Observe the undivided attention the artists and the chanters exhibit during the kirtana under the leading of BB Govinda Swami. (14 min video). To some devotees this video brought tears in their eyes.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ue7hsP

How can we always know that the decisions we take are the correct ones? That they are pleasing to both guru and Krishna?

Such questions are simultaneously easy, yet difficult to answer and even more difficult when it comes to practical application. One such area that falls into this category is when a senior devotee falls from the highest standard of spiritual practice and how our society deals with it.

In a simple sense once a devotee falls down then they are fallen, and while no vaisnava would wish to make their existence more difficult than it is, while fallen, they would have to be relieved of any responsible position or role.

But how to do that without disgracing the person involved and what was the example given to us by Srila Prabhupada in this regard?

In a general sense Prabhupada was very clear about this issue:

“In brahma-sukha one is no longer attracted by lusty desires. Indeed, when one is no longer disturbed, especially by lusty desires for sexual indulgence, he is fit to become a sannyasi. Otherwise, one should not accept the sannyasa order. If one accepts sannyasa at an immature stage, there is every possibility of his being attracted by women and lusty desires and thus again becoming a so-called grhastha or a victim of women. Such a person is most shameless, and he is called vantasi, or one who eats that which he has already vomited. He certainly leads a condemned life. In our Krsna consciousness movement it is advised, therefore, that the sannyasis and brahmacaris keep strictly aloof from the association of women so that there will be no chance of their falling down again as victims of lusty desires.” SB 7.15.37 Purport

So that is clear enough, if we take to the spiritual path and in particular if we enter the sannyasa asrama, then failure is not really an option, as it both discredits us, discredits the asrama and calls into serious question our motive and honour as far as entering this asrama in the first place.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out why the standards are so high. From a social and cultural point of view – all over the world – those in the religious/spiritual order of life are afforded so much respect. This respect is given on the basis of trust. So a rabbi in a Jewish community, a priest in a Christian community, an imam in a Muslim community or a sannyasi in Vaisnava community are automatically afforded so much reverence purely as a result of the dress they wear. Therefore if they do not live up to the basic standards required of that way of life they have voluntary accepted, then the mercy, or lack of it, awaits;

Prabhupada: “There is a temple, Tarakesvara, in Hoogli district. So Lord Siva… So people, I mean to say, pray that “If my this disease is cured or if I get this victory, I shall become a sannyasi for a month.” (laughs) So that system is going on. They become sannyasis for one month. There are hundreds and thousands. This is called “one month sannyasi” That is not mentioned in the sastra, but it has come into custom and if he returns, he is called vantasi, yes, “eating the vomit.” Conversation April 14th 1974

Notwithstanding the above it doesn’t necessarily follow that the best course of action is to publically expose every fallen sannyasi, particularly if their motive was not as shallow as mentioned in the above quote. In ISKCON’s case most, if not all sannyasis, enter this asrama with a sincere desire to help with Prabhupada’s mission of spreading Krsna consciousness. Prabhupada once said to be surprised at those that stay, not at those that leave, so it is hardly surprising that there are some casualties. Prabhupada both understood and dealt with this situation sensitively and very much practiced what he preached. What follows is Prabhupada’s reaction when he heard the news that Madhuvisa’s difficulties had become public within ISKCON.

“Pusta Krsna Maharaja spent a long time on the phone in the evening, informing all the temples in Madhudvisa’s zone on the East Coast that he has fallen and he is no longer the GBC. However, when he came in to report his actions to Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada was angry. Prabhupada was made aware of the initial suspicions in Australia, but his idea had been to keep the affair quiet until he reached New York, where he could see Madhudvisa personally and attempt to clear everything up without a scandal. He wanted to save him, and he was upset that news of Madhudvisa’s falldown was now widespread. He rebuked Pusta Krsna. “Now you have made it impossible for him to return.”

He was also angry with Gurukrpa Swami. “That Gurukrpa! I told him not to tell anyone.” Although Prabhupada found no fault in Tamal Krishna’s approaching Madhudvisa because he had done it as a friend, he said that Gurukrpa had disobeyed him by discussing it with Tamal.” A Transcendental Diary Volume 2.

One thing that is interesting to note is that ISKCON’s current leaders do not have the same scope for following this example of Prabhupada’s. The dynamic surrounding this issue is the same so naturally the leaders want to follow the example of Prabhupada but often when they do they are charged with being in an ‘old boys club’ and engaged in a cover up! In the above example both Pusta Krsna and Gurukrpa are being rebuked by Prabhupada for doing the very thing that today’s leaders come under a lot of pressure to do – make everything public.

Some years ago one leader told me an interesting story that highlights this point. One of his senior managers/preachers in his area of responsibility was having some difficulty and had had a recent fall down. This leader, in consultation with a few senior god brothers, decided a course of action and rectification with the explicit aim of strengthening this devotees spiritual life and hopefully have him return to his regular duties as soon as it was clear that he had fully recovered from his difficulties. While the devotee involved was undergoing his rehabilitation, some news of his difficulties somehow became known to a few others. At this point these other devotees approached the leader dealing with the situation and asked him for clarification regarding the rumours. The leader concerned felt he now had to inform these devotees as they were also senior men. After explaining the situation these devotees expressed a little upset at the fact that they had not been informed earlier and felt that the leader concerned should have been more open and not just shared this situation with a couple of senior god brothers. The leader concerned expressed his difficulty in wanting to deal with the situation but not overly exposing it thus making it very difficult and humiliating for the devotee at the centre of it all. While they understood his motive the devotees still felt there was something of a ‘cover up’ involved. At that point the leader apologised for any shortcomings in his approach to this difficult situation and then asked the devotees what should be done now, should all the devotees of the yatra now be informed, given that all the leaders now know and also their expressed concern about not covering things up? The reaction of the devotees was quite interesting, notwithstanding their upset about initially not being informed of this issue, they now did not want it further publicised and felt (for all the same reasons that dictated the original course of action) that best, particularly for the devotee and the success of his rectification, that the yatra should not be informed. It was then pointed out to these devotees – have they now joined the ‘old boys club’ and are they now part of a cover up!

So this story is very revealing in so far as how on one level we all want to be very open and deal with things in a way that matches our desire for integrity, honesty, morality, duty and freedom from duality. On the other hand it shows how, when faced with specific situations, there are many other considerations that come into play and very much muddy the waters.

We learn the following from none other than Bhismadeva, who has an entire Parva of the Mahabharata, the Shanti Parva, dedicated to his instructions on morality. In addition Lord Krsna says of Bhisma:

“When that great man leaves (Bhisma), so all kinds of knowledge about morality and duty will leave with him. No one can deliver instructions comparable to his, not even Me.” Mahabharata – translation by Krishna Dharma das

So Bhisma is indeed as high an authority on the subject of morality as we will find, and here is what Bhisma said when directly asked by Draupadi about her plight after the gambling match:

“O blessed lady, knowing that one who has no wealth of his own cannot stake that belonging to others, but knowing also that wives are always at the command of their husbands, I am unable to answer the point you raised. The ways of morality are subtle. Yudhisthira can abandon the whole world full of wealth, but he will never sacrifice morality. The Pandava played with Sakuni even though he knew that no one could defeat him at dice. He has staked and lost both himself and you, O princess. Therefore I am confused upon this matter.” Mahabharata – translation by Krishna Dharma das

I guess at the very least these quotes convey that dealing with these kinds of matters is never easy, never black and white, hence the title of this piece ‘Krishna give us guidance, oh Lord we need that now”.

We can but do our best and ultimately, as we learn from sastra, the truth will be revealed according to time, place and circumstance and no doubt Krishna will reveal, in any given situation, what each individual needs to know and what is best for all concerned, in due course.

Your servant
Praghosa dasa

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22002

Bhaktin Constance: I read my daughter’s Muhammad Ali article a few days ago and was inspired to write one of my own. See, writing was my mainstay in many of the legal assistant & managerial positions I held over the years. Since my two only children both became devotees of Krsna close to four decades ago, being very close to them both, Krsna had to become a pretty big part of my life too. They each had devotees over to meet me in my Brooklyn home; Raga even brought her guru BT Swami over with some of his disciples with ice cream on my birthday one year. My son, serving as the Brooklyn tem-ple’s VP for 12 years meant, I was frequently going back and forth there to drop off things for him. On one occasion I even notarized an official letter written to Raga and Hladini by a famous Black leader Raga knew who decided to give Krsna and Prabhupada a glowing endorsement. Today, as a senior citizen, I’ve now retired to So Florida and the 3 of us still maintain close relations, talking by phone several times a week & sometimes visiting in person.

My biggest Krsna adventure occurred when I visited both of my kids in the Midwest where they had each settled. This was around my birthday (June 14th) which happens most years the same day as the New York Ratha Yatra. That year I flew to St. Louis where Raga threw a birthday party for me in the house she’d just bought & invited many of her friends. During that trip, we visited a museum, went to an EWF concert and I and some of Raga’s girlfriends dined out at Thai places & at Whole Foods. I was 80 at the time, and against a few warnings not to, I decided on a Sunday to take the 6 hour drive to my son & his wife’s house in Winfield, Ks. Before I set out, Hladini’s wife warned me about strict law enforcement on the highway. I’d also been warned that all of Kansas was a tornado zone but now to my shock, the radio was suddenly announcing a tornado alert, which I found particu-larly unnerving because I didn’t know where I was or any of the different counties they were mention-ing. Soon, all kinds of cars & trucks seemed to speed up. In my rear view mirror I saw two trucks racing down my lane & decided to get over to let them pass. Seconds later, an unmarked car signals me to move off the road and an officer jumps out asking for my credentials. I ask why he’s stopping me & he says for speeding and failing to signal. He keeps me a long time but finally accepts my lane-change explanation and lets me go.

My knees almost shaking now, I drive some more and come to an exit where the toll booth lady tells me I look frightened. “You’re damn right I am,” I want to say but don’t. Meanwhile, she offers to direct me to a shelter, goes a little distance then lifts up a metal cover that reveals a deep but narrow underground enclosure made of cement. There are 6 or 8 strangers inside, all looking as frightened as I am, but everyone welcomes me and all 8 of us stay there for a half hour, during which time, one of my cell mates lends me a phone so I can call Hladini & explain all the delays. That night I calm myself by sleeping in a hotel room, but you can believe all the day’s activity have been so stressful, I get very motivated to chant the Hare Krishna mantra I already know & start doing it much more seriously!

Even now, many years later, I still chant Hare Krishna with some regularity, especially when I feel endangered, but I admit on most mornings I do Transcendental Meditation like my son taught me to do years ago. I’m not ready to commit to doing a certain amount of rounds per day just yet, but what I have done devotionally is talk a lot by phone to both my children, who seem to be so stuck on Krsna they’ll hardly talk about much else for long. I’m also doing what I hear is called Sadhu Sanga by asking each of them questions, like for example what are the pros and cons of my continuing to chant, and what can I expect from doing it. I’ve also learned from talking to them both that prayer requests are permissible in the devotee community. It’s even stressed that the prayers of numerous devotees has more much impact, so this is my humble request.

My baby brother Richard Roger Melbourne (born one day before me but four years later) came to Florida years after I did. He relocated here just five years ago in fact, but very suddenly this year he developed a medical problem. He’s never been as careful with his health as I’ve been. As a retired engineer, he also does the couch potato thing, eats a lot of junk food, & won’t walk around enough to maintain his health. Richard’s not yet a vegetarian like I’m trying to be and probably won’t ever become one. Still, my prayer concerns are this. One Sunday morning 6 months ago I found Richard unconscious on his kitchen floor. After this, he was hospitalized for several weeks, then moved to a rehab center. Eventually an emergency guardian was appointed for reasons that are still unclear.

My brother and I have been nearby each other for 80 or more years straight. When he was healthier, he would always come by and help repair my & my daughter’s cars. He is a fine man but I now understand that like me and a whole lot of us, he’s an unfortunate resident of the material world. For all these reasons I’m mustering humility to request the devotees’ prayers.
Age wise, I’m obviously a little bit ahead of some of you all, but I hear that Srila Prabhupada said that old age and death would happen to all of us. Still maybe you all will kindly pray for me and Richard that we will have a good outcome in our court case & that he will have an easy journey.

We’ve probably all noticed that Injury and insult often walk hand and hand, & that old people often preyed upon by “the system!” But my daughter often reminds me that years ago, one time in the streets of Ft. Greene Brooklyn, Richard and I actually participated in a Harinam procession. I had recently turned 65 and just retired. We got tricked into this Harinam actually because Raga had rented a large space that the manager had accidentally double booked. We therefore had to waste a little time and move between the owner’s personal home address &the Creative Concerns venue Raga secured. We were especially concerned because Raga had done a radio show to announce this big bhakti event & had arranged to co-produce & host it.

I hear that Krishna never forgets a gesture done for Him by even a new devotee, so maybe this Harinam parade we did will be enough to attract Krishna & His devotees’ mercy to help my brother and I in this troubled time. I thank you all for considering my prayer & hope you’ll also bless us on our birthdays (Richard’s on June 13th & mine on the 14th ). Please also pray that my taste for chanting will continue to blossom. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many devotees. Nartaka devi visited my condo in So. Florida years ago and I’ve also met the wonderfully talented artist Pushkar, who went to high school with Hladini when it was still called Music and Art. Thank you for your prayer and help.
Your grateful servant, Bhaktin Constance

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22010

A historic day celebrating ISKCON’s 50th anniversary with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who performed the ground breaking ceremony for Bhaktivedanta Manor’s new Shree Krishna Haveli.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21999

Those are most unfortunate who spend most of their spare time in entertainment. No higher goal defines their life.

You don't need to be intellectually or skillfully special to have a goal. Material goals do require such qualifications, but not spiritual goals. Everyone can strive for personal spiritual upliftment irrespective of social, monetary, intellectual, or skill  status. Spiritual goals add meaning to living, and to life itself.

Entertainment centered life is meaningless, hence unfortunate. Goal centered life is purposeful, hence fortunate.

Source: http://thebandwagonofmoltengold.blogspot.in/2014/08/goalful-fortunates.html

by Sacinandana Swami

The Tree of Life is a simple model that shows how we can lead a vibrant, inspired spiritual life and help others to do the same. It consists of three parts that bring your life to a level where you can live with a deep connection to the Lord.

We need to visit these three parts of our life daily. If all of them are well taken care of we can “stand tall and not fall” even in the midst of difficulties. These three parts are: individual nourishment, a supportive lifestyle, and our contribution to the lives of others. Life can be compared to a tree.

Just as a tree needs to have deep roots, a strong trunk and a flourishing crown, we all need to have roots in eternity, a supportive life style, in which physical, emotional and social needs are met, and the fruits of contributing to the lives of others.

The Roots – Spiritual Cultivation

The Tree of Life will dry up and fall to the ground if its roots are not deep. In the ancient Vedas these roots refer to one’s own relationship to God (sambandha), and the practices of spiritual life (abhideya). These practices include reading and realizing sacred texts, chanting the Lord‘s names, visiting holy places, prayer and worshiping the Lord in various ways.

The roots of the Tree of Life are not visible to others. In order for your personal relationship with the Lord to be nourished, it must be kept private. If you take the flame of a candle out into a storm it will extinguish. In the same way the fruits of your spiritual life – your deep realizations and insights – will vanish if you take them out into the public. Although the roots of a person often remain “beneath the earth” so to speak – they are the most important.

The Trunk – Physical, Emotional, Social and Mental Well-Being

One’s lifestyle is of similar importance. Only if we live properly, can we think and act properly. According to Ayurveda, a person’s mental and physical well-being stands on three pillars: a healthy diet, good sleep and a beneficial lifestyle. Lifestyle is composed of both physical and mental cultivation.

Physical cultivation includes cleanliness, regular exercise and engaging the senses in service. Mental cultivation includes truthfulness, refraining from theft, giving up bad association, simplicity (not taking more than we need), religiosity, celibacy, refraining from unnecessary talk, forgiveness, fearlessness, purification of the heart and an attitude of service.

The Crown – Contributing to the Lives of Others

Finally, is our enriching the lives of others. It is like the fruits on the crown of the tree. Our help to others may be small like giving inspiration, or large like managing a project or even a country.

How deep are your roots? How strong is your trunk? Do you have fruits on your crown?

Source: http://iskconofdc.org/the-tree-of-life/

Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami: I recently heard a story about a guru and disciple relationship. The Guru was Ramanuja Acarya and he had one disciple his name was Dasati. This Dasati, after Ramanuja, he was probably the greatest scholar in the whole world. He was really a wonderful-wonderful vaisnava. And he knew, he really-really knew the Vedas nicely. So one day he went to Ramanuja Acarya and he said: “Guru Maharaja, I would like for you to explain me Krishna’s final statement in the Bhagavad Gita.” That statement is:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

Krishna says we should abandon everything that we have and surrender to Him. So he said: “Guru Maharaja, please explain to me all the internal and esoteric meanings of this verse.”
And Ramanuja said: “Actually, I’m not qualified to describe this. But I know in one village there is this very old saint, and he knows so much, go there and serve him”. So Dasati followed Ramanuja’s instructions, he went there and he found this very old and saintly sadhu in the village. And he served him so faithfully. He did everything for the sadhu.

And finally one day that saintly sadhu looked at Dasati and said: “Maharaja, you’ve been serving me so nicely! What can I do for you?” So he said “Please explain to me all the meanings of this verse from Bhagavad Gita”. And that sadhu looked up and said “For me to even say something to you would be totally foolish, you know so much more than myself, therefore all that I can say is go back and serve Ramanuja”. So he went back to the place where Ramanuja was.

Just at that time one lady from a far village came to see Ramanuja. She was from a brahman family. And she had just gotten married into a family and she said: “Ramanuja, these people that I married into their family, they treat me like a slave. They expect me to cook all the food, wash all the pots, and wash all the clothes, and keep the house clean and the worst thing is that the well is at least 3 kilometrs from the house. And they expect me to go and collect the water also. It’s too much for me. And they always abuse me and they speak badly to me and I just don’t know what to do”.
Ramanuja said “Well, it’s easy. You need to get a servant to carry the water and do the cooking.”

Just at that time Dasati arrived, and Ramanuja said “He can go with you as a servant, he can carry the water and do the cooking”. And without saying anything Dasati just went with that lady. 
And every day he started doing all the cooking, carrying all the water, cleaning everything, and the people in the house would abuse him and they didn’t even know that next after Ramanuja he was the greatest scholar in the whole world.

That went on for about 8 months. And then one day one great-great scholar came to that town and he was giving a lecture on Bhagavad Gita. And this scholar he was a horrible impersonalist. And he was saying such things in his lectures like “God has no form”, “God has no senses”, “God is only unmanifested Brahman”. And everybody from the [indistinct] went to hear this lecture. And Dasati was given permission by the family to go and listen. And Dasati was becoming crazy listening to this impersonalist speak.

So finally the man finished his lecture and Dasati said: “Sir, you have said that God is impersonal. But actually this is foolishness.” This man looked at Dasati “If you know is correct then you establish the truth”. Dasati immediately stood up and very elaborately established how Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to all the Vedic understandings.

And all the people of the town were looking at this person and they were saying “Who is this?” and the man on the platform was saying “You’re just a water-carrier! You’re just the cook! What do you know about Veda? What do you know about the truth?”

And Dasati spoke – everyone was amazed. And the man came off his platform and on the spot he surrendered to the feet of Dasati. And Dasati went back to the house to cook and collect water. 

Then finally the word got out that this was Dasati. And Dasati had defeated that great Mayavadi and people went to Ramanuja and they told him how Dasati had defeated this Mayavadi. But what Dasati was doing was just He was carrying water and cooking for some karmis. And he was happy doing that.

They said “Maybe we should bring Dasati back to You”. At that point Ramanuja said “No-no, I will go to Dasati”. And so he went there and Dasati saw his Guru Maharaja come and he was in so much ecstasy, he fell down and embraced the lotus feet of his spiritual master. And he [Ramanuja Acarya] said “Now let us go back to Sri Rangam”. And there on the way he walked alone with Dasati, he said:
Now I will explain to you the meaning of verse 18.66 from Bhagavad Gita, because you have shown that truly you are a prideless person. You have shown that you are not attached to the concept of being the greatest scholar in the world.

You have shown that you are not attached to the concept of being such a great sanyasi. You have shown that you are not attached to the concept of being a temple president. You have shown that you are not attached to the concept of being a GBC. You have shown that you are not attached to the concept of being the best harmonium player. Or the best camera person. You see. You have shown that you are not attached to all these things.

“You have shown that you are just attached to following the instructions that you receive from Your spiritual master. Therefore you are qualified to understand Bhagavad Gita.”
So this is the natural relationship between a disciple and the spiritual master.

A disciple should follow the instructions of the spiritual master. Very happily, just like Dasati, who could go carry water and cook. You see. It was very easy for him to do. You see.
So we should look at ourselves – are these things easy for us to do? To chant 16 rounds. To follow 4 principles. To read Prabhupada’s books. To conduct our affairs in just the way affairs are conducted in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. You see. To dress the way that we dress in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Some people can’t even dress properly. See. To eat the way we’re supposed to eat, to eat Krishna prasadam.

So basically a disciple means one who follows. And remember the example of Dasati. He would follow so much that even though he was the greatest-greatest of all Vedic scholars he could just go and carry water for karmis.

Initiation talk from “Lectures 2007-2008” [00:00:00-00:16:57]
Sri Vrindavan Dham farm, Kazakhstan

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21991

By Mina Sharma

The Bhaktivedanta Manor marked the start of a new chapter in its history on Friday 10th June, as the groundbreaking ceremony for the long awaited Haveli building was led by UK Prime Minister David Cameron. The ceremony formed part of the Manor’s offerings to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, upon which Mr Cameron heartily congratulated ISKCON on by praising Srila Prabhupada on his creation of a “global mission”.

A reception of over 300 people, including Parliamentary Secretary Under State Shailesh Vara, devotees and patrons, was held in a marquee over the spot where the new Shree Krishna Haveli will be built. HH Bhakti Charu Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Sivarama Swami and HG Praghosa Das GBC were also in attendance.

After being shown the Temple Room and deities of Shree Shree Radha Gokulananda, the Prime Minister went on to garland the deity of Srila Prabhupada, stating “if only he had lived to see what the Manor has become; a mock Tudor country house donated by a Beatle, serving as a hub of worship, celebration and selflessness.”

The Prime Minister also congratulated ISKCON on its 50th anniversary, joking that he too will celebrate his 50th birthday this year. He went on to say: “I look at what you have done in the past fifty years and I think how much you can achieve in the next fifty. In fact, the next half century begins right now as we begin building the new Krishna Haveli, and I’m delighted to be putting the first tool in the ground.”

Shailesh Vara MP praised the Prime Minister for pioneering the term ‘British Indian’ and for forging better trade links with India. He said “the Prime Minister visited India more times than any other country, and took the largest trade delegation there… this Prime Minister cares about an inclusive modern Britain.”

Srutidharma Das, Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor thanked the Prime Minister for attending, and spoke of the important role of the Haveli and the need to “promote the spiritual values of tolerance, kindness… we at Bhaktivedanta Manor aim to embody these principles at large.”

Speaking about the Haveli, Managing Director of Bhaktivedanta Manor Gauri Das said: “This is a historic time for the Manor. The Haveli fulfils the needs of the Temple, respects the concerns of the local village and received full support from Hertsmere Council. It is a profound honour that the Prime Minister has put the first spade in the ground.”

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21985

Harinam at Thompson Square Park, 50 years after Srila Prabhupada sat there and performed Harinam in the west for the first time.

One of the Park’s most prominent features is its collection of venerable American elm (Ulmus americana) trees. One elm in particular, located next to the semi-circular arrangement of benches in the park’s center, is important to adherents of the Hare Krishna religion. After coming to the United States in September, 1965, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), the Indian spiritual leader, founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York. He worked from a storefront on nearby Second Avenue that he used as the Society’s American headquarters. Prabhupada and his disciples gathered in Tompkins Square Park in the fall of 1966 to introduce the East Village to the group’s distinctive 16-word mantra:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
On October 9, 1966, Prabhupada and his followers sat beneath this tree and held the first outdoor chanting session outside of India. Participants chanted for two hours as they danced and played cymbals, tambourines, and other percussive instruments; the event is recognized as the founding of the Hare Krishna religion in the United States. Prabhupada’s diverse group that day included Beat poet Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997). Krishna adherents continue to return to the tree to acknowledge its significance.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21979

By Vrsabha das

The Albanian Trip 2016

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu foretold that the holy names would be sung in every town and village even in Kali-yuga. Owing to Srila Prabhupada, Krishna consciousness has spread almost all over the world. However, there are still some countries where there are no devotees or Krishna’s temples. Albania is one of those countries.

The first attempt to spread the sankirtana mission in Albania was in the late ’80s when HH. Bhakti-Vaibhava Swami (then HG. Avinas-Candra prabhu), together with three devotees from the former Yugoslavia, spent several days in Tirana. Then, in 2010. and 2011; a handful of devotees from the Karlovac temple (Croatia), led by Mohan prabhu, had a Harinam tour of Albania. Both times they stayed for five days and were holding Harinams in Tirana, Shkoder and Durres. In addition to singing the holy names, they were distributing Isopanisads and Atma magazines to passer-bys. After that, only in March of the last year, four Vaishnavas stayed for five days in Tirana and distributed around 700 Isopanisads in the Albanian language. These four devotees were: Lakšminath prabhu from Slovenia and three devotees from Croatia – Nayanananda prabhu, Vaikuntha-murti prabhu and Kripalu-Krishna prabhu.

However, it is important to emphasize that the sankirtana mission of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books would not have been possible without two Vaishnavas. Višvabhavana-Krishna prabhu financially sponsored the printing of 2,000 copies of the Albanian Isopanisad, and the book was translated into Albanian by Murlidhara-Krishna prabhu from Prishtina (Kosovo). The last year’s experience of the devotees was so inspiring that there was enthusiasm to return back to Albania. Since due to personal commitments, three devotees from the last year’s mission did not have the time or opportunity to go on the mission this year – I took the opportunity and made myself and my car at Nayanananda prabhu’s disposal. He was the organizer of the mission ” The Albanian Trip 2016.”

In addition Nayanananda prabhu (a disciple of HG. Rohini-suta prabhu) and myself (a disciple of HH. Smita-Krishna Swami), about half a year prior to our departure to Albania it was known that the third member would be Trilokatma prabhu from the Czech Republic (a disciple of HH. Bhakti-vaibhava Swami). A few days before our departure it was uncertain who would be the fourth member of our team. However, Krishna gave a chance to the one who had the greatest desire – bh. Peggy (Predrag) from Split (Croatia). Although still without a guru and initiation, bh. Peggy is quite an experienced devotee who has been a member of ISKCON for 20-odd years. I witnessed his enthusiasm two years ago at the Woodstock Festival in Poland where he was enthusiastically distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books.

On the 3rd of May, a day before our departure to Albania, Trilokatma prabhu arrived at the Zagreb temple. Though we didn’t know each other by then, his face was familiar to me, perhaps from some of our Vaishnava festivals. He has been a member of ISKCON for nearly 30 years. After distributing books for many years in former Czechoslovakia, in the last decade Trilokatma prabhu has been a prominent preacher who gives public lectures and is responsible for public relations. After special and demanding training in Mayapur, in the last two years he has performed functions as a GBC supervisor for the Czech Republic and Slovakian yatras. Besides his numerous duties and responsibilities, he uses his talent of handling the photo and a video camera. He is also the cinematographer of the documentary film “Simple living, high thinking.” Owing to him and his professional camera, we now have high quality photo records of our tour. I am convinced that these photos will one day have archival value when the future Albanian Vaishnavas remember our pioneering mission to establish Krishna consciousness in Albania.

On Wednesday, the 4th of May at 6am, Trilokatma prabhu, Nayanananda prabhu and I set off from Zagreb to Split, where we ‘picked up’ bhakta Peggy. The car was full. Because of the four of us, our luggage and seven packages (800 books) – the shock absorbers were weighed down heavily. Fortunately, my Renault Scenic has a roof rack. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to take everything we needed. To cut a long story short, that day I drove over 900 km. We drove along the Adriatic coastal road, passed by Dubrovnik and continued along the coastal part of Montenegro. It was getting dark when we were driving along a narrow, rural road into Albania. We trusted the blessings of Sri Narasimhadeva should customs officers question us about 800 books. What could we have answered? However, everything went fine except that we were quite tired when we got to our destination an hour before midnight – at a youth hostel owned by a tourist company “Albanian Trip”. Even at that late hour, the traffic in Tirana was quite lively, and people were on the streets. After unloading the car and unpacking luggage in our rooms – we fell fast asleep. We had to rest for the next (the first) working day. The next morning we rested from the long journey, but we used the time to agree on a strategy and service assignment.

Since he is a good cook, it was logical that bhakta Peggy (except for the book distribution) takes responsibility for bhoga shopping, cooking and cleaning the kitchen. Trilokatma prabhu and Nayanananda prabhu were to focus exclusively on the book distribution and collection of e-mail addresses. I alloted myself two additional services. Firstly, I made a commitment to photocopy the sankirtan flyers. This is a flyer that I compiled ten years ago, which was translated into Albanian by Murlidhar-Krishna prabhu. It consists of two sheets of A4 paper that says what is ISKCON, who is Srila Prabhupada, what is Vaishnavism, the meaning of the Hare Krishna mantra, and next to Srila Prabhupada’s picture I put the contact e-mail address and our two website addresses for those who understand English (www.krishna.com and www.iskcon.org). I brought from Croatia 170 flyers, but very soon I need to photocopy more. To my surprise, photocopying in Albania is almost twice as expensive than in Croatia. The photocopied flyers I had to staple together and fold every morning. We were distributing flyers along with the books and going on Harinam. In my estimation, we distributed a total of about 1,000 flyers.

My second assignment was related to the desire to give a public lecture to students in one of the six universities in Tirana. While my three friends went out after breakfast to distribute books and flyers, I wandered around Tirana and visited three universities where local authorities were polite, but they offered me only false hopes and nothing more than that. Two days before leaving Tirana I got in touch with an English teacher from one of the other three universities. She and her authorities were interested, but there was too little time for them to be able to organise my speech because my offer came at a very short notice. This will most likely occur the next time we go to Tirana. In the meantime she started reading the book “The Science of Self-Realization’. I have started e-mail correspondence with her. Furthermore, I went (twice) to the headquarters of the national television, but I was denied by a suspicious receptionist lady. I have devised a plan how I will get around her the next time. But I will not talk about it now.

While I was on the first day vainly visiting various universities, my friends were distributing books on the streets of Tirana. The very first day they emptied a box of 115 books. On that day we didn’t have Harinam because we wanted to ‘feel’ how people would react and what their consciousness was like. Of course, Nayanananda prabhu had already known that, having an experience from the previous year. The success of the three of them, encouraged me to get out on the streets the following morning and try to distribute books. On a quiet promenade within only 70 minutes I managed to distribute as many as 13 books. I was encouraged. Now I will share with you some realisations that all four of us have experienced. The first realisation: It is extremely easy to stop people in Albania, especially when they see that you are a foreigner. For example, out of 10 people that we tried to stop, eight of them did stop and listen to what we wanted to say (providing they understand very little English).

The second realisation: There are a lot of young people in Albania. Women are clearly more numerous than men. There are a large number of students in Tirana. They will be happy to take a book, but you have to bother with them a little to persuade them to give you a donation. The books that we were distributing were already pre-sponsored so we did not have to bother about covering BBT costs. For that reason we were giving books even to those who offered less than what we had expected. For example; we were expecting at least 100 Lek. (1 euro = 138 Lek). Most of them gave less than 100 Lek. On the contrary, some rare individuals would give 200 and more Lek for a book. While distributing books, we tried to collect as many e-mail addresses as possible. In the end, we collected 54 of them.

The third realisation: Their police are great! Minding their own business they didn’t approach us when they saw that we were selling ‘something’ on the street. We held five Harinamas. Three in Tirana, one in Elbasan and one in Durres. Without notifying the police, we would sit down (with tilak, in Vaishnava robes) wherever we wanted to and play for about two hours. Although at times the police officers passed by us, it didn’t occur to them to ask us who we were and what we were doing. I guess they were satisfied that we did not create havoc, and that our performance was peaceful. All of our Harinams had the same strategy. Bh. Peggy and I played instruments (he played the karatalas and I played the harmonium), while Trilokatma prabhu and Nayanananda prabhu were easily stopping people and distributing books. Within 90-120 minutes they would together sell about 60 books and give out as many leaflets.

The fourth realisation: In contrast to northern Albania, which is mostly inhabited by a Muslim population – southern and central Albania are multicultural, where people of different religions live. Most of them are Catholics mixed with a small number of Orthodox Christians and Muslims. As far as I could see – in Tirana, Elbasan and Durres there were as many mosques as there are in Zagreb. To my surprise, there was a statue of Pope Francis in Tirana. Those who are obviously Muslim ladies are mostly tourists from Turkey. Such religious diversity and mutual tolerance was a great relief for our sankirtana mission.

A handful of (mostly young) people asked us if we had a centre or temple where they could come, listen to lectures, learn something and associate with us. With a heavy heart we had to tell them that for now we didn’t have such a facility. All of these numerous realisations confirm that Albania is fertile ground for the spreading of the sankirtana movement. The potential is huge. There are a lot of young, intelligent people who could be cultivated and trained in Krishna consciousness. A lot of things can be done. I’m almost sure that a good public program (with lectures, bhajans and prasadam), could trigger an avalanche of changes in the lives of a large number of Albanians. Though not aware of it, they are ready for such a change. How about us, ISKCON missionaries and ISKCON as an institution – are we willing to invest efforts and resources in various projects with the aim of spreading Krishna consciousness in this, so far unconquered part of the world?

There is not a problem with the lack of enthusiasm and good will of a few of us who are willing to take on responsibilities and make efforts for the satisfaction of our beloved Srila Prabhupada – to create an Albanian-yatra. The problem is the lack of material facilities and financial resources. The four of us want to go back to Albania this autumn. However, in order to be more effective, we want to rent an apartment or house for about 2-3 months in which we could invite interested people. Unfortunately, the four of us do not have regular financial income to be able to cover the costs of renting a house (or apartment), heating, food, fuel for the car, and so on. Also, for now we depend on my car, in which we can accommodate a limited amount of books, which we can bring to Albania. Finally, we have a limited number of books leftover. And this is only one book – Sri Isopanisad. We need more titles. As you can see, we have enough of good will and enthusiasm. If you think that you can help in some way – please let me know. This support can be financial, printing or photocopying flyers, donation of books in English, a good idea or proposal, and so on. You can contact me at the e-mail address vrsabha@gmail.com

One day Albanian Vaishnavas will start coming to Mayapur and Vrindavan. The time will come when in Tirana and other major cities in Albanian there will be ISKCON temples, massive distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books, public programs, etc. Only time separates us from our goals. However, if we are not quick and efficient – time is not on our side. Rather, it works for the demonic forces that steadily undermine the moral, traditional and spiritual values ​​of people throughout the world, including Albania.

After the collapse of the dictatorial regime of Enver Hoxha and the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Albanian society began to open to the world; mainly the western, materially developed countries. And from there,only a few good things can come. It is obvious that in the foreseeable future, due to the negative impact from the West (mainly U.S.A.) the Albanian society will become imbued with various plagues of deep materialism and all kinds of madness that go along with it. Therefore, we need to act quickly and efficiently. We welcome all of you who would like to join our team in distributing books and preaching. Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Your servant, Vrsabha das

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21983

A conversation between His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami and Rohilesh Singh, Creator of the Happiness Platform.Have you sat back and thought about just how mentally healthy or unhealthy your workplace is and your life in general? Have you thought about what actually fulfils you or why despite all your accomplishments, you are still chasing some dream? What is that dream?

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, a monk for 40 years, is the incoming Chairman of ISKCON with over 600 temples, and has dedicated his whole adult life to selflessly serving his soul and that of others, shares with us ancient Vedic knowledge on what is important and how to attain sustained happiness.

Read the transcript below from The Leadership Show or Click and watch on YouTube or download from Soundcloud or iTunes. It’s free. Aren’t all the great things in life!

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21993

The school’s Panihati festival which marks the end of Sri Mayapur International School academic year, took place on Thursday June 9. This festival is particularly dedicated to His holiness Jayapataka swami who brought and made this wonderful pastime of the Lord known all over the world. Inspired and re-enacting the glorious passage of Caitanya Caritamrita where Raghunath Goswami is punished by Lord Nityananda, to organize a huge festival and feed all His devotees. All the school members i.e. parents, staff members, students, teachers, etc. Come together to offer our community a wonderful day of kirtan, drama and glorification of the Lord.

The preparations for the festival usually start much earlier right after Gaura Purnima, with the decoration of the clay pots, hand painted by our wonderful students.

This is a long process that engages all the students but also parents, teachers and anyone who is inspired to please the Lord and His devotees. This year about 200 pots were offered for the pleasure of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, filled with necterean preparations  and finely decorated with unique toppings by a wonderful team of students and teachers headed by Sri Janavi mataji, our PE teacher.

We had two wonderful dramas, the first one was about the original pastime of Raghunath das and Lord Nityananda and was performed by an amazing grade 5 led by Gunachuda mataji. The second drama was about the first meeting of Lord Nityananda and  Gauranga Mahaprabhu and was wonderfully performed by the grade 7 girls headed by Hemagopi mataji.

We are very fortunate that His grace Jananivas prabhu has been a regular supporter of our festival and blessed has with his precious association and presence.

We also would like to thank His Grace Ganga prabhu for conducting the auction of the pots. Our special appreciation goes to Vrajanath Prabhu who punctually raises the majority of the funds that make this festival possible. A special thanks and obeisances to all the families and devotees who helped or participated in this wonderful event! See you next year!

 ‘A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities. The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage, and personality are all identical with Him. Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened.’ (SB 2.3.17 purport)

“God, or Krishna, is perfect and complete. And when we are established in our relationship with Him, we feel completeness. Without our eternal relationship with Krishna we feel incomplete, and so we try to overcome the feeling of incompleteness with so many things—’If I get this record, I will feel complete. If I get this job, I will feel complete. If I get this spouse, I will feel complete. If I have a child, I will feel complete’—whatever it may be. But we never feel complete with those things, because we are complete only in relationship with the Supreme Complete Whole, Krishna.” 

Source:http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11137

The deities of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Radhe Shyam and Nitai Gaura were being transported from Jaipur to Vrindavan to be installed in their new temple on Ramnavmi day. It was the middle of the night, very quiet. Suddenly, just as the transport vehicle was coming close to the temple, hundreds of peacocks started to loudly ke-ka, all around the temple area. Sometimes the peacocks will crow when there are clouds in the sky or when they know clouds are forming. But this time there were no clouds. It was a transcendental call of happiness from the peacocks.  They were experiencing great bliss as if they knew that Lord Krishna was coming to stay in Vrindavan.

Just like, just before the monsoon season in Vrindavan, there may be some small thunderstorms with thunder and lightning. You can hear the peacocks jubilantly crowing because they know the rain will start soon. So this is that season, and the peacocks and brijwasis are very happy the hot summer was end soon.

In pauganda age Krishna wears clothes of different colors, but when He gets a little older he wears clothes the color of lightning. So when we see the lightning in the sky at the onset of the monsoon season and the dark clouds, we can immediately think of beautiful Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada wrote that full absorption in thought of Krishna is the highest platform of bhakti-yoga. (SB 7.1.27p)

Source:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.in/2016/06/a-short-story-about-how-krishna-and.html

If you sense that someone is either very philosophically deep or has some moral issues about sex, then its not a good idea to describe Rādhā as “Krishna’s girlfriend.” In those cases it is better to describe her as the female manifestation of divinity, the goddess epitomizing divine beauty and love. Describe her as the “personified bliss of Krishna,” and explain that their relationship with one another allows divinity to experience and enhance the fullest extent of divine bliss, which would otherwise only be latent within it.

If some question arises whether Rādhā and Krishna are married, you can explain it like this: They are two aspects of one entity – the potent and potency – so they are “married” in the deepest, truest sense of the word. But they express their love for each other as through they are not married because that makes their experience much more thrilling, exciting, and dangerous, more precious and rare, and more selfless and primal. 

If some question arises over what sort of “example” this sets for humanity, just point out that setting an example for humanity is the purpose of many other avatāra, but not the purpose of Vrajendra Nandana Shyamasundara Krishna. The purpose of his avatar is to attract us to the raw, wild, supreme beauty of the most primal and original ānanda.

If the person still finds Rādhā and Krishna to be immoral, point out again that Rādhā and Krishna are one being, more married to one another than any husband and wife could possibly hope to be. But they are *playing* out their love *as if* they were not. Adulterous people in our realm cannot very honestly make the same claim (that one is the potent and the other is the potency, and they are they are thus eternally two halves of the supreme whole). Therefore adulterous people cannot use Krishna’s behavior as license for their own. However, even adulterous people benefit by hearing about Rādhā and Krishna, for they *can* see that Krishna and Rādhā “do it better than anyone else possibly can,” and so even their adulterous or sexually adventurous spirit can attract them to want to know more about Rādhā and Krishna’s love and perhaps even develop a strong desire to play some role in it.

In all cases, everyone should be introduced to Śrīmatī Rādhārānī Devī – but with the proper sambandha, the proper conception of who and what she truly is.

Source:https://vicd108.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/radha-krishna-adultery/

Visnujana: How will it be possible, Prabhupada, for a man whose mind is clouded to constantly chant Hare Krsna? A man who’s always thinking thoughts about family, friends, country, nation?
Prabhupada: Yes. Think of. At the same time, chant. Two things will go on, and this will conquer. (chuckling) As maya is forcing you to drag you from this Krsna consciousness, you also force maya by chanting Hare Krsna. There is fight. And maya will go away.
This maya is very strong. She’ll force you to entice you to other path. But if you do not stop, if you chant loudly…
Just like Haridasa Thakura was chanting, and maya could not victimize him. You know that? What was his stand? Simply chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Maya could not entice. Maya failed. Maya became his disciple. He did not become maya’s disciple.
This is tug of war. So don’t be afraid of maya. Simply enhance chanting and you’ll be conqueror. That’s all. Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28]. We are not afraid of maya because Krsna is there. Yes. Krsna says, kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati [Bg. 9.31]. You just declare, “My devotee will never be vanquished by maya.” Maya cannot do anything. Simply you have to become strong. And what is that strength? Chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, loudly. 

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21945

USA: Eight Reasons People Move To Utah: “Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple & Festival of Colors” prominently mentioned: https://goo.gl/MpdHZV
“…Utah even hosts one of the biggest Holi festivals in the world at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, where over 70,000 people join together to dance, hug and throw colors in the air during a weekend of pure joy.” 

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21947

Kripamoya Prabhu: One disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “I am right in assuming that although your first organization was called ‘League of Devotees’ that you in fact were the only member?”
Srila Prabhupada laughed, and said, “You are right. I was the only one.”
If I fainted from the heat in Delhi, if I were gored by a bull, and if no one joined the institution I created, I would have given up, but not Srila Prabhupada. If I got two heart attacks on the ship, I would have given up.
It is not that Srila Prabhupada did not suffer. The glory of Srila Prabhupada that he did what he did despite the difficulties.
No one really came to Krishna consciousness because they like institutions.
Many people like Srila Prabhupada, but fewer like Srila Prabhupada’s organization.
The village, the company, and the extended family are natural divisions. Cities are an invention by wealthy capitalists.
When I joined ISKCON there were about forty people. Yet for six years, my world was four people traveling in a van and selling books.
I was at a meeting of about eighteen people, and Prabhupada was talking about book distribution. He began by looking at everyone in the room and then said, “Thank you very much for helping me spread my mission.”
I would say that 95% of our members are nice devotees, and let us say, the multi-colored patchwork history we have had, are due to other 5%.
Prabhupada made Kirtanananda a swami and sent him to preach in London, and instead of going to London, he went to New York and preached his own brand of Krishna consciousness without sikhas and without robes.
Srila Prabhupada considered, “If ISKCON fails, I want my books always in print, so that it can be recreated by those who read my books.” Thus Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was separately incorporated.
The British aristocracy was the object of the preaching of the Gaudiya Matha whereas Srila Prabhupada preached to confused young people.
Srila Prabhupada encouraged everyone to practice bhakti – men, women, everyone.
Iggy Pop was one of the first people to buy a set of Srimad-Bhagavatams directly from Srila Prabhupada’s hands.
Srila Prabhupada was attractive to all kinds of people, although he remained unchanged. [He did not have to present himself differently to attract a variety of people.]
Many devotees say that they felt that Srila Prabhupada had all the time in the world for them. We should at least try to make people feel we have all the time in the world for them. One reason is Srila Prabhupada realized we should not lose people.
If Prabhupada was angry with someone, when he was finished dealing with that person, and he dealt with someone else, he was free from anger and dealt with that next person according to his relationship with him.
When Srila Prabhupada came to the Manor for the last time, he treated his disciples with great affection instead of being the stern founder-acarya.
In 1992 we set up a Sannyasa Ministry to analyze the chance of devotees remaining celibate for life. Since then we have had only one or two minor issues with sannyasis.
In communist times about 28 devotees were lost to the communists, who tortured and killed them.
The devotees have the land permissions and the money to build a temple in Moscow, but the Church and Mafia are in cahoots to keep them from building a temple for twenty years. Still, in Russia we have festivals with 14,000 people.
We have our first Eskimo devotee now in Yellowknife in Northern Canada from getting a book and reading it.
In the early days in Dublin, the magistrate charged the devotees with two things:
1. Making noise in public.
2. Being dressed in such a way as to frighten the public.
In Australia someone from Time-Life joined ISKCON. He said, “I can change your image overnight.” He created a magazine showing the best of Hare Krishna with happy children and kangaroos, and we printed 1.5 million and we inserted them into Sunday papers, etc. And it did change our image overnight. We ended up having a preaching center for every million people, fourteen million people and fourteen preaching centers.
In ISKCON, there has been a great influx of people but there is also an outflux of people. Why? We have not done two things that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do:
1. Look after people.
2. Develop living situations where people can live.
Our success depends on how we can retain our members.
Be real. Keep track of the people you meet. One vicar told me that he spends most of his time looking after his members. There is one lady I looked after for twenty-two years before she took initiation.
I have left ISKCON many times. But then I would wake up the next morning and decide to carry on. The reasons I am staying now are different from those when I was seventeen.
You will be judged by how many people you looked after in your life.
Try and look after people, about twenty. Have a few friends. Do not tell them what to do. Just be their friends. Have two or three people looking after you.
From a lecture called “The Reluctant Preacher”:
If no one speaks to strangers, then the movement will not move.
I was absolutely convinced that the world would be saved by 1979. But it did not happen, so I postponed it to 1985.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses would predict the end of the world, and then, when it would not come, without any embarrassment, they would update it.
We are good at broadcasting our message through book distribution and harinama. 
A farmer has to cultivate and have scarecrows to scare away those who nibble away the seedlings. We are lacking in these.
Many a slip twixt cup and lip.
We have remote gurus and disciples, and people are lacking in systematic education.
Often we lose devotees three or four years after initiation. We are so used to people coming and going, we are not too concerned about it.
Anyone committed to this movement should take a vow to let no one drift away.
One follower of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura drifted away. Bhaktisiddhanta inquired about that devotee. The other devotees said he had disappeared. They were planning to open a temple, but Bhaktisiddhanta refused to open the temple until they found that devotee. They looked all over Madras and found him in the back of a watchmaker’s shop. They explained that Bhaktisiddhanta did not want to open the temple until he returned. The devotee was so touched by his guru’s concern that he never again left.
Preaching is to exhort someone to a higher level of spiritual and moral behavior.
The ritualization of spiritual emotion should keep pace with our actual development of real spiritual emotions, otherwise it seems artificial and people are only willing to do it for so long.
One lady wrote a book about compassion and how to develop it because it is there in all religions and this society does not teach it but just the opposite.
The sannyasa danda is an emblem of compassion and is just the opposite of the selfie stick, which increases ego.
The glue that keeps society together is compassion.
I did not join the Hare Krishna movement but began living with some ex-hippies on a Beatles estate.
Even if we are “faking it till we make it,” if we allow ourselves to used as instruments of compassion, the Lord will work through us.
We are a religion that requires a high commitment of faith. This has to be developed gradually.
Krishna consciousness is beyond all religious designations. We are coming with a transcendental message, that we are transcendental and our transcendental nature can be experienced through transcendental sound vibration.
I had a friend who had a Ph.D. in physics and a spiritual urge. He took the train from England to Japan, and spent months in three Buddhists monasteries which all left him dissatisfied. He returned to London, but despondent. He prayed to God, “You know that I do not think you exist, but if do you exist, give me a sign.” The next day, he met the devotees, and he was attracted. They said he could come stay in their temple. He had great conviction because the Lord fulfilled his prayer, and he convinced many people to become devotees.
Whether you feel it or not, you do it because it is the guru’s order.
It takes a long time to bring one to Krishna consciousness.
One person encountered Hare Krishna when she was working at “Top of the Pops” when the devotees were on the show in 1969. Just recently she became a devotee.
We must become willing to extend ourselves to at least ten people. Write their names down and never forget them.
The individual reaching out with compassion is the Krishna consciousness movement.
We have to establish connection with people so they become new members.
We have to care for the people who become new members.
Q (by Radhika Nagara Prabhu): So many of our members have left. Should we do something to help them?
A: Srila Prabhupada would always want us to make some endeavor to bring them back. There is an attrition rate because people have different needs, and we are not always expert in meeting people’s needs as they go through their stages of life. Krishna recognizes the changing needs and created varnasrama. Prabhupada found that people would come and eat in our restaurants, but not our temples. Then we had 100 temples, and he said we had enough temples, and he said we should start doing more restaurants.
About 50% of interested people actually come to meetings. Some people just do not like meetings, but they like the practice.
In 1934, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura set up a system with 18 sannyasis, then some maha-upadesikas, looking after upadesikas, and each of those looking after group of devotees.
The real question is “Who is helping you in your spiritual life?” It is not “Who is your guru?” Everyone should have someone looking after his spiritual welfare. Without guidance, there is no impetus for movement.
People join groups because they get something they need, and they leave groups because do not get what they need.
When ISKCON meets the needs of a family man, such as residence and education for children, we will retain many more people.
Srila Prabhupada said in a purport in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, “Right now the future devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement are living in every town and village, and it is up to the present members to find them.”
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/hFzl2n 

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21955

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, known for her devotion to Lord Krishna, welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the U.S Capitol. As part of a select committee of lawmakers that welcomed and escorted the Prime Minister to the House Floor, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard thanked the Prime Minister for his commitment to strengthening the U.S.-India friendship, which will help us grow our economies, strengthen our security partnership in the fight against terrorism, and pursue other areas of common ground. Following the Prime Minister’s address to Congress, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard released the following statement:
“Prime Minister Modi began his visit to the United States by meeting with President Obama, where they recommitted themselves to strengthening the U.S.-India partnership. President Obama said in 2014 that our friendship with India is the defining partnership of the 21st century. The Prime Minister’s fourth visit to the United States in just two years signifies just how important the burgeoning relationship between our countries is as we continue to address the many challenges that face our nations today—strengthening our economies, promoting renewable clean energy, protecting our planet, improving cyber security, and combating terrorism.
“As the world’s oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India have long shared many mutual goals of peace, stability, and economic growth. Prime Minister Modi highlighted the progress our countries have made by partnering in business, national security, and renewable energy. U.S. bilateral trade with India has grown to nearly $100 billion over 15 years—a nearly five-fold increase—and India trades more with the U.S. today than with any other country. Similarly, India remains one of our strongest partners in the region in the fight against terrorism. India conducts more security-related exercises with the U.S. than any other country.
“As we look to the potential that lies ahead, the commitment of our countries to grow and strengthen our ties is critical as we work together towards furthering our shared values and interests.“
Yesterday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined Members of Congress, U.S. Government Officials, Members of the Indian Government, and top U.S. and Indian business leaders to welcome Prime Minister Modi at the U.S. India Business Council’s (USIBC) 41st Annual Leadership Summit.
In December 2014, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi to promote U.S. and Hawaii interests. During her visit, the congresswoman travelled to seven major Indian cities, and met with the Prime Minister and other government and defense officials, business leaders, among others. During her visit, the congresswoman also advocated for the development of a sister-state partnership between Goa and Hawaiʻi, which was adopted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in April 2016.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21951

Vijaya Dasa: On my way to take prasada at a devotee’s house, I asked him how he joined. This is what he had to say:
“When I was seventeen, I started asking the big questions about life and reading books on philosophy. My father observed this and told me that he’d gotten a book ten years ago from the Hare Krsnas — it was in the attic. So I went up there and found the Bhagavad Gita, very dusty. I brought it down to my room, wiped off the dust, and started reading it. I was thinking it was from another dimension, the most amazing book I’d ever read. Then I moved to Czech Republic. While in Czech I met a devotee, and he distributed to me the abridged version of the Lilamrta. When I read that, that was it — I just wanted to be a devotee. So I found out where the temple was and joined. A year later I asked my father where he got the Gita. He said he had worked as a carpenter and the devotees hired him to build a stage for a festival. After the job was finished they gave him a Bhagavad Gita. He put it in the attic and it was collecting dust for ten years. Like a transcendental time bomb, it was ticking away waiting to explode when I picked it up.” When I went back to Ukraine to visit my father I told him about what I had read in the Bhagavad Gita. He liked what he heard and also started chanting 16 rounds.
Another devotee in Czech got a book somehow. His kitchen table was not properly balanced so he put the Science of Self Realization under the leg to make the table level. It was under a table leg for eleven years until he was moving to another place. When he picked up the book, he read the cover and thought that it sounded interesting. So he read it, and he is now a brahmacari in the temple in Brno.
The moral is: Just get the books out, because we don’t know how, when, or where Krsna’s mystic directions are going to change people’s heart and bring them to Krsna.
Your servant,
Vijaya Dasa

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=21953