Dear Devotees, Well wishers

Please accept my most humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

It is with very sad and heavy heart, that I convey the news that HG Vraja Bhakti Vilas Prabhu (53 Years), senior disciple of HH Lokanath Maharaja and one of the most profound Vaishnava Purohit of ISKCON has left his body on Tuesday 8th March at 7:40 am in Vraja Mandal Dham at Kosi Kalan. He left the world with all auspiciousness around him – Srila Prabhudpada Japa playing in his ears, devotees chanting around him, and having Vraja-raja and Ganges Water in his mouth and over his head.

He was being treated for liver failure at ILBS hospital Delhi under the care of devotees of Delhi-NCR. His sudden departure has left the devotee community across the world in great sorrow. The last rites were performed on the banks of Yamuna at Kesi Ghata in Vrindavan.

He was presently serving as Co-President of ISKCON Ghaziabad Temple
(INDIA). He is survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son. He had dedicated his entire life in serving the mission of Srila Prabhupada.

Born in a Vaishnava Brahmin family of South India, he joined ISKCON at a very young age in mid 80s. He received his Harinam Diksha in 1991 and Brahmin Diksha in 1992. He had served in many capacities in ISKCON Delhi which includes Sankirtan department, Head Pujari, Life Member preaching, and as Vice-President. He then served as Temple President of ISKCON Noida and contributed significantly with great determination and vigour for building the project. He is remembered by devotees as being soft spoken, caring, and as one of the most profound devotee for Bramhinical services like performing vaishnava Yagna, Deity installation, and diksha ceremonies. He was the head priest during the deity installation and opening festivals of many temples such as ISKCON Delhi, Aravade, ISKCON Kanpur, and ISKCON Alachua. We are all blessed to have such exalted souls on the planet with us.

As Krishna says in Bhagvada Gita “antakale ca mameva smarana muktva …”, One who remembers me at the time of death comes to my personal abode. The devotees who were closely serving HG Vraja Bhakati Prabhu in the hospital, could hear him chanting the shlokas and remembering the Lord of Tirupati, and this was when externally he was in great pain. This showed his mood of surrender towards Lord.

Let’s pray to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Govind to give Their eternal service to Vraja Bhakti Prabhu and give strength to his immediate family to bear this great loss. Also let’s join hands in serving the remaining family of this Great Vaishnava devotee of Lord.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your servant, Krishnabhakta Das

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19644

For Roger Siegel, the last half-century has been the proverbial long, strange trip. It started in New York, where, as an idealistic college dropout in the early 1960s, he tutored Harlem schoolchildren. It included civil rights marches in Alabama and peyote hikes in the Nevada hills.

It took a major turn in San Francisco in 1967, when Mr. Siegel became Gurudas, a disciple in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or Iskcon, a.k.a. the Hare Krishnas.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/business/retirementspecial/krishna-devotees-look-to-provide-for-this-life.html?_r=1

This is the month of Lord Caitanya’s appearance in this world. He is Krishna himself in the guise of his own devotee. Blessing the land of India in the 16th Century, Lord Caitanya was a powerful force in the blossoming of the Krishna Bhakti movement during that time.

His only written work was eight prayers called the Siksastakam. These prayers are celebrated as containing the essential guide to uncovering our love for Krishna. Each verse could have its own book, so filled they are with deep and wide truths. Here they are in short form to give us an overview and entice us to the original text (link below)

1. coming clean

The first lesson is an understanding that pure love is clean love – love that is not motivated for any return. That’s compared to dust in our heart that has ‘accumulated for years’. We take up the chanting of Krishna’s sacred name to come clean. Our dusty heart will never be the same.

2. anytime anywhere

Here’s the good news – it’s an easy process. You can chant anywhere! No hard and fast rules! Chant and get that dust moving, so you can begin to feel some love for Krishna. Yet, there’s a problem: we aren’t attracted to that easiest of all processes. That should lead us to….

3. like a blade of grass

Humility. Perhaps the most important step, here we are given key ingredients to bump up our level of kirtan. We need to come to our chanting in a mood of humility, tolerance, and really, really, really not seeking respect, praise, or honor from others. Ouch. But if we truly seek pure love, otherworldly love, we have to withdraw ourselves from the center stage of this life and see ourselves from a whole different perspective.

4. release desires

Profit, fame and adoration are the three big desires that tie us to this world. Do not chase these as they will take us away from pure love and service. They are subtle, cunning and can sneak up on the sincerest of practitioners. Desire we must, it is who we are. But the art of bhakti is desiring only pure love. That is both our safety and sustenance.

5. request rescue

This is the point where we recognize that we can’t do it on our own. We are dependent on grace and help from above and begin to call out.

6. express longing

The desire to really feel some pure love is the focus of this verse. When, O when will that day be mine when will I be moved and feel some emotion while chanting? Nurture this longing. It will keep us moving in the right direction.

7. feel separation

As we mature in our spiritual practice and our love grows, we will want to be with Krishna. Feelings of separation nurture and blossom our chanting and relationship with the Lord.

8. loving vulnerability

When pure love for God is fully manifested one steps into the safe space of vulnerability – our love and trust is so deep and so wide that we have no fear, no matter what happens. All is well because the bonds of such pure love are unconditional.

We have the capacity to experience this highest level of pure love as outlined above. It is the inherent nature of the soul. The goal of life is to uncover it. What a wonderful goal to have – the pursuit of the purest love of all. May these eight verses bless our journey and guide us home.

Full Siksastakam here

Source: http://iskconofdc.org/8-steps-to-pure-love/

“Bhava” in Sanskrit means “ecstasy; the stage of bhakti just prior to pure love for God”. Today, the Lower Elementary class had the great fortune of having an art lesson from Krishna Bhava Devi, a very talented artist and devoted disciple of Srila Prabhupada. She is also the dear grandmother of Vara, our Kindergarten student, and a long-time resident of New Vrindaban.
Mother Krishna Bhava taught the young students a step-by-step method for creating a beautifully colored lotus flower. What a nice meditation on Lord Krsna, who lives in a land abounding with lotuses and whose limbs are compared to the beautiful and gentle lotus flowers. She further enhanced the mood and meditation with the accompaniment of soft Kirtan.
May our art and hearts lead us closer to the Lord with feelings of love, of bhava.

Source: http://www.tkgacademy.com/news-updates/in-the-classrooms/art-with-bhava/

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 May 2015, Melbourne, Australia, Lecture: Mindfulness and Meditation)

Love will follow when we are attracted; when we admire; when we see amazing qualities; when we see a wonderful nature; when we see mercy, kindness and compassion; when we see strength; when we see beauty… Love will follow. Love will follow naturally. Love cannot be pushed, “You have to love!” You have to love your country. Well I don’t, I am sorry, I like it but I don’t love it. In Sydney there is this plaque and it says, “The greatest good a man can do is to give his life for his country.” Well I don’t think so; I am not convinced about that.

Yes, so love, love will go where there is admiration; where we see great qualities; where we see great kindness, great compassion, mercy, determination; where we see an incredible example, where we see someone who is just greater than we are… then love will automatically awaken, it is not difficult! Then love will come there.

Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2016/03/love-follows/

There are two approaches to sādhana. One is motivated by an intellectual conception, the other is motivated by an emotional conception. Intellect and emotion are involved in both approaches, but the intellectual approach has intellect as the prime motive and emotion as the supporting instrument, while the emotional approach has emotion as the prime motive and intellect as the supporting instrument.

The intellectual approach is called śāstrik or vaidhik because intellect is born from śāstra (“śāstra yonītvā”). Therefore the intellect-motivated sādhanadepends heavily on the depth of ones comprehension of śāstra, especially the depth of the comprehension that all the conclusions point towards bhakti(love) being the supreme morality, the supreme rule, the supreme goal, and the Divine (Viṣṇu) being the supreme beloved.

Clear knowledge of these conclusions of śāstra is also essential in the emotionally-motivated approach to sādhana – because intellectual conceptions are important supporting instruments of the sādhana. The primary requirement, however, is the force, clarity and specificity of the emotional attraction to Divine Love, bhakti. 

Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja: Now we will hear from HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. Actually he is the one who first started this book distribution here and he has been witnessing, the point he started book distribution and where it has reached now and I’ll tell you all this is happening because of his energy. Even if he is in hospital he is encouraging calling everyday the sankirtana buses during marathon period. And because of his dedication, he sacrificed for this book distribution, Srila Prabhupada that Mayapur has reached at this level. So we are very happy to hear from His Holiness now. Hare Krishna! 

HH Jayapataka Swami: I will speak in very brief. Srila Prabhupada said ‘Preaching is the essence. Books are the basis!’ 

Because of my health reason I went to Delhi. So HH Gopala Krishna Maharaja and Mohan Rupa dasa were helping me very nicely. 

Last year Mayapur sankirtana devotees were doing Vrajamandala Parikrama. Mayapur sankirtana devotees came to meet me in Delhi, Sant Nagar temple. Mayapur sankirtana devotees were talking to me, getting blessings and challenged that we will defeat Delhi and become number 1. (laughter) 

Gopala Krishna Maharaja was neutral, BBT Trustee, he just blessed them. (laughter) So I saw different devotees, from ashraya group, bhakti vrksa group, namahatta group and other devotees, for last two months they are preparing and pledging how many books they will distribute. I spoke to the Mayapur devotees, and asked that you have any shame! don’t feel shame? So then I told Mayapur devotees, in Delhi 2500 devotees are taking part in marathon in month of December, congregational devotees. But Mayapur only 100 sankirtana devotees! What they can do? So sankirtana devotees may be ati- rathi, maha-rathi, but they are 100. But Delhi 1000’s. 

So if Mayapur devotees, also namahatta devotees, if they take part in book distribution then there is a chance that we can show our face. Whether we can become number 1 or not but we can show our face at least! (laughter) Then Mayapur devotees took part in marathon and because of that by the mercy of Krishna became number 1. (Devotees: Haribol!) Devotees can do different kinds of service but each and every devotee irrespective of their service should do book distribution at least in the month of December. In the West its the Christmas marathon and in India its called Gita Jayanti month. In the month of December Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. 

Early days we used to distribute Gitar Gana, each book Re 1. I was asking how was the sankirtana, so now sankirtana devotees they don’t talk about sets, they talk about sets, Bhagavatam sets, Caitanya Caritamrta sets, other sets. Srila Prabhupada how much he will be pleased. I saw when the first set came, Prabhupada seeing that set of books he was crying! You are fulfilling the desire of Srila Prabhupada. Now in computer ebooks are available. In certain countries if you distribute books like that, and books are visible you may be in prison. But ebook that problem is not there. You can buy ebook from BBT and anywhere and everywhere you can use these books. 

Bhakti Caru Maharaja glorified Vaisesika Prabhu. So book distribution is our family business. We are very happy that congregational devotees are also taking part in book distribution. Srutidharma prabhu sent me a message. Out of India, the top book distribution temple out of India, is Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK. And he said, how they became number 1 because the bhakti vrksa devotees all of them took part in the book distribution marathon in the month of December because of that Bhaktivedanta Manor became number 1 outside of India. 

You are distributing books throughout the year. Other devotees if they distribute also, especially during marathon time, then it will be very nice. Golden jubilee year every devotee should distribute 50 books at least and sankirtana devotees will distribute 1000’s of books. So I spoke in brief. I’ll end now. Hare Krishna! By the way I personally distributed books in Delhi and in Bombay. 

Devotees: Haribol!

Sankarsana Nitai said, he was questioning, whether I am happy that Mayapur came first. I say Yes! Nobody in the world can defeat Mayapur! (Devotees: Haribol!) Mayapur has the biggest sankirtana army and these devotees are working hard, and distributing books all year.

So we all know the importance of book distribution. Why did Prabhupada encourage book distribution? Because his spiritual master encouraged it. Why did Bhaktisiddhantaji encourage it? Because Thakura Bhaktivinoda encouraged it. Why did Thakura Bhaktivinoda encourage? Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu encouraged it. And in the 18th Chapter of the Gita Krishna also says, that one who preaches is My dearmost devotee. 

So Prabhupada encouraged us to distribute books And Prabhupada worked hard to produce these books. Even before going to the West, Prabhupada was in Vrindavana. He had no facilities, old typewriter, staying in the Radha Damodar Temple, he was translating these books, coming by third class compartment to Delhi, getting his books printed and then he would go out and distribute the books himself. Why? Because these books contain transcendental wisdom and Prabhupada’s goal was to save humanity. 

Prabhupada met his spiritual master Bhaktisiddhantaji in Radha Kunda, I believe in 1935 and Bhaktisiddhantaji drew a picture of a mridanga and said, ‘If Krishna gives you facility, print and distribute books!’ What is that service called? Brhad mridanga. The big mridanga. An ordinary mridanga’s voice can be heard to a point. But you can distribute a book in Calcutta and the book can be read in England. We have so many instances, that somebody bought a book in one part of the world, read it in another part of the world, and became a devotee in another part of the world. 

So Prabhupada encouraged book distribution because these books contain transcendental knowledge. And the desire of a devotee is to save humanity, para dukha dukhi, seeing others in distress a devotee also gets distressed and he meditates how can I save the suffering humanity. So Prabhupada laboured hard, all night he would translate books and he encouraged us to do book distribution. And devotees took his request seriously, engaged in this service and pleased Prabhupada. 

Prabhupada said ‘as long as book distribution goes on I will never die.’ That means through these books Prabhupada is preaching. And Prabhupada wanted these books distributed. Today Prabhupada’s books have been translated in more than 75 languages of the world. And all over the world people are reading these books and perfecting their lives. Narada Muni says in the Bhagavatam Fourth Canto that if you want to please the Lord, three things are necessary

dayaya sarva-bhutesu  
santustya yena kena va sarvendriyopasantya ca  
tusyaty asu janardanah (SB 4.31.19) 

One must be merciful and true mercy is giving people spiritual knowledge. He must have control over his mind and senses and be satisfied in any condition. So Prabhupada wanted us to distribute books. Caitanya Mahaprabhu called Nityananda and Haridasa Thakura and said, ‘Go house to house and preach!’ And what was His message, bolo `krishna,' bhajo krishna, koro krishna- shiksha, Request everyone to chant Hare Krishna, worship Krishna, follow Krishna’s instructions. So Prabhupada wanted expand book distribution in India also. And Prabhupada said, ‘India has very good scope of book distribution.’ So its very nice that Mayapur temple has taken book distribution as their main activity and nearly 100 brahmacari’s are engaged in book distribution. So you’re rendering very valuable service to the society. Prabhupada encouraged transcendental competition. So there is transcendental competition between temples and Mayapur wins every year. So keep winning every year and that is good inspiration to others. And these books have changed the lives of many of those people. If today we see more and more devotees coming to our temples, if today we see a bigger congregation the main reason is the influence of these books. Everything we need to know is in Prabhupada’s books. 

We should have faith that we don’t need to read anything, everything we need to know is in Prabhupada’s books. And we should be enthusiastic for book distribution. Once I had arranged a big display of Prabhupada’s books in Bombay and after 1 month not many books were sold. So I went to Prabhupada and said ‘Inspite of this heavy promotion we did not sell too many books!’ Prabhupada said, ‘My books are distributed because of the enthusiasm of my disciples.’ So we must be enthusiastic to preach, enthusiastic to serve, enthusiastic to distribute books and if we keep good sadhana, and we remain enthusiastic then Krishna will empower you to distribute these books. Prabhupada said, ‘These books are so powerful that even if you read one sloka thoroughly your life can be perfected. Even if you read one word and understand and mediate on that, you can perfect your life!” 

So we want to encourage devotees to read and study Prabhupada books. Not just distribute books but also study these books. And we want encourage devotees to distribute these books and Prabhupada said, ‘These books will be read for the next 10000 years!’ So you have to do sankirtana for how many more years? 10000 years. After that there will only be adharma. So thank you very much for distributing books and we want to encourage everyone to get into book distribution. How many of you distribute books on a regular basis? Please raise your hands! Thats all! And the others don't distribute? Sankirtana, full time or part time? Anybody, amongst all of you, who distributes books? So there are many who don’t distribute books, they did not raise their hand. So do you want the mercy of the Lord or not? (Devotees: Yes. Haribol!) Do you want the mercy of Prabhupada? (Devotees: Yes. Haribol!) Do you want the mercy of acharyas? (Devotees: Yes. Haribol!) Or are you thinking we have lots of mercy already! (laughter) If you want mercy, then engage in the service of preaching! 

So we are very grateful to the devotees of Mayapur, you have worked very hard, and because of this efforts your temple has come first worldwide. (Devotees: Haribol!) So you distribute the around the year. So now Prabhupada said, ‘Our goal should be, double it!’ Do you understand, Double it! If this year you have distributed 1 lakh Gita, then next year distribute 2 lakhs! So this year how many books did Mayapur temple distribute? So this year all the devotees collectively distributed 7 lakh books. (Devotees: Haribol!) So next year your goal should be how much? 14 lakhs to be distributed! So will you distribute 14 lakhs? (Devotees: Haribol!) Will you make an effort? (Devotees: Haribol!) If you make an effort, Prabhupada will give you strength by which you can be successful in this venture. Sankirtana yajna ki jaya! Transcendental book distribution ki jaya! Gaurapremanade Hari Haribol!

So I will not speak much because we are late and we have to distribute awards. So I have very good experience in my life. As one month in new bhakta program, then HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja he took me on sankirtana. That time he personally was leading sankirtana book distribution. In 78 he was looking after book printing, we had a small press on the basement. That time he personally was distributing books with us and we were distributing one book 1 Re that time it was. We had two broken matador, matador you don’t see nowadays, its history now. That time it was matador. 

At that time I realised that in Bengal to distribute books was so difficult. To get money out of a Bengali pocket, at that time Raja Vidya cost Rs 4, they would die giving out such petty amounts even. 

kali-kalera dharma — krsna-nama-sankirtana krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana (CC Antya 7.11) 

Without the energy of Krishna how it would be possible like this. Within this 25-30 years the way Bengal has changed, mentality of people has changed, its because of books of Srila Prabhupada. (Devotees: Haribol!) What is the proof how Bengal has changed? 78-79 there was a Rathayatra. Guru Maharaja Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja on stage, on Rathayatra stage spoke something about Vivekananda, not very bad, some simple things, about his philosophy, something like that. So as soon as he came out of the stage, big group of people led by lady came - Why you spoke like this? On the stage Guru Maharaja had to go and beg apology for that. 

And today by reading Srila Prabhupada the whole Bengal has understood what is problem with that other philosophy, yata mata tata path will not work. sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja (Bg 18.66) 30 years before in Bengal how many people would know this verse! How many people would know sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. And today you make statistics how many, thousand people would be knowing. Why? Everybody knows this verse now. Why? Because of Srila Prabhupada. Because of Srila Prabhupada’s books. 

Its all mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, actually books are already distributed, nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin (Bg 11.33). Prabhupada has distributed all his books. We just have to go from house to house with the book bag. People are waiting when ISKCON people will come and give me a book. Eagerly they are waiting for this. So in this way I have seen how Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja, since 77- 78 started book distribution with 1 Re book. Then we had a marathon, Bhaktyananda Svarupa Maharaja, Yogesvara Prabhu came, then that time we distributed some Hare Krishna yuga and Bhagavata small books, that time we had one, long before, many many years, first in the world, I remember. Then when Harikesa Prabhu came, that time we did not have so many sankirtana devotees. But then he said we have so many namahatta devotees. Then Harikesa Prabhu he encouraged namahatta devotees, I remember, first time. When namahatta devotees get involved with book distribution, since then Mayapur always coming first or second position in whole world. Why I am telling this? When Prabhupada started our movement, we had only one preaching - book distribution.

When 81 I went with Guru Maharaja round the world travelling, every temple I see including pujari, temple President, GBC, ABC, everybody, they must go book bag. Yes, they must go book bag! Then after that nowadays we have many varieties of preaching programs namahatta, bhakti vrksas, youth forum, chhatra samaja, so many varieties. But I will tell, whatever new varieties of preaching program we might have introduced, until unless we engage our youth forum, bhakti vrksa, namahatta in book distribution, our preaching will not get perfection. The perfection of any kind of preaching program is whether you are engaging them in book distribution or not. So when Maharaja asked how many of you are regularly distributing books? Very few raised hand! Then he said, who does it part time? a few. Many still are there they have never distributed books in their life! If you don't become distribute books in your life how you can become member of Srila Prabhupada’s family? To become member of Prabhupada’s family means you must distribute books. I request everybody please try to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. 

In this way you can become a real family member of Srila Prabhupada. Jaya Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada book distribution ki jaya! Gaurapremanande Hari Haribol!

Since 2002 throughout the world every year we have been increasing book distribution. And this is mainly because of the leaders in our society, such are Gopala Krishna Maharaja, Jayapataka Maharaja. We have many leaders in our society, guru’s, sannyasi’s. But there are some guru’s and sannyasi’s that are really into book distribution. And they pass it on to their disciples.

I recently heard that 70% of the book distributors here in Mayapur are disciples of Jayapataka Swami. (Devotees: Haribol!) So he is encouraging them, inspiring them to distribute books and what is the result? They are number 1 in the world. 

And Gopala Krishna Maharaja also, his disciples are very dedicated to book distribution. Why? Because he is inspiring them. 

So its still coming from the top. As we heard Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he got his inspiration from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Srila Prabhupada he got his inspiration to distribute books from his spiritual master Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. And now leaders around the world are getting their inspiration from Srila Prabhupada. 

Actually our biggest year in book distribution in our ISKCON society was in 1977. Srila Prabhupada was ill and everyone knew that there is nothing that is going to make Srila Prabhupada feel better than book distribution. So there was a full on marathon for months and months. Did18 million books in 1977. We haven’t done that much since then. Why? Because of Srila Prabhupada. And now we are having this 50-50! 50 years, 50 books! Actually we having many more devotees in our society than 1 million. But 1 million, you know, really dedicated, householders living outside, and devotees within the temple So if we get 1 million devotees to distribute 50 books, that will be 50 million books! Much, much, much more than we have ever done in the past. So hopefully we will be able to do this quota! 

So this book distribution its actually a war on maya. Srila Prabhupada many times he said that, he wrote one letter, he said, ‘Our temples are not places for eating and sleeping but they are bases from where we send out our soldiers to fight against maya! To fight against maya means to drop hundreds and millions of books into the laps of the conditioned souls!’ Just as when during the war time the bombs are falling from the sky like anything. So these books are also like bombs and people get them and put them in their homes and they are ticking away. People pick them up and it destroys their ignorance. So generally wars are not very nice. Who like war! Nobody likes war! But this war against maya is a friendly war! Anybody ever heard of a friendly war? (laughs) For this is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s war against maya, its a friendly war. We are going to very nicely, very gently, encouraging people to take Srila Prabhupada’s books and this kills maya. 

I will tell you an interesting story. This is in 1976. One young man he went through the New York bus station, big, big huge bus station. And there was one devotee there distributing books. And this devotee was very nice, very kind, very gentle, very friendly, very personal. And he was speaking to this young man. And then he explained the book, asked for donation. He said, no, its nice but I am not very interested! But he noted that this person is very nice, very nice person. But he didn't take the book for whatever reason. 

Two years later, he is in Florida at one of the rest areas there where devotees also distribute books. So again he met a devotee and again the devotee was so nice, so personal, so friendly but this time he wanted the book but he didn't have money. So he said I am sorry, I don't have any money. But do you have a temple nearby here? The devotee said yes. So he gave him directions were the temple was. And he went to the temple and again he found all the devotees so nice. He didn't want to leave. So he joined the temple. So he has been a devotee now for 39 years. Never read a book! Never read one line but he was very impressed with the devotees. Why? Because they had absorbed Srila Prabhupada’s books. And they were absorbed in the holy name and the result of that is one develop’s very nice qualities. 

So this is the goal of this Krishna consciousness movement that we develop very nice qualities and then when we go out to distribute books, people will be impressed and they would want to learn more, and want to associate with the devotees, and want to read the books and want to chant the holy name. 

So this is the power of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Books change people’s lives. Just like here in West Bengal, so long it was a Communist country. Why? Because they were distributing these little leaflets about Communism. So many books change people’s lives, the Bible, Darwin’s books. But these books change people’s lives in a very very positive way. So they can become pure. This is the power of Srila Prabhupada’s books. People read these books and they can become purified. They can transcend the material nature.

So I want to thank the devotees here in Mayapur for being such a good example for devotees all around the world by going out and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. They are very austere, living in a bus, how many devotees in each bus? 8 or 10 devotees in each bus! Thats austere! But they are doing it year after year after year after year. And Krishna is reciprocating with them. 

So thank you very much! Hare Krishna!

Lord Chaitanya (new, expanded, second edition)
Urmila Devi Dasi: Teacher/Parent Guide activities for children aged 4-18
Five-day Teacher/Parent Activity Guide for Lord Chaitanya festivals, with a concentration each day on one of the five most potent items of devotional service as related to that festival. This program is flexible and can be used in several ways.
To download the pdf document click here: https://goo.gl/8UIdxv

Forgotten in our souls, and we have to wake it up / remember it by sādhana?”

The question arises in connection to Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu’s definition ofsādhana-bhakti not as a means to create perfection, but to manifest something eternally perfect. The question is also related to Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu’s explanation of why realized bhakti (Bhāva-Bhakti) is so rare.

Śrī Rūpa explains that Bhāva-bhakti (realized bhakti) is so rare for two reasons: (1) It cannot be created by any effort, (2) it has to be received from Krishna, who is timidly reluctant about giving it, for in giving it he gives his very self.

This indicates certainly that Bhakti is not something we possess, nor something we even have the capacity to create. It is something we must obtain, something we must attract to manifest in our hearts.

In describing Vyasa’s Samādhi, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam also very clearly describes bhakti and jīva as distinct, different entities. Śrī Jīva analyses this section extensively in Tattva-Sandarbha. Bhagavān has three potencies, seen by Vyāsa as jīva (subjective consciousness), māyā (a me-based / selfish perception for consciousness), and bhakti (a Bhagavān-based / loving perception for consciousness). Neither māyā nor bhakti are “in” the jīva. The jīva, however, is “in” them! Vyāsa definitely saw the jīva situated in māyā, but saw that it could be placed in bhakti by a sādhana of hearing and chanting about Krishna.

Then what is “inherent and dormant within us”? The potential for bhakti is! Consciousness is designed to be an agent of bhakti, that is our essential and eternal svadharma and svarūpa (“Jīvera svarūpa hoya kṛṣṇera nitya dāsa”).

Here is a good analogy to clarify all this.

The jīva is like a garden field. Prema-bhakti is the flower. The seed for the flower is not inherent in the field of the garden, it has to come from somewhere else, but the potential to grow flowers is inherent, and you could say “dormant,” in the garden field – waiting for, needing the seed. 

Vraja Kishor

www.vrajakishor.com

Kavicandra Swami: Devotees serve sanctified food (prasadam) to the thousands of guests at the annual Shantipur festival.
The Shantipur Festival is celebrated in the house of Advaita Acarya, one of the four main associates of Sri Chaitanya, the pioneer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
The event is a very attractive to the devotees, as Vaishnava scriptures say that anyone who gives or receives prasadam (sacred food) during the festival is guaranteed love of God.
For donations: PayPal Kavicandra.swami@pamho.net
Note the purpose: Santipur festival

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19591

Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji – Disappearance day
gauravirbhava bhumes twam nirdesta sajjana priyah
vaisnava sarvabhauma sri jagannathaya te namah
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, who is respected by the entire Vaisnava community and who discovered the place where Lord Caitanya appeared.”
Sri Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja was born was born around the year 1800 AD.
in the Mayamansingh district of West Bengal. Not much is known about his ealry life. Gaudiya Vedanta-acharya Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana had a disciple named Uddhava das. His disciple was Sri Madhusudana Dasa Babaji who lived in Suryakunda and it was from Madhusudana Dasa Babaji that Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja took initiation.
Jagannatha Dasa Babaji lived in Vrindavan and performed his bhajan there for quite some time. He became famous among the devotees there as one who was perfect in Krishna-bhakti.
He first met Bhakti Vinoda Thakura around 1880 AD and was inspired him in his service. Seeing Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s enthusiasm for preaching the holy name of Krishna, Srila Babaji Maharaja was very happy and would stay at the house of Bhaktivinoda Thakura on Manikatala Street whenever he went to Calcutta. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was always very eager to invite him to his house for prasada, but Babaji Maharaja was very renounced and would come only occasionally.
Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s servant’s name was Bihari dasa. He was extremely strong and powerful. In his old age, Babaji Maharaja could not walk. Bihari dasa used to carry him in a basket on his shoulders so that Babaji Maharaja could move from place to place. He was particularly enthusiastic in serving the Lord’s devotees and performing ‘kirtan’. When he would hear a 'kirtan’ or himself be engaged in 'kirtan’, his body would extend itself out of the basket like a beautiful banyan tree and he would loudly shout, “Nitai ki nam eneche re! Nitai, ki nam diteche re!” “O Lord Nityananda, what a wonderful name you have brought! O Nitai, what a wonderful name you have given!”
In 1893, Srila Babaji Maharaja went from Koladwip (the part of Nabadwipa where Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s temple is presently located) to Surabhi-kunja in Godrumadwipa. There he took his seat. His arrival in Surabhi-kunja was a wonderful event. Sri Jagannatha Dasa Babaji revealed many lost holy places in Mayapura, including the Yogapith, Srivasa Angana and others. It is said that when he came upon the holy place of Mahaprabhu’s birth he danced, although he was very old and walked with difficulty. For some time he remained in Nadia and performed his bhajan on the banks of the Ganges. His bhajan kutir and samadhi mandir are still there at present. He ordered Bhaktivinoda Thakura to build a hut so devotees could stay near his bhajan kutir, and Bhaktivinoda did so.
Some Stories from his life
In his old age, Babaji Maharaja was nearly blind. Many people would come to see him and to offer him donations for the service of Sri Krsna. Bihari dasa would keep all these donations in a bag.
One day, Babaji Maharaja said, “Bihari! How many rupees have I got?”
Bihari dasa had put some rupees aside for some service he had planned to render Babaji Maharaja. When asked by Bihari placed some rupees in his hand and kept twelve Rupees aside. Despite his eyesight failing, Babaji Maharaja detected the discrepancy.
“Bihari!” he said, “Why have you kept twelve Rupees aside? Give me all the rupees!”
Smiling, Bihari surrendered the remaining coins to his guru. The total came to two hundred rupees. Babaji Maharaja ordered Birari dasa to take the money at once and buy rasagolas, to feed all the cows in Nabadwipa dhama.
Once Babaji Maharaja was on the banks of the Ganges, living under a makeshift canvas tent. Nearby that place there lived a dog with five puppies. Whenever Babaji Maharaja would take prasada, the dogs would come around and lick the food from his plate. When Bihari dasa caught hold of one of the dogs to drive it off, Babaji Maharaja told him: 'Bihari! If you wish to drive these dogs off, you may take my plate away as well. I shall not eat today.’ When Bihari complained, 'But guru maharaja - these dogs are unclean!’ Babaji Maharaja remarked, 'No. These dogs are residents of the holy dhama. You may not abuse them.’
One day, Sri Babaji Maharaja remarked about the professional readers of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 'This kind of professional Bhagavata kirtana is simply prostitution. Those who make their living by reading Srimad-Bhagavatam are offenders to the holy name of Krsna. No one should listen to the kirtana and Bhagavatam readings that they produce. And one who listens to such offensive readings and thus commits offenses against the holy name of Krsna certainly go to hell. Those who are involved in this professional reading should immediately give it up. Such a person should worship the residents of Vrndavan with great care and attention, considering himself most fallen, and thus pray for forgiveness.’
When Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur was looking for the actual place where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birthplace was, he asked Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja to go with him. During the many changes in the course of flow of the mighty Ganges River, some parts of the sacred 'dhama’ of Navadwipa (nine islands) had changed. The Ganges had revealed old and lost places and reclaimed new ones. To his surprise Bhaktivinoda Thakur discovered that the modern day city called Navadwipa was not more than 100 years old and therefore wasn’t the Navadwipa of Sri Caitanya. Some said the birth site was on a place now in the Ganges, while some said it was in the city of Navadwipa.
Dissatisfied, Bhaktivinoda pushed on looking. He found some antiquarian maps and government records, and authentic books written at the time of Lord Caitanya, all of which agreed that Mayapur Navadwipa Dhama is situated on the east bank of the Ganges.
One day from the terrace in his house he saw a light coming from a place across the Ganges. He wondered what it was, and then crossed over to Antardwipa the next day.
Upon reaching the exact spot, to his amazement he found several large mounds covered with sacred Tulasi plants on land owned by Mohammedans. There were rumours locally of strange lights and sounds, so the owner, believing it to be haunted, would not go there. Many old babajis of the time, however, believed this to be the actual birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Convinced it was true, Bhaktivinoda, inspired by Jagannatha dasa Babaji, went there to the spot, with Jagannatha dasa Babaji being carried in his basket.
Due to his old age, Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji couldn’t open his eyes, but had to forcibly open them with his fingers, what to speak of walk. If he went anywhere he was carried in his basket by Bihari Lal, but upon arriving at the transcendental site, he leapt out of the basket and danced in ecstasy shouting, “Haribol!” and “Gauranga!” and “Ei to Nimai Janmabhoomi!!”(This is the Birthplace of Nimai!) definitely establishing it to be the very same birthplace of Lord Caitanya.
Later life
When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was twelve years old, he was an expert in the Jyoti-shastras explaining Vedic astrology. Hearing this, Srila Babaji Maharaja one day called upon him to prepare the Vaishnava calendar in accordance with the proper siddhanta. He did so and Babaji Maharaja was very pleased. With this, the Nabadwipa Panjika, the Vaisnava calendar recording the dates of the appearance and disappearance of important Vaishnava saints and the celebration of important festivals, began.
Srila Babaji Maharaja always had great enthusiasm for kirtan and Vaishnava seva. Even when he was nearly 135 years old, he went on preaching the message of Sri Chaitanya. In his old age, although he was almost paralyzed by infirmity, whenever it was time for kirtana he would still raise his arms in ecstasy.
Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja was the veda or Babaji guru of Bhagavat dasa Babaji Maharaja. Bhagavat dasa in turn gave the dress of a babaji to Gaurakisora dasa Babaji.
Srila Jagannath dasa Babaji Maharaj was such a great devotee that the Bhaktivinoda Thakura (Kedarnath Datta) called him the commanding chief of the devotees (vaishnava sarvabhauma shri……)
We observe the Disappearance of Vaisnava Acaryas by singing a bhajana in their honor. -
“Je anilo prema dhana”

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19589

By Madhava Smullen

In July 1966, after braving thirty-five days at sea on a cargo ship, two heart attacks, and months of struggles in New York’s Bowery with little money to his name, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Some of his main purposes for the Society included “to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large,” and “to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna.”

Fifty years later, residents of his first rural community, New Vrindaban, are celebrating his Society’s Golden Jubilee with a packed year of events that intend to spread spiritual knowledge and deepen connections with devotees, the general public, and local municipal leaders.

Senior Prabhupada disciples, Soma das and Jaysri dasi, bathe Nrsimhadev and Prahlada Maharaj on Nrsimha Caturmasi 2015.

The first event will be a two-day festival on May 20th and 21st celebrating the 30th anniversary of the installation of New Vrindaban’s Nrismha-Prahlad Deities, the only full-sized such Deities in North America.

Sculpted and molded by local devotee artists and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man half-lion Lord with His deep black skin and golden mane stands seven feet tall.

“We plan to invite devotees from all over North America to come celebrate this unique festival with us,” says ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das. “Together, we’ll bathe the full-size Deities of Lord Nrsimhadeva and Sri Prahlad in an abhisekha ceremony. And we will ask senior devotees to come and share their memories of the installation.”

The first stage reading of The Ramayana by Kripamaya Prabhu, June 2015

Next, on June 3rd, 4th and 5th will be the premiere of a two-hour epic Ramayana musical by longtime New Vrindaban resident Kripamaya Das.

Devotees from neighboring cities will join New Vrindaban residents and students in the audience, packing out West Liberty University’s 230-seat Kelley Theater in nearby Wheeling.

“I’ve been working on this off and on my whole life,” says Kripamaya Das, who began his dramatic career with New Vrindaban’s Brijabasi Players in the early 1980s. Currently enrolled in a music and theater program at West Liberty, he is delighted to finally see his dream come to fruition. And on a professional stage, with a cast of some fourteen students and devotees, no less.

“We plan to invite some theater directors and producers to see it, and if they like it, we hope to go on to have it produced in Pittsburgh or enter musical festivals in New York,” he says.

Kulimela 2016 Schedule

From June 15th to 19th, meanwhile, will be one of New Vrindaban’s biggest festivals of the year. The tenth anniversary of the first Kuli Mela will be celebrated back-to back with an event that was born from its bhajan kutir -- the 24-Hour Kirtan festival.

Kuli Mela will epitomize New Vrindaban’s aim to build deep relationships during the 50thanniversary year, with “celebrating family” and “building community” as its main themes. Around 1,000 people from the first, second, and third generations of ISKCON are expected to attend for three days full of seminars, activities, bhajans, and entertainment.

Radhanath Maharaj playing mridanga at 24 hour kirtan 2013

For the 24-Hour Kirtan festival on the weekend, attendance is expected to remain high, with Kuli chanters like Amala Harinama and the Mayapuris joining senior Srila Prabhupada disciples such as Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Agnidev Das.

Of course, for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, New Vrindaban devotees are also looking to do a large outreach event to connect with the local public. Residents have celebrated their own Rathayatra at New Vrindaban since 1973, but this year will see the first Festival of Chariots in local town Wheeling on Saturday July 16th.

Ratha Yathra Celebration in New Vrindaban 2015

Organizer Vrindavana Das will give interviews about the event with newspapers and TV stations in advance, emphasizing the importance of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary year and highlighting Srila Prabhupada’s achievements. On the day, New Vrindaban’s over five-foot tall Jagannath Deity will parade through Wheeling on his 30-foot high chariot, followed by a stage show on the Ohio River waterfront.  The show will include a welcome and lecture, a dance, a drama, and kirtan, followed by prasadam.

“This is about making ourselves visible to the public again,” says Jaya Krsna. “We already have the Festival of Colors on September 17th where they come to us, but with the Rathayatra we’re going to them. It’s our offering to the city and its residents.”

Srila Prabhupada visiting New Vrindaban in early 1970’s

ISKCON’s 50th anniversary is also the perfect time to reintroduce the “Prabhupada Festival” that was celebrated at Prabhupada’s Palace over Labor Day Weekend from 1979 until the mid ‘80s.

Hundreds of previous residents of New Vrindaban from its early days will be invited for the September 30th to October 2nd weekend event, and hosted as honored guests.

“It will be a revival of giving special attention to Srila Prabhupada and to the devotees who helped build his Palace and first developed New Vrindaban,” says Jaya Krsna.

During the festival, devotees will spend a whole day at the original New Vrindaban farm. There are plans over the summer to renovate the farmhouse where Srila Prabhupada stayed for one month in 1969, and to decorate it with photographs of old times. The festivities will take place under a pandal nearby, including devotees telling many stories of their experiences in those pioneering years.

Communications Director Vrindavan das welcomes the Marshall County Convention Bureau to New Vrindaban in September, 2015.

As well as deepening relationships with devotees and the general public, ISKCON New Vrindaban also wants to connect with local municipal leaders and dignitiaries.

Many will be invited to a VIP Dinner on October 27th, including the mayors of Wheeling and Moundsville, church, business, and law-enforcement leaders, deans of local universities, and celebrated artists in their fields. The event will include a delicious prasadam meal and a cultural presentation.

 “As we work hard to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and gradually improve the image of his New Vrindaban village,” says Jaya Krsna, “We want to be good citizens, to connect with our neighbors. And in the process, we want to let them know about ISKCON’s 50th anniversary and Srila Prabhupada’s achievements.”

After ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, more celebrations are to come with the 50th anniversary of New Vrindaban in 2018. Plans include a book and film on the history of New Vrindaban, more efforts at reconnecting with current and previous residents, and a recreation of Srila Prabhupada’s famous Bhagavat-Dharma Discourses from 1972.

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversaries of ISKCON and New Vrindaban, we remember that Srila Prabhupada is our spiritual founder,” says Jaya Krsna. “He established New Vrindaban as a sacred village, he gave us so many grand visions and bold instructions, he visited four times, and it’s clear that this community is important to him. And today, of course, we can feel his presence so strongly in his Palace. Therefore our intention should be that everything we do here, we do it for him.” 

Source: http://www.newvrindaban.com/newvrindaban/node/630

Self esteem is not arrogance. By its very definition, self esteem makes one confident of oneself and as a result the person develops genuine humility. Again, humility is not timidity. Timidity is a direct symptom of low self esteem. A student without required self esteem can suffer unknown health issues, both physical and mental. Lack of self esteem can also lead to depression. Students lacking self esteem are vulnerable to getting bullied by their peers. This makes teaching students and children how to develop true self esteem that is different from arrogance an essential part of teachers’ and parents’ responsibility. I need to add here that by the word qualification I never mean only university degrees although they do help.

Not only are teachers responsible for what they teach, they have a moral responsibility to ensure the students develop enough self esteem and grow into responsible citizens. Now, self esteem is not something every one can buy nor are all born with it, but there are all possibilities that by hearing from and associating with right people, one can break the mental barriers that he or she may be otherwise stuck with.

I read some interesting points and a keep-in-mind list for teachers who want to help their students build self esteem. Let me share them with you first. Later on we will take a look at what Bhagavad Gita has to say on the same subject matter.

17 Great Resources for Building a Student’s Self Image | Edudemic

What do your students see when they look in the mirror? Do they see someone worthwhile or someone who will never be good enough? While it isn’t your responsibility to dig into the nuances of every student’s self-perception, you can still help the members of your class to have healthy views of themselves. Such a view can bolster their academic performance and serve as a bulwark against bullying. The following resources provide information about self-image that you can use in the classroom.

Background Information to Bolster Your Lessons

What does having a proper self-image involve? What factors go into how a person perceives him or herself? The resources in this section provide insight into how self-image works and offer specific techniques for building it up.

Perhaps you’ve heard it said that sports are an effective channel for boosting kids’ self-confidence. That is true, but only in certain cases. This article from Psychology Today explains under what circumstances sports have a positive effect. In a nutshell, “the potency of sports lies in their social setting.”

A writer for ChicagoNow points out that “a bully won’t bully a wall; [a bully] finds a target.” This article goes on to provide self-esteem pointers that can help students go from being a “target” to being a “wall.” Tips include things like practicing coping skills and slowing down to think before responding to a bully.

What is the psychology behind building a positive view of self? Drawing from counseling principles, the Mayo Clinic presents steps for challenging and changing negative thoughts, a process that can lead to higher self-esteem. Although the information aims to help adults, the principles therein are useful to individuals of every age.

Why do children form negative self-images? The answer has to do with a range of factors, most of which have their roots in the home. This piece from LiveStrong lists five situations that can bring kids down. As an educator, you may have little power to change some of these things, but being aware of them provides valuable insight into the way your students think.

You want to ensure that your students are safe online: safe from predators, safe from scams, safe from bullying, and safe from social media depression. This article from PsychCentral explains how social media can impact the way people view themselves and offers some tips that you can pass on to your students for keeping their social media life in the right place.

(Read more http://www.edudemic.com/17-resources-for-self-image/)

While there are differences between how the Vedic knowledge is imparted to students and how the modern schools and universities run, self esteem of students remains a common and important aspect that design and define students’s future. Bhagavad Gita (4.34) says this:

tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah

TRANSLATION: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

Note the word “submissively”. Here is the main difference between today’s education system and Vedic education. Vedas emphasize that real knowledge, meaning transcendental knowledge, cannot be acquired by a person who is not submissive to his spiritual master. The same principle applies to mundane knowledge. Traditionally, in India and around the world, students were trained to be obedient to teachers. Similarly, children were taught to be respectful towards parents. In contrast, in modern days students are encouraged to be independent minded, that is, whimsical, and quite often, such independence is promoted as self esteem although in reality it is arrogance.

“One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. Not only should one hear submissively from the spiritual master, but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.” (Srila Prabhupada purport)

When the spiritual master is pleased, scriptures declare, the Supreme Lord is also pleased. And because the Lord is the reservoir of all good qualities, anyone who is favored by Him automatically develops not only self esteem but all other godly qualities. Besides, when we realize that the Supreme Lord, who is full of all strength, all beauty, all wealth, all knowledge, all fame and even all renunciation, is our best friend and well wisher we no more need to go around searching for self esteem as it automatically becomes an intrinsic part our nature.

“O King of the earth! One who organizes a festival for Hari at home, for such a person too in Hari’s world a festival is eternally organized.”

“Each day I worship Gopisvara Mahadeva, who is situated on the bank of Yamuna. That same Gopisvara was worshipped with deep devotion by the gopis, and he quickly fulfilled their desire to attain a supremely precious jewel in the form of the embrace of the son of Nanda Maharaja .” [ Srila Raghunatha das Goswami, Vraja-vilasa-stava ]

Congregational Preachers to be awarded in Sridham Mayapur

This year, for the first time ever, we will be hosting our annual award ceremony during the ISKCON Leadership Sanga in front of all the leaders. We will be awarding those devotees around the world who have done an outstanding service in the area of congregational preaching.

During the 2016 Annual Award Ceremony, the congregational ministry will recognize devotees in a variety of areas. From pioneers and supporters of the preaching mission to those who have had long term achievements with their congregations, or in the area of production of preaching material and even those devotees who may have given substantial financial contributions for the preaching will receive due recognition for their endeavours. Another important award is for those devotees who travel far and wide trying to encourage and train congregational devotees in their spiritual life. Other significant areas are prison preaching, festivals and youth.

In celebration of ISKCON’s 50th year, we are humbly presenting medallions to devotees who have made exceptional progress in their preaching endeavors.

Please help us to honor these devotees by contributing to the medallions. Any amount will make a difference.

http://www.iskconcongregation.com/donate-to-project/