By Radha Mohan

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, invited faith leaders from different traditions to join him for breakfast on Thursday, November 14th.

Visakha Dasi, representing ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, was pleased to hear Mr Starmer emphasise the importance of faith to the fabric of UK society. “That was especially evident”, Mr Starmer said, “during the pandemic when great numbers of people turned to places of worship for shelter and solace in a time of international uncertainty”.

Mr Starmer said that his administration didn’t want to wait for a crisis before dialoging and working with faith groups. Rather, he wants to establish and have ongoing relationships between the government and those diverse groups. He acknowledged their profound benefit to society in terms of their humanitarian work, instilling ethical and moral behaviour, creating community, and offering peace to the minds and hearts of the people.

A number of the faith leaders present spoke briefly, addressing the need to include and encourage young people to participate, the need for spiritual education, and the need of a culture in the UK where it’s perfectly acceptable for faith to be expressed differently in different traditions.

As the meeting concluded, Mr Starmer promised to have another, follow up, one in about six months. And before he left the room, Visakha Dasi gave him a container with kheer (or Keir!) from the temple to enjoy with his breakfast.

That same evening there was another meeting in the House of Lords, organised by Faith in Labour, which was presided over by Sir Stephen Timms MP and Baroness Sherlock. That was also attended by devotees.

Source: https://www.krishnatemple.com/an-interfaith-breakfast-with-the-prime-minister/

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, invited faith leaders from different traditions to join him for breakfast on Thursday, November 14th.

Visakha Dasi, representing ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, was pleased to hear Mr Starmer emphasize the importance of faith to the fabric of UK society. “That was especially evident,” Mr Starmer said, “during the pandemic when great numbers of people turned to places of worship for shelter and solace in a time of international uncertainty.”

For more details from the event, see the full post here.

Source: https://iskconnews.org/bhaktivedanta-manor-president-invited-to-interfaith-gathering-with-uk-prime-minister/

The following incident, described in Watering the Seed, took place exactly forty-five years ago.

Almost every morning in Bombay Srila Prabhupada used to walk on Juhu Beach. One morning I was feeling especially wretched and miserable. Although so many other devotees were present, Srila Prabhupada began to speak as if he were addressing me personally.

He quoted a Sanskrit verse and said there are two words—a-natha and sa-natha. Natha means “master,” so a-natha means “without master” and sa-natha means “with master.” The whole goal of life is to become sa-natha, “with master.”

In the morning on Juhu Beach many gentlemen used to walk their dogs. Srila Prabhupada pointed to a fat and fit gentleman walking with an equally fat and fit dog. The man was walking briskly and confidently with his dog on his leash, and the dog was walking equally briskly and confidently with his master by his side. Srila Prabhupada commented that every dog wants a good master. If the dog has a good master he is happy. He holds his head high; he wags his tail. He knows that his master will maintain and protect him, so he has no anxiety.

But the street dog—“The poor fellow has no master. Therefore he is always suffering.” Srila Prabhupada then pointed to some stray dogs. “They have no master. They do not know where they will sleep, how they will get food. Other dogs bark at them; children throw stones at them. They are always in anxiety.”

Srila Prabhupada stopped walking. He planted his cane firmly in the sand of Juhu Beach. Although I stood behind many of the devotees who moved close around him, with his eyes laden with love and compassion he looked in my eyes. “So we should be sanatha, protected, not anatha—orphan. We should have our master and be exclusively devoted to him. Then we will feel confident in his protection and always be happy.”

Quoting the verse again, Srila Prabhupada explained each Sanskrit word. Mano-ratha: the chariot of the mind. Mental concoction is driving us here, there, here, there. We have no peace. But when we have our perfect master to serve, we become peaceful, prasanta, and jubilant: “I have got my master. I have no cares and anxiety.” This is the ideal of life, to become sanatha-jivitam, living with hope that “I have got my master who will give me protection.”

I knew that Srila Prabhupada was speaking directly to me, addressing my present need in Krishna consciousness. Without my even asking or saying anything, he knew my heart and gave the perfect solution through his instructions. Thus he exemplified the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.7.36):

anuvratanam sisyanam
  putranam ca dvijottama
anaprsrstam api bruyur
  guravo dina-vatsalah

 “Those who are spiritual masters are very kind to the needy. They are always kind to their followers, disciples, and sons, and without being asked by them, the spiritual master describes all that is knowledge.”

Thereafter, I always tried to remember and follow the instructions Srila Prabhupada gave me on Juhu Beach.

Although I had caught some of the words from the verse and Srila Prabhupada’s explanation, I very much wanted to find the verse—but could not. Then several years later I came across the same verse quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta:

bhavantam evanucaran nirantarah
  prasanta-nihsesa-mano-rathantarah
kadaham aikantika-nitya-kinkarah
  praharsayisyami sanatha-jivitam

“By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?” (Cc Madhya 1.206)

Reading the purport, I found the same instructions Srila Prabhupada had given on Juhu Beach: “Just as a dog or servant is very satisfied to get a competent, perfect master, or as a child is completely satisfied to possess a competent father, so the living entity is satisfied by completely engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. He thereby knows that he has a competent master to save him from all kinds of danger.”

I realized that Srila Prabhupada is so perfect that he always spoke on the basis of scripture. At the same time, because of his tremendous compassion and humanity, he could say just the right thing in the right way to deeply touch the heart of the listener.

Now whenever I walk on Juhu Beach and see the different types of dogs—those with masters and those without—I remember Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and pray that I will always remain Srila Prabhupada’s dog.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=90970

By Rupali Chadha, MD

Over the years I have been approached by many a devotee in distress. Though I grew up in ISKCON and have been slowly cultivating my own Krishna consciousness, I am very much a neophyte. I was blessed by Krishna’s will in that I became a physician. I went forward to specialize in general and forensic psychiatric medicine. It is for this reason, I am often approached by devotees when their emotional life becomes overwhelming. Often they are told to chant better rounds or seek shelter of Krishna. Well, perhaps Krishna guides them in their heart to talk to someone like me. One of my two mentors in ISKCON, Badrinarayan Swami, has been telling me since I was eight years old, that yes, we trust in Krishna, but if we have a broken leg, we must address that with modern medicine. When I chose psychiatric medicine as my path, he told me the same is true of some mental disturbances that come from brain diseases.

Before I progress further I must address that some mental disturbances are not brain diseases requiring medication, but still are issues we must sort in conjunction with our Krishna consciousness. Just because someone is not mentally ill (as in a major mental illness which may be a brain disease), it does not mean they are mentally well. Emotional wellness or health are key components to a peaceful life! Major mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and even brain disease depression require diagnosis and treatment with medication by a physician. These illnesses result from a “broken part.” Usually that broken part is the genetics we inherit that then leads to changes in the brain’s structure, chemistry, and functioning. In schizophrenia a patient may hear voices or be paranoid of harm when there is none. In mood disorders like bipolar disorder or depression, we have extremes of mood that threaten our very survival by causing behaviors that are dangerous to ourselves often, sometimes to others. In order to understand if one of these illnesses are affecting us, we must seek counsel of a trained physician in psychiatric medicine, also known as a psychiatrist (different than a psychologist who is a PhD or PsyD and not a medical doctor).

But just because most of us will not have a major mental illness, does not mean we have a smooth and well functioning emotional life. Many of us suffer from non brain disease depression, what I call demoralization. Even more of us are plagued with anxiety (again not to the severity of a brain disease, but just enough to affect our choices and peace). Once it is determined that we are not suffering from an illness that requires medication and or formal therapy, we can then embark on understanding and healing our minds.

Why is it important for someone who is aspiring towards God to work simultaneously on their emotional health? Often we work so hard to cultivate our devotional practice but completely neglect taking care of our psychological needs. Of course Krishna provides all, but doesn’t Krishna wants us to work on having ready coping mechanisms for our emotions, healthy ways to deal with past trauma, and a good managing strategy for dealing with material difficulties as they arise? As an aspiring devotee and psychiatric physician, my answer is yes! Even Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita, that “for him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for him who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.” (Chapter 6,Verse 6).

So just how can one make their mind a friend and an ally to support their Krishna consiousness, rather than an enemy? The first step is in taking ownership for the mind. Now there are many things we do not control, as we know we are not the Controller. We cannot control many aspects of our environment and we certainly cannot control others. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but take notice in your day; how much of it is spent actually trying to control other people? A husband and wife trying to control the other to do something, children trying to manipulate their parents and parents, rightfully and properly so, trying to control the learning and building of healthy skills in their children. We can influence others, and as aspiring Vaishnavs, we ought to live by example and be a positive guiding light to wellness. But we still cannot control them. And we should not aim to, I would argue for two reasons: one is that love is not control, and the other is, it is futile and is only a defense for anxiety which we are then neglecting in actually addressing. Even Krishna does give us some free will and does not control us, though He is the Supreme Controller, because forcing someone to love or behave a certain way is unloving at its core. Love, even to God, has to be freely given. Now, of course, like a parent, Krishna guides us as much as we desire and is our ultimate well wisher.

The other key reason we should not attempt to control others, and really need to grieve this loss of control that we never even had, is that we will fail in this attempt and ignore healing the true problem that underlies. And why do we want to control our environment or others? The core reason is anxiety. We wish to limit surprises that may harm us or outcomes we can foresee as disastrous. This is why a little bit of anxiety is protective to the living entity, so we do not go hug a bear or drive off a cliff. But most of us have too much anxiety, even if not at the level of a brain disease, it is still causing us dis-ease and disturbing our minds.

Now that we have taken responsibility for our minds, or at least decided this is the path we wish to embark upon, we can focus on what we can control. Our minds! The mind is an unruly place and years, and lifetimes, worth of programming has many of us thinking in a way that is self defeating. We have a leg up, so to speak, in our faith in that we know we are not the mind. That it is a separate entity we can build to be stronger, more resilient, and more in service of our wellness, and then by product, our Krishna consciousness. The mind can roughly be thought of as our thoughts and feelings. It is so easy and conditioned to identify as our thoughts and feelings, but we are not either. We should tackle thought and feelings separately, though they are clearly married in many ways.

Every devotee has the experience of chanting the Holy Name during our daily japa, only to think think think. Rarely do we have a breakthrough moment where we just hear the Holy Name and be. So even if we want improved rounds and that is the only (and perhaps best) goal, we must figure out what do do with all these thoughts! Awareness that we are not these thoughts and to just observe and release them is a great first step. A goal is to not take them so seriously and know many of them are not there because we are electively choosing to think through a problem and use them as tools, but because they are automatic and from our ego. So observing them and taking them a little less seriously is a great beginning action. A great jewish friend once told me, “what is enlightenment if not to lighten up!”

Next we must address, if necessary, the content of these automatic, constant, and chattering thoughts. For people suffering from anxiety, which on some level is most of us, they are worries and often quite mean. Thoughts saying we will fail, we are bad, fat, ugly, a bad devotee, a fraud, and the list goes on. Many of these thoughts are partially or mostly wrong, and even if they are true, they do not help build wellness. I recommend this exercise to my patients, hug yourself and hear the thoughts but then say to your mind, “I hear you, I love you, I will never leave you, but I am not going to go in the direction (down the bunny hole of anxiety) that you want, I am in charge.” The “I” here is a deeper part of you, or the real you, the soul. The thinking part of our brain can be used magnificently to plan festivals, chart out our day of service, read and share our Shastra, and create a new prasadam recipe. But this chattering, negative part need to be noticed and stopped lovingly in its tracks. This is a process. But this is powerful.

The second component of our minds, which is more the feminine part of us (especially if we think of thinking energy as the masculine “doing” part of us) is our emotions. I only bring up the masculine and the feminine here as many times in Western culture, in particular, there is dismissal of feelings/emotions as being heavily the concern of one gender. Whatever body we find ourselves in, we have both of these components and both of these components deserve the same care and attention.

Emotions, or our feelings, can seem impossible to ignore or control. I advocate we take a more flowing approach with them. Ignoring emotions may mean missing real threats or information, but most of us are simply overstimulated by our feelings. And so we either indulge them or ignore them. Neither approach will help us appreciate them and then be able to manage them. Try this exercise instead: when a feeling pops up, pause, breathe, feel it all. Then use your mind as a tool to see if this feeling has validity, rational associated thoughts, or automatic false ones and either release the feeling consciously or decide an action may be necessary. This seems easy but is so difficult in the beginning and we may find we are using a lot of brain power to handle this moment to moment! But it will become as automatic as being overwhelmed by an avalanche of anxiety or another negative feeling and will of course, produce a peaceful mind.

We can see a peaceful mind still thinks and feels! It’s just not running amok. Chanting rounds, as best as we can, will help hone the mind and employing this awareness and tactics will help our rounds. It’s an exponentially mutually beneficial journey.

What if there are real threats and stressors in our life? Well, now we know how to use the mind as a tool to approach them. Imagine how much easier it is to tackle the same stressor when you are aware of your mind’s mayhem potential, versus when you are, as described in the Gita, the bewildered passenger being ferried all around by wild senses! This article is by no means suggesting a panacea for our suffering, as only cultivating our Krishna consciousness can do that, but it is offering a way to mitigate our journey so that we have a better shot at going home to Krishna.

Of course this all being said, many problems, as mentioned above, require formal therapy and training. Some folks will have inherited illness turned on by their environmental exposures (liek stress, drugs, medical illness etc) and need medicine. I am simply offering a new outlook or awareness we can start to employ to take the first steps on this journey. Prabhupada wanted us to take the best from the East and the West. He wanted us to be scripturally based but use technology, science, healing arts when not in direct conflict with the tenant of our faith, to help ourselves and each other go home.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=101643

In each of its twelve cantos, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the “flawless ripened fruit of all Vedic scriptures,” tells of miracles and mysticism, of the esoteric and extraterrestrial. We hear a cow, bull, elephant, monkey, and bird speaking deep philosophy. We learn of the four-headed creator who sits atop a lotus flower, of a magnificent aerial mansion, and of a five-year-old who pushes down half the earth with his toe and makes demigods suffocate. We learn of people giving birth to tens of thousands of children, of people with a thousand heads or arms, of an ocean of milk that is churned by demigods and demons using a snake for a rope. We are also given detailed information about this extraordinary universe we live in. For example, from the Fifth Canto (16.16–17):

“On the lower slopes of Mandara Mountain is a mango tree named Devacuta. It is 1,100 yojanas [8,800 feet] high. Mangoes as big as mountain peaks and as sweet as nectar fall from the top of this tree for the enjoyment of the denizens of heaven. When all those solid fruits fall from such a height, they break, and the sweet, fragrant juice within them flows out and becomes increasingly more fragrant as it mixes with other scents. That juice cascades from the mountain in waterfalls and becomes a river called Arunoda, which flows pleasantly through the eastern side of Ilavrta.”

What is a pragmatic, logical, scientific mind to do with such information? Shall we see the whole body of work as mythology? Or glean its essential spiritual truths and leave aside the fantastic aspects as entertainment used to convey those truths? Or shall we suspend our disbelief and accept all the texts of Bhagavatam as they are?

None of these options are in the spirit of the Srimad-Bhagavatam itself—that is, the spirit of unalloyed submission and devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. This spirit is not the suspension of disbelief but the suspension of pride, for without pridelessness the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as all the Vedas, will remain a great mystery. In other words, readers who enter the spirit of the Srimad-Bhagavatam do not suspect any aspect of its message; rather, they question their own qualification and ability to receive that message purely.

Besides being genuinely humble, mature students of the Srimad-Bhagavatam are detached from this alluring material world and know their spiritual identity, their purpose in life, and the limitations the material body and mind may impose on spirit. Rather than “naive,” these saints are highly evolved human beings with unrivaled critical and analytical insights. Srila Prabhupada writes, “The bestial civilization of eating, sleeping, fearing, and sense-gratifying has misled modern man into forgetting how powerful a soul he has. As we have already described, the soul is a spiritual spark many, many times more illuminating, dazzling, and powerful than the sun, moon, or electricity. Human life is spoiled when man does not realize his real identity with his soul.” (Cc., Adi 1.5.22, purport)

But what of the Bhagavatam’s amazing descriptions and pastimes? Continuing the above purport Srila Prabhupada explains: “…Each and every planet has its particular atmosphere, and if one wants to travel to any particular planet within the material universe, one has to adapt his material body to the climatic condition of that planet. For instance, if one wants to go from India to Europe, where the climatic condition is different, one has to change his dress accordingly. Similarly, a complete change of body is necessary if one wants to go to the transcendental planets of Vaikuntha. However, if one wants to go to the higher material planets, he can keep his finer dress of mind, intelligence, and ego, but has to leave his gross dress (body) made of earth, water, fire, etc.”

Devoted readers of the Srimad-Bhagavatam are not literalists in the sense that they expect to taste the mango juice waters of the Arunoda River, at least not in their present state. They take it that this place exists as it is described, but it is on a platform that they cannot directly experience; the text is explicit—not figurative—but it describes a dimension unknown to us.

What we can presently perceive is limited by the nature of our body. Since our body is made of gross material elements (earth, water, air, and so on) we directly perceive only gross material sense objects. However, in other parts of the material creation only subtle energies (mind, intelligence, etc.), which are imperceptible to us, exist. On that plane one could uproot trees and use them to bridge a river or one could leap across an ocean just for fun.

If we allow it, Srimad-Bhagavatam will transport us beyond the limits of the tiny part of the creation we inhabit. It will revive our sense of wonder, of mystery and of discovery because the Supreme Person revealed in its texts is a sportive, imaginative youth who can pulverize preconceptions. Krishna is adhoksaja, beyond the measurement of our senses. He is atarka, beyond the reach of logic and argument. He is avan manasa gocara, beyond the range of the mundane mind, words and imagination. He is acintya, beyond our estimation. In a word, He is inconceivable. And He is inconceivably attractive and funny and adventurous (He says vyavasayo ’smi—“I am adventure,” Bhagavad-gita 10.36). He can do anything—and what He does is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam. For example, “Lord Krishna, who is Vishnu Himself, picked up Govardhana Hill with one hand and held it aloft just as easily as a child holds up a mushroom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.25.19)

Krishna’s miracles are also all around us, from the precise workings of living cells to the movements of the galaxies. But because in this dark age of quarrel and hypocrisy our strength, duration of life, memory, intelligence, and imagination are as depleted as the earth we inhabit and the food that it produces, we view the descriptions of Srimad-Bhagavatam as “mythology” and those who are devoted to and enlivened by them as “naive literalists.” As a result this unparalleled scripture remains inaccessible.

“Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana. It is most dear to the Vaishnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahamsas. This Bhagavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all material work, together with the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation, and devotion. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.18)

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=25361

I offer my humble obeisances and deepest respect to His Divine Grace Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. I am posting this with a heavy heart, but because it is my duty to share my experience with the assembled devotees for the highest good of all. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable to share this story, but it is so important that I choose to do it anyway. I sincerely pray that you will learn from my mistakes and remain strong in your devotional service to your Spiritual Master. It is the most important thing there is. I will be brief with the details and get to the point.

My name is Nanda Kumar das. I was blessed to take initiation from His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad in Los Angeles in June of 1969. Soon after that, through the grace of His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, who was our spiritual guide and inspiration at the Los Angeles temple, I learned that if you sincerely pray to Lord Nityananda for something that is good for your devotional service, He will give it to you even if you are not qualified. He said…”If it is good for you, He will give it to you.”
I had read the book Autobiography of a Yogi before meeting the devotees and Srila Prabhupad, and instantly developed a love for India, yoga, the Vedic culture and the concept of having a Guru. When I met the devotees, it took several months for me to give up the material attachments I had and move into the temple. It was soon afterwards that Vishnujana Swami told us about the benevolence of Lord Nityananda. At the same time, we heard that Srila Prabhupad was coming to LA from New York, and also heard that He didn’t have a personal servant and someone from the temple would be chosen for that most wonderful service.

I was new and unqualified in so many ways, but I prayed to Lord Nityananda to be Srila Prabhupad’s servant… and then I forgot about it, thinking there was no chance they would choose me. They chose Upendra Prabhu instead, and soon after that Srila Prabhupad arrived. I remember when we went to the airport to greet Him, there was a large picture of His lotus face mounted on a long pole that someone carried like a banner. I remember as His plane landed, before actually seeing Him for the first time, I had a powerful experience, a blessing, where I felt timeless and knew I had waited for millions of years to meet His Divine Grace.

Soon after that, my good friend and godbrother Mohanananda das said… “I have a secret to tell you!” When I asked him what it was, he said he couldn’t tell me, but I said he had gone too far and now he had to. We laughed and he made me promise that I wouldn’t let anyone know what he was going to tell me. I agreed, and he said he had just overheard Tamal Krishna Maharaj and Gargamuni Prabhu talking in the office about Upendra going to Australia to open a temple, and how they were considering me to replace him. I was ecstatic, and kept my promise over the next two weeks until Gargamuni called me into his office and said… “I have a new service for you… would you be willing to do a new service?” I immediately said yes and he said they wanted me to take over for Upendra as Srila Prabhupad’s personal servant.

It was the most wonderful time of my life, as you can imagine. One day, His Divine Grace received a small package in the mail from Acyutananda Prabhu in India, who was His only disciple in India at the time. It contained Srila Prabhupad’s ayurvedic medicine and a letter from Acyutananda. I took the package and the rest of His mail in and ten minutes later, Srila Prabhupad rang His bell. I went into His room and paid my obeisances. When I got up, Srila Prabhupad said… “So, would you like to go to India?” I enthusiastically said… “Yes, Srila Prabhupad, I would love to go to India!” His Divine Grace said… “Acyutananda needs some help, so I am going to send you and Jayapataka Brahmacari from Canada.”… then He said with a sweet smile and a laugh… “You three will be Brahma, Vishnu and Siva!”

For a number of reasons, I did not go immediately, while Srila Jayapataka Maharaj did. I got to go later on with the first group of devotees to go to India, and got to continue serving Srila Prabhupad as He traveled all over India. We stayed as guests in people’s homes, since we didn’t have any established centers there yet. Even with the great blessing of being so close to His Divine Grace, i allowed maya to have the upper hand on more than one occasion, rather than keeping the promises I had made to Srila Prabhupad, the Deities, and the sacred Fire at my initiation ceremony. He even kept me on as His servant after I had difficulties, out of His supreme kindness. While traveling with Him in New Vrindavan, He decided to leave me there and take Srutakirti Prabhu as His servant, since it had become too widely known that I had broken my initiation vows. He was very kind and said… “If you were to travel with me any more it would be scandalous, so I’d like you to stay here and help Kirtanananda Swami develop the New Vrindavan project.”
The purpose of this story is not to talk about myself, rather it is firstly to honor His Holiness Srila Jayapataka Maharaj for the wonderful service he has done for Srila Prabhupad over so many years, and through the most difficult of circumstances. Seeing a video just now of Srila Jayapataka Maharaj chanting and inspiring a large gathering of devotees in Russia is what moved me to write this. Another reason for writing this is to inspire and implore devotees to take their vows seriously, always completing at least 16 rounds daily, always following the four regulative principles, and always remaining as the humble, obeident servant of your Spiritual Master and Srila Prabhupad. At this late portion of my life, I look back and remember what elders have always said to the younger generation… at this time in your life, you will look back and think… “I wish I would have done things differently.”

We are divinely blessed to be connected to Srila Prabhupad, His empowered disciples and servants like Srila Jayapataka Maharaj, Srila Radhanath Maharaj, Vaisesika Prabhu and so many others, along with His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Gaura Kisora das Babaji, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and our entire disciplic succession… Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, and ultimately Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. What an amazing opportunity we have. Please, dear Prabhus, please follow in the footsteps of the great Vaishnavas in our lineage like His Divine Grace Srila Jayapataka Maharaj, and don’t make the mistakes I’ve made of thinking you can survive without Sri Guru’s mercy that comes through obedience.

I pray that someone who reads this can see what I see. I had the same blessing and same instruction as Srila Jayapataka Maharaj. He remained sincere in his service and his vows, and has done such wonderful things and brought so many devotees to Krishna.

The only thing I can offer is to beg you from the bottom of my heart to follow the sacred promises you made to your Guru and Krishna when you took initiation, so you can avoid the sadness and lamentation that comes after thinking we are independent of Them and that we can survive without Their blessing.

Hare Krishna.

All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupad.
All glories to His Divine Grace Srila Jayapataka Maharaj.
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
All glories to Sri Ugrasimha.
May He protect all of us from the illusions of maya.

Source: https://www.jayapatakaswami.com/wonderful-message-from-hg-nanda-kumar-das-acbsp/

By Pitambara Das

The 2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference, held from November 8th to 10th in Edmonton, Alberta, brought together over 60 leaders from more than 25 ISKCON centers across Canada and six northern U.S. states. Under the theme “Think Big, Do Big, Act Small,” the conference focused on a shared vision for ISKCON’s growth and mission, guided by Srila Prabhupada’s principles and the spirit of Krishna Consciousness.

Inspired by Bhaktimarga Swami, this annual gathering highlighted collective progress and future aspirations, organized under the leadership of the Zone 1 Support Office. Led by Zonal Supervisors Indresh Gaura Dasa and Vrinda Devi Dasi, along with support from Pitambara Das and Aindra Das, the team played a pivotal role in planning and facilitating the event, making this gathering a seamless and transformative experience. Indresh Gaura Dasa served as the conference chair, ensuring that the event’s goals aligned with ISKCON’s mission and the needs of its leaders.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/2024-zone-1-leadership-conference-inspiring-growth-and-connection-across-iskcon/

By Mohini Radha Devi Dasi

In the interactions between the Lord and His
devotees, both relish the highest happiness.

Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures praise Arjuna for his close relationship with Krishna. Arjuna is known for his mood of friendship (sakha-bhava). Since relationships are by definition reciprocal, not only is Arjuna known as Krishna’s friend, but Krishna is known as Arjuna’s friend. Krishna drove Arjuna’s chariot and is therefore called Partha-sarathi, the “charioteer of Partha (Arjuna).” This name shows Krishna’s special relationship with His devotee Arjuna.

Discussions of devotional service often emphasize the activities devotees perform to please Krishna, but the transcendental relationship between the Lord and His devotees is dynamic, with the loving exchanges originating from both sides. Although Krishna is sympathetic to everyone, He is especially favorable toward His devotees. This is called bhakta-vatsala, the Lord’s affection for His devotees. In Bhagavad-gita (9.29) Krishna tells Arjuna, “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” It seems contradictory to say that the Lord can be “equal to all” and, at the same time, pays special attention to His devotees. In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada explains that the Lord takes care of all living entities, or jivas, who are all part of Him. He provides all resources necessary to sustain life; indeed, not a blade of grass moves without His sanction. As the Supreme controller who maintains all jivas, Krishna is equal to all.

On the other hand, Krishna distinguishes among His parts according to how they relate to Him. He rewards degree of surrender: “All of them as they surrender unto Me I reward accordingly.” (Bg. 4.11) It is natural, therefore, that Krishna takes special interest in His devotees, who are completely surrendered to Him and are constantly serving Him with love and devotion.

The Lord is a person, and the living entities are also individual persons, although they are minute and the Supreme Lord is unlimited. The analogy of a fire surrounded by many tiny sparks illustrates this concept: The sparks are tiny compared to the original fire, but the composition is the same. Like the relationship between the individual sparks and the fire, an eternal reciprocal relationship exists between the living entities and the Lord.

For the devotee, who is favorably disposed toward the Lord in a relationship of loving service, this relationship is very special and the essence of his or her life. Krishna consciousness means that Krishna is the single focus for the devotee’s actions, words, and desires. When this perfection is achieved, true reciprocity between Krishna and the devotees takes place. Krishna is dear to His devotees, and the devotees are dear to Him. Although He is completely independent and self-satisfied, He accepts service from His devotees, and thus remains at the center of their lives. The reciprocation between Krishna and His devotees, enjoyable for both, is unique. Elsewhere in the Gita(6.30), Krishna confirms this reciprocity: “For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.”

In his explanation of the transcendental reciprocation between the Lord and His devotees, Srila Prabhupada gives the example of a diamond ring: the diamond looks more beautiful next to the gold, and the gold looks more beautiful next to the diamond. (Bg. 9.29, purport) In this way, the devotees glorify the Lord, and the Lord does not hesitate to glorify His devotees. He appears in this world just to please His devotees and punish demons who challenge His authority and trouble the devotees. (Bg. 4.8)

When the pure devotee renders service without asking anything in return, Krishna is obliged and “becomes a kind of debtor to the devotees.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.8.27, purport) This fact is often explained in connection with Radharani and the gopis, who are glorified by Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the topmost devotees. No one can control Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Radharani controls Him with her devotion. Likewise, He willingly allowed His mother, Yasoda, to bind and scold Him. He showed His universal form to Arjuna and His four-armed form to Bhismadeva upon hearing their prayers. Krishna is the source of pleasure for His devotees, and He enjoys fulfilling their desires because their desires are purely Krishna conscious.

Krishna’s desire to serve His devotees is prominent in His form as Lord Jagannatha, who presides at the great temple in Puri, Orissa, with His brother Baladeva and sister Subhadra. Histories of the temple have recorded Lord Jagannatha’s pastimes over hundreds of years. Once, Jagannatha and Baladeva disguised Themselves as soldiers and fought alongside Purusottama Maharaja, the king of Puri, in a battle against the king of Kanci. The king of Kanci had insulted Purusottama Maharaja for being a street-sweeper. (The king of Puri traditionally sweeps in front of Jagannatha’s chariot at the annual Ratha-yatra festival.) The humble king did not take the insult personally but as an offense against his beloved Jagannatha, and therefore he went into battle, emerging victorious under the command of the two Lords.

The Poet Salabega

Jagannatha is Krishna, and His transcendental pastimes are unlimited and beyond comprehension. He showed special mercy to His poet-devotee Salabega, whose example illustrates the Lord’s eagerness to reciprocate with His devotees. Born in the beginning of the seventeenth century, Salabega was the son of the widow of a Hindu brahmanaand Lalbeg, a merciless commander of the Moghul Empire. Although his ruthless father intensely hated the Hindus, Salabega’s mother was a fervent devotee of Lord Jagannatha, and she taught her son about the Lord.

Once, as a child or young man, Salabega became very ill, and the attending physicians thought he would die. Salabega miraculously recovered when he heard some devotees singing bhajanas (devotional songs) about Krishna and Jagannatha and he began chanting Jagannatha’s names. This was a pivotal moment in his devotional life. He remembered his mother’s description of Vishnu’s rescue of Gajendra, the king of the elephants, when chased by a crocodile. Like Dhruva Maharaja and Sri Prahlada, Salabega had intense childlike faith in the mercy of the Lord.

As he grew older, Salabega learned to sing and compose devotional songs for the pleasure of Jagannatha, whom he sometimes called Kalia, “the dark darling.” He eventually lived in Vrindavana, but he became anxious to see Lord Jagannatha in Puri. Because of his Muslim birth, Salabega was denied entrance to the Puri temple, and he returned to Vrindavana in disappointment. Lord Jagannatha is known as Patita Pavana, “the savior of the fallen,” and so He comes out from the temple every year during the Ratha-yatra festival to bestow his merciful glance upon all creatures. Salabega planned to visit Puri during the Ratha-yatra festival.

On the way to Puri, however, he fell ill. Lamenting at the thought that he would miss the opportunity to see Jagannatha, he prayed that Jagannatha would wait for him, a sentiment prevalent in one of his songs: satasa pacasha kosha cali na parai/ moha jivajaen nandighose thiva rahi. “It is very difficult to walk the 750 kosas [the distance between Vrindavana and Jagannatha Puri] to see You. Please remain on Nandighosha until then.”

Just then, a miracle occurred. Lord Jagannatha’s cart, called Nandighosha, stopped, and no one could budge it. Jagannatha waited for the arrival of His dear devotee Salabega, who had the opportunity to sing directly to his dark darling and look at Him to his heart’s content. Those who had criticized Salabega for his low birth were humbled as they saw the greatness of Salabega’s devotion.

Salabega often returned to compose songs for Jagannatha at the spot where the Lord had stopped. Today, his samadhi (tomb) stands nearby on Grand Road.

Salabega’s devotion apparently brought the Lord of the universe under his control. In tribute to this pastime, even to this day Lord Jagannatha’s cart stops at Salabega’s samadhi on Grand Road during the Ratha-yatra procession.

Salabega’s example teaches us that birth does not matter, that pure devotion transcends social status, such as being a brahmana. After all, we are not these bodies but spirit souls. To show the world that anyone can become Krishna’s pure devotee, Prabhupada wanted his followers, most of whom were not brahmana as by birth, to be brahminical in devotion and behavior.

Even the most neophyte devotees of the Lord can taste the sweetness of the Lord’s reciprocity. It is said that when we take one step toward Krishna, He takes a hundred steps toward us. When we remember that Vamanadeva, Krishna’s incarnation as a dwarf brahmana, crossed the entire universe with two steps, Krishna’s hundred steps toward us are particularly significant. Even though no one is truly eligible to serve the Supreme Lord, He is so merciful that He accepts the devotee’s humble attempts. (SeeSrimad-Bhagavatam 6.16.25, purport.) The Lord is more eager to reclaim His conditioned parts than they are to return to Him, and He helps His devotees return home, back to Godhead: “Those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.” (Bg. 9.22) Even if a devotee does not become completely purified in this lifetime, he or she will be able to continue on the path of devotional service in the next life. Spiritual gains, unlike material gains, are never lost.

The easiest way for us to feel Krishna’s reciprocation is through hearing and chanting His names: Shravanam kirtanam. When Krishna descended as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He made pure love of God, prema, available to everyone through the chanting of the holy names. In degraded Kali-yuga, the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy, this is the best method to achieve perfect Krishna consciousness. It is the yuga-dharma, the prescribed activity for the age. Krishna’s names are endowed with all His potency, which means He is present in His names. When we chant attentively, He will come to dance on our tongues. What greater reciprocation do we need than this?

Sri Namamrta

1. The Holy Name Revives One’s Dormant, Eternal Krsna Consciousness
2. The Role of the Holy Name in the Progression of Devotional Service
3. The Holy Name Frees One from the Reactions to Sins
4. By Chanting the Holy Name, the Mind Becomes Controlled
5. The Holy Name Protects One from Pride
6. By Chanting, One Develops Forbearance
7. The Holy Name Eradicates Material Desires and Sinful Activity
8. The Holy Name Cleanses the Heart and Frees One from Material Contamination
9. The Holy Name Brings Faith in Krsna Consciousness
10. The Holy Name Liberates One from the Miseries of Material Existence
11. By Chanting the Holy Name One Becomes Enlightened
12. If One Chants His Holy Name, Krsna Becomes Pleased and Obliged
13. Krsna Helps the Sincere Chanter
14. By Chanting His Holy Name, One can Remember Krsna
15. By Chanting, One Associates with the Lord Directly
16. The Holy Name Attracts One to Krsna
17. The Holy Name Invokes an Attitude of Service to the Lord
18. By Chanting the Holy Name, One Achieves Direct Service to the Lord
19. By Chanting the Holy Name, One Comes to Understand / Realize / See Krsna
20. The Holy Name Evokes Love of God
21. The Holy Name Evokes Ecstasy
22. Chanting of the Holy Name In the State of Ecstasy
23. By Chanting the Holy Name, One Returns Home, Back to Godhead
24. Even Improper Chanting of the Holy Name Yields Beneficial Results
25. A Devotee Can be Satisfied in Any Condition of Life Simply by Chanting
26. The Holy Name Protects the Devotee from Falldown
27. The Holy Name Protects One from Danger and Fear
28. Other Instructions on the Transcendental Effects of the Holy Name
B. The Transcendental Effects of the Holy Name

Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85505

By Anangamayi Chitra Devī Dasi 

The 16th Annual Winter Krsna Kidz Camp and Youth Retreat will be held at ISKCON Detroit – The Devasadhan Mandir from November 28th to 30th. This events aim to engage children and the youth in a fun and meaningful way that connects them to their Vedic culture. Kids, ages four to thirteen, will enjoy three days of fun – everything from amazing arts and crafts to special theatrical performances, fun games, and other exciting activities.

As for the youth, anyone in high school or college can attend a one-day youth retreat on Friday, November 29th. They also have the opportunity to volunteer on Thursday and Saturday; by doing so, they can earn National Honor Society credits. The youth retreat aims to help them connect with others, be part of deep conversations in which they can find purpose, build relationships, and participate in devotional service in association.

The registration fees include food and snacks. The meals are always delicious and diverse, including fresh Mexican food, pizza, pasta, cookies, and many other tasty items. In addition, local east and west locations have free transportation services that are also covered when registered. 

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/where-fun-meets-devotion-winter-krsna-kidz-camp-and-youth-retreat-at-iskcon-detroit/

By Atma Tattva Das

Since 1972, the Prabhupada Book Marathon has inspired ISKCON devotees to share the spiritual wisdom of Srila Prabhupada’s books with the world. Now celebrated as the “Live to Give” campaign, this annual effort aims to “cover the earth” with copies of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, including its recent milestone of even delivering Gitas to Antarctica. This achievement fulfilled a longstanding aspiration of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) to bring Krishna consciousness to every corner of the globe.

In recent years, the campaign has seen impressive growth under the dynamic leadership of Vaisesika Dasa. The 2023 Live to Give campaign set a target of 3.7 million copies and exceeded expectations by distributing over 3.78 million Bhagavad-gitas worldwide. This success showcased the tireless dedication of devotees across seven continents, united by the vision of sharing transcendental knowledge. Highlights from the 2023 campaign included creative distribution approaches, such as the Benelux yatra initiative to share sponsored books with yoga schools and strengthening connections with communities seeking spiritual enrichment.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/4-2-million-reasons-to-unite-iskcons-2024-live-to-give-campaign-embarks-on-an-ambitious-mission/

Hare Krishna

Biggest Vaishnava gathering happening NOW at Sri Kshetra Puri dhama!
On the sea beach shores, Parikrama inauguration took place with sankalpa and Maha arati to Sagar. Many ISKCON sanyasis are taking part in this parikrama.

3 days of Parikrama 18-20 Nov
4 Parikrama Parties ( Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, South Indian- international)!
More than 10000 devotees in Parikrama!
Lots of Jagannath katha & prasad!

Chairman HH Bhakti Purusottam Swami says that to encourage many devotees to take part in parikrama, organizers have kept a bare minimum registration fees and expecting prasad cost to be covered by donations!
Lord Jagannath will be more pleased and bless you abundantly if you serve His devotees at Puri dhama!

Limited time! Unlimited blessings! Donate Now!

https://www.mayapur.com/serve-mayapur/general-donation/

Source: https://www.mayapur.com/2024/ksetra-puri-parikrama-2024/

By Bradley Malkovsky

 

Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA

 

Received: 3 August 2017 / Accepted: 30 August 2017 / Published: 1 September 2017

Abstract :

Mainstream Christianity has always rejected reincarnation teaching in all its varieties, e.g., Greco-Roman, Albigensian, Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, etc. as being incompatible with the biblical understanding of the uniqueness, dignity, and value of the human person, a teaching that is ultimately rooted in the radical understanding of divine mercy and love toward every human being proclaimed by Jesus himself. Nevertheless, there are two strong arguments advanced by reincarnationists against the teaching of one earthly life. The first argument regards reincarnation as a more reasonable expression of divine mercy and love than the disproportionate and unfair infliction of eternal punishment by God upon a human being for a single morally corrupt lifetime. The second argument finds reincarnation to be necessary for the continued exercise of creaturely freedom required for true moral and spiritual maturation. Catholic teaching, by contrast, asserts that a single earthly life followed by purgatory is sufficient for the perfection and completion of the human person. However, in both the satisfaction and sanctification models of purgatory the human person is entirely passive, not actively contributing to its own completion. Such an approach would seem to devalue free human participation in the process of perfection.

Keywords:

reincarnation; purgatory; resurrection; Christian anthropology; punishment; free will; divine love; dualism

 

To read the complete article: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/9/176/htm

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=51755

Since the vast majority of our readers are coming to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna Consciousness for the first time through Internet searches, and without access to devotee association or a nearby Hare Krishna temple, many people have inquired about how they can set up an altar in their homes and start practicing Krishna Consciousness at their own pace.

The first and foremost principle of Krishna Consciousness is chanting the Hare Krishna mantra:

“Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”

This mantra is a prayer to the Supreme Lord which means: “O energy of the Lord (Hare), O all-attractive Lord Krishna, O Supreme Enjoyer (Rama), please engage me in Your service.”

As God and His name are nondifferent from Him and thus all-powerful (“Hallowed be the name of the Lord”), when we chant His holy name sincerely, we are directly associating with Him and we become purified. As we become more advanced in chanting Hare Krishna, we feel God’s presence more and more, and consequently we become automatically happy and satisified on the spiritual platform. Therefore, “Chant Hare Krishna and be happy” is one of our favorite mottos in Krishna Consciousness. Please try it for yourself and see the results. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

In addition, we recommend that you set up an altar in your home to help you focus even more on the Lord and His service. Although many cities in the world now have established temples with elaborate worship and regular programs available to the public, for those unable to attend, Srila Prabhupada recommends the simple process of advancing in spiritual life wherever you may live and in whatever circumstances you may find yourself. Prabhupada has repeatedly said that there are no material impediments to Krishna Consciousness. All that’s required is the sincere desire and effort on your part. “If you take one step towards Krishna, then Krishna will take ten steps towards you.”

Srila Prabhupada once wrote to an aspiring disciple:

“To prosecute Krishna Consciousness there is no limitation, no material impediment can stop progress of Krishna Consciousness. That is the symptom of spiritual life. Spiritual life doesn’t depend on material conditions.

“We have got many instances from the history of devotee’s life as Prahlada Maharaja. He was a small school boy, his father and teachers were all against God Consciousness. Still he flourished and converted all his class fellows to be Krishna Conscious in spite of severe trials experimented on his personal body.

“So it is only the question of understanding the process how to execute Krishna Consciousness.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter, February 13, 1968)

On another occasion, Prabhupada wrote to a young student who was having health problems, and who couldn’t attend the official temple programs established by Srila Prabhupada in one of his nearby asramas:

“It does not matter that you do not live within our temple, since you say your health does not permit. But you can make your home a temple for Krishna.

“First thing is that you should try to follow strictly our regulative principles — no meat, fish or eggs; no intoxicants, including coffee, tea and cigarettes; no illicit sex; and no gambling. Try also to chant as many times as possible the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads. You may keep a picture of Lord Krishna in your house and after cooking you may learn to offer the foodstuffs to the picture of Krishna.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter, January 27, 1973)

In this way, Srila Prabhupada so kindly offers encouragement for anyone in any condition of life to advance in spiritual life. Of course, Prabhupada so kindly established temples all over the world with Deities, devotee association, prasadam and a variety of transcendental programs and engagements by which to make rapid progress in Krishna Consciousness; but sometimes due to circumstances, one cannot avail him or herself of such wonderful facilities. Still, Srila Prabhupada is so kind, that he freely extends all encouragement and inspiration for us to prosecute bhakti-yoga anywhere and everywhere.

For example, during a lecture at Harvard University in 1969, Srila Prabhupada explained:

“You can chant anyway, anywhere. Whether you are in the college, whether you’re on the street, whether you are sleeping, lying, or whatever, you can chant. Because God has given you this tongue and you can chant.

“Don’t think that Krishna is for the Indian or for the Hindus. No. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. This Krishna is for everyone. For the human being, for the animals — everyone. So if you think that Krishna is belonging to some particular country or religion, then you can chant your own way. If in your religion, in your scripture, there is any God’s name, you can chant that also. Our only propaganda is that you increase your love of God. And the simple process is to chant this Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There is no charge for it. There is no loss on your part. There is no inconvenience on your part. At any moment, at any place. There is no restriction. So why don’t you take advantage of this great boon to the human society?

“In whatever position you are, either you are a student or a lawyer or something else, you can chant Hare Krishna and realize yourself. We don’t recommend that you change your position. That is not our recommendation. But if you can be fully devoted in Krishna consciousness, that is very nice.”

(Srila Prabhupada lecture at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, December 24, 1969)

As a personal example, I can relate a small story in this regard. As a teenager, I was attending an alternative High School in Winnipeg, Canada. At the time, there was no temple in that particular city, but I had heard about “Hare Krishna” through the poetry of Allen Ginsberg (Indian Journals), via the Magical Mystery Tour album by The Beatles, through the Broadway Musical Hair, and by reading about the movement in Rolling Stone magazine and through some Back to Godhead magazines which I had purchased at a local head shop. I was fascinated, but there was no one around who could explain or elucidate upon the subject matter in person. So I started to correspond with the secretary of Krishna Consciousness in Los Angeles. He very kindly took me under his wing, sent me some chanting (japa) beads, a few altar photos and various instructions on how to offer my food and practice Krishna Consciousness at home while I completed my studies at High School. I humbly set up a makeshift altar in my room and regularly offered some food and water to a picture of Lord Krishna — including acorns, flowers, twigs, leaves and even stones! Eventually I purchased a copy of the early edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and proudly took it to school every day, which soon became my personal Bible (replacing my tattered copies of The Dhammapada and The Egyptian Book of the Dead). In fact, it caught the attention of my High School principal, who requested that I take a walk with him and explain just what in the world I was getting myself into! It seemed pretty weird to him, to say the least. But his interest was piqued, and so began my first awkward and simple preaching attempts.

In the beginning he challenged me: “Why not chant ‘Coca-cola, Coca cola…’ instead of ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…'” Surely the results would be the same he surmised. But I had read some of Srila Prabhupada’s books beforehand and therefore came prepared. l replied that in fact the mantra or chanting had to be strictly authorized by Vedic authorities handed down in disciplic sucession from time immemorial to a pure devotee of Krishna. The Vedic mantras were strictly authorized — like the mailbox on the street which was authorized by the government. It’s not that one can just post letters in any old box, but they had to be placed there by the postal system, otherwise the letters would never get to their respective destinatons. Despite my bumbling efforts at explaining the basics of Krishna Conscious philosophy, he seemed rather convinced and requested that I write some essays on the topic. Luckily, my principal was a little impressed to the point where he even tried chanting Hare Krishna himself, and soon granted me permission to leave High School early, so that I could strike out and look for a Hare Krishna temple, since he agreed that it was my true calling in life. Years later, I learned that my favorable principal had died prematurely, but at least I was gratified to know that he had chanted the holy names of Krishna and had graciously sent me on my way to begin a new life of Krishna Consciousness.

Additionally, just after leaving High School, word got around town that I was going to join Srila Prabhupada’s movement, and lo and behold, my best friend’s father (a lawyer) called me on the telephone and said that he needed to see me urgently. I agreed, and he came to my door in haste. “Here,” he said, “please take this. I want you to have it because I believe in what you’re doing.” He handed me a crumpled fifty dollar bill — a whole lot in those days. Sadly, I heard just a short while later that he had committed suicide. But somehow or other, he gave a donation towards Krishna’s service before he departed from this world.

The point of relating these stories about my humble beginnings in Krishna Consciousness is to share my tiny experience that once having begun the process of devotional service, Krishna will reciprocate and help clear away the obstacles to one’s spiritual progress. So I heartily recommend to all sincere aspirants to begin your Krishna Consciousness without delay. You can start by setting up your own altar with a few pictures of Srila Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya, and Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. Chant Hare Krishna sincerely and regularly, and everything else will follow.

Included below are photos of my own simple altar which has accompanied me around the world for more than 30 years. (By Krishna’s causeless mercy, Srila Prabhupada’s murti at the top of this page also graces my altar.) As I’ve resided in a number of countries in which there are no temples, this humble altar has been my refuge and protection not only in regular life, but also in some very dangerous situations. Srila Prabhupada has stated:

“Anyone can adopt this simple method. There is no expenditure, there is no tax, nor is there any need to build a very big church or temple. Anyone, anywhere, can sit down on the road or beneath a tree and chant the Hare Krishna mantra and worship God.”

(Srila Prabhupada lecture, London’s Conway Hall, November, 1969)

So this is how it all began for me. After first hearing the chanting of Hare Krishna from Allen Ginsberg, I would go down to the local river bank every day during lunch break at school and sit beneath a tree and chant the holy names of Krishna. Later, when I purchased the Radha Krishna Temple Album when it first came out on L. P. format (long before CD’s and the Internet), I connected with Srila Prabhupada through the chanting of his sincere disciples and the beautiful photo of Prabhupada on the back cover. From then on, I was hooked. Srila Prabhupada changed my life for the better forever — and he can do the same for you too.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Sri Sri Radha and Krishna

Lord Caitanya & His Associates

His Divine Grace
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of
The Gaudiya Math

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=5167 

From Back to Godhead

Not getting what you want? Perhaps that’s good for you.

“Please cancel my tickets,” I said to my friend on the phone. “I won’t be able to go.”

I hung up the phone and sank down onto my bed, my head in my hands. My friend had arranged my tickets for the trip to Jagannatha Puri and Mayapur I had been so eagerly looking forward to, and now I had to cancel. The past few weeks in my life had been very turbulent, so when my friends proposed a spiritual retreat to these two holy places so dear to the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, I jumped at the offer, hoping for a welcome break. But it couldn’t happen now. My stringent schedule was not loosening its grip on me.

“Damn it!” I cried out.

I shot from the bed, threw my pillow to the ground, and pulled out the bed sheet. I lifted the mattress and wanted to fling it too, but it was too heavy. I dropped it half on the floor, stomped out of the room, went into the bathroom, and stood with my arms bent over the sink. Breathing heavily, I stared down at the dark drain and dripped tears into it.

Unable to drive my life according to my desires, I was frustrated, angry, and helpless. My mind swirled like a dry leaf caught in a hurricane. I had no one to talk to, no way to sort things out.
Light in the Abyss

I had to come out of this mental mess, so I turned to my old and tested remedy for finding solutions to life’s incessant problems: scriptures and devotional talks. As always, I found direction. Teachings from the scriptures gave me a perspective to understand my situation and make peace with it.

Inevitably, all of us will sometimes find ourselves face to face with frustration. Some people advocate venting frustration by going to an empty field and shouting curses or visiting a dump-yard to break the windows of rejected vehicles. You can do that. Or you can choose to ponder over some jewels from the timeless Vedic teachings that may help during turbulent times. Here are my lifelines:

Don’t brood: Stop meditating on the problem over and over again.

Unfulfilled desires have a strange habit. Unlike most of the thousand other thoughts that arise in our mind and then vaporize in thin air, unfulfilled desires hover around the mind like a hot-air balloon anchored to the earth. The more we think about them, the more strongly they stay tethered to our consciousness, refusing to leave and creating a vicious cycle. And when you can’t satisfy their demands, they bring their buddies-anger and frustration-who are so expert in making you miserable. The Gita (2.62) warns us against such moody musings: “While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”

So the first solution is to think of something else. Get busy. Don’t keep an idol mind ransacked by devilish thoughts.

Wait for the good times: The Eighth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam relates an incident in which the demons (asuras) attacked the demigods (suras). Although the demigods are the good guys in the cosmic hierarchy and one would expect them to win against the evil forces, in this instance they find themselves no match for the vastly superior demoniac army. Helpless, they approach the Supreme Lord. But instead of helping them win the war, He advises them to declare a truce until time favors them.

Sometimes anything we touch turns to dust. Our projects fail, people misunderstand us, we don’t get credit for the good things we do, we get blamed for wrongs others do, our relationships sour, our academic performance plummets, our career crashes. Nothing works. Instead of getting restless during these times, we should remember the Lord’s instruction to the demigods and declare a truce with life until time favors us.

In the Bhagavad-gita (2.14) Lord Krishna points out the impermanence of good and bad times and emphasizes the quality of tolerance: “O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”

As the proverb says, “This too shall pass.”

Persevere: Patiently tolerating adverse times does not mean we should give up our efforts. Srila Prabhupada brilliantly exemplifies the quality of perseverance in times of frustration. Desiring to build the first Radha-Krishna temple in New York City, he solicited help from influential godbrothers, pious Indian business magnates, and the government of India, but no one helped him. He was seventy, with modest means, few contacts in America, and only a handful of followers, yet he did not give up. Within a decade, his perseverance saw the emergence of not just one Krishna temple, but more than a hundred temples worldwide.

Remember that Krishna might have a higher plan: Sometimes the efforts we put into a project might not fetch us the expected returns. But then Lord Krishna may reward us somewhere else. A few years back I was part of a group of devotees distributing sets of Srila Prabhupada’s books in factories. We were working hard in the capital of an Indian state, trying to meet VIPs, political leaders, police chiefs, and so on, with the hope of getting large orders of books. But nothing seemed to work out. I remember walking into eighteen companies in a day and getting no’s everywhere.

Later, I stayed in the area to coordinate book distribution while my senior colleague went to another area. And-whoa! The new area turned out to be a goldmine. He met a highly placed person who arranged for us to visit many top companies, and we distributed hundreds of book sets.

Be detached: While randomly opening the pages of Bhagavad-gita, I came across text 9.7, where the Lord says, “O son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium all material manifestations enter into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency, I create them again.”

I pondered, “Within this unlimitedly vast creation and unlimited stretch of time, where do I and my tiny problem stand?”

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Be assured that Krishna knows best: Lord Krishna is like the affectionate father who gives us what we need, not what we want. Often something we ask for could be harmful for us, so God does not give it. Or by denying us what we want, He may be giving us a chance to grow internally. He knows what is best for us. And He is the controller, not us. It’s prudent to be patient and keep faith in His good judgment.

Accept the situation with humility: In a lecture, my spiritual master, His Holiness Radhanatha Swami Maharaja, explained how to accept frustrating situations with humility:

One of the greatest illusions is the pride that we deserve what we want. Humility means thinking, “I deserve nothing. I deserve the worst. Whatever I get is better than what I deserve.” A humble person is grateful for whatever he gets. If good comes, with folded palms we say, “Thank You, Krishna; You are so kind. You are a loving father.” If suffering comes into our lives, with tears in the heart we will say, “Krishna, You are so kind; I deserve so much worse. This is just what I require for my purification.”

The egoistic person always thinks, “I deserve better.” But the humble person thinks everything is the causeless mercy of the Lord. If you are grateful to Krishna and you are reciprocating with loving feeling with Krishna in every circumstance of your life, you will never be disturbed. That is humility. The one qualification that makes us eligible for joy and peace in the state of liberation is to expect nothing, knowing we deserve nothing. Therefore with gracious heart we thank Lord Krishna for everything that comes. Lord Chaitanya prays in the Sikshashtakam, “My Lord, if You want You can embrace me; if You want You can make me brokenhearted by not being present before me; if You want You can trample upon me. I am Your servant, and You have every right to deal with me in any way You please.”

If you can become humble, you will be peaceful; you will be joyful and full of bliss twenty-four hours of the day, because happiness is not what we have or get-happiness is the disposition of the heart.

A Continuous Challenge

Although I have compiled this list, I must say I still find keeping sane in the face of frustration a continuous challenge. But the foundation of spiritual teachings in my life helps me face the hurricanes. In this regard, Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches us a wonderful lesson through the life of a brahmana from Avanti. Formerly a multi-millionaire, he lost all his wealth and was subsequently shunned by his family and friends. People treated him brutally, yet he found solace in taking shelter of God. In a stanza of a song he composed, he spoke about his realizations: “These people are not the cause of my happiness and distress. Neither are the demigods, my own body, the planets, my past work, or time. Rather, it is the mind alone that causes happiness and distress and perpetuates the rotation of material life.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.23.42)

A materially attached mind is a source of suffering, but a mind focused on transcendence, fixed on Krishna, is always in a state of happiness ( anandambudhi-vardhanam). Happiness comes as a by-product of love of Krishna. The prime benediction for all humanity is the chanting of the Lord’s holy names. There is no other way in this age to purify our mind, to make it our best friend. When the mind is purified, then the heart blossoms like a lotus. We see Lord Krishna everywhere, and we see His love in everything and everyone. We should aspire to be in such a spiritual state of consciousness.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=22824

On November 8, 2024, an ISKCON devotee from Bali, Indonesia, delivered an inspiring lecture entitled "Spirituality in the Process of Mental Health: Reconsidering Holistic Approaches" to an audience of over 250 medical students at K.D. Medical College and Research Centre in Mathura, India.

Dr. Ketut Putri Ariani, Head of the Psychiatry Department at Udayana University in Indonesia, served as the guest lecturer, elucidating key factors contributing to mental health issues and proposing viable solutions. Her presentation left a significant impact on the audience, providing them with profound takeaway messages.