HH Krishna Kshetra Swami gave a conference at China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, where he was invited to speak on Yoga and Psychological Stress Relief. In the talk, he discusses how the ancient Indian yoga tradition understands the problem of stress and the importance of preparing the mind through practices such as meditation and mantra chanting. Drawing on traditional sources including the Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, and Atharva Veda, he explains how yoga is meant to calm the mind and connect the individual with a deeper level of consciousness. The lecture also refers to the relationship between yoga and Ayurveda and includes a short demonstration of mantra chanting.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117555

Our Rishikesh Kirtan Fest was created to give people a genuine taste of the spiritual world. With the chanting of the holy names at the very heart of the event a deep spiritual atmosphere has been resonating for over a month now, both in the streets of Rishikesh and within the kirtan hall of our large ashram.
Each evening concludes with the distribution of a sumptuous vegetarian feast and together these elements have proven to be a most effective formula for awakening Krsna consciousness in the hearts of the people.
May Srila Prabhupada be pleased with our humble efforts!

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117548

By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi, 

The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC), in collaboration with Dev Publishers, will release the South Asian edition of A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti: Essential Teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda by His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami, edited with Introduction and Conclusion by Dr. Graham M. Schweig (Garuda Das), PhD.

This publication will mark a significant moment not only for devotees and scholars of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism but also for ISKCON as a whole. It reflects the ongoing fulfilment of a vision that Śrīla Prabhupāda held from the very beginning of his mission.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/brc-to-release-south-asian-edition-of-a-living-theology-of-krishna-bhakti/

His Grace Vasuttama Dasa, a devoted disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, departed from this world on March 8, 2026, at ISKCON Radhadesh. Earlier that day, after attending the joyful Holi feast at the temple community, he went to rest in his room and peacefully left his body. Devotees remember him as a gentle and deeply sincere soul who constantly spoke of Srila Prabhupada with heartfelt gratitude, reverence, and love.

Over many years of service at Radhadesh, Vasuttama Dasa contributed in numerous meaningful ways. One of his most lasting initiatives was establishing the temple’s guided tour program, which today welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors annually, allowing thousands of guests to discover the spiritual culture, history, and beauty of ISKCON Radhadesh. Through this outreach effort, countless visitors were introduced to Krishna consciousness and the community’s devotional heritage.

Vasuttama Dasa also rendered dedicated service in temple restoration, book distribution, and artistic contributions. Professionally trained as a trompe-l’œil painter,* he used his artistic gifts to enhance the temple environment, including painting decorative elements in the temple’s reception hall where guests are welcomed. His artwork captured the beauty of the Radhadesh surroundings, including detailed depictions of birds such as swallows and pigeons often seen around the castle towers. These paintings remain a lasting part of the temple’s atmosphere and devotional aesthetic.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/remembering-his-grace-vasuttama-dasa/

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, "Oh Supreme Lord, I have heard from You the explanation of Amalaki Ekadasi which occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Phalguna (February–March), and now I wish to hear about the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra (March–April). What is its name, Oh Lord, and what results can one attain by observing it?"

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, replied, "O best of kings, for the benefit of everyone I shall gladly describe to you the glories of this Ekadasi, which is known as Papamochani. The history of this Ekadasi was once narrated to the Emperor Mandhata by Lomasa Rishi.

King Mandhata addressed the Rishi, 'Oh great sage, for the benefit of all people, please tell me the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra, and please explain the process for observing it. Also, please describe the benefits one gains by observing this Ekadasi.'

"Lomasa Rishi replied, 'The Ekadasi that occurs during the dark part of the month of Chaitra is named Papamochani Ekadasi. For the faithful devotee it removes the influences of ghosts and demons. Oh lion among men, this Ekadasi also awards the eight perfections of life, fulfills all kinds of desires, purifies one's life of all sinful reactions, and makes a person perfectly virtuous.

"'Now please listen to a historical account concerning this Ekadasi and Chitraratha, the chief of the Gandharvas (heavenly musicians). During the spring season, in the company of heavenly dancing girls, Chitraratha once came upon a beautiful forest bursting forth with a great variety of flowers. There he and the girls joined the Gandharvas and many Kinnaras, along with Lord Indra himself, the king of heaven, who was enjoying a visit there. Everyone felt that there was no better garden than this forest. Many sages were also present, performing their austerities and penances. The demigods particularly enjoyed visiting this celestial garden during the months of Chaitra and Vaisakha (April–May).

"'A great sage named Medhavi resided in that forest, and the very attractive dancing girls would always attempt to seduce him. One famous girl in particular, Manjughosha, contrived many ways to allure the exalted Muni, but out of great respect for the sage and fear of his power, which he had attained after years and years of ascetics, she would not come very close to him. At a spot two miles from the sage, she pitched a tent and began singing very sweetly as she played a tamboura. Cupid himself became excited when he saw and heard her perform so nicely and smelled the fragrance of her sandal-paste unguent. He remembered his own unfortunate experience with Lord Shiva and decided to take revenge by seducing Medhavi. (see footnote 1)

"'Using the eyebrows of Manjughosha as a bow, her glances as a bowstring, her eyes as arrows, and her breasts as a target, Cupid approached Medhavi in order to tempt him to break his trance and his vows. In other words, Cupid engaged Manjughosha as his assistant, and when she looked at that powerful and attractive young sage, she also became agitated by lust. Seeing that he was highly intelligent and learned, wearing a clean white brahmana's thread draped across his shoulder, holding a sannyasi's staff, and sitting handsomely in the ashrama of Chyavana Rishi, Manjughosha came before him.

"'She began to sing seductively, and the small bells of her belt and around her ankles, together with the bangles on her wrists, produced a delightful musical symphony. The sage Medhavi was enchanted. He understood that this beautiful young woman desired union with him, and at that instant Cupid increased his attraction for Manjughosha by releasing his powerful weapons of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound.

"Slowly Manjughosha approached Medhavi, her bodily movements and sweet glances attracting him. She gracefully put her tamboura down and embraced the sage with her two arms, just as a creeper winds itself around a strong tree. Captivated, Medhavi gave up his meditation and decided to sport with her, and instantly his purity of heart and mind abandoned him. Forgetting even the difference between night and day, he went away with her to sport for a long, long time. (see footnote 2)

"'Seeing that the young yogi's sanctity had become seriously eroded, Manjughosha decided to abandon him and return home. She said, "O great one, please permit me to return home."

"'Medhavi replied, "But you have only just arrived, O beautiful one. Please stay with me at least until tomorrow."

"'Fearful of the sage's yogic power, Manjughosha stayed with Medhavi for precisely fifty-seven years, nine months, and three days, but to Medhavi all this time seemed like a moment. Again she asked him, "Please permit me to leave."

"'Medhavi replied, "O dear one, listen to me. Stay with me for one more night, and then you may leave tomorrow morning. Just stay with me until I have performed my morning duties and chanted the sacred Gayatri mantra. Please wait until then."

"Manjughosha was still fearful of the sage's great yogic power, but she forced a smile and said, "How long will it take you to finish your morning hymns and rituals? Please be merciful and think of all the time you have already spent with me."

"The sage reflected on the years he had been with Manjughosha and then said with great astonishment, "Why, I have spent more than fifty-seven years with you!" His eyes turned red and began to emanate sparks. He now regarded Manjughosha as death personified and the destroyer of his spiritual life. "You rascal woman! You have turned all the hard-earned results of my austerities to ashes! Trembling with anger, he cursed Manjughosha, "Oh sinful one, Oh hard-hearted, degraded one! You know only sin! May all terrible fortune be yours! Oh rascal woman, I curse you to become an evil hobgoblin — pishacha!"

"'Cursed by the sage Medhavi, the beautiful Manjughosha humbly beseeched him, "Oh best of the brahmanas, please be merciful to me and revoke your curse! Oh great one, it is said that association with pure devotees gives immediate results, but their curses take effect only after seven days. I have been with you for fifty-seven years, Oh master, so please be kind to me!"

"'Medhavi Muni replied, "Oh gentle lady, what can I possibly do? You have destroyed all my austerities. But even though you have done this sinful deed, I shall tell you a way you can be released from my wrath. In the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra there is an all-auspicious Ekadasi that removes all one's sins. Its name is Papamochani, Oh beautiful one, and whoever fasts on this sacred day becomes completely freed from having to take birth in any kind of devilish form."

"'With these words, the sage left at once for his father's ashrama. Seeing him enter the hermitage, Chyavana Muni said, "Oh son, by acting unlawfully you have squandered the wealth of your penances and austerities."

"Medhavi replied, "Oh Father, kindly reveal what atonement I must perform to remove the obnoxious sin I have incurred by privately associating with the dancing girl Manjughosha."

"Chyavana Muni answered, "Dear son, you must fast on Papamochani Ekadasi, which occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra. It eradicates all sins, no matter how grievous they may be."

"Medhavi followed his father's advice and fasted on Papamochani Ekadasi. Thus all his sins were destroyed, and he again became filled with excellent merit. Similarly, Manjughosha observed the same fast and became free of the hobgoblin curse. Ascending once again to the heavenly spheres, she too returned to her former position."

Lomasha Rishi continued, "Thus, Oh king, the great benefit of fasting on Papamochani Ekadasi is that whoever does so with faith and devotion will have all his sins completely destroyed."

Sri Krishna concluded, "Oh King Yudhishthira, whoever reads or hears about Papamochani Ekadasi obtains the very same merit he would get if he donated a thousand cows in charity, and he also nullifies the sinful reactions he may have incurred by killing a brahmana, killing an embryo through abortion, drinking liquor, or having sex with his guru's wife. Such is the incalculable benefit of properly observing this holy day of Papamochani Ekadasi, which is so dear to Me and so meritorious."

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Chaitra-Krishna Ekadasi, or Papamochani Ekadasi, from the Bhavishya-uttara Purana.

Footnotes

After Lord Shiva lost his dear wife Sati at the sacrificial arena of Prajapati Daksha, Shiva destroyed the entire arena. Then he brought his father-in-law Daksha back to life by giving him the head of a goat, and finally he sat down to meditate for sixty thousand years. Lord Brahma, however, arranged for Kamadeva (Cupid) to come and break Shiva's meditation. Using his arrows of sound, taste, touch, sight, and smell, Cupid attacked Shiva, who at last awoke from his trance. He was so angry at being disturbed that he instantly burned Cupid to ashes with a glance from his third eye. Back to the story.

Female association is so powerful that a man forgets his time, energy, possessions, and even his own identity. As it is said in the Niti-shastra, striya charitram purushasya bhagyam daivo vijanati kuto manushyah: "Even the demigods cannot predict the behavior of a woman. Nor can they understand the fortune of a man or how it will determine his destiny." According to Yajnavalkya Muni, "A (celibate) person who desires spiritual life should give up all association with women, including thinking of them, seeing them, talking with them in a secluded place, taking service from them, or having sexual intercourse with them." Back to the story.

Source: https://www.mayapur.com/en/blog/fasting-papamochani-ekadasi-15th-march-2026

The North America Vaishnavi Ministry is participating in the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), from March 9–20 at UN Headquarters in New York City.  In-person participants include Govind Priya Devi Dasi, Syama Mohini Devi Dasi, and Ila Hatwal. 

In addition to attending the international gathering, the representatives will also speak at a parallel event hosted through the NGO/CSW (Non-Governmental Organization/Commission on the Status of Women) Forum, contributing a faith-based perspective to global discussions on women’s wellbeing and empowerment.

The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women. Each year, representatives of member states, UN agencies, and civil society organizations from around the world convene to review progress, share best practices, and help shape policies that impact the lives of women and girls globally.

For the Vaishnavi Ministry, participation in CSW70 offers an opportunity to represent devotional values in an international forum. The gathering provides a platform to contribute spiritual perspectives to conversations on women’s dignity, safety, leadership, and empowerment, while also fostering partnerships with NGOs, policymakers, and global leaders working toward similar goals. Participation also allows the Ministry to learn from global research and policy frameworks that can strengthen its initiatives in education, protection, and leadership development within the devotional community.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/north-america-vaishnavi-ministry-participating-in-un-commission-on-the-status-of-women/

The ISKCON Environmental Initiative (IEI) is encouraging devotees and communities worldwide to deepen their commitment to sustainable living by sharing new resources focused on children and community well-being. Rooted in the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, the initiative promotes values such as simplicity, gratitude, and responsible stewardship of Krishna’s creation. As environmental concerns continue to grow globally, the initiative aims to help temples and congregations adopt practices that reflect compassion for all living beings while integrating ecological awareness into devotional life. Readers can explore the resources and learn more about the initiative through links provided below.

According to Kamala Priya Devi Dasi, the IEI representative for Europe, the initiative emphasizes practical steps that communities can adopt in everyday temple life. These include reducing waste, encouraging mindful consumption, and incorporating environmentally conscious practices into festivals and community events. By cultivating a culture of ecological responsibility, the initiative seeks to align spiritual values with practical action, positioning ISKCON as a leading voice in faith-based environmental stewardship.

A central focus of the initiative is engaging children, who organizers describe as “the heart of our future community.” Through hands-on activities such as gardening, recycling projects, nature walks, and other service-based environmental programs, children can develop lasting habits of respect for nature and gratitude for Krishna’s gifts. Such activities not only nurture creativity and curiosity but also help strengthen children’s connection to Krishna consciousness by allowing them to experience Krishna’s presence in nature.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-environmental-initiative-shares-family-and-community-resources/

By Sitalatma Das

Part of our ISKCON folklore is a story of early devotees wondering who were those māyāvādīs Śrīla Prabhupāda always rallied against – because no one knew any particular māyāvādī at the time, and then it hit them – they (we) are the māyāvādīs! Not by our professed ideology but by our attitudes and by the quality of our relationships, which were often very impersonal in nature. A lot of Bhāgavatam classes were spent on uncovering impersonalism in our lives afterwards. Otherwise a question arises – why would Śrīla Prabhupāda travel to the western countries to fight māyāvāda? All the māyāvādīs were back in India, poisoning Indian society from within, why go fight them in the West? Or we can equate “nirviśeṣa śūnyavādi” with western atheism but Srila Prabhupāda attacked atheism separately from attacking impersonalism. Or we can say that nirviśeṣa, śūnyavādi, and pālscātya deśa are three different, not necessary overlapping categories. There are so many ways we can understand Śrīla Prabhupāda’s praṇāma mantras. I want to offer another explanation of this mantra and demonstrate its ultimate consistency and truthfulness.

Cardinal directions, like the west, in Vedic science are deeply meaningful but that meaning is not directly obvious. Thankfully, in the 4th Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Nārada Muni tells a parable of King Purañjana mentioning how different bodily gates lead out in different directions. Similarly, Lord Caitanya told Sanātana Goswāmī a parable of an astrologer giving advice in which direction one must dig for which treasure (CC. Madhya 20). In the purports Śrīla Prabhupāda gives us enough clues to understand these Vedic directions. East is where the knowledge is (or treasure in Lord Caitanya’s parable) while West is the direction of impersonalism. South is for karma and North is for mystic yoga. We can treat Vedic culture as gradually evolving in a part of the already existing natural world and then dismiss everything as geographic coincidences, but as students of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam we’d better see the universe as manifesting **from** different grades of Vedic knowledge, planet by planet and continent by continent, beginning with Lord Brahmā’s efforts.

What makes western civilization remarkable is its success in science, success in providing a broad range of scientific theories to explain almost all observable phenomena and provide the society with benefits derived from that knowledge. In this sense science has become a shelter for modern civilization and has fully supplanted religion as the foundation of western society – it dictates morals, guides economics, and supplies daily necessities and all kinds of pleasures as well. It has fully become “dharma” in the sense of “that which sustains”. And it is not coincidental that western science is impersonal at its very core – as Vedic science predicts above – West and whatever grows in that direction is a place of impersonalism. Today this impersonal science strives to erase all traces of subjectivity (meaning personalism), and it seeks universal laws which apply in every context regardless of one’s personal perspective. All pre-western descriptions of nature were personalistic – everything in nature had souls, even trees, mountains and rivers. There were deities everywhere and they all needed to be propitiated through personal service and sacrifices. Historically, it was Christianity first that fought against this “paganism”, but then science put a solid, rational foundation under this drive and made all manifestations of personal subjectivity illegal.

By seeking universal laws which apply everywhere equally western science cemented itself as deeply impersonal because in the world governed by gods and spirits they all had their domains where they enforced their rules and so all laws were local. There was no universality before western science. Typically, a man can walk up to any mountain but no one can walk up to Lord Śiva’s Kailāsa where men are not allowed, for example. For his own mountain Lord Śiva has his own laws. The laws of nature for Rakṣas and Yakṣas are different from laws for humans – they can fly, change their appearance at will, and do all kinds of magic, but we cannot. Western science declares this impossible because all true laws must be universal and no personal domain can be an exception. Personal laws and personal domains are simply not allowed in western understanding of nature.

In this way western science is a consistent and determined implementation of impersonal view of the world devoid of God, and so is the entire western civilization that is built upon it. It is nirviśeṣa and pāścātya – impersonalist and western, just as praṇāma mantra says.

What it means for us is that we should be cognizant of this underlying impersonalism and learn to notice it in our own worldviews. We all subconsciously embrace existence of “objective reality”, for example, without giving much thought to what this “objectivity” really means in Vedic science. Reality does look objective to us, but we can also say that as humans we are part of the same domain and so we can only share our subjective experiences within that common domain. Agreeing with each other doesn’t make our observations objective and observed similarities do not make our reality truly objective either, it just means that our personal perspectives are not that different from one another. Someone higher up the chain, like Manu, can change these perspectives for the entire humanity for thousands and millions of generations at once and so they will all agree on something different from what we agree upon now. And what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, who doesn’t play by the same rules at all. And then Bhāgavatam and Mahābhārata are full of descriptions of beings who do not live by our laws and so they experience the world in very different ways. In science these contradictory experiences are dismissed as mythology because objective reality is one and what is impossible for us should be impossible anywhere and for anyone. Even as devotees we don’t know yet how to properly deal with all these divergent personal realities. We have the same sādhana rules for all, for example, and we shudder at the thought that some devotees might progress by not attending maṇgala arati. We’d rather standardize everything we possibly can, which is the opposite of personalism, So, imposing same sādhana on everyone is impersonalism, but at the same time we realize that this standardization is absolutely required for the society to function. How to reconcile? How much impersonalism is permissible or necessary? Why? Should everything be open to personal views and interpretations or must be there ground rules for all? This requires a lot of consideration and deep understanding of hierarchies and our places on the tree of the universe and even on the tree of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s followers.

There’s yet another, deeper meaning to Vedic directions and it stems from the very duality of this world where what is indicated by “this” is not what is indicated by “that”, and so “this” and “that” cannot point to the same thing. When Lord Caitanya, unconstrained by this duality, tried to express Absolute Truth terms of this world He simply called it “acintya”. We have no reference here for the logic where “this” and “that” are one and the same and yet also different. We cannot understand it on the basis of our observations because difference between objects is fundamental to our perceptions and all our experiences. If something is white it can’t be black, for example, and there’s no logic that can argue that white is in black and black is in white. Even when we look at Chinese Yin-Yang symbol we see a circle of black in the white area, not that there’s literally black in white. In any case, the point is that to know something here we also need to know what it is not, know how “this” is not “that”, ie we need to know that crows are not white, for example – that’s one trait by which we can tell them from other birds. Similarly, every object here has a use and to know what it’s for we also need to know how not to use it, and this is how directions are manifested from two pairs of opposites – from what things are and what they aren’t, and from how they can and cannot be used.

Proper definition of an object (or concept, or any idea), means first gaining knowledge of what it is, which is “East”. Proper use of the object manifests South. In the earlier mentioned scheme South was for performing karmic activities, which is what “proper use” means, too. Opposite the East is the knowledge of what the object is not, and opposite of South is the knowledge of how not to use it. Mystic yoga is about refraining from karmic activities and so designating North as the land of yoga is appropriate. Designating West as a direction where we say what things are not – neti-neti – is a signature of impersonalism, too. So the two schemes perfectly overlap here. Ideally, we take knowledge (“East”), examine it, and start peeling away false assumptions about it. In this way we refine our understanding of the idea and so “West” is necessary for complete knowledge, as well as “South” (proper use) and “North” (misuse). In this way we must complete the circle to attain full understanding, and this is where Śrīla Prabhupada’s arrival in the West makes perfect sense as well.

I think it’s obvious that development of western civilization is also a story of negations. They (we – I’m also a child of western thought) negated everything, starting maybe from rising against authority of the Pope, then we went against Biblical descriptions of the world altogether, then we fought to overthrow superstitions and dogmas, then we fought to overthrow kings and empires – our whole history is an endless fight against authorities. We always have something to negate. Whatever idea or concept comes to establish itself, in no time we find faults with it. In this way we, as westerners, are eternal revolutionaries. Even as devotees when we went to India people there immediately noticed that we were very eager to dismiss things and traditions that they held sacred. It’s in our western blood – we find impurities everywhere and we purge them. This approach was very unusual for the Indians of the “South” where they are more concerned with how people can derive benefits from whatever idea they come across rather than dismiss anything completely. Naturally, in their “southern” religion of Hinduism everything goes and everything has a place and value for someone and nothing is rejected altogether.

Another example of such nihilistic “westerness” is the life of a brāhmaṇa from the first chapter of the second part of Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta. Somehow his family got a new idea of a good life and moved from Mathura to Assam in the East (direction of new values). He grew up there but lost his brahminical qualities. Then, in his dream, his worshipable deity gave him a mantra and by chanting it his heart gradually became purified. Under the influence of the mantra he lost interest in his old life and, appropriately, moved west. He first arrived at Ganga Sagara where he found people busy practicing karma kanda rituals. He was very impressed by their knowledge and organization. Everything looked very developed there, and so he tried to become like them, but under the influence of the mantra he still wasn’t satisfied so he moved farther west. He arrived in Varanasi and became fascinated by renunciates seeking liberation there. Still dissatisfied, he moved farther west to Prayag where he found people worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. The deity of Lord Mādhava, presiding over Prayāg-tīrtha, closely resembled the deity of brāhmaṇa’s mantra, but still He didn’t bring him satisfaction and the Lord Mādhava directed the brāhmaṇa farther west to Mathura. Maybe it’s a coincidence but it’s an uncanny one – constant dissatisfaction with the state of things constantly pushed him in a western direction. When he returned to Mathura, the original point of his journey, he met Gopa Kumāra who elevated his life and his spiritual practice to a qualitatively new level, thus completing the circle.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision of a perfect candidate for receiving Krishna Consciousness was very simple: “Krsna consciousness is for those who have come to detest this material world.” (“Topmost Yoga System” Ch 3). That’s why his message was very welcome in the hippie communities in the US who, at the time, had come to the point of detesting prevailing materialistic culture. And yet it was simultaneously lost on those who went “North” and dedicated their lives to destructive practices of “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” which sprang from this defiance. Some of these people were reformed by Śrīla Prabhupāda but many could not be saved. His message also didn’t penetrate the ranks of those Americans who firmly believed in their way of life and didn’t see the need for any changes – the ideological “southerners”.

There is another point to the Vedic science of directions – it’s not just a circle but more of a spiral with high and low points on it, too. If East is a high starting point of knowledge (or sattva) then South is a descend into rajas, and West is tamas. If there’s any hope of saving the situation then the West is also a breaking point from where one can continue to a level down and accept outcomes of “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” as the new platform of lower grade East/sattva/knowledge for the next cycle, or western nihilism can give rise to uplifting practices which will elevate us to a platform of higher knowledge (which, in time, we will try to corrupt again). This is what Śrīla Prabhupāda did for his western disciples – he gave them knowledge and practices which appeared to the general society as opposites of their ideas of truth and karmic pursuits, but these practices were undoubtedly uplifting whereas those who didn’t take Prabhupada’s offer slid down into hellish outcomes of drug addiction.

As much as we glorify Śrīla Prabhupāda as a jagat-guru we have to also acknowledge the fact that it was the nihilistic west that was the most fertile soil for his preaching while karma admiring Indians didn’t see any value in it until we brought money and built very impressive temples there. We can also acknowledge the fact that Śrīla Prabhupāda didn’t leave us a lot of detailed information about what to do with our lives after he saved us. He wanted to institute varṇāśrama, true, but he also gave up on the idea of managing our marriages, seeing us as hopeless and unable to follow simple vows which felt natural to him. Without guidance, managing the Northern leg of our journey leading to the happy and prosperous self-sustaining society of the new “East” where we can raise a new, higher grade of vaiṣṇavas had become problematic and our devotees learned the skill on the fly. One example could be our struggle with gurukulas and government demands for state controlled curriculum, or establishing self-sustained farm communities. I think we all can acknowledge that today’s ISKCON doesn’t look exactly like it was dreamed of in the 70s. In other words, if we choose Śrīla Prabhupāda’s main accomplishments for his praṇāma mantras then we probably have to leave out establishment of daivi-varṇāśrama (new East) and the detailed science of material happiness and prosperity associated with karma yoga of the Vedic South.

Another troublesome legacy of our modern education is that we look on maps and directions from the top, with the map lying on the table in front of us, but in Vedic science this top-down perspective on the world might not even exist. When devotees brought newly published volume of the Third Canto of Śrīmad Bhagavatam to Śrīla Prabhupāda he admired everything about it until he saw the back cover which displayed “from above” view of Lord Brahma on a lotus flower, and Lord Viṣṇu farther below. This is impossible – no one can observe Lord Viṣṇu from above, such position doesn’t exist. “Helicopter view”, Prabhupada called it. We can easily imagine it, though it’s not real, and we assume it’s always there by itself and we can place the Lord within it . Such understanding of the world is very very close to māyāvāda. In Vedic science, on the other hand, we are facing East, which is a way forward. South is on the right, North is on the left, and West is behind. Pāścāt is a word both for West and for “behind”, and Dakṣiṇa is similarly both for South and “right”. And, of course, it’s the demons who appear as the back of the universal form – our demoniac western civilization fits perfectly there. We will never see the Lord’s face from where we are. So, being in the West means not seeing the Lord, which means religion of śūnyavāda – emptiness. We don’t need to be Buddhists for that, simply by being westerners we can develop nihilism just as well. Śrīla Prabhupāda then made us turn around and go towards the light of the East where we can finally find God.

Just a bit of information – historically, maps were usually drawn with the most important thing at the top so that maps reflected natural hierarchy. Chinese invented compass and their needles pointed south, but because the emperor lived in the north they drew their maps with emperor’s palace at the top. During Crusade times Europeans also drew Jerusalem – the east – at the top of their maps. It’s not clear why the tradition changed. Possibly because of the fixed position of the Pole Star around which everything rotates.

Mundane geography also fixes our directions – North is always North, South is South, but Vedic science doesn’t. Rather every society, every individual, and even every phenomenon goes through the cycle of East-South-West-North and each such cycle folds into a bigger cycle like days fold into weeks and weeks fold into months. This means that we can’t blindly repeat Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words everywhere and at all times and expect the same results. By the very nature of his message – if our praṇāma mantras are right about him – it is most potent when addressing those in the “western” phase of their lives. If we approach a millennial sitting through the night in line for the next release of a smartphone so he would be the first one to buy it – he won’t listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words because he is still in the “south”, still enchanted by material prospects. If we approach that same person after he realized that promises made by the society when he was growing up will never come true and the society itself is not what it was pretending to be, he will probably be more receptive to the same message because that would be the western point of his personal cycle. If we are too late and this person takes to implementing whatever decisions he made on the basis of his disappointment, usually in the form of drug abuse and other immoral activities, then his descent would be very hard to reverse.

This model works on entire countries as well. In the 19th century westerners invented a social system opposing to all traditionally held beliefs – godless and classless communism. Then Russians, who live in the cold North, actually tried to implement it via unheard of practices of communal farming and even, at some point, communal wives. That’s a bigger picture, bigger circle. When Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Moscow Russians were still going through the “south” leg of their internal circle, fully believing that their new philosophy worked even if in the big picture it was doomed from the start. Śrīla Prabhupāda planted the seed there but nothing really happened until Russians turned back on their communist dreams – meaning they turned west in their own relative positioning and so became very receptive to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s message. Or we could look at Nordic countries in Europe which are now busy implementing bizarre ideas about gender and sexuality born out of western rejection of traditional values of marriage and gender roles. They happen to lead the world to the global North and for those who embrace these ideas our message might be too late, just like even Śrīla Prabhupāda himself couldn’t save everyone from clutches of LSD and marijuana.

So, in order to preach effectively we either need to find the “western” point in that person’s life or wait until he gets there, which doesn’t happen very often. Good news is that we, as a society, have by now developed solutions attractive for happiness seeking “southerners” – just look at how popular our messages about yoga and clever ways of living have become in India and elsewhere. These messages do not sit well with those devotees who reject “South” wholesale and this disagreement manifests as regrettable “liberal vs conservative” divide. We also have enough experience to help those struggling with their addictions and other people set on self-destructive ways of the “North”. Our Prison Ministry is an inspiring example in this area. There are also attempts to accommodate homosexuals in our movement, no doubt highly controversial. In this way we are becoming a truly universal movement covering all four directions, but our internal differences between South, North, and our original West are not recognized and we sometimes want to put everyone in the same slot, branding them as deviants if they refuse to comply.

We can say that Śrīla Prabhupāda is eternally present but we also have to acknowledge that he gave us direct guidance fifty years ago and we are not receiving it now. In this way his appearance was for the purpose of nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe and not so much for maintaining and developing us beyond the stage of initial deliverance, not for “southern” or “northern” stages of our lives. This means that as we want to continue our preaching mission in the spirit of Śrīla Prabhupāda we need to see where his words and methods suit the best – at the stage of the “West”, at the stage of nihilism, defiance, and disappointment in traditional values. We also need to recognize that in other places we need to derive instructions indirectly following Śrīla Prabhupāda’s spirit, his mood, his books and so on. There will be disagreements on how to do that but if we recognize that they are born out of necessity of adapting to “southern” or “northern” aspirations we might be more accommodating of disagreeing views. Our devotees are not always in the “western” stage of their lives either. Some want prosperity, some want to defy newly accepted norms of behavior and, consequently, their understanding will be different. It would be useless to argue about it because we are not “on the same page” to begin with. We should also recognize that we all have been there, that everyone goes through the same cycle and staying in one place is simply impossible, neither individually nor as a society – Vedic universe is not a static object, it always goes forward, though in circles.

It’s not the first time when the appeal to the “South” has been made in our history – Lord Caitanya Himself told Lord Nityānanda, lifelong renunciate avadhūta, to marry and settle down. As we sing during Gaura-aratik – dakhiṇe nitāi-cāńd – on His right side, ie South, is the moonlike Lord Nityānanda. I’m sure there were devotees at the time who thought it was a crazy idea and a gross deviation – we know from our literature that Lord Nityananda had quite a few detractors, but the cycle cannot be stopped, that’s how the universe moves forward. The best we can do is to find Śrīla Prabhupāda’s place in it and try to figure out how we can carry his legacy forward turn after turn, and also to learn to see his legacy in the actions of devotees we happen to disagree with. The worst we can do is to mislabel everything and forcefully apply some local rules and conclusions everywhere without any consideration. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us better.

PS. The idea of Vedic directions step by step manifesting actual world is taken from a book Cosmic Theogony by Ṛṣirāja Prabhu/Ashish Dalela. There are lots of similar topics there, describing various manifestations of phenomenal world from fundamental philosophy of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=80372

Translation (SB 11.10.17)

Although the performer of fruitive activities desires perpetual happiness, it is clearly observed that materialistic workers are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied, thus proving that they are not independent or in control of their destiny. When a person is always under the superior control of another, how can he expect any valuable results from his own fruitive actions?

Purport

Although materialistic persons reject Kṛṣṇa consciousness and instead pursue temporary sense gratification, even that sense gratification is often beyond their reach. If a person could really control his destiny, why would he create problems for himself? No intelligent person would impose death, old age or disease upon himself or his loved ones. One should recognize that these unwanted miseries are forced upon one by a higher power. Since we are all obviously under superior control, the atheistic philosophy advising one to simply perform fruitive activities and create a happy life is most imperfect.

Due to the influence of time, happiness and misery are created. When a woman becomes pregnant, her husband, relatives and friends eagerly await the birth of the child. As time passes and the child is born, everyone feels great happiness. But as the child grows into old age and eventually dies, that same passage of time is a cause of suffering. Ignorant persons vainly seek help from scientists who work feverishly and fruitlessly in their laboratories to stop death. In modern times, inventions have been created to eliminate the inconveniences of life, but the maintenance and production of such conveniences has proven to be unbearably inconvenient for hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Only the most foolish person will propose that there is no superior controller and that one can achieve favorable results by expert performance of material activities. Ultimately all material activities are useless because they end in annihilation. If one is driving a car but has only limited control, the situation is most dangerous and must lead inevitably to disaster. Similarly, although we are trying to direct the material body to happiness, we are not in full control of the bodily demands, and therefore there will inevitably be disaster. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.3),

aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā

dharmasyāsya parantapa

aprāpya māḿ nivartante

mṛtyu-saḿsāra-vartmani

“Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.” If one is not a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the eventual result of his activities is simply mṛtyu-saḿsāra — repeated birth and death.

This chapter is entitled as The nature of fruitive activities. It is herein explained by the Lord, how illusion of material life is that we are the controllers of our destiny. In the process of fruitive activities, people are thinking that they are the cause of the results of their actions. Krishna says in the Gita that this is Ahankaar, this is false ego. The foolish living being thinks himself to be the cause of the results of his actions. But actually they are carried out by the nature. They are carried out by the higher powers and the evidence of this is very clearly explained in the purport that in everyone’s performance of actions in this world they are seeking pleasure, they are seeking health, they are seeking long lives. But yet Mrtyu samasara comes upon everyone- the repetition of birth and death and the frustration. So ultimately there is higher power we are all under the control of.

Story of Shaubhari muni

In Srimad Bhagavatam in ninth canto, there is a story of Shaubhari muni. He was very powerful yogi. Millions of time more powerful than any materialist today in his ability to fulfill his material desires. He had attained very great mystic powers. And of course when one becomes very powerful spiritually or materially, the tendency is to become very proud and in pride the greatest danger is that we can offend saintly persons. So Shaubhari Muni , as it is described, somehow offended the great devotee Garuda. By doing this, although he was very respected for his very high position, if Krishna does not protect us then nobody however great we are , however advanced spiritually we are, we cannot control our senses even from the grossest activities. It is not possible. The greatest illusion even in spiritual life is to think that by spiritual advancement we can protect ourselves from falling into clutches of Maya, but the fact is

rāga-dveṣa-vimuktais tu

viṣayān indriyaiś caran

ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā

prasādam adhigacchati

(BG 2.64)

It is only by the mercy of Krishna that we can maintain any spiritual position at all. It is only by the mercy of Krishna that we can control our senses, even from the slightest temptation of illusory energy . It is not by our own power. Of course we must follow the rules and regulations of Krishna Consciousness in spiritual life according to our capacity and when Krishna sees that we are sincere and we are humbly attempting and trying, He will give us the power to control our senses and overcome the temptations of illusion. But without Krishna’s help, we cannot do anything.

So Shaubhari muni, although was very advanced in the yogic process, because of this pride he offended a great devotee and therefore Krishna simply withdrew His mercy and if Krishna can withdraw His mercy from a great spiritualist like this then what to speak of the gross materialist who is trying to look for pleasures in this world. Such a powerful yogi he was. He was in the Yamuna under the water for thousands of years performing meditations. Who of us could do that? Such power of control that he even had the power to control his breath. He did not even have to breathe air for thousands of years. This is the power he had to control his senses.

While he was living under the water one day, he saw a male and female fish enjoying the pleasures of sex together. Now what is our position in comparison to his as far as the ability to control our senses. And when we see birds or insects or fish having sexual pleasure together, does it disturb our minds? We just go on walking, doesn’t mean anything to us, but illusory energy of the Lord is so powerful, that if one is not protected by the lord then even something so insignificant as that, can completely infatuate one’s attention . So Shaubhari muni was thinking when he saw all this that “Oh! the pleasures of sex are so wonderful .Look at how these fish are enjoying.” He thought I must have this facility. He came out of the water, simply hunting for a consort to enjoy material pleasures with and he came across some beautiful damsels who were princesses. He approached their father who said,” You are an old man and my daughters are not attracted to you. Besides being very old and having long-matted grey hair, and because he was under water for so long, his skin was all wrinkled from too much exposure to water. They were not at all attracted. After all young ladies do not wish to have a husband who is an old sadhu . They like someone who is very strong, handsome and wealthy. So by his mystic power he transformed his form into the most young beautiful, handsome prince . Who of us could do that? Then when he came, all the princesses wanted him. So he expanded himself to satisfy each and every one of them. In this way he married, he enjoyed like anything. He was given tremendous wealth , tremendous powers. By his mysticism, he was able to create beautiful kingdoms, wonderful wonderful facilities to enjoy. He had literally at his control everything he wanted by his mystic powers and by the inheritance of what he had been given by his father -in- law. With these beautiful princesses, to the extent that anyone could imagine, he was enjoying material life. But after a short time of doing like this, he realized that no matter in how many forms I expand myself, no matter how much wealth I create by my mystic powers, no matter how beautiful these young girls are, he is frustrated and they were frustrated. He could understand what a great mistake he had made and he realized that this is because I had offended this great devotee of the Lord that I lost all my intelligence completely. Ultimately he and his wives all renounced everything and accepted the renounced order. So what is there to be learnt from this story. First of all whoever we are, however great we are, unless we are humbly taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord it is not possible for us ultimately to control our senses because we are all under His power. He can take away our intelligence. He can cover us by Maya. He can cover us by yoga maya. He can do anything He wants. We are eternally His servitors.

Story of Vishvamitra muni

We read a similar story in the life of Vishvamitra muni. He was such a great powerful yogi that he was able to sit in meditation in the winter in the peaks of the Himalayas with breaking ice and keeping his body up to his neck in the ice for 6 months at a time. Sometimes we are afraid of a cold bath which lasts about 15 or 20 seconds . He spent 6 months in ice without being disturbed, such was his power. But by the power of the illusory energy, just the tinkling of the ankle bells of Menaka was able to bewilder his mind and cast him deeply into the abyss of the material sense enjoyment. But it is described that Srila Haridas Thakur, even the personification of Maya with all of her potencies came before him to try to dissuade him from his wows. Because with great humility he was taking shelter of Krishna through His name, ultimately Maya became his disciple. Ultimately she surrendered to him. So the conclusion is that the devotee of the Lord understands that it is only by the power of God, it is only by the power of Krishna that we can do anything. It is only by power of Krishna that we can be protected and therefore, the devotee with all humility is always seeking shelter of the lord. Therefore such a devotee is never vanquished by the material energy. But those foolish materialistic people and even those less intelligent spiritualists who are dependent on their own powers, on their own abilities, on their own opulence, they are birth after birth after birth frustrated , frustrated by the inflictions of the modes of material nature.

Depending on Krishna

The greatest, most powerful materialistic heroes in the world throughout history- where are they now? They have all succumbed to death. They have all succumbed to old age. They have all been defeated. Material nature defeats every one and this is the essential principle in the 11th chapter of the Gita, where Krishna manifests His universal form to show that I am devouring everyone, I am consuming everyone. In my form of time, everyone is completely under my control and nobody can escape it even for a second and the greatest illusion it is to think that we have escaped it. The difference between the sura or the asura, the demoniac and the devotee is simply that. And therefore I will act independent of Krishna’s will. In the universal form of God He showed that He is devouring every living being from the greatest most powerful heroes to the insignificant insects in His form of time. Devotee accepts it. Devotee admits it ,“Yes , KRISHNA You are in control. You have created, You are maintaining and you will annihilate. I surrender to you”. Srila Prabhupada used the example that a cat keeps a rat in her mouth holding with her teeth and the when rat looks when she looks upon that cat in great fear and horror, the rat is seeing this cat as death personified. The same cat when she is holding her kittens with the same mouth, the kitten sees the cat as the most protective loving mother. What is the difference? This is difference of perception. Because the rat is trying to act independent of the will of the cat. What is that saying, when cat is away the rats will play? Because the rat has a separate interest trying to enjoy separate therefore sees that cat as death personified and ultilmately is killed by the cat. But the kitten , because the kitten has learned to take shelter, to surrender to the cat, the same cat appears to the kitten as the most loved, blessed, protected mother. So similarly this human society is called rat race. What does rat race mean? That means when the cat is away the mice and rats will play. We are thinking there is no God. We are thinking that God is not in control therefore either the God doesn’t exist or He is somewhere else and therefore we are all doing our own thing. We are all trying to make our arrangements, our own grand plans for material enjoyment, for progress and civilization. Therefore when death comes, we view death as the most cruel, terrible cheater taking everything away. Krishna says,’ I am death personified. For a devotee’ , but because a devotee is conscious that I can do nothing without Krishna , Krishna is everything, I can only be His servant. Let me just serve His will and whatever the result is. We are not attached to the results of our activities. We understand that the results are in the control of Krishna This is the teaching of karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana(BG 2.47). A devotee simply does his service for the pleasure of the Lord and is not at all attached to the fruits of his actions because he knows ultimately Krishna is in control. Whether I am a success or a failure, it is not in my hands. It is in God’s hand. I simple have to try my best. Such a devotee who is always absorbed in loving , humility in devotional service, such a devotee understands that death is but my Lord so kindly taking me back to His eternal abode. Devotee is not afraid of death. Devotee sees Krishna in life and sees Krishna in death because the devotee is taking shelter of Krishna.

bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandana
abhaya-caraṇāravinda re

My dear mind, please take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Surrender to Him. Be His servant. Only in this way you will be free from fear, anxiety, frustration and suffering. But any other arrangement we try to make be it on any various spiritual or material path, ultimately we will end in frustration and anxiety unless we learn to take shelter in all humility of the service of the Lord. Whoever we are, whether we are bramhacharis, grahasthas, vanprasthas,or sanyasis we must know that we do not have the power to control the mind, our senses even for a moment without the help of God, without the grace of God. Krishna’s illusory energy is so powerful. Even lord Shiva, the greatest of all vaishnavas and expansion of Lord Himself was completely mad after Mohini murti. Chasing after a young woman, even so intoxicated by this that Mohini Murti ran by his own disciples great sanyasis who were saying Om Namah Shivaya and performing great tapasya, giving up all forms of sensual experiences and here the lord they were worshipping comes by them running after a young woman, what is this? Lord Shiva what are you doing? We have given up all these things for you and you are doing. They could not understand. Ultimately lord Shiva became so completely intoxicated by the beauty of Mohini murti and finally in the end when he came back to his senses he was not even ashamed. He was proud. He was proud that my Lord is so great, that if He wants to take away my intelligence and make me into a complete sense enjoyer that is His glory. He was not ashamed thinking, oh I have lost my reputation. He was thinking no no if My lord wants to do like this, this is His power. I am completely subordinate to Him. So what to speak of us, our position. If Krishna wants to protect us nothing came disturb us and if Krishna wants to disturb us nothing can protect us. So therefore we simply have to try to please Krishna. Devotee has no other ambition. He doesn’t want to be great spiritualist. He doesn’t want to be powerful. He doesn’t want to attain mystic power. He doesn’t want to perform tremendous tapasya. He simply wants to please Krishna . If Krishna is pleased with our humble service nothing can harm us. If Krishna is not pleased then it is just the matter of time till through His illusiory energy we must succumb. So therefore this is the difference between the material consciousness and spiritual consciousness. One surrenders understanding our complete dependence on the Lord.
Real meaning of Independence

Recently we were at the rainbow gathering and the 4th of July came and we were discussing this idea that throughout America this is a very holy day. It is the day of independence. I think the 4th of July was the day when first the American politicians wrote the declaration of independence. They wanted to declare their independence from the British. Then there was a great war, the revolutionary war and ultimately the American colonies were victorious and they gained independence. Every year on 4th of July there is this great celebration, ‘Independence Day’. They are blowing off the fireworks, and all sorts of speeches and celebration. But what type of independence. First of all we came here and we took away the independence of American Indians. What is this? First, some Europeans came and then they fought war with the American Indians to take away their independence. Then the British came and took away our independence . Then we fought against them and took our independence. But the fact is that of all those people who signed the declaration of independence, is anyone of them here today to tell us about their independence. They have all succumbed to the repetition of birth and death . They have all attained what every materialist must attain – old age, disease and death. Therefore what sort of independence. Real independence comes when we declare from the core of our hearts that we are utterly and completely dependent on Krishna, dependent on God. The greatest illusion, an obstacle for real happiness and joy in this entire existence is that we are independent. Therefore every day devotees celebrate beginning at 3 or 4 in the morning, we are to celebrate that we are 100% , 24 hours a day, dependent on the mercy of Krishna. And in that dependence we recognize that dependence and glorify who we are depending on in everything we do and everything we say and potentially in everything we think.

Krishna is everything. We are His insignificant parts. He is nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) . That one Supreme Creator and controller of all that exists is completely masterminding this entire creation and all living beings are utterly dependent on His control. That is bhakti, to recognize that and to surrender. Bhagavad Gita gives this message. Arjuna wanted to act independently and what was the result. With all of his good qualities he was utterly frustrated but then he simply admitted that Krishna, You are my Lord, You are my Master, You are the creator, You are the maintainer, You are the destroyer, I surrender to You. What is Your will? Let me please You. Let me serve You. In that we are independent of all the material miseries. In total dependence on Krishna, on total dependence on the words of Guru we are completely independent of the illusions and frustration of this world. To the extent we are not surrendered, to that extent we must suffer the illusions of this world. So therefore a devotee sees only in these terms. He does not see that all I need is this and this and only if this happens and only if that happens then everything will be alright. The devotee understands that to the degree I am suffering it means to that degree I am not surrendering my will.

Sarva dharma parityajam mam ekam sarva vraja. Krishna says abandon all other occupations , all other dharmas, all other religions, just surrender with utter dependence on me. I will protect you from all sinful reaction, do not fear.

Thank you very much!

Hare Krishna!

The purpose of this paper is to both establish the importance of the seva of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books as well as understanding the essence of the message in Prabhupada’s books which is the performance of devotional service, regardless of one’s role or place in society.

Firstly I would like to present my own personal reading resume: I have read the Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta five times, the five-volume set of the unedited letters of Srila Prabhupada three times, the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 45 times, all 12 cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam 40 times, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita 40 times, Nectar of Devotion 30 times, the Ramayana three times, the Mahabharata three times, the Nectar of Instruction 25 times, Sri Isopanisad ten times, as well as a few other books by some of our recent writers in ISKCON.

Some time back one GBC and some VIPs said to me: “Antaryami, why read the books so much? All you need is a computer and the Prabhupada Vedabase; ” My argument then and now is: the founder-acharya states in all of his books, conversations and letters that books are the basis and that we should read the books. I have personally found that computers are not reliable for searching data from the Prabhupada Vedabase. While computers do have a place in society, because they are designed by persons having the four defects, defective computers are the result.

While I have personally found that ISKCON is the most practical and beneficial society for practicing bhakti-yoga it should be noted that no other society or sampradaya is excluded from being a vehicle for the practice of bhakti-yoga in Srila Prabhupada’s books.

In Prabhupada’s books it is emphasised again and again that the best process today for spiritual advancement is chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. If one chants a fixed number of rounds a day (minimum sixteen) with faith, sincerity and perseverance success will follow.

In the Dallas temple, before the devotees and the Deities in early 1983, H.H. Tamal Krsna Goswami read out a letter from Srila Prabhupada: “My dear Tamal, the temple is likened to a military training camp where persons come and are trained as soldiers. After being trained they are sent out into the field to live an ideal devotee life preaching and living by example, or they remain in the temples to serve in one of many varieties of service. Those who are not strong enough to live outside the temple maintaining sadhana they can remain in the temple till such a time.” (I was there during this reading.)

Long before coming to the west, Srila Prabhupada asked his Guru Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati if it would be okay for him to move into the temple ashram. His Guru told him not to move into the temple, as at that time there were a lot of problems, politics, etc., amongst his disciples. It was better to live outside and practice Krsna consciousness and in time all would be revealed.

I present such examples because some devotees are disturbed when asked to move out of the temples. In a class given by Srila Prabhupada titled “weapons by mantra, and gopis have highest pleasure,” Srila Prabhupada quotes this verse by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: “Every one of you become guru, and deliver; please let people understand what is Krsna.” No mention that one needs to remain living in a temple ashram.

While an ISKOCN temple is undoubtedly an ideal place to practice devotional service, it is not the only way.

Before Srila Prabhupada came to the west and started ISKCON, he was preaching in India travelling as a retired family man. In his preaching travels he did not direct persons to any particular temple. Srila Prabhupada was a really good, pure and learned preacher empowered directly from Krsna. With integrity he encouraged everyone towards the bhakti process.

There are four disciplic lines of bhakti yoga in this universe, from Brahma (ISKCON’s line), Siva, Laxmi and the four Kumaras.

The books say that Maya is a very strong personality. Maya directs us to always choose, whether it be enemies, friends, right, wrong, husbands, wives, etc. Maya also starts wars and makes the peace as well. She makes the good look bad and the bad look good. Maya affects our minds, bodies, intellect and intellectual conclusions. She does this personally and through her aides-de-camp, the three modes of material nature. Our tasting, eating, drinking, smelling, seeing, feeling, etc., are also affected by Maya. We desire something, and Maya presents it for our experience — it’s no accident.

Srila Prabhupada’s books show that Maya’s mission is to deflect one away from the Krsna conscious process. Srila Prabhupada said that this chanting of Hare Krsna is a war against Maya and that Maya’s work is to keep us here — bewildering us, cheating us, taunting us, playing with our mind’s eye and psychological intellect. This is Maya’s service to Krsna.

Some devotees, when they do not have the benefit of living in or visiting a temple will often stop the bhakti process. However Srila Haridas Thakur the Namacarya did not stop chanting Hare Krsna when he couldn’t visit the Jagannath Puri temple. Did he start some movement to reform the temple? Did he say “they changed”, “I can’t go in there” or “They beat me up and Krsna did not protect me, so I quit “? There are many examples of tests given in the books. These tests are brought about by Krsna through Maya, through the demigods and personally by Krsna. Such tests show the greatness of sincere steadfast devotees as well as testing the neophyte devotees’ iron. Tests are sometimes a result of past karma.

Srila Prabhupada did not start a reform movement during his lifetime. He just kept to the process learned from his Srila Gurudeva and, with faith and perseverance, living outside the temple, showed through example how to be a good devotee in Krsna bhakti. He showed us how to act (to be an acharya).

Srila Prabhupada says: “One need only know how to act, and it is faith only that will see you through in this process.” The books teach that, once having learned the bhakti process, one need only follow it with faith, whether in a temple, living outside or far away.

Some examples of devotional tests: 1. The brahman whose finger was burned in his meditation of making sweet rice. He learned a process not directly taught to him, and he privately practiced that process with faith. 2. Prahlada Maharaja and his demon father. 3. Sita devi, apparently kidnapped by a demon. 4. Dhruva Maharaja insulted by his step-mother. 5. Daksha’s cursing of Narada Muni. 6. the Pandavas exiled. 7. Lord Rama exiled. 8. Krsna’s firstborn son Pradyumna stolen by a demon. 9. The Pandavas’ grandson to die from snakebite. 10. Haridas Thakura beaten. 11. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s many associates faced many difficulties. In recent history, Srila Prabhupada the founder-acharya of ISKCON encountered many problems while preaching. Such examples and pastimes are there to teach, to help us stay faithful in the process of Krsna consciousness. There will be many problems; this is kali-yuga.

Srila Prabhupada’s books present perfect solutions. One needs to read the books carefully to see what those persons of the past did to resolve or deal with circumstantial problems and personal karma and eventually to go back to Godhead.

ISKCON is not a plain-Joe or -Jane yoga society; ISKCON is a Bhaktivedanta yoga society. There are many books; the acarya has asked us in every page and chapter to read them — it is our duty as Bhaktivedanta yogis.

Something to heed: In Srimad Bhagavatam there is the story of Daksha and Narada Muni. Daksha curses Narada Muni that he would not be able to stay in any one place for any long time. Srila Prabhupada says in this purport that this curse had fallen upon him, also, from the parents of the young devotees who joined his society. Interestingly, Srila Prabhupada says he has passed this curse onto his disciples.

Our friends, relatives, family members, children, enemies, mind, intellect, health, looks, senses, strength, birthplace, wealth, fame, infamy, etc., are results of past karma. Karma is not only a “sticks-and-stones, break-bones” or timely-death issue. Karma is deep and complicated. Maharaja Dasarath, the father of Sri Rama, said to his wife, the mother of Rama: “Now I see that no one is exempt from their karma — not even I.”

Srila Prabhupada’s books state the material world is so complex that sometimes even Brahma and Siva are placed into perplexities due to its complexities. Again, this is kali-yuga, the fallen age. Contaminated with the four defects, affected by maya and the three modes of material nature, we have unlimited karma.

The Hare Krsna movement always was and always will be about one thing only: Hearing, chanting, remembering or seeing Krsna’s form at the time of death — and that’s it.

I’ve chosen to read the books a lot. I felt it was my duty and, as Srila Prabhupada states in Bhagavad-gita, a onetime reading is not sufficient. For those of you who doubt my history of many times reading the books, I can only ask you to seek out those ISKCON devotees who personally know me and to ask them. One who has not read the books cannot ask others to read them. Hare Krsna.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85918

 In the mission of spreading Krishna consciousness, devotees and temples worldwide strive to live according to the principles of compassion, purity, and respect for all living beings. Central to this culture is go-seva—the loving protection and service of cows, who are deeply cherished in Vedic tradition.

However, in the modern world, it is important for us to carefully examine the sources of the dairy products we consume.

Understanding the Modern Dairy Industry

Many widely available dairy brands—such as Amul, Mother Dairy, Nandini, Nestlé, Heritage Foods, and Britannia—operate within large-scale commercial dairy systems. While these companies provide milk products to millions, their supply chains are often part of a broader agricultural structure that is economically linked to the meat industry.

To understand this connection, we should consider how modern dairy production works.

1. Continuous Milk Production

For cows to produce milk regularly, they must give birth repeatedly. In industrial systems, this often involves artificial insemination and strict productivity cycles.

2. Male Calves

Since male calves cannot produce milk, they are frequently treated as byproducts of the dairy system. In many cases, they are sold into industries where they may ultimately be used for meat production.

3. Declining Milk Yield

When cows grow older and their milk production declines—often after 6 to 10 years—they are commonly sold or transferred out of the dairy system. In many global dairy structures, these animals may end up in the meat supply chain.

For devotees dedicated to the principle of ahimsa (non-violence), these realities raise important questions about how our consumption choices align with our spiritual values.

Health and Ethical Considerations

Another concern sometimes discussed is the use of hormones, antibiotics, and chemical treatments in large-scale dairy operations. While regulations vary by country, many devotees prefer milk that is produced in natural, traditional environments where cows are treated with care and respect.

The Ahimsa Dairy Alternative

To address these concerns, many devotees and communities are encouraging the adoption of Ahimsa dairy systems.

An Ahimsa dairy model is built on principles that reflect the traditional Vedic culture of cow protection.

No Slaughter

Cows are never sold for meat. They are cared for throughout their natural lives, even after they stop producing milk.

Protection of Oxen

Male calves are not discarded. Instead, they may be trained for agricultural work, service in farms, or simply protected within a gaushala environment.

Calf-First Approach

Calves are given priority to nurse from their mothers before milk is taken for human consumption.

This model preserves the sacred relationship between humans and cows that is described throughout the Vedic scriptures.

Aligning Practice with Philosophy

In the teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, cow protection is repeatedly emphasized as a cornerstone of a peaceful and spiritually progressive society. Protecting cows is not merely a social ideal—it is a spiritual responsibility.

As devotees engaged in spreading Krishna consciousness, we naturally strive to ensure that our daily habits reflect the values we preach.

Transitioning toward Ahimsa dairy sources is one meaningful step in that direction.

A Thoughtful Step Forward

While availability and practical circumstances may vary from place to place, awareness is the first step toward positive change. By supporting Ahimsa dairy initiatives, gaushalas, and protected cow farms, devotees can help create a compassionate alternative within the dairy economy.

In doing so, we honor the sacred position of the cow and deepen our commitment to the principles of Krishna consciousness.

The Boat Festival has its roots in Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual eternal realm. One of the boat pastimes is described in detail in Gopal Champu by Srila Jiva Goswami. One day the gopis, loaded with pots full of yogurt and butter, came to the banks of Manasi Ganaga, wishing to cross the river. They met a boatman who gladly agreed to help. When the boat was already far away from the bank the boatman stopped rowing, saying that He was too hungry. The gopis gave Him whatever food they had in their pots so that He could continue rowing. He continued. But after some time He stopped again. The gopis asked for what reason He was stopping. The boatman said that now He was too tired and that they had to massage His arms. Having heard this, the gopis told Him that they would throw Him out of the boat if He would not continue rowing. Suddenly clouds covered the sky, wind started to blow and the waters became very agitated. The boat started shaking from one side to another. The gopis were overwhelmed with fear. Radharani, searching for shelter, clung to the boatman. When She saw that He had a flute, She immediately realized that the boatman was none other than Her beloved Krishna. Then She showed the flute to the gopis to make them understand. They were very happy to spend the rest of their time in the company of Krishna.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117532

The video features a brief interview with two long-time devotees serving in the Hare Krishna temple community in Hong Kong: Shereimony and Suchandra, both disciples of their spiritual teacher. They discuss what inspires them in Krishna consciousness and how they deal with challenges.

Shereimony explains that her greatest inspiration comes from associating with other devotees and participating in congregational singing (kirtan). Although studying scripture is valuable, she feels that direct association with devotees gives her the strongest encouragement and spiritual energy.

When feeling sad, Shereimony shares her feelings with her husband, who reassures her to simply do her best in devotional service. Su Chandra explains that when he feels sad, he either seeks guidance from senior or close devotees, or he immerses himself in service to help overcome those feelings.

Both describe their temple services. Shereimony has been serving for over 20 years (since 2005) and performs many tasks, including office work, cooking, and caring for senior devotees. Su Chandra performs services such as cooking, deity worship assistance, giving classes, and helping Chinese devotees visiting Hong Kong by assisting with accommodation and logistics.

The interviewer concludes by recognizing them as “unsung heroes” who quietly dedicate many years to serving the temple and supporting the devotee community.



Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117526

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year!

The most wonderful day of the year is fast approaching: Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day! Please sharpen your pencil or boot up your keyboard and let your love and appreciation flow for the most wonderful personality, whom we’re so fortunate to have as our eternal master.

Written homages are due by May 1, 2026. You will note that this deadline is later than usual, so please also be aware that NO homages will be accepted after this date!

Please email homages to:

vphomages@iskcon.net

Here are some developments for this year’s Vyasa-puja book:

We’re improving the website to host this year’s Vyasa-puja book. A printable PDF of the full Vyasa-puja book, with approximately 50 beautiful photos of Srila Prabhupada and your offerings from around the world, will still be available. If you wish to print the Vyasa-puja book for your center or project, please contact Praghosa Prabhu at Praghosa.SDG@pamho.net. Otherwise, the PDF will be available for download or online reading just before Vyasa-puja day.

We invite devotees submitting offerings to show Srila Prabhupada what they’ve been up to through photos. Please send up to two photos to be included in the online and digital versions only of your temple or center, a project your center is engaged in, a group photo of your congregation, the Lordships you serve–whatever you’d most like Srila Prabhupada to see and bless. We want Srila Prabhupada and everyone connected to his mission to see the incredible scope of this international movement.

To submit your photos, please include them in your homages or email them separately. Photo submissions are otherwise due latest by July 15, 2026.

We’ve embedded a translation tool into the vyasapuja. com website so that devotees across the world can read the offerings in their own language. We hope in the near future to make the online version of the Vyasa-puja book more multilingual, with devotees able to write offerings in their mother tongue and have them translated live on the site.

Would you like to participate in bringing the Vyasa-puja book to the next generation? We’d love to hear your ideas. You can reach us at vphomages@iskcon.net. Please put “Ideas” in your subject line.

Written offering submission guidelines:

Who may submit a homage?

(a) Governing Body Commissioners
(b) GBC Emeriti
(c) ISKCON Sannyasis
(d) Authorized representatives of ISKCON temples, preaching centers, farms, schools, BBT offices, ministries, and other entities, such as BTG magazine, ISCOWP, and other such entities. If you re not sure, please write us.

Standards for submitting a Vyasa-puja offering:

1. Homages are due on May 1, 2026. Photos are due on July 15, 2026. No extensions or exceptions possible.

2. Homages must be in English.

3. Please restrict the length to a maximum of 2,500 words.

4. If you quote Srila Prabhupada, please give the reference (book, letter, conversation, or lecture).

5. Do not “recycle” homages–no homage from a previous year will be accepted.

6. The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada. It is not for venting grievances, nor for glorifying other devotees. If your homage to Srila Prabhupada references your own guru or other devotees, please do so without the use of honorifics or undue glorification. The editorial team reserves the right to reject an offering it deems inappropriate or to ask for a rewrite.

7. When writing a homage on behalf of a temple or other entity, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your project can identify with it.

8. Please ensure we know where your homage is from: New Vraja Dhama, Hungary, not simply New Vraja Dhama. Best is if you include city, state/province, and country to avoid mixups. If we don’t know where your homage comes from, we may not print it.

9. Please leave a blank line between paragraphs. If you want special formatting, submit your offering as an attached file in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format. Please do NOT send us PDFs of your offering.

10. Submit written homages (and photos) by emailing them to vphomages@iskcon.net

Once you’ve submitted your homage, we will confirm receipt by email.

Seeking inspiration? Feel free to go through last year’s book at:

http://vyasapuja.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Sri-Vyasa-Puja-Book-2025.pdf

Hoping this meets you well!

Your servants on the Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja Book Team,

Ananda Tirtha Das
Kaisori Devi Dasi
Praghosa Das
Rasasagara Govinda Das

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117535

As the global ISKCON community prepares to celebrate the appearance day of its Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotees around the world are invited to submit written homages for inclusion in the 2026 Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja Book. Organizers have announced that submissions are due by May 1, 2026, noting that the deadline is later than usual this year but emphasizing that no homages will be accepted after this date. Offerings should be emailed to vphomages@iskcon.net.

This year’s edition will include several new features as the Vyasa-puja Book team continues to expand its digital reach. A redesigned website will host the book online, while a printable PDF version containing approximately 50 photos of Srila Prabhupada and offerings from devotees worldwide will also be available shortly before Vyasa-puja day. Centers or projects wishing to print copies of the book may contact Praghosa Das at Praghosa.SDG@pamho.net; others can read or download the PDF online.

Devotees submitting offerings are also invited to include up to two photos to be featured in the online and digital versions of the book. These images may highlight temple communities, congregation groups, Deities being served, or outreach and devotional projects. The aim is to give Srila Prabhupada and the worldwide devotional family a glimpse of the vibrant service taking place throughout his international movement. Photo submissions may be sent along with written offerings or separately, and must be received by July 15, 2026.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/call-for-homages-announced-for-srila-prabhupadas-2026-vyasa-puja-book/

A major artistic project is underway for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Mayapur, featuring a series of large-scale devotional paintings depicting the pastimes of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The video highlights an ambitious effort to produce 16 detailed paintings that narrate the dramatic story of the Lord’s appearance and the deliverance of His great devotee Prahlad Maharaj. The narrative sequence begins with the well-known episode of the four Kumaras cursing Jaya and Vijaya, and concludes with the coronation of Prahlad Maharaj, presenting the entire arc of this powerful Bhagavatam pastime through sacred art.

According to one of the artists, Rasikananda Das, the project requires an extraordinary investment of time, creativity, and devotion. Each painting takes three to six months to complete, depending on the complexity of its composition and detail, and the full series is expected to require more than three years of work. The canvases feature elaborate architectural settings, intricate ornamentation, and carefully crafted storytelling elements, all designed to immerse viewers in the spiritual drama of Lord Nrsimhadeva’s pastimes.

The artist describes the work as “Krishna art,” a term coined by Srila Prabhupada to describe devotional artwork created in service to Krishna consciousness. The team sees the project as part of fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s vision for the TOVP, a temple intended to inspire visitors through both philosophy and sacred aesthetics. By bringing these detailed scenes to life, the artists hope to contribute to the temple’s grandeur and help future visitors connect with the timeless teachings of the Srimad-Bhagavatam through visual storytelling.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/artists-create-epic-nrsimhadeva-paintings-for-tovp-interior/

Srila Srivasa Pandit, the fifth member of the Panca-tattva, appeared in Srihatta, West Bengal, about 30 years before the appearance of Lord Gauranga. Srivasa Pandit lived in Navadvipa before the advent of Lord Chaitanya.

Living the traditional brahminical life, he and his younger brothers, Srinidhi, Sripati and Srirama, worshipped Lord Krishna, performing devotional service and bathing thrice daily in the Ganges. On his order, they moved to Navadvipa and began to associate with the senior and respected Sri Advaita Acharya.

They regularly used to attend the assembly of devotees who gathered at Sri Advaita Acharya’s house to hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam and engage in congregational chanting of the Holy Names.

“Intelligent Srivasa had previously been Narada Muni, the best of the sages. Srivasa’s younger brother, Sriman Rama Pandit, had previously been Narada’s close friend Parvata Muni” (Gaura Ganodesh Dipika 90).

Srivasa Pandit and his wife Malini Devi became intimate friends of Jagannatha Misra and Sachi Devi. When Lord Visvambhara appeared, the hearts of all the devotees were filled with parental affection for the child. After the birth of Nimai, Malini would regularly visit and give advice to the younger Sachi mata on how to raise her mischievous child. Nimai looked upon Srivasa Pandit and Malini just like His parents. 

Source: https://ramaiswami.com/srivasa-pandit-appearance-3/