a scientific, effective means for liberating human potential. Chanting works for men and women, young and old, rich and poor, black and white. Oriental and Westerner. Also, as the record demonstrates, chanting has brought people self-realization for thousands of years.

What’s been so convincing for me is that whereas other processes always turned stale, the Krsna conscious experience keeps getting fresher and fresher. Every other process I tried seemed to yield results at first, but I always reached a point where I couldn’t or wouldn’t go any further.

In Krsna consciousness the progress has been steady without any signs of stopping. Krsna consciousness has given me a deep feeling of self-satisfaction and contentment. Often I check my progress, and it always amazes me how well my body, my emotions, my mind, my intelligence, my soul, all of me feels about chanting Hare Krsna.

If you find something good, you want to share it. And Krsna consciousness is the best thing I’ve found. Of course, as Srila Prabhupada says, it’s inevitable for mankind to evolve to higher consciousness. Yet, as he also says,

Why do others have to wait for thousands and thousands of years to attain these heights? Why not give them the information immediately in a systematic way, so that they may save time and energy?

That makes sense to me. And, as progressive thinkers past and present have discovered, giving yourself to this kind of work is sheer pleasure.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=100349

Discovering Spiritual Knowledge

There is a general perception that the modeling industry is far from goodness and that it has been vulgarized. In your Instagram profile, you expressed gratitude to a number of people and shared that your path was different. Could you please tell us more about that?

I agree that modeling is far from goodness. At the same time, I think it all depends on a person. If you see the negative in everything, then you will be surrounded by the negative. Similarly, if you see positivity in everything, then you will be surrounded by the positive. That is number one. Number two, spiritual practice plays a big role. Since I discovered it, my surrounding has changed dramatically. In the same manner, my work clientele has changed as well. I started attracting vegetarians, people who were interested in spirituality, and spiritually practicing people. As you can see, everything depends on us. If we know how to think and act right, then we can survive even in this kind of environment. I do not consider my work to be bad. Good things exist everywhere, and I do my best to maximize them. However, I cannot say that I want to be a model for the rest of my life. Actually, I have much more exciting plans for the future.

You travel a lot and meet a lot of people, do you think they are interested in any philosophy? Do you get to talk to them about anything?

Absolutely! That is yet another reason why I love my work, as it gives me multiple opportunities for preaching.  When you are simply out there with a japa bag, everybody wants to come up to you, and that is a good reason for a half an hour conversation! What’s this bag? What are beads? What is japa? The last trip to Hanjoy, China turned out to be very special. Many people became interested in karma: how it is created, how to avoid bad karma, and how to improve one’s karma. I was so happy to tell them about that! While I am still new to this and there are many things I do not know, it is so cool when you know an answer to a particular question. That is how I get to preach while I am out traveling. At the same time, there are people who refuse to accept this philosophy, but I do not force them to be engaged in a conversation, because it is our personal business – to accept or not accept it.

An estimated 20,000 visitors gathered on March 28–29 at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple near Spanish Fork, Utah, for the temple’s 30th annual Holi Festival of Colors, the largest Color Festival in North America.

When the Festival first began almost three decades ago, it was regarded as the “unofficial spring break event” for Brigham Young University students, another icon in Utah Valley, with an enrollment of over 35,000. “Now festival goers are about 50% young people and 50% young families,” Caru Das, one of the founders of the Spanish Fork Temple, noted. Several dozen llamas, peacocks, a koi lake with a waterfall,  and exotic birds at the property are also big draws for families year-round. 

Throughout the weekend, clouds of brightly colored powder filled the air as festivalgoers joined in the traditional countdowns and celebrated Holi’s message of unity, renewal, and spiritual joy. Families, students, and visitors of many backgrounds gathered on the temple hill to sing, dance, and participate in the celebration, which has become a beloved annual tradition in the region.

Caru described the festival as an opportunity to bring people together while sharing the culture and spiritual teachings of Krishna consciousness. Along with the vibrant festivities, visitors were invited to tour the temple grounds, learn about the meaning of Holi in the Vaishnava tradition, and hear presentations on themes of peace, love, and community.

One news outlet, The Wasatch Journal, quoted a Festival guest as saying, “It was collective effervescence.”

Among those attending was Salem Mayor Cristy Simons, who thanked Caru Das for the invitation. Mayor Simons joined him in leading the noon color throw on Saturday, describing the festival as a Salem area tradition celebrating peace, love, and community. Also attending and leading the 1 pm Color Throw was Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner, who commented that we are all “Better Together.”

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/thousands-gather-for-30th-annual-holi-festival-in-spanish-fork/

A new initiative titled “Young Minds, Timeless Wisdom” is offering an 8-week online Bhagavad-gita course for youth aged 10 to 19, beginning April 11, 2026. The program is designed to present the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita in a practical and relatable format, helping young people develop clarity, discipline, and emotional resilience in today’s fast-paced environment. The course will be conducted live on Zoom every Saturday at 11:00 AM EST and is open to participants from all backgrounds.

The course is guided by Shubha Vilas Govinda Das, who brings years of experience in teaching Bhagavad-gita and Bhakti-yoga to diverse audiences, including youth and families. With a background in both professional leadership and spiritual education, he has conducted workshops, courses, and retreats focused on applying Vedic wisdom in everyday life. His teaching approach emphasizes simplicity, relatability, and real-life application of philosophical principles.

The program has been developed in response to a growing need among parents and educators to provide value-based guidance to young people. With increasing exposure to digital distractions, academic pressure, and social challenges, many youth struggle with focus, decision-making, and emotional balance. The Bhagavad-gita, a foundational text of Vedic wisdom, offers time-tested insights that can help address these challenges when presented in an accessible way.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/young-minds-timeless-wisdom-course-for-youth-begins-april-11/

From Back to Godhead

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (13.2–3):

“This body, O son of Kunti, is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.”

“O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its knower is called knowledge. That is My opinion.”

In these verses Krishna says that in every body there exist two knowers – the primary occupant and Krishna Himself. As a knower of my body, I am aware of the activities and experiences within it. And along with me, Krishna is also aware of my activities and experiences. Although this philosophy sounds simple, its implications are deep and often overlooked.

I have a PhD in cell biology and have been researching the subject of consciousness and its relation to the mind. The above verses intrigued me, and I wondered how they were related to our experiences of the world. In my research I came across a concept that provided valuable insights – the concept of subjective experience. 

I am an individual with my own likes and dislikes. My individuality, with its preferences, applies to all sectors of my life, to every single activity I do, be it in regard to my eating or clothing or colors or car – the list is endless. It applies to my emotions as well. The things that make me happy, sad, exhilarated, or angry differ from what makes others feel the way they feel. Individuals are unique, and their preferences are different. Indeed, we see discord in relationships – between spouses, between lovers, between parents and children – because each member of the relationship cannot fully understand the other person’s preferences and may have a hard time accepting those preferences even when they are stated. I’ve had heated arguments with my parents or my husband over trivial matters simply because we could neither understand nor accept our differences in preferences.

Why are there so many differences in preferences among people? Are they desirable? Would life not be easier without any differences?

It has taken me a long time to find suitable answers to these questions. In my reading of the literature in consciousness research, I was struck with the concept of subjective experience. Any experience a person has is totally subjective because it is personal, qualitative, and unique to that person. No one else can understand what another person is experiencing, and no words can explain the experience. For example, when I see a red ball, I alone have access to the experience of the redness of the ball. I may try to explain what I am seeing, but no one else can see the color I am seeing. Each person perceives red according to his or her own field of knowledge – i.e., their senses and mental interpretation. People may be seeing the same shade or a different shade, but there is no way to decipher what each person is seeing. 

Consider the bitter gourd. Some people develop a liking for this bitter vegetable; others, myself included, never do. Why does this difference exist? It is because our preferences develop based on our experience of the flavor. Everyone perceives flavor within their field of knowledge; no one has access to the flavor being experienced by another person.

This uniqueness and subjectivity applies to every sensory experience we have: seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, or touching. It is also applicable to all internal sensations, such as hunger, pain, and thoughts, and to all emotions, such as fear or love. We all have access to these experiences only within our field of knowledge, and have no access to the experiences within someone else’s field of knowledge.

The Fully Cognizant One

The Bhagavad-gita, however, tells us that there is one person who is fully cognizant of all our experiences. That person is Krishna. In sharp contrast to the soul’s limited knowledge, Krishna’s knowledge is unlimited, and He is the knower of all fields. He knows what each person experiences when seeing a red ball or tasting bitter gourd or feeling love, anger, or anxiety. Being the source of everything (aham sarvasya prabhavah, Gita 10.8) and the all-knowing person, Krishna is fully aware of everything we experience or feel.   

Why does Krishna have access to everything an embodied soul experiences? He says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.4),

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” Everything within the creation is Krishna’s energy, whether it is the color red or bitter gourd or anything else. Our body and senses are also His energy. Thus both the senses and their sense objects are energies of Krishna. In fact, the experiences emerging from their interaction are also His energy. How then is it possible for us to have any experience without His knowing about it?

That our experiences are fully known to Krishna implies there is nothing we have that is hidden from Him. Does that not sound like a breach of privacy? Contrary to being a breach, it tells us something very significant about our relationship with Krishna. If Krishna is aware of all our experiences, then He is the only person who knows us fully, inside out. Literally. He knows our experiences, likes, dislikes, preferences. He knows how we feel in love, pain, hunger, and thirst. He is fully cognizant of our thoughts and desires. How does that make you feel? Each one of us has been looking everywhere for a friend with whom we can share everything. Only Krishna can be that best and dearmost friend. And we each have a unique, private, and confidential relationship with Him.

The goal of bhakti-yoga is to revive this relationship and be united with Him without any inhibitions. All living entities are individuals, and chief among us all is Krishna, the maintainer of all others. The Katha Upanishad (2.2.13) states, nityo nityanam cetanash cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: “There is one supreme eternal entity among all eternal entities and one supreme conscious entity among all conscious entities. The ‘one’ is supplying the needs of everyone else.”

Variety in Krishna’s Creation

Furthermore, we tiny souls can never become Krishna. Our knowledge is limited and will always remain so. Which means we can never truly understand what another person is tasting, smelling, seeing, feeling, liking, thinking, and so on. Each one of us has access only to the experiences within our field of knowledge, and these experiences dictate our preferences, likes, dislikes, and so on. On account of this, it is no surprise that people have widely different preferences and misunderstand each other, which sometimes ends up in terrorism, violence, and wars. But when understood properly, these differences are not a drawback. They are special mercy from Krishna because every single soul in His creation is different and can offer Him a unique service. Surely Krishna has not failed to amaze us at every step of His creation.

Life sometimes appears to us like a labyrinth. One has to make the right choice each time the passage bifurcates. A labyrinth is an irregular structure, with many passages, hard to find way through or about… So are some choices in life…

That was the case of Arjuna, the great devotee-warrior from Bhagavad-gita, who saw himself faced with a decisive battle. Anyone who ever found himself or herself in front of an important life-choice, to a greater or lesser degree, can relate to the experience of Arjuna. Arjuna had to choose between fighting the battle and bringing righteousness back to the world, or withdrawing to the forest, to live the life of a hermit. Both options seemed valid and acceptable to the culture Arjuna lived in. Still, only one choice was right in those circumstances, at that moment in time.

In a labyrinth-like situation, what would make us go on with our goals? What would cause us to continue pursuing our purposes in a structure one is not sure one can go through, nor what is awaiting ahead? It must be something one feels with all their being. Only such a thing can give vital force: courage, resourcefulness, strength in the heart…

Arjuna was a warrior, a ksatriya. A warrior is so by intrinsic quality, not by external denomination. For him, to desert an important battle and take the path of a hermit in the forest would have been artificial. Artificial things don’t match one’s internal quality or genuine predisposition. So, they deprive one from the strength coming from within. Without this internal force, any goal, material or spiritual, would be hard to pursue in the long run.

Still, Arjuna denies the confrontation, throws away his bow and declares he would rather live by begging than engage in this ghastly war. Krishna tells him he is in illusion. A long process begins at this point, in which Krishna imparts real knowledge to Arjuna.

Of course, the question can be raised if it is enough to have this strong desire? It is indeed absolutely necessary, but it seems not to be enough. There is a legend about a labyrinth and a hero who ventures to enter it, because it is a real need in the world for him to do it. Beside his resolute determination, the hero gets something more: a thread meant to help him not to lose the way. It is given to him by someone who knew the main points about the labyrinth. A gift of knowledge to keep him fixed on his goal. The question may be raised: with such strong initial determination, was he not already fixed on his goal? Well, he was in a labyrinth, in the middle of intricacies. So many elements were there to sabotage him, to waste his resources without any benefit. Like in certain situations which appear in life. Situations in which one may be subjected to feelings of weakness, confusion, grief. Hard moments when one needs help to clear one’s mind.

If this could happen to a devotee personality like Arjuna, it definitely can happen to any of us! After all, Bhagavad-gita is spoken for us all.

Arjuna’s confusion was about his duty: should he perform his ksatriya dharma to fight, or should he avoid a war which announced itself to be overwhelming? Like all great heroes of mankind, Arjuna was faced with a terrible dilemma. This crisis marks the beginning of their quest for knowledge, because they are desperately in need of some answers. After giving up the pride of finding all the answers by themselves, they receive the needed help in the form of a person or a book of knowledge.

At this point, it all starts. Not by addressing their problem, but with the understanding of the world, of the nature of things, which gives them a larger perspective. In this way, their dilemma is seen as a part of the whole. Arjuna had the unique chance to have the Absolute Truth Himself, Krishna, to impart this knowledge to him.

So, Krishna begins to deal with Arjuna’s burning problem by encouraging him to search into the nature of the soul, to realize its imperishable quality, and the sense of identity it gives to a person, regardless of the changes in the body.

Realizing that a person’s everlasting identity is the soul, Arjuna gets a first element of order in the chaos of his situation. He understands that both he and the material world belong to the energy of the Supreme Lord. The difference is that he is the superior energy, while the material elements are the inferior energy. Without the touch of the superior energy, the living entities, nothing can grow in the material world. So, his action makes a difference!

“Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection”, Krishna says (Bg. 3.4). In this way, Krishna urges Arjuna to see things in their proper perspective, that is to avoid unhealthy extremes. He wants him to become neither dry, nor cheap in his approach.

Furthermore, it is said to Arjuna that the combination of the material nature and the spiritual nature is brought about by the Supreme Lord, who is therefore the controller of both. He is the Energetic mastering His energies. In the service of their master, the Supreme Lord, both energies fulfill their goal: the material elements are spiritualized, as iron put into fire takes up the qualities of the fire. While the souls, the living entities, are placed into their constitutional position. Outside the devotional service to the Supreme, the souls, although spiritual in nature, are so minute that they can get conditioned and be caught in the intricacies of the material world.

The tendency to easily slip into a sideway is another feature of a labyrinth. There are so many sideways there, they look so similar to the main way, that one can almost unknowingly slide in one of them. Like us. We take a decision, we start pursuing it, and after some time we begin losing ourselves in justifications, confusion… Our mind seems to be a labyrinth.

This was illustrated in Arjuna’s case when his determination to fight the war, the one that initially brought him to the battlefield, was broken just before he was to start fighting. Lots of arguments burst into his mind justifying his abandon of his dharma. In other words, justifying his sliding in the mode of ignorance, the one in which a person does not see things as they are.

Under the influence of this mode of darkness, one has every chance to choose a wrong course of action, out of delusion, indolence, madness, or even utter foolishness, which is said to be the ultimate result of the mode of ignorance. Krishna, imparting the spiritual vision to Arjuna, tells him that, in order not to be misdirected in life, one has to learn the science of activities in terms of the three modes of nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Only then he can understand in which position he is actually situated, and how his spiritual spark is bound by a certain mode of nature. Becoming aware of the risks associated with the mode of ignorance, one can take to education for development of the mode of goodness. In this mode of goodness one is illuminated by knowledge and becomes sober, knowing things as they are.

Although he had so many doubts, Arjuna was, the same time, open to receiving this spiritual knowledge, by learning from the proper person, the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental to the modes.

So, Krishna pointed out to Arjuna that renunciation of the prescribed duty for a ksatriya, fighting, out of illusion and lack of right understanding, is renunciation in the mode of ignorance, which deprives one’s life of any meaning. He definitely did not want to lead a futile life!

To Arjuna’s initial argument that he is afraid of performing fruitive activities by performing his dharma, Krishna answers that this renunciation would be in the mode of passion. It disregards the fact that certain results of work are promoting Krishna consciousness and should not be given up.

If the mode of ignorance renders one purposeless, the mode of passion leads to no elevation. Arjuna was a person who abhorred degradation and who was keen to elevate himself in life.

It is only in the mode of goodness that one starts to see what to give up and what not to give up, what is favourable to the devotional service and what is unfavorable to the devotional service to the Supreme Lord. In order to guide us through this “labyrinth” of possible decisions, Krishna speaks to us Bhagavad-gita. The spiritual process described in Bhagavad-gita is not one of just artificial repression of the senses, but one of making the mind strong by the determination born of proper intelligence.

For that, Arjuna had not only to listen to the right knowledge, but to also realize with all his heart that fighting the battle was the most important thing.

Arjuna’s refusal to fight was actually due to his considering himself the absolute doer of his actions. He was forgetting that the Supreme Personality of Godhead was the ultimate master and sanctioner of everything, and He was there present instructing Arjuna to fight. This is the forgetfulness of the conditioned soul, as Srila Prabhupada points out.

Still, Arjuna could regain his memory by hearing Krishna’s words with an attentive mind. When our mind slips during chanting and hearing, it happens to slide to everyday activities,

which don’t have their place during the time of chanting and reading. Although these activities have their place in our daily schedules, under the influence of the lower modes, the mind tends to extend them into the time which is not meant for them. In the end, when the mind becomes totally focused on petty activities, it is rendered crippled and it can not see things as they are anymore. It does not recognize real goals from superficial ones. Real goals are those which, when performed, make us feel life has meaning. They always bring connection to something higher, sacred.

Arjuna sensed that Krishna’s words bring meaning, while previously it was none, only confusion and a vacant heart. They filled an empty place and Arjuna gave his voluntary attention to them, being interested to know all about the subject matter. It was through this attentive hearing that Krishna’s words really entered his heart and dispelled the forgetfulness there, by replacing it with a conscious mind, aware of the goal of life through sacred knowledge.

So, he became ready to fulfill Krishna’s plan through the occupation born of his own nature. This conclusion is there not only for Arjuna, but it can address all people of all times, regardless they are in front of a battle or not, or whatever circumstances they may be in. Like a ball of thread in a confusing maze, Bhagavad-gita can guide us through the labyrinth of this world, as well as through the mysterious labyrinth of our own mind.

Aware of the meaning of his action, Arjuna surrendered to Krishna’s plan, picked up his glorious Gandiva bow and started the battle of Kurukshetra.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=89094

Excerpt from the Bhagavad-Gita As it Is 7.7:

Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute

TEXT 7

mattah parataram nanyat
kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam
sutre mani-gana iva

SYNONYMS
mattah—beyond Myself; parataram—superior; na—not; anyat—anything else; kincit—something; asti—there is;dhananjaya—O conquerer of wealth;mayi—in Me; sarvam—all that be; idam—which we see; protam—strung; sutre—on a thread; mani-ganah—pearls; iva—likened.

TRANSLATION

O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

PURPORT

There is a common controversy over whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is personal or impersonal. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the Absolute Truth is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and this is confirmed in every step. In this verse, in particular, it is stressed that the Absolute Truth is a person. That the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also the affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah; that is, the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, who is the primeval Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and the eternal form of complete bliss and knowledge. These authorities leave no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. The impersonalist, however, argues on the strength of the Vedic version given in the Svetasvatara Upanisad:

tato yad uttarataram tad arupam anamayam ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti athetare duhkham evapi yanti.

“In the material world Brahma, the primeval living entity within the universe, is understood to be the supreme amongst the demigods, human beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma there is the Transcendence who has no material form and is free from all material contaminations. Anyone who can know Him also becomes transcendental, but those who do not know Him suffer the miseries of the material world.”The impersonalist puts more stress on the word arupam. But this arupam is not impersonal. It indicates the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as described in the Brahma-samhita quoted above.

Other verses in the Svetasvatara Upanisad substantiate this as follows:

vedaham etam purusam mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat
tam eva vidvan amrta iha bhavati nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya
yasmat param naparam asti kincid yasmannaniyo na jyayo ‘sti kincit“

I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme Person.“There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies.”From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-pervading by His multi-energies, both material and spiritual.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29440

Interview with HG Satyanarayana Prabhu, a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, personally initiated in 1972, whose life’s mission was given to him by his spiritual master. As the Director of the BBT for the Far East and Middle East, he carries Prabhupada’s message to every corner of the world, including the Middle East and Vrindavan. With profound and even mystical experiences with Srila Prabhupada, Satyanarayana Prabhu will share his insights into the miraculous spread of Krishna consciousness and inspire us all to take action.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117162

By Nitai Madhav Das,

As part of the ISKCON 60–50 global celebrations, and in alignment with the objective of increasing Śrīla Prabhupāda consciousness across the Society, the Śrīla Prabhupāda Introductory Course (SPIC) is being presented by the ICC 60–50 Education Committee. Based on the BBT publication Śrīla Prabhupāda: The Messenger of the Supreme Lord, this course is designed to gently guide participants toward a deeper, more personal appreciation of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, fostering a meaningful connection to his life, teachings, and mission.

By the end of the course, students become familiar with the significant events in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life, develop a deeper appreciation for his struggles in establishing and expanding the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and gain clarity on how to understand, appreciate, and carry forward his mood and mission. The course also seeks to inspire participants to imbibe the ideals of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life and character within their own devotional journey.

SPIC offers a structured eight-lesson overview supported by well-developed resources, including lesson plans, presentations, and guided readings. Participants engage in pre-class study and structured reflection, making the experience both systematic and enriching. The course emphasizes thoughtful facilitation, enabling learning to deepen into realization. Special focus is placed on creating an interactive environment where participants can reflect, discuss, and internalize key lessons in meaningful ways.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-60-50-launches-online-srila-prabhupada-study-course/