ISKCON Desire Tree's Posts

Bhakti Shastri Course English & Hindi

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 19, 2016 at 3:21pm

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We are heartily inviting all serious students to this year’s VIHE Bhakti-sastri course. The Bhakti-sastri course is a

systematic study of Srila Prabhupada's books. Srila Prabhupada wanted all of us to deeply study his books, so that

we could become better preachers and teachers, and, very importantly, achieve a clear understanding and

application of the beautiful science of devotional service. Shri Vrindavan Dham mercifully provides a unique

environment to enhance one's taste and appreciation for the treasures of the direct path of bhakti.

This year the English Bhakti-sastri course in Vrindavan is scheduled to take place from July 2, 2016 to Nov 3, 2016.

Requirements for the course: Good sadhana, brahminical tendencies, voluntary service, proficiency in English and a

2 recommendation/character sketch, one from your spiritual master and from a senior devotee who knows you well.

Assessment criteria include attendance and personal conduct.

Assessment : Essays and closed book exams accompanied by exemplary conduct and sadhana.

Admissions close on : June 1, 2016.

Teachers:

Bhagavad Gita-

H.H. Bhakti Dhira Damodar Swami

H.G. Laxmimoni devi dasi

H.G. Sarvabhauma das

H.G. Kamal Lochan das

H.G. Praneshwar das

H.G. Adi Purush das

Nectar of Devotion-

H.G. Adi Purush das

Nectar of Instruction-

H.G. Aniruddha das

H.G. Anuradha devi dasi

Isopanishad-

H.G. Prashanta devi dasi

Deity Worship-

H.G. Mukunda Datta das.

Sanskrit Pronunciation-

To be announced

For more detailed information please contact:

E-mail: vihe.courses.admissions@pamho.net; Web site: http://vihe.org

Phone: +917060690226 (Damodarashtak das)

Please kindly post this information on your temple board and tell your friends. Thank you!

Your servants at the VIHE

Gaura Katha Series of Lectures 2016 at Juhu

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 19, 2016 at 3:07pm

How difficult is it to remember Krsna at the time of death

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 5:05pm

Lecture on How difficult is it to remember Krsna at the time of death by Sivarama Swami on 18 Feb 2016

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Realizations from a pilgrimage in Mayapur.

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 4:45pm

Realizations from a pilgrimage in Mayapur.
Aniruddha Dasa: Flew into Melbourne this morning after an odd night on the flight from Singapore to Melbourne. I don’t think it possible to be comfortable in an airplane even if you are in First Class. We were in Business. We used up frequent flyer points, just for the record.
Here’s the rub. The material world is meant for suffering. First class, second class and third class passengers are all suffering in the material world. Whichever class you are in you can’t avoid the jet lag of material life.
Otherwise we had a very productive and enthusing time in the holy dhāmas. By Kṛṣṇa and the devotees’ grace I managed to participate in full morning programs and focused japa sessions, especially in Mayapur. What a wonderful place to chant. It is immensely powerful. Now the challenge is to duplicate the same here at home. Visiting the dhāma and taking advantage of the valuable association there is meant to enthuse us to do the same, wherever we are. That way all the temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness are places of pilgrimage where one can associate with and learn from those who know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Those sincere persons looking for spiritual life will naturally be attracted, like iron filings to a magnet. The atmosphere should be so surcharged with knowledge and renunciation; focused on service to the Lord, that it is irresistible. And it is!
That comes from chanting good rounds, hearing attentively, remembering who we are and why we are here, serving with the goal of pleasing Kṛṣṇa whether it be the upkeep of His temple, or the distribution of Prabhupāda’s books, distributing prasādam, or whatever.
If we, all of us, keep Kṛṣṇa in the centre then we will be happy and so will those who associate with us.
The picture is from the ISKCON Disciple Course I taught on the weekend in ISKCON Dwarka (Delhi).

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19808

Art Exhibit Opens from Satswarupa Das Goswami’s Paintings

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 4:44pm

One of Satsvarupa Goswami's paintings

Shippensburg Arts Programming and Education (SHAPE), which is based in Pennsylvania, USA has announced a truly unique show for the month of April.

ISKCON-guru Satsvarupa Das Goswami has been painting since the 1990’s. As he tells it, “ … I had not heard of outsider art or art brut (a French word for ‘rough art’). I just painted for the fun of it, but with a passion and as a therapeutic release from my migraine headache syndrome.” He continues, “I don't really consider myself as belonging to any school of art. I wasn’t imitating anyone. I wasn’t copying Dubuffet or Picasso. I was my own man, painting for pleasure and pursuing my spiritual path by rendering pictures of Radha-Krishna, Gaura-Nitai, Vaisnavas, sadhus (holy men), and pictures of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, often with a self portrait beside him.”

Satsvarupa das Goswami has lived a very interesting life, from Temple President to biographer of his spiritual master to world traveler; he now lives in seclusion in New York State with a few devoted servants, who take care of his daily needs.

Information about the exhibition:

Title: The Art of Satsvarupa – A Hare Krishna Monk.

Place: SHAPE Gallery (Shippensburg Arts Programming & Education)

Address: 19 East King Street, Shippensburg, PA, USA

Dates: April 1 through April 28, 2016

Opening Reception: April 1, 2016 from 6-8 pm

Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Friday 4-7 pm; Saturday 10 am-4 pm

http://www.shapeart.org

Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 02, Chapter 09, Text 36

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 3:00pm

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 02, Chapter 09, Text 36 by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu at ISKCON Melbourne

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Distinctive Features of Lord Gaurangas Sampradaya

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 2:00pm

Lecture on Distinctive Features of Lord Gaurangas Sampradaya by HH Sachinandana Swami on 26 Feb 2016

(Born in 1954 in Hamburg, Germany, At a young age, he began searching for answers anywhere they could be found—from the esoteric teachings of the old world spiritual traditions to the modern theories of psychology and parapsychology.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Hare Krishna Kirtan

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 18, 2016 at 1:00pm

Hare Krishna Kirtan by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami on 31 Jan 2016 at Radhadesh

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami coordinated the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi in Mayapur. He took sannyasa in 1997 and is now an initiating guru.)

For Listen and Download - click here

Lecture by HG Anuttama Prabhu at ISKCON Mayapur ON 2016-03-11

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 5:07pm

Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7. Chapter 2, Hiranyakashipu, the king of the demons,

verse-14:

SB:7.2.14

TEXT 14

pura-grāma-vrajodyāna-

kṣetrārāmāśramākarān

kheṭa-kharvaṭa-ghoṣāṁś ca

dadahuḥ pattanāni ca

TRANSLATION
The demons set fire to the cities, villages, pasturing grounds, Cowpens, gardens, agricultural fields and natural forests. They burned the hermitages of the saintly persons, the important mines that produced valuable metals, the residential quarters of the agriculturalists, the mountain villages, and the villages of the cow protectors, the cowherd men. They also burned the government capitals.

PURPORT The word udyāna refers to places where trees are especially grown to produce fruits and flowers, which are most important for human civilization. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26): patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” Fruits and flowers are very much pleasing to the Lord. If one wants to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can simply offer fruits and flowers, and the Lord will be pleased to accept them. Our only duty is to please the Supreme Godhead (saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam [SB 1.2.13]). Whatever we do and whatever our occupation, our main purpose should be to please the Supreme Lord. All the paraphernalia mentioned in this verse is especially meant for the satisfaction of the Lord, not the satisfaction of one’s senses. The government—indeed, the entire society—should be structured in such a way that everyone can be trained to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But unfortunately, especially in this age, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] people do not know that the highest goal of human life is to please Lord Viṣṇu. On the contrary, like demons, they simply plan to kill Viṣṇu and be happy by sense gratification.

LECTURE: So here we are reading that under the instruction of Hiranyakashipu, his demoniac associates went to earth to create chaos and destruction as goal. They are burning everything, villages, capitals, government heads etc. So the question should be asked here is why why would anybody want to do these things? Well at the bottom and underneath that, they are thinking that if they can destroy Vishnu, if they can destroy the devas, if they can destroy the pilgrimage sites, if they can destroy the process of yajna, disrupt the whole systems that are there. They want to disrupt the whole system, disrupt the varnashram, disrupt the devas and thus they would be able to take charge of what’s going on and they can exploit the world and enjoy it for their own satisfaction. So first destroy everything and then we can use it for our own selfish purposes. In other words as often it’s done but not such dramatic ways, they simply trying to increase their own separate enjoyment of the world. That’s their goal and they are rather powerful demons and so they are doing in a rather powerful expressive ways but but the underlying principle is the demonic mentality. So Prabhupada explains here, in so many different purports, this is a difference between a demoniac mentality and a devotional one. The devotee of the Lord is the one who is gradually walking awakened in our understanding of who we are and what our actual identity is. We are trying to use everything for the Lord, the devotionally inclined person uses everything for the Lord and the demoniacally inclined person uses everything for their self. Overcome by the lowermost of nature, ignorance, of course, lots of passion thrown in and it’s described in the Shastra actually unknowingly they are acting against themselves and acting against others. They are thinking. Actually I’m going to control everything and enjoy it like crazy, but actually they are only harming themselves and only harming others.

What’s particularly interesting in this series of verses and key verses is that Hiranyakashipu who we understand is the greatest of the demoniac kings and the greatest example of the demoniac mentality. A few verses forward this, he is going to recite some wonderful philosophy to his mother, sister-in-law and nephews all who are lamenting over the death of Hiranyaksha. So let’s just listen to what he says just couple of verses here text 20, 21, 22. “My dear mother, the restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travellers are brought together and after drinking water they continue with their respective destination. Similarly, living entities joined together in a family and later as a result to their own actions they are let apart to their destinations. This is Hiranyakashipu. The spirit soul, the living entity has no death, for he is eternal, being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body. But because of being misled by the misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy, and thus to be subjected to the so called material happiness and distress. Therefore no one shouldn’t lament for the passing of the spirits soul from the body. So that’s Hiranyakashipu. Rather strange, and private comments in the purport to that verse is that, the demons also have knowledge. Not necessarily completely ignorant but they misuse their knowledge. We also know that Hiranyakashipu of course he was great devotee. Jay and Vijay were unfortunately forced to come into this world and act as demons. So the lines are little blurred. Demoniac, devotional, good guys, bad guys, use the world offer the world, it is not that you draw a line in the sand and you can make this demarcation. It is not clear, so why is it like that? We tend to see thing like that, I’m a devotee and that’s a demon or sometimes it’s even more direct I’m a devotee and you are a demon. Sometimes we think like that but the lines are blurred why? Ultimately because the real fact is, what was the real fact? Everybody is a devotee. Every living entity is a devotee of Krishna, but in this world everyone is forgotten about Krishna. “Mamai vamsa Jiva loke Jiva bhuta sanatana Manasastrani indriayani prakriti stani karshati” They are all parts and parcels of Krishna. But we are forgetful, we are covered over by ignorance to one degree or the other. Therefore the Lord says in Bhagavad Gita, “Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata” He comes again and again, again and again and again and again, and again and again, to teach as much as people can possibly understand at that particular time, how to reawaken their knowledge of Krishna. So it is not so much demoniac and devotional. It is the spectrum really demoniac and barely awake in devotion and everything in between is a spectrum, there is a spectrum. Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to these verses in the fourth chapter about Krishna coming again and again. That the mission, mission of these, the Lords mission is the same and the mission of his different representatives and the mission of different spiritual teachers, it’s is all same. It is all for gradually bringing people back to God consciousness and therefore we see that there is so many different religious traditions in the world. And as devotees, Prabhupada instructs we should appreciate any process that bringing people gradually to a spiritual awakening. Again we tend to see we are good and they are bad, we are better etc. I have one story and wanted to share. I have a friend, he is a professor who is a Muslim man and he is older. He may be in his seventies.

He went and heard Prabhupada speak at Harvard University, whenever Prabhupada was there in early 69 or 70’s something like that in the early days, he just happened to walking through the hall of the divinity college and he saw someone in saffron. Being from India he knew saffron was not something you ordinarily see in the Harvard campus. So, he went to hear Prabhupada and two things he said came out which convinced is that there is great spiritual truth in every tradition. Because he was Muslim and he came and heard this Vaishnava saint speak, he was so impressed. So I knew this story for years and recently I was with him again. I asked I said, tell me that story again about your time with Prabhupada. So he told me the story again. At the end he said, you know something funny?, he said I’m a muslim he said whenever I’m in trouble and whenever there is a problem I think of him. He said I’m a muslim and you think I would think of something in Islam, but I don’t, I think of him. He started to cry and then it went like that, I can’t talk about any more. So he is not over particular tradition, he doesn’t read our scripture, he appreciates our scripture. This particular man is vegetarian you know he talked to Hare Krishna, very wise person. But he is a Muslim. But he is appreciating the devotee, the Lord, the pure devotee of the Lord, he is appreciating the Krishna Conscious practice. So we are very fortunate, we are sitting here in Mayapur with the lotus feet of Panchatattva & Shri Radha Madhava, we are so fortunate to have this opportunity to take shelter at the movement of Lord Chaitanya and to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada. We know Prabhupada describes again and again, that Krishna Consciousness is the best process we know that it is the best process. But within the word best what else is there? By definition?, if there is best what does it mean? There is others that also are good. This is the best among many, so when we say best we are very very fortunate to have this. I was listening to a lecture just recently, Srila Prabhupada, he said this many many times is that it doesn’t really matter what religious system you are following. It doesn’t matter, Christian, Hindu, Muslim he said the question is are you awakening the love of God? That is the question, that’s what really matters, that’s what really matters. So we sit here as humble members and servants of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas. It is our 50th anniversary as society, so we should be asking ourselves. Just like we just finished a leadership and management course, one of the principles is accountability, to be measuring things. Prabhupada also pushed us that we should be measuring things. So that we should ask ourselves individually and collectively, am I developing the love of God? How am I doing? It’s not enough that we simply think I’m wearing thilak, you know I have the classic 2 paisa thread. I have those best times passing whatever hair is left there is little shikha still there?

That’s not actually the test. Those are nice things the external things are good, it’s a culture that helps us cultivate something. Culture means you are cultivating something, just like you cultivate crops, we are cultivating God consciousness, cultivating the love of God. We have to be asking ourselves, Am I actually developing, awakening love of God? Along with that, prior to that, we have to ask ourselves, Who am I?, and are we losing our sense of pride and our sense of false ego? What separates the demons here from devotees? Hiranyakashipu is full of spiritual knowledge and nobody’s quoting me in the Bhagavatam, that Anuttama said some greatest philosophical truth. But Hiranyakashipu spoke some great spiritual truth and Prabhupada comments in the purport, this is the deep spiritual knowledge. So he had that knowledge but he misused it. He didn’t really understand it, because of his pride, because of his false sense of who he was. Just like we are here in Mayapur and we are building here, by Krishna’s grace. We are building this beautiful temple, glorious temple and we have to ask ourselves what’s our mentality towards the temple. Just like we have to ask ourselves, what’s our mentality towards our life, and towards our time, and towards our very being? What’s the mentality towards others? So if we think it’s a beautiful temple, but we should ask who is it for? We should ask ourselves who is it for? Who do I think it is for? We should ask ourselves, who gets the credit? Who gets the credit? Because if we think, I am building this temple or I am the donor, I have 1 paisa or I gave 1 dollar, or I gave whatever, a Radharani coin or I don’t know the other coins. It is beyond my capacity so I didn’t look so close. Radharani coin, Krishna coin, Chaitanya coin or whatever it is, if I give that then actually it’s an illusion. It is a bit of demoniac mentality. It is the spectrum so we have to be careful because we know actually, Krishna is the doer and if I gave some money, whose money was it? How did I get it? May be my father or mother gave it to me. So who determined my father and my mother? Did I arrange that? I can’t take credit for that. May be I got good grades and got a good job. So who gave me the brain? Did I go to the store, pick out the best brain and made the best decision and therefore I am reaping the rewards of my good decision? No, May be some karma in the past. Who allowed those laws to work? Who allowed ultimately gave him that opportunity? Krishna. So if we are thinking, that for example, this temple is for us look what we have, look what we are doing. Just say someone is here to talk about this biggest temple in the world, well! How many worlds are there? Even Lord Brahma was humble he created the whole universe. So may be we create one temple, of course it is not finished and ultimately Krishna, He can let it finish if He likes or not let us finish. The worlds full of unfinished buildings and empty buildings and buildings that were once great but then died. The world is full of and our movement been full of fair share of great devotees who once rose but then spiritually died. It’s a battle, it’s a battle with maya and it is mostly the battle with ourselves. So if we are thinking that this temple is for us, and look what we have done and we are so good, here we are, out in the rice fields of Mayapur and if you really really know where you are going and if you really really really can’t tolerate the taxi driver, you find your way here. We build the temple, it’s a glorious temple there is no doubt. It’s an effort to fulfil the mission of great acharyas. But the point is if we start thinking that it’s for us, and not understanding who it is really for, then we are sliding into the materialistic or according to this analysis here demoniac mentality. Certainly it’s for Panchattava, certainly it’s for Radha Madhava, but even more than that who is that for, it’s for people. You know the wonderful story Prabhupada was sitting in Bhajan kutir near the gate. He said this place is in the mode of goodness, its perfect place for Krishna Consciousness. Why we building just even the first building the lotus building, a little tiny building, that’s in the mode of passion. Why are we building it, because who will come to this hut? So why did he build the lotus building for the people, why we built in the temple for the people? The mass of people, which people? Not so much for us, it is really for the forgetful people. For who did Lord Chaitanya come for, who did Prabhupada come for? Did they come to save the brahmins? Was that their mission, save the Brahmins? No, that wasn’t a mission, the mission was to save the most fallen. If we are their servants we have to think who are we trying to save? To who our life is supposed to be dedicated for? So this temple, this temple, that temple, Mayapur itself,

we should not be thinking, it’s not just like Hiranyakashipu is thinking, the world is for me, it’s all for me. I have a little bit of knowledge to convince it’s all for me. My people is special, my tribe is special, my race is special, my colour is special my position is special but if we are actually understanding that we are servants, beginning to awaken the love of God, the first principle is that we are servants, servants of this place. Our job is to facilitate others. Srila Prabhupada structured the society in such a way, systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large, that’s our mission to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to the society at large. So we are beginning to awaken our love of God, beginning to awaken love for Srila Prabhupada, beginning to love this mission, beginning to love our gurus. Then we should see how much are we excited to bring others to the Lord, how much we are thinking about how can we make this place heaven? How can Mayapur be heaven on earth? They say Juhu is heaven on earth, right? So how can it be heaven on earth, not for us but for the others. Heaven on earth is not supposed to be for us but we are supposed to be in service of others who can come here and become Krishna Conscious. Of course we also come here. Srila Prabhupada says the servant enjoys like in the same level as king. But as soon as the servant starts thinking, I’m enjoying on the level of the king then he is in trouble. So it is our 50th anniversary so many people are coming here, so many more people will be coming here to see the temple, to see this beautiful place, Mayapur. It is described even in this verse, we read that people they are going to come and see even how do we treat the trees here. It says the word “Ujana” refers to the place where trees are specially grown to produce fruits and flowers which are most important for human civilization. So we think this place for us but not for the trees, then it is that the demoniac mentality, that we think this place is for us, but it’s not for the local people, then that’s a demoniac mentality. If we think this place is for us, however we define that, but it is not for the foreign people that is a demoniac mentality. If we think this place is for us for not for the high class people, they are too puffed up, then that’s the demoniac mentality. If we think this place for us but not for the low class people, look at these people they are so poor etc. like that then it’s a demoniac mentality. If we think I’m the servant of Sri Panchattava, Sri Radha Madhava and look at all of these devotees, some of them leaving their “beedies”, just outside the gate and what else they might be carrying in their hearts and in their minds. Krishna doesn’t see like that, Krishna doesn’t see this one is a demon, this one is a devotee. Where does it say in the sastra that is the way the deities see? He sees everyone who is coming as his devotee He is accepting their service. So not just here but everywhere around the world. An important message for us it’s our 50th anniversary week, we got a foothold, we have a foothold in the world we have made some progress. We have got a few temples level of six hundred and fifty temples and astonishing five hundred and sixteen million books that’s amazing so amazing number of books, but how many people in the world? 8 billion, 7 billion? So we have one out of 14 have gotten a book.

It is a good start but it is time to quit? One out of the fourteen should we say OK it’s all done? How many languages now? 80, 90 languages? 80 or 90 languages and they estimate who knows there could be some more hidden in some forest or some place. But something like six thousand languages, ok so 80 or 90 it’s a good start but five thousand nine hundred and ten to go? So we start thinking Oh! 90 languages, Oh over 500 million books, oh! Six hundred temples then we are forgetting what our position is, because we start thinking we are the enjoyers of our success and we don’t want to do that because we can’t really help people. So when people visit temples, when people visit they should genuinely feel and it’s not a cheap thing. We have to actually develop this mentality. Mukunda Maharaj writes when he first met Srila Prabhupada, I think it’s told in Lilamrita too. When he first met Prabhupada, he was amazed how he felt how Prabhupada really wanted to give him some time. He actually cared for him. He felt that it is may be for the first time in his life somebody actually cared and wanted to spend their time with him. Because of that, Srila Prabhupada’s mood, Krishna Consciousness is spread all over the world. We have to measure ourselves, when we read these verses about demons set fire to the villages. You know it’s so easy to think, “Ya, those bad demons, good thing l’m not one of them”. But we should think where have I set fire, how many fires have I set for the last 24 hours? How many people I have discouraged in last 24 hours, how many people I could have encouraged and I didn’t encourage in the last 24 hours. How many seeds of ill-will little small tones I have spoken have set fire in people’s hearts? Where are we on the spectrum? Where did I allow myself to be on the spectrum, yesterday? Am I determined to be more on the devotional side today? Because we know we are conditioned souls we are affected by the things in this world. But people are looking to us and the Lord is looking to us and our Guru parampara is looking to us to carry the light, carry the banner. It is the 50th anniversary. People are coming and they want to see do you care about me? You say your movement is all about God but if you love God then what do you think about me? You know Christians don’t have a corner on compassion. They are really good at promoting it and they understand that quality of God. They have some deep realization about the quality of God, how much have we understood that? How much we demonstrating that to people? How is it possible for us to do so? How can we actually care for people? Well, because we know we have this knowledge that every living being is a part and parcel of Krishna and Krishna wants him back is such a beautiful understanding of God. You know, He is so kind. You know the Lord is standing on the deity form, I know He is kind. Because I was a pujari for a short period of time. I poked him more pins that you can’t count. He did stayed there the next day, He didn’t leave. So many offenses we all commit and still He stays there tolerates us. We know he is so kind, He wants people back. The way we please Krishna is to help others awaken their love for Him and give others an opportunity to serve Him and to serve them in a humble mood. We think that it’s not my land, we may have a house here, we may have an apartment complex here, we may have a hut, and it’s not mine. Especially in the mind, it’s not mine it belongs to Krishna. It belongs to the Lord. We should think how can I share it? I have been given this mercy to come here how can I share what I have? Just as we know so many book distributors come here and book distributors are so fortunate because day and night they are thinking how I can share with more devotees, with people who have forgotten Krishna. But all of us should think like that. How can I share what I have with the tourist with the pilgrims with the ladies, Brahmachari, Sanyasi, Grahasta Prabhus. How can I share it with the ladies, how can I move out of the way? Lord Chaitanya stood in one place an old woman stood on His shoulders to see the deity. Was that just some insignificant pastime like Krishna’s pastime don’t mean anything? Everything else is important but that one doesn’t count. God himself as a sanyasi allowed a woman to step on His shoulders but we are going to be so pakka in our separation? You know ladies, but no ,they are mothers what do we do to facilitate spiritual advancement for our mothers?

What do we do to make sure every tourist here feels affection feels appreciated these are practical things, we can say I love God. But where is the practical manifestation. We love God, then we have to show it in our dealings with others especially people that are just beginning their path, we should think if we are beginning to awaken the love of God sometimes I think, You have got few years before this temple opens and when this temple opens the world is going to look they are going to give us about 30 seconds and within 30 seconds, may be one front-page story in the newspaper, one or two TV show. I have said this before they are going to walk across the street and they are going to ask the first rickshaw wallah they meet, “Is your life better because of that temple?”. If he says No, that’s the story, as your humble servant in communications. He is going to talk to workers and he is going to say are you better off than the guy across the street working for somebody who sells whatever popcorn or liquor. May be there is probably liquor shop some place, that the guy that owns a liquor shop treating his workers better than the Hare Krishna temple. What they say, I love God but I don’t care for His parts and parcel. I love god, and I love all the people who look like me. If you have a hair like this then I love you, different hairstyle, No Thank You.

If you wear a tilak like this then it is very good, if you wear tilak like that I don’t. You wear hair up here then you are a good guy if you wear hair over here I don’t know. That’s because Hiranyakashipu, even he is teaching against that. So we have some challenges, we have fantastic opportunity but part of the problem if you could take shelter of the pure devotee of the Lord you are supposed to become a pure devotee of the Lord. You know if you take shelter of a second class volley ball coach, if you learned to play volley ball second class grade, great, you did good. But if we take shelter of the pure devotee of the Lord, we are supposed to become pure devotees of the Lord. Not just become, but we are supposed to pass it on to others and to do so it’s Krishna Conscious to see Krishna in everything. So if we fail to do so, if we fail to see Krishna in everything, if we fail to see ourselves as servants, if we fail to see our duty to simply help others come to Krishna where there is service here? We are not the owners of the property. With the service we are meant to bring others, so many people are coming to the Lord, let me help them come. If we failed to do that and if we don’t try that, we risk being little Hiranyakashipus. Hiranyakashipu had spiritual knowledge but he misused it. If we have spiritual knowledge and if we misuse it, you know where to lie on the spectrum. so we have to be careful. We, especially me, have to be careful. We have knowledge, we may have knowledge but we may have demoniac heart. That’s the challenge.

We won’t necessarily be pleasing Srila Prabhupada. We may think that we are devotees, but like we are reading here, it’s a little blurred, then our progress will be slowed. How to we correct that is quite simple. We have to remember that we are servants and as we know here we are the at the feet of Lord Chaitanaya who is so kind he came in the mood of a servant to show the dumb people of this ag. How lucky we are to be servants? God Himself comes and do what he is telling us to do and we don’t want to do it. He comes and relishes the highest spiritual ecstasy in that mood. He comes to the lowest people and says, No you follow my footsteps. Prabhupada says to become a servant, go to the top of the class. So being servants and appreciating whatever we do have is a gift of Krishna it’s not mine, it’s a gift of Krishna. Know the Sun comes up as it’s a gift of Krishna. The fresh air Prabhupada mentions in some of these verses the fresh air is a gift of Krishna. Vaishnava sanga is the gift of Krishna.The fact is that some pilgrim comes and somehow wanders to the front with their little paisa, piece of cloth, puts it in the box, that’s the gift to us from Krishna. How this woman or this man you know walked 10 kilometres, 20 kilometres, some of these people walked and travelled three days just to come and put their paisa in the box, that’s a gift from Krishna to show me the mood I should try to be developing. So remember we have service to see that everything is a gift and do everything we possibly can. We are conditioned and it’s difficult but try to share whatever we have. That’s Prabhupada’s mood, he struggled and he suffered, he suffered two heart attack, he suffered the cold, he suffered on the bowery. He took so much austerity just to try to help us, each other and every one of us and he said if you love me, we will try to repay our debt to him to preach like he has done to us in a humble mood.

Just please somehow attract others to Krishna, try to demonstrate our service to others and try to give everyone an opportunity to come and take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya, here or in Moscow or in Los Angeles or wherever we are. If we do that then we are fulfilling this definition of Vaishnava. Then 50th anniversary of ISKCON is not just the celebration of what’s been done, but will be a celebration of wonderful great things to come in our generation and many many generations to come. So thank you very much for your kind attention, I’ll end there. Srila Prabhupada Ki Jay! Anuttama Prabhu: So can I take a question or two or not? Its 8:45, did it finish Pakka? Questions are Ok? Ok, the book minister, I’m the communication minster. In the hierarchy of ministers I am at the feet of the book distribution ministry. So I will take his order any questions or comments. Apurva prabhu, I know there is no Mic so I just repeat it. Devotee: I’m remembering the pastime of Srila Prabhupada going on a morning walk in Mayapur one devotee told me. He wasn’t on the walk, he heard it later Prabhupada was mentioning somehow the conversation came up that Prabhupada has done so much. Prabhupada didn’t boast it but said yes, I have done this, I have done ten times more than my spiritual master, so you should do 10, 20 times more than me. Can you please unpack that for us? Anuttama Prabhu: Well, so many people here could comment on that. I’ll just try to say that, Prabhupada said that many times he said that the desire of a spiritual master is to see the devotees, not just chanting and dancing but preaching, so that’s one. He also said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one can actually surpasses. He was explaining the spiritual master in this sense, that by His grace he can use us as an instrument. Again we are not the doer but he can use you as an instrument and he can achieve more things through us than to seem like he achieved. Of course none of us are ever going to surpass Prabhupada, that’s not possible but it’s the order of the spiritual master that we shouldn’t be too humble and think Oh what can I do. You know it’s a nice expression they say, “we should act as if everything dependent upon us and we should pray and meditate knowing that everything depends upon Krishna” that we give our full endeavour but maintain that humility and we see like that beautiful prayer, Markandeya Bhagavad Darshan, Prabhupada wrote to him in Boston Harbour it was such a beautiful prayer. Sirla Prabhupada is just so much struggling just on the cusp of you know, maybe been assuring came back on the ship but he’s about to disembark for good. He was just in the mood of utter helplessness, “I don’t know why you brought me here the people are covered by the modes of ignorance and passion but now if you want you can make my words understandable”, he says it again and again and again. “Now if you want you can make me your instrument”, so we should pray the same way, Thank you for the nice remembrance of Srila Prabhupada. Anuttama Prabhu: Any questions from the ladies? You are little harder to hear can you come closer Devotee: What’s the main thing Prabhupada wants to show our love to him after he leaves? Anuttama Prabhu: First we know he emphasized cooperation we know that, why is that so important. We are from everywhere around the world. You know my friend, Baladev Prabhu is from Argentina, Srivas prabhu from West Africa, devotees here from Punjabi Bagh, Florida, New Vrindavan. We have a devotee here, by Krishna’s empowerment carved the deity of Nrsimha dev, he is sitting there. So what a fit that is. Devotees give us so many gifts. So the most important thing is to we have to cooperate the problem is really hard to cooperate, because people just don’t understand that “usually you are right”. Everybody understood “I was right It will be easy to cooperate and unfortunately they are in ignorance and they don’t understand how right I usually am”, obviously I’m making a point (smiling). That the materialistic mentality. So you know cooperate is not hard. Rasa reminded us a beautiful story I think it was in Atlanta.

Prabhupada had an important meeting with the book distributors, and we all know how important book distribution is and when the book distributors asked Prabhupada, Prabhupada what is the most important way to please you? What is the most important service? I think ,they were you know, leading a kind of question a little bit and response was when you love Krishna that pleases me the most. But we can’t love Krishna, if we don’t love his parts and parcels. It doesn’t work. But if we want to love Him we have to try to love His parts and parcels. If we are trying to love Him we have to love His parts and parcels. You can’t do that if you don’t love him. Anuttama Prabhu: There is one comment here, Prabhu where are you from? Nigeria? You know 50 nice devotees that came from Nigeria? You are 51, nice to have you here. Devotee: I want to first of all say thank you to you. It’s a big introspective class you gave, it was very meticulous in that you raised questions several philosophical questions especially for example the question you raised about the rickshaw wallah and also different principles. We know that if we please Krishna and then everyone become please and also social order. There are laws are karma are in everything we do and we cannot please everyone and if Krishna is pleased everyone become pleased? Anuttama Prabhu: So therefore I can’t please everybody, so if I please Krishna don’t worry about anybody else we can understand that? But Krishna says that one who is in knowledge sees with equal vision Brahmana, elephant, cow, dog and dog eater.

Those from West think dog eater it means abominable. When you see the dogs here, it’s really abominable, I mean when I get close to one of those lovely creatures, what to speak of eating one right? Dog eater is pretty low. One in knowledge see that person and Brahmana as equal. What is meant by this? Do we treat everybody equal? In one sense yes and in one sense no. Srila Prabhupada says, even a pure devotee doesn’t embrace a tiger, he thinks she is the tiger, but still he is merciful. If you go to the zoo you can still chant Hare Krishna mantra but you don’t jump in the tiger cage. So he sees everyone equal, gives everyone mercy and compassion. So yes, if we love Krishna, we are automatically pleasing everyone, that refers to the people you never run into. What about everybody else you have an exchange with. You are proper brahmachari with tilak, Shika so you walk to the airport and you know buy a bottle of water and you replied to that lady behind the counter and she thinks who is this person, Such a gentlemen, who are you anyway? Oh I’m a Hare Krishna, She says, I should learn more about you people. Or you buy your water and you are thinking you are in Samadhi, how you are going to offer to Krishna so you are rude to that lady, now have you pleased Krishna? You can’t please everybody at the back bottling the water but you can do little service to the lady who is selling you water. There was a class years ago called “Sankirtan Yoga” that book distributors, Sankirtan devotees, see I’m running from Krishna to Krishna to Krishna, that he is in your heart to your heart, to your heart, that everybody we meet. So you are right, we can’t please everybody, so we should try to please Krishna. Part of pleasing Krishna is to give everyone a chance to do service. It doesn’t mean that people who are already chanting 16 rounds, or even become a vegetarian, even come to the temple, why not everyone. Everyone you meet everywhere you, every rickshaw wallah you meet. I don’t know any Bengali but how are you are you having a nice days, how’s your kids? You ever bring them to the temple? Can I give you some prasadam? Why not? Are we too good to give a rickshaw wallah prasadam? To the bus driver say, thank you. “I’m a Big big Brahmin, you are lucky to have served me to driving this bus, you are fortunate, now your life is like this perfect and purified, you served the Vaishnava,” if we think like that he didn’t get much credit as I’m not much of a Vaishnava, and instead we should say, Thank you sir for helping me I’m going to work, I’m going to pick up my children go to temple. I’m so grateful you helped me. If we think like that he’s going to think, well, what kind of people are these? I’ve been driving bus for 30 years and nobody appreciated what I’m doing. Well, I guess they are all thinking about their sense gratification, you just an object I need to drive into work so I can make money for me, the world’s all about me. You are one more object. Devotees think you know everything is for Krishna you helped me for Krishna , thank you for this ride. Ok?. I’ll stop here thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai! Sri Sri Panchattava Ki Jay Sri Sri Radha Madhava ki Jay.

Knowing more about Sri Navadvipa Mandal Parikrama

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 4:42pm

It started with Lord Nityananda Himself taking His dear devotee, Jiva Gosvami, on a tour to this mystical and most merciful land of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He said to Jiva: “My Gauranga never gives up Mayapur or Navadvipa. The devotees can perceive His daily Lila. You, Jiva, will also see Gauranga dancing.” When Jiva Gosvami heard this, with tears in his eyes, he fell flat like a stick at Nityananda’s feet and requested, “You will show real mercy on this unworthy wretch if You Yourself take me on parikrama.” Hearing this, Nityananda Raya simply said, “So be it”. Lord Nityananda then took Jiva Gosvami around Sri Navadvipa Dham.

In 18th century, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, after having received an order by Lord Chaitanya in a dream, did an extensive research using old maps, manuscripts, government records and scriptures in order to relocate holy places where Lord Chaitanya enacted wonderful pastimes.

In 1887 the original birth place of Lord Chaitanya in Sri Mayapur, known as Yoga pith, was discovered. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur instructed his son and spiritual successor, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, to develop Sri Navadvipa Dhama parikrama, for by its performance, he said, all people of the world can be liberated.

Following this instruction, in 1918, the first official Navadvipa Mandal Parikrama was initiated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupad. Thousands of devotees carrying flags and led by auspicious elephants walked through sacred streets of Navadvip Dham performing ecstatic kitran.

For those who do not know the meaning of the term Navadvipa Mandala Parakirama, the word Navadvipa means nine islands, mandala refers to circle, universe or any geometric pattern, while Parikrama (pronounced Parikramaa, with a long a at the end) means circumambulation.

Followers of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas, walk around these nine islands, geographically situated in West Bengal of India, every year in the month of Pahalguna (generally middle of March). Devotees also use boats to cross Ganga and other sacred rivers surrounding the islands. Thousands of devotees from different corners of the world arrive in Sri Mayapur and the present-day Navadvipa town to participate in this yearly festival orgnized by ISKCON and Gaudiya maths in surrounding areas.

Navadvipa is located at the centre of the Gaura-madala-bhumi, appearing like a large lotus with a hundred petals with a circumference of 270 km (168 miles) and a diameter of approximately 90 km.

As shown in Knowing Sri Mayapur As It Is – Part 1, the following short video gives a beautiful introduction to the nine islands.

Navadvipa is where the Supreme Lord incarnated as Lord Gauranga (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) in kali-yuga to teach the people the best way to attain the ultimate goal of life, which is the Love of Godhead, or Krishna-prema. Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura says: sri-gauda mandala-bhumi yeba jane chintamani tara haya vraja-bhume vasa – “One who knows the Gauda-mandala-bhumi, the abode of Lord Gauranga, is transcendental and qualified to live in Vraja-bhumi.” Sri Narahari Thakur says: navadvipa vrndavana dui eke haya gaura-shyama-rupe prabhu – “Both Navadvipa and Vrindavana are one indeed, where the Lord enjoys as Gaura (golden) and Shyam (dark) respectively.”

Navadvipa consists of nine islands- Antardvipa, Simantadvipa, Godrumadvipa, Madhyadvipa, Koladvipa, Ritudvipa, Jahnudvipa, Modadrumadvipa, and Rudradvipa. Taking darshan at Antardvipa in Sri Mayapur, the parikrama visits the islands in the above order crossing the holy River Ganga. traditionally, the week-long parikrama is held from the tithi of Makari-saptami up to the full moon.

Every island of Navadvipa has its own spiritual significance. Every dvipa corresponds to a particular type of devotional service like sravanam, kirtanam, smaranam, etc. Here is a brief description:

Simanta dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Sravanam

“Lord Gauranga intoxicated with the pastimes of kirtana, will distribute the jewel of prema to everyone without discrimination. Whoever does not drown in that floodof prema is most unfortunate. O Devi, just remembering the Lord’s promise that he will come, I pass my life drowning in love of God. Being unable to control myself, I have given up my own city of Kasi. Within Mayapur, on the bank of the Ganges, I will live in a hut and worship Gauranga.” (Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya Lord Siva addresses Parvati who then comes to Simanta dvipa)

Godruma dvipa:

Most beneficial devotional process: Kirtanam

“Godruma corresponds to the city of Nanda Maharaja in Braja, known as Sri Nandisvara, which is the residence of the cowherd folk. Here Sri Gauranga performs various pastimes. After having a snack of milk products at a cowherd’s house in the forenoon period, Nimai goes in the company of His gopa friends and tends the cows in the pasturelands. One cowherd boy would say: ‘O brother, you are Gopala! Dressing like a Brahmana boy does not suit you at all. Come on, I’ll carry you on my shoulders and we’ll go herd the cows. Let’s head toward your mother’s house in Mayapur.’ One gopa would show great affection and give Him curds mixed with condensed milk, and another gopa would become agitated with love just by seeing the wonderfully beautiful form of the Lord. Yet another gopa would place fruits and flowers in His hand, saying, ‘ O brother! Please come to my house everyday!” (Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga By Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

Madhya dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Smaranam

“When will I wander and wander throughout that forest (Madhyadvipa) and behold the wonderful vision of this assembly of sages hearing the Gaura Purana by the bank of the Gomati river?… When will the audience of rishis headed by Shaunaka show their mercy by grasping both my hands and putting the dust of their feet upon my head? I will exclaim, ‘O residents of Navadvipa, let us attentively drink the nectar of Sri Gauranga katha in this forest!” (Navadvipa Bhava Taranga By Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

Jahnu dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Vandanam

“This island of Jahnudvipa is non-different from the forest of Bhadravan in Braja. When will that spotlessly divine forest be visible to my eyes? Within that forest is the hill known as Bhisma Tila. On top of that hill I shall stay and perform my worship of the Lord. In the evening Bhismadeva with a pleased mind will appear in his pure spiritual body- his complexion blackish like Krishna’s, holding Tulasi beads in his hand and marked with twelve tilaka marks on his body, he is overflowing with the bliss of constantly chanting the Lord’s holy names.” (Navavipa Bhava Taranga By Bhaktivinoda Thakur)

Kola dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Pada-sevanam

“Only the most fortunate souls can see this island of Koladvipa, the abode of supreme bliss, which is non-different from the forest of Sri Bahulavana in Braja. Sri Sacikumara regularly brings His associates here and deeply absorbed in the ecstasy of kirtana He dances again and again.” (Navadvipa Bhava Taranga)

Modadruma dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Dasyam

“Here, in Modadrumadvipa is Ayodya. In a previous kalpa, when Rama was banished to the forest. He came to this place with Laksmana and Janaki. He built a hut under a huge banyan tree here and lived happily for some time. DAY 5 15TH MARCH, 2016 23 Seeing the effulgence of Navadvipa, the son of Raghu began to slightly smile. How graceful was that form, green as new grass with lotus eyes and a graceful bow in hand. Wearing the dress of a brahmacari and His head piled with matted locks, He stole the minds of all living entities” (Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, By Bhaktivinoda Thakur)

Ritu dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Archanam

“This place is Radha-kunda. Here Lord Hari along with His devotees would perform nama-sankirtana every afternoon. Just see the beauty of Syamakunda, attracting the minds of the whole universe. Just see the kunjas of the different sakhis. Here Gaurachandra with His sankirtana party pleased everyone by distributing love of Godhead. Oh My brothers, there is no place equal to this in the three worlds. This is the best spot for devotees to perform bhajana. Whoever resides here will get love of Godhead and his heart will be pacified. ” (Navadvipa Bhava-taranga by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

Rudra dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Sakhyam

“Sri Rudra (Siva), became very delighted to know that Gaurachandra would appear in Nadia. He and his followers began to sing madly the praise of Gaura’s qualities and pastimes. He also began to dance madly with various types of instruments. The earth began to tremble with his dancing” (Bhakti Ratnakara By Narahari Cakravarti)

Antar dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Atma-nivedanam

Sri Jiva said: O Lord what’s the reason for the name Anatardvipa? Nityananda Prabhu answered: “At the end of the Dvarpa-yuga Brahma undertook austerities here with a desire to achieve Gauranga’s mercy…After many days Gaurachandra mercifully came and said: … Brahma, hear this secret (antara), but do not reveal this openly in the scriptures. Taking the role of a devotee, I will taste the nectar of bhakti-rasa and propagate the most rare process of sankirtana. I will make all the devotees of the previous avataras drunk with the nectar of Vrindavana. The love that Sri Radhika possesses is beyond My experience, so I will appear with Her sentiments and complexion. Taking the position of Radha, I will taste that happiness that only Radha obtains in serving Me. From today, act as My disciple, in the form of Haridasa, always serve Me” (Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya Parikrama-khanda Ch.5 By Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur)

Sri Navadvipa Dham ki Jay!

Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/knowing-sri-navadvipa-mandal-parikrama/

Devotee Author Aims Bhagavatam-Inspired Novel at Western Audience

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 4:37pm

The cover artwork of 'The Yoga Zapper'

With his first novel, “The Yoga Zapper,” ISKCON devotee Hari Mohan Das (Mohan Ashtakala) has blended exciting fantasy storytelling with themes from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, including the prophesied appearance of Kalki Avatar at the end of Kali Yuga.

He hopes to entertain and educate a diverse Western audience with this potent mix, published by mid-sized Canadian publisher Books We Love.

Mohan has all the requisite background for a mystical novel like this. As a child, he grew up in North India against the backdrop of the Himalayas.

“My uncle was an officer with the Indian Forestry Service, and we lived close to the jungle,” he says. “I remember hearing tigers at night, and I had a pet deer. I had so many adventures! So a lot of the descriptions and authentic feel of India in my novel come from those experiences.”

Mohan later moved to Canada with his parents, and as an adult joined ISKCON, receiving initiation as a brahmana priest from Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Swami. He has studied Vaishnava scriptures and their stories in depth, and presented at interfaith and diversity conferences at various churches and schools.

He also edited a local newspaper for fourteen years and had articles published in the Denver Post, before moving to Calgary, Canada, where he now lives with his wife Anuradha, son Hrishi and daughter Gopi.

The recent publication of The Yoga Zapper is the culmination of many years of work for Mohan, who hopes to share the depth of the Vaishnava tradition through the medium of modern page-turners.

Author Hari Mohan Das (Mohan Ashtakala)

The plot of The Yoga Zapper is certainly intriguing enough to draw readers in. While hiking in the Himalayas, two American brothers – who act as the eyes and ears for Western readers – discover an ancient Sanskrit scripture that contains instructions on how to time travel through chanting mantras and performing a yajna. They dub it “The Yoga Zapper.”

The brothers convince a priest at a local Hare Krishna temple to perform the ritual contained in the book. Steve, who has an intellectual approach to life, is transported to a peaceful village in Satya Yuga, at the beginning of time. There, he falls in love with the beautiful Shanti and learns to open his heart and understand the meaning of duty.

Meanwhile Jack, who is immature and self-centered, finds himself at the tail end of the current dark age of Kali, where he gets entangled in the treachery and intrigue of a civilization unraveling at the end of time. Forced to finally become accountable for his previous actions, he is imprisoned by a pitiless world-ruling dictator.

“According to Vedic scriptures, as time progresses, things actually get worse, and at the end of time we will have a very evil dystopian kind of future,” Mohan says. “Then, when the cycle of time starts again, things will become peaceful and contemplative. In my novel, I based the dystopian future on some current trends such as environmental degradation and the control the government and other bodies have over us in terms of our lack of privacy. I then took these a step further and imagined a use of genetics where people are instantly identified and connected to a vast network, which is used to control and tax them.”

But there are also light forces at work. Growing, maturing, and seizing his destiny, Jack escapes from prison and goes to Shambala. This is a valley hidden deep in the Himalayas, where Vedic scriptures predict the Kalki Avatar will appear at the end of Kali Yuga to destroy miscreant leaders, reset the time cycle and bring the world back to the peaceful Satya Yuga.

In the novel, when the evil ruler discovers Shambala and attacks it, Kalki does indeed descend, and an epic world war erupts, featuring mystical weapons and ancient flying aircraft called vimanas.

As well as being entertaining, The Yoga Zapper contains strong environmental themes, a darkly humorous social commentary, and introducers readers to many concepts of the Vedic culture and philosophy.

“Combining an exciting story with the scriptural elements in an engaging way was a challenge,” Mohan says. “I wanted to not shove the philosophy down people’s throats, but to bring it out in a way that’s easy to understand and appreciate. I hope I’ve done that.”

So far, Mohan has received good responses from yoga practioners, who are fascinated to read about some of the authentic narratives of the tradition; as well as from the interfaith community and fans of fantasy and Eastern mythology.

“I’ve written this novel mainly for a general public audience,” Hari Mohan says. “But I’m finding that ISKCON devotees are also curious about the unique approach I’ve taken. I hope some will be inspired to make their own contributions to this genre.”

* * *

The Yoga Zapper is available now at most major chain and independent book stores in the English-speaking world. It is also available in digital and print formats online at Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/1KSXX7X), Barnes and Noble(http://bit.ly/1iV8N3R), Nook (http://bit.ly/1Pcv8Xe), and Goodreads (http://bit.ly/1LqAQ8h).

For more information, please visit www.yogazapper.com or www.Facebook.com/yogazapper.

A new sannyasi for ISKCON.

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 4:34pm

A new sannyasi for Iskcon.
Dear devotees,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It is with great joy that we announce that HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami
will be awarding sannyasa to HG Mahat Tattva Prabhu on the auspicious day of Ekadasi, Saturday, 19 March 2016 at ISKCON Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. Mahat Tattva Prabhu will be the first devotee to receive the renounced order of life from Maharaja.
Srila Prabhupada: Any devotee who has developed genuine love for Krishna can also explain the truth about Krishna because Krishna helps such sincere devotee seated in his heart. Delhi, September 20, 1967.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19770

Varanasi is as old as Indus valley civilization, finds IIT-KGP study

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 4:22pm

Kolkata: It's a perfect example of science meeting faith and technology buttressing myth. A detailed study conducted by IIT-Kharagpur - using GPS, one of the latest tech tools - could well turn the clock back on Varanasi, indicating that the holy town has been a continuous human settlement since the days of the Indus Valley Civilization, around 6000 years ago.

The project, funded by the Union ministry of human resources development (it has released Rs 20 crore just for the first phase), has even attracted the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM made it a point to explore the project's progress on Sunday at Varanasi, when he met the IIT-Kgp faculty members and inquired about its possibilities and scope.

The results that have come from a detailed geo-exploration (exploration conducted through GPS technology) conducted by seven IIT-Kgp departments, tracing the different stages through which civilization progressed, and how Varanasi has been able to maintain continuity as a living civilization, unlike comparable seats of human settlement in the world. The researchers have dug 100-metre-deep boring holes all over Varanasi to conclude that there is evidence of continuous settlement at least till 2000BC. There are enough indications that by the time the data collection is over, there would be enough to prove that this date can be pushed back to about 4500BC.

The oldest part of this civilisation has been traced to the Gomati Sangam area of Varanasi, as indicated by the underground layers that have already been tested.

It is perhaps time to take a re-look at India's history. IIT Kharagpur is about to make an explosive announcement. It is ready to put the clock 6000 years back on Varanasi, bringing it at par with the Indus valley civilisation, if not older. What's more, the seven departments of IIT Kgp, that are working on the project, are tracing the different stages through which the civilisation has progressed and has yet been able to maintain its continuity as a living civilisation, unlike comparable ancient civilisations around the world.

The project, which is completely funded by the union ministry of human resources development, has attracted the attention of none less than Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who made it a point to explore its progress on Sunday at Varanasi, when he met the IIT Kgp faculty members and inquired about the possibilities and the scope of the project.

The results that have come from a detailed geo exploration through the GPS conducted through 100 metre deep bore holes all over Varanasi shows continuous settlement history till 2000 BC. The indicators are that at the end of data collection, this will be put back another '1500 years to establish the final habitable antiquity of Varanasi at 4500 BC.

The geo-exploration, that is being conducted jointly with the British Geological Survey, has already established the existence of Naimisharanya, a forest that finds mention in the Vedas and in the Kashipurana. This forest was considered mythological all these years.

The researchers are also trying to set up a riverine route from Kolkata to Varanasi to Prayag (Allahabad). "Since ancient times, people used this route but the advent of the railways stopped it. We are trying to re-establish that route," said Joy Sen, a senior faculty member of the school of architecture and planning, who is also the chief of the project that has been christened Sandhi. The other departments that are involved in sandhi are humanities and social sciences, computer science, information technology, electrical, electronics and telecommunications and oceanography. The riverine route will be developed to carry tourists, said sources.

Separate heritage trails leading to the five oldest ghats - Asi, Kedar, Dasashwamedh, Panchaganga and Rajghat - are also being created. "We are tracing the ashrams of ancient yogis and spiritual leaders of all religions that dotted the lanes leading to the ghats. Some of these are extinct now, some dilapidated. We will reclaim and restore as much as possible," Sen explained.

A large part of the project, which began in August last year, aims at creating a green rim and reclaiming the greenery and waterbodies that dotted the entire zone from Sarnath to the campus of Benares Hindu University. Efforts are on to remove encroachment and illegal constructions so that the earlier ecosystem is reclaimed as far as possible. "Varanasi has been the seat of all religions and their holy men, who will all be represented elaborately in the project. Efforts are also being made to establish special zones in areas that are dominated by old age homes and shelters for widows," Sen added. Recommended By Colombia

Language, music and iconograohy play a major role in Sandhi. Old texts like Kashipuran or Skandapuran, Mahabharata and Ramayana and the Buddhist text Anguttaranikaya are being re-read for descriptions of Kashi and Kashiraj that were considered mythological all these years.

"We are encountering surprises every day. What was thought to be lore or myth is gradually getting established as history, and that is our biggest achievement," Sen said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Varanasi-is-as-old-as-Indus-valley-civilization-finds-IIT-KGP-study/articleshow/51146196.cms

How to understand Lord Krishna?

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 4:04pm

By Nitya Kishor Dasi

Early in the morning we left the beautiful Pratapnagar towards the Ganges shore (only 2 km walk). We boarded the boats and ship to Sankarpur. You can’t imagine how it is to get all these boats on the right time and cross the Ganga with more than one thousand people. How much managerial work is necessary to get these things done? To be honest with you there is no such thing as Boat Company here and the boats need to be hired individually, what takes a lot of time, patient and work.

Before leaving we offered respects with folded hands to the dhamvasis who were bathing in the Ganges and all the women started the auspicious uludhuani (the loudly sound like a conch shell that we only hear in Bengal), and we felt blessed by them.

After reaching the other side of the Ganges we came to a place called Sankarpur, in the island of Rudradvipa. In Sankarpura, the famous Sripad Sankaracarya had darshan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord told him “… this is my own place and I don’t want you to preach Mayavada philosophy here.. Please move on..” In this way Lord Gauranga freed Sri Navadvipa Dhama from Mayavada philosophy.

After hearing this pastime from HH Bhakti Vigna Vinas Narasimha swami we headed to Rukumpur. How beautiful is Navadvipa Dhama landscape! And you can’t see this kind of green color anywhere in India. The devotees had an amazing morning walk before reaching Rukumpur for breakfast. HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj joined us in Rukumpur, for many years he was trying to organize the Parikrama in such way that we could visit this place.

After breakfast our party moved again towards Belpukur. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mother, Sachi mata was living there with her parents. His famous father Nilambara Cakravarti was worshipping the deity of Madana Gopal; the beautiful deity is still in this place. We came here years ago and the deity had a very small temple with muddy courtyard. In this time the local authorities constructed a very nice courtyard with marble floor. The devotees from international group had an ecstatic Sandhya Arati and the Mayapur Sankirtan devotees distributed 300 Bhagavad Gitas again, for the happiness of the villagers, as they are doing every evening during Parikrama.

The evening class will be given by HH Bhakti Vigna Vinas Narasimha Swami, he is such a good speaker and his classes inspire everyone.

Tomorrow will be our last day Parikrama and we will have a special program in Jagannath Temple, in the island of Simantadvipa.

For further information about Navadvipa Dham please go to: www.navadvipaparikrama.com

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19782

Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir – SB Class, 12 March 2016: HG Anuttama Prabhu

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:47pm

Lecture by HG Anuttama Prabhu at ISKCON Mayapur ON 2016-03-12

Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7. Chapter 2, Hiranyakashipu, the king of the demons, verse-14:

SB:7.2.14

TEXT 14

pura-grāma-vrajodyāna-

kṣetrārāmāśramākarān

kheṭa-kharvaṭa-ghoṣāṁś ca

dadahuḥ pattanāni ca

TRANSLATION

The demons set fire to the cities, villages, pasturing grounds, Cowpens, gardens, agricultural fields and natural forests. They burned the hermitages of the saintly persons, the important mines that produced valuable metals, the residential quarters of the agriculturalists, the mountain villages, and the villages of the cow protectors, the cowherd men. They also burned the government capitals.

PURPORT

The word udyāna refers to places where trees are especially grown to produce fruits and flowers, which are most important for human civilization. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26):

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” Fruits and flowers are very much pleasing to the Lord. If one wants to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can simply offer fruits and flowers, and the Lord will be pleased to accept them. Our only duty is to please the Supreme Godhead (saṁsiddhirhari–toṣaṇam [SB 1.2.13]). Whatever we do and whatever our occupation, our main purpose should be to please the Supreme Lord. All the paraphernalia mentioned in this verse is especially meant for the satisfaction of the Lord, not the satisfaction of one’s senses. The government—indeed, the entire society—should be structured in such a way that everyone can be trained to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But unfortunately, especially in this age,na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] people do not know that the highest goal of human life is to please LordViṣṇu. On the contrary, like demons, they simply plan to kill Viṣṇu and be happy by sense gratification.

LECTURE:

So here we are reading that under the instruction of Hiranyakashipu, his demoniac associates went to earth to create chaos and destruction as goal. They are burning everything, villages, capitals, government heads etc. So the question should be asked here is why why would anybody want to do these things? Well at the bottom and underneath that, they are thinking that if they can destroy Vishnu, if they can destroy the devas, if they can destroy the pilgrimage sites, if they can destroy the process of yajna, disrupt the whole systems that are there. They want to disrupt the whole system, disrupt the varnashram, disrupt the devas and thus they would be able to take charge of what’s going on and they can exploit the world and enjoy it for their own satisfaction. So first destroy everything and then we can use it for our own selfish purposes. In other words as often it’s done but not such dramatic ways, they simply trying to increase their own separate enjoyment of the world. That’s their goal and they are rather powerful demons and so they are doing in a rather powerful expressive ways but but the underlying principle is the demonic mentality.

So Prabhupada explains here, in so many different purports, this is a difference between a demoniac mentality and a devotional one. The devotee of the Lord is the one who is gradually walking awakened in our understanding of who we are and what our actual identity is. We are trying to use everything for the Lord, the devotionally inclined person uses everything for the Lord and the demoniacally inclined person uses everything for their self. Overcome by the lowermost of nature, ignorance, of course, lots of passion thrown in and it’s described in the Shastra actually unknowingly they are acting against themselves and acting against others. They are thinking. Actually I’m going to control everything and enjoy it like crazy, but actually they are only harming themselves and only harming others.

What’s particularly interesting in this series of verses and key verses is that Hiranyakashipu who we understand is the greatest of the demoniac kings and the greatest example of the demoniac mentality. A few verses forward this, he is going to recite some wonderful philosophy to his mother, sister-in-law and nephews all who are lamenting over the death of Hiranyaksha. So let’s just listen to what he says just couple of verses here text 20, 21, 22. “My dear mother, the restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travellers are brought together and after drinking water they continue with their respective destination. Similarly, living entities joined together in a family and later as a result to their own actions they are let apart to their destinations. This is Hiranyakashipu. The spirit soul, the living entity has no death, for he is eternal, being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body. But because of being misled by the misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy, and thus to be subjected to the so called material happiness and distress. Therefore no one shouldn’t lament for the passing of the spirits soul from the body. So that’s Hiranyakashipu. Rather strange, and private comments in the purport to that verse is that, the demons also have knowledge. Not necessarily completely ignorant but they misuse their knowledge.

We also know that Hiranyakashipu of course he was great devotee. Jay and Vijay were unfortunately forced to come into this world and act as demons. So the lines are little blurred. Demoniac, devotional, good guys, bad guys, use the world offer the world, it is not that you draw a line in the sand and you can make this demarcation. It is not clear, so why is it like that? We tend to see thing like that, I’m a devotee and that’s a demon or sometimes it’s even more direct I’m a devotee and you are a demon. Sometimes we think like that but the lines are blurred why? Ultimately because the real fact is, what was the real fact? Everybody is a devotee. Every living entity is a devotee of Krishna, but in this world everyone is forgotten about Krishna.

“Mamai vamsa Jiva loke Jiva bhuta sanatana

Manasastrani indriayani prakriti stani karshati”

They are all parts and parcels of Krishna. But we are forgetful, we are covered over by ignorance to one degree or the other. Therefore the Lord says in Bhagavad Gita,

“Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata”

He comes again and again, again and again and again and again, and again and again, to teach as much as people can possibly understand at that particular time, how to reawaken their knowledge of Krishna. So it is not so much demoniac and devotional. It is the spectrum really demoniac and barely awake in devotion and everything in between is a spectrum, there is a spectrum.

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to these verses in the fourth chapter about Krishna coming again and again. That the mission, mission of these, the Lords mission is the same and the mission of his different representatives and the mission of different spiritual teachers, it’s is all same. It is all for gradually bringing people back to God consciousness and therefore we see that there is so many different religious traditions in the world. And as devotees, Prabhupada instructs we should appreciate any process that bringing people gradually to a spiritual awakening. Again we tend to see we are good and they are bad, we are better etc.

I have one story and wanted to share. I have a friend, he is a professor who is a Muslim man and he is older. He may be in his seventies. He went and heard Prabhupada speak at Harvard University, whenever Prabhupada was there in early 69 or 70’s something like that in the early days, he just happened to walking through the hall of the divinity college and he saw someone in saffron. Being from India he knew saffron was not something you ordinarily see in the Harvard campus. So, he went to hear Prabhupada and two things he said came out which convinced is that there is great spiritual truth in every tradition. Because he was Muslim and he came and heard this Vaishnava saint speak, he was so impressed. So I knew this story for years and recently I was with him again. I asked I said, tell me that story again about your time with Prabhupada. So he told me the story again. At the end he said, you know something funny?, he said I’m a muslim he said whenever I’m in trouble and whenever there is a problem I think of him. He said I’m a muslim and you think I would think of something in Islam, but I don’t, I think of him. He started to cry and then it went like that, I can’t talk about any more.

So he is not over particular tradition, he doesn’t read our scripture, he appreciates our scripture. This particular man is vegetarian you know he talked to Hare Krishna, very wise person. But he is a Muslim. But he is appreciating the devotee, the Lord, the pure devotee of the Lord, he is appreciating the Krishna Conscious practice.

So we are very fortunate, we are sitting here in Mayapur with the lotus feet of Panchatattva & Shri Radha Madhava, we are so fortunate to have this opportunity to take shelter at the movement of Lord Chaitanya and to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada. We know Prabhupada describes again and again, that Krishna Consciousness is the best process we know that it is the best process. But within the word best what else is there? By definition?, if there is best what does it mean? There is others that also are good. This is the best among many, so when we say best we are very very fortunate to have this.

I was listening to a lecture just recently, Srila Prabhupada, he said this many many times is that it doesn’t really matter what religious system you are following. It doesn’t matter, Christian, Hindu, Muslim he said the question is are you awakening the love of God? That is the question, that’s what really matters, that’s what really matters. So we sit here as humble members and servants of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas. It is our 50th anniversary as society, so we should be asking ourselves. Just like we just finished a leadership and management course, one of the principles is accountability, to be measuring things. Prabhupada also pushed us that we should be measuring things. So that we should ask ourselves individually and collectively, am I developing the love of God? How am I doing? It’s not enough that we simply think I’m wearing thilak, you know I have the classic 2 paisa thread. I have those best times passing whatever hair is left there is little shikha still there? That’s not actually the test. Those are nice things the external things are good, it’s a culture that helps us cultivate something.

Culture means you are cultivating something, just like you cultivate crops, we are cultivating God consciousness, cultivating the love of God. We have to be asking ourselves, Am I actually developing, awakening love of God? Along with that, prior to that, we have to ask ourselves, Who am I?, and are we losing our sense of pride and our sense of false ego? What separates the demons here from devotees?

Hiranyakashipu is full of spiritual knowledge and nobody’s quoting me in the Bhagavatam, that Anuttama said some greatest philosophical truth. But Hiranyakashipu spoke some great spiritual truth and Prabhupada comments in the purport, this is the deep spiritual knowledge. So he had that knowledge but he misused it. He didn’t really understand it, because of his pride, because of his false sense of who he was.

Just like we are here in Mayapur and we are building here, by Krishna’s grace. We are building this beautiful temple, glorious temple and we have to ask ourselves what’s our mentality towards the temple. Just like we have to ask ourselves, what’s our mentality towards our life, and towards our time, and towards our very being? What’s the mentality towards others? So if we think it’s a beautiful temple, but we should ask who is it for? We should ask ourselves who is it for? Who do I think it is for? We should ask ourselves, who gets the credit? Who gets the credit? Because if we think, I am building this temple or I am the donor, I have 1 paisa or I gave 1 dollar, or I gave whatever, a Radharani coin or I don’t know the other coins. It is beyond my capacity so I didn’t look so close. Radharani coin, Krishna coin, Chaitanya coin or whatever it is, if I give that then actually it’s an illusion. It is a bit of demoniac mentality.

It is the spectrum so we have to be careful because we know actually, Krishna is the doer and if I gave some money, whose money was it? How did I get it? May be my father or mother gave it to me. So who determined my father and my mother? Did I arrange that? I can’t take credit for that. May be I got good grades and got a good job. So who gave me the brain? Did I go to the store, pick out the best brain and made the best decision and therefore I am reaping the rewards of my good decision? No, May be some karma in the past. Who allowed those laws to work? Who allowed ultimately gave him that opportunity? Krishna. So if we are thinking, that for example, this temple is for us look what we have, look what we are doing.

Just say someone is here to talk about this biggest temple in the world, well! How many worlds are there? Even Lord Brahma was humble he created the whole universe. So may be we create one temple, of course it is not finished and ultimately Krishna, He can let it finish if He likes or not let us finish. The worlds full of unfinished buildings and empty buildings and buildings that were once great but then died.

The world is full of and our movement been full of fair share of great devotees who once rose but then spiritually died. It’s a battle, it’s a battle with maya and it is mostly the battle with ourselves. So if we are thinking that this temple is for us, and look what we have done and we are so good, here we are, out in the rice fields of Mayapur and if you really really know where you are going and if you really really really can’t tolerate the taxi driver, you find your way here. We build the temple, it’s a glorious temple there is no doubt. It’s an effort to fulfil the mission of great acharyas. But the point is if we start thinking that it’s for us, and not understanding who it is really for, then we are sliding into the materialistic or according to this analysis here demoniac mentality. Certainly it’s for Panchattava, certainly it’s for Radha Madhava, but even more than that who is that for, it’s for people.

You know the wonderful story Prabhupada was sitting in Bhajan kutir near the gate. He said this place is in the mode of goodness, its perfect place for Krishna Consciousness. Why we building just even the first building the lotus building, a little tiny building, that’s in the mode of passion. Why are we building it, because who will come to this hut? So why did he build the lotus building for the people, why we built in the temple for the people? The mass of people, which people? Not so much for us, it is really for the forgetful people. For who did Lord Chaitanya come for, who did Prabhupada come for? Did they come to save the brahmins? Was that their mission, save the Brahmins? No, that wasn’t a mission, the mission was to save the most fallen. If we are their servants we have to think who are we trying to save? To who our life is supposed to be dedicated for? So this temple, this temple, that temple, Mayapur itself, we should not be thinking, it’s not just like Hiranyakashipu is thinking, the world is for me, it’s all for me. I have a little bit of knowledge to convince it’s all for me. My people is special, my tribe is special, my race is special, my colour is special my position is special but if we are actually understanding that we are servants, beginning to awaken the love of God, the first principle is that we are servants, servants of this place. Our job is to facilitate others.

Srila Prabhupada structured the society in such a way, systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large, that’s our mission to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to the society at large. So we are beginning to awaken our love of God, beginning to awaken love for Srila Prabhupada, beginning to love this mission, beginning to love our gurus. Then we should see how much are we excited to bring others to the Lord, how much we are thinking about how can we make this place heaven? How can Mayapur be heaven on earth? They say Juhu is heaven on earth, right? So how can it be heaven on earth, not for us but for the others. Heaven on earth is not supposed to be for us but we are supposed to be in service of others who can come here and become Krishna Conscious. Of course we also come here.

Srila Prabhupada says the servant enjoys like in the same level as king. But as soon as the servant starts thinking, I’m enjoying on the level of the king then he is in trouble. So it is our 50th anniversary so many people are coming here, so many more people will be coming here to see the temple, to see this beautiful place, Mayapur.

It is described even in this verse, we read that people they are going to come and see even how do we treat the trees here. It says the word “Ujana” refers to the place where trees are specially grown to produce fruits and flowers which are most important for human civilization. So we think this place for us but not for the trees, then it is that the demoniac mentality, that we think this place is for us, but it’s not for the local people, then that’s a demoniac mentality. If we think this place is for us, however we define that, but it is not for the foreign people that is a demoniac mentality. If we think this place is for us for not for the high class people, they are too puffed up, then that’s the demoniac mentality. If we think this place for us but not for the low class people, look at these people they are so poor etc. like that then it’s a demoniac mentality. If we think I’m the servant of Sri Panchattava, Sri Radha Madhava and look at all of these devotees, some of them leaving their “beedies”, just outside the gate and what else they might be carrying in their hearts and in their minds. Krishna doesn’t see like that, Krishna doesn’t see this one is a demon, this one is a devotee. Where does it say in the sastra that is the way the deities see? He sees everyone who is coming as his devotee He is accepting their service. So not just here but everywhere around the world.

An important message for us it’s our 50th anniversary week, we got a foothold, we have a foothold in the world we have made some progress. We have got a few temples level of six hundred and fifty temples and astonishing five hundred and sixteen million books that’s amazing so amazing number of books, but how many people in the world? 8 billion, 7 billion? So we have one out of 14 have gotten a book. It is a good start but it is time to quit? One out of the fourteen should we say OK it’s all done? How many languages now? 80, 90 languages? 80 or 90 languages and they estimate who knows there could be some more hidden in some forest or some place. But something like six thousand languages, ok so 80 or 90 it’s a good start but five thousand nine hundred and ten to go? So we start thinking Oh! 90 languages, Oh over 500 million books, oh! Six hundred temples then we are forgetting what our position is, because we start thinking we are the enjoyers of our success and we don’t want to do that because we can’t really help people. So when people visit temples, when people visit they should genuinely feel and it’s not a cheap thing. We have to actually develop this mentality.

Mukunda Maharaj writes when he first met Srila Prabhupada, I think it’s told in Lilamrita too. When he first met Prabhupada, he was amazed how he felt how Prabhupada really wanted to give him some time. He actually cared for him. He felt that it is may be for the first time in his life somebody actually cared and wanted to spend their time with him. Because of that, Srila Prabhupada’s mood, Krishna Consciousness is spread all over the world.

We have to measure ourselves, when we read these verses about demons set fire to the villages. You know it’s so easy to think, “Ya, those bad demons, good thing l’m not one of them”. But we should think where have I set fire, how many fires have I set for the last 24 hours? How many people I have discouraged in last 24 hours, how many people I could have encouraged and I didn’t encourage in the last 24 hours. How many seeds of ill-will little small tones I have spoken have set fire in people’s hearts? Where are we on the spectrum? Where did I allow myself to be on the spectrum, yesterday? Am I determined to be more on the devotional side today? Because we know we are conditioned souls we are affected by the things in this world. But people are looking to us and the Lord is looking to us and our Guru parampara is looking to us to carry the light, carry the banner.

It is the 50th anniversary. People are coming and they want to see do you care about me? You say your movement is all about God but if you love God then what do you think about me? You know Christians don’t have a corner on compassion. They are really good at promoting it and they understand that quality of God. They have some deep realization about the quality of God, how much have we understood that? How much we demonstrating that to people? How is it possible for us to do so? How can we actually care for people? Well, because we know we have this knowledge that every living being is a part and parcel of Krishna and Krishna wants him back is such a beautiful understanding of God.

You know, He is so kind. You know the Lord is standing on the deity form, I know He is kind. Because I was a pujari for a short period of time. I poked him more pins that you can’t count. He did stayed there the next day, He didn’t leave. So many offenses we all commit and still He stays there tolerates us. We know he is so kind, He wants people back.

The way we please Krishna is to help others awaken their love for Him and give others an opportunity to serve Him and to serve them in a humble mood. We think that it’s not my land, we may have a house here, we may have an apartment complex here, we may have a hut, and it’s not mine. Especially in the mind, it’s not mine it belongs to Krishna. It belongs to the Lord.

We should think how can I share it? I have been given this mercy to come here how can I share what I have? Just as we know so many book distributors come here and book distributors are so fortunate because day and night they are thinking how I can share with more devotees, with people who have forgotten Krishna. But all of us should think like that. How can I share what I have with the tourist with the pilgrims with the ladies, Brahmachari, Sanyasi, Grahasta Prabhus. How can I share it with the ladies, how can I move out of the way? Lord Chaitanya stood in one place an old woman stood on His shoulders to see the deity. Was that just some insignificant pastime like Krishna’s pastime don’t mean anything? Everything else is important but that one doesn’t count. God himself as a sanyasi allowed a woman to step on His shoulders but we are going to be so pakka in our separation? You know ladies, but no ,they are mothers what do we do to facilitate spiritual advancement for our mothers? What do we do to make sure every tourist here feels affection feels appreciated these are practical things, we can say I love God. But where is the practical manifestation.

We love God, then we have to show it in our dealings with others especially people that are just beginning their path, we should think if we are beginning to awaken the love of God sometimes I think, You have got few years before this temple opens and when this temple opens the world is going to look they are going to give us about 30 seconds and within 30 seconds, may be one front-page story in the newspaper, one or two TV show. I have said this before they are going to walk across the street and they are going to ask the first rickshaw wallah they meet, “Is your life better because of that temple?”. If he says No, that’s the story, as your humble servant in communications. He is going to talk to workers and he is going to say are you better off than the guy across the street working for somebody who sells whatever popcorn or liquor. May be there is probably liquor shop some place, that the guy that owns a liquor shop treating his workers better than the Hare Krishna temple. What they say, I love God but I don’t care for His parts and parcel. I love god, and I love all the people who look like me. If you have a hair like this then I love you, different hairstyle, No Thank You. If you wear a tilak like this then it is very good, if you wear tilak like that I don’t. You wear hair up here then you are a good guy if you wear hair over here I don’t know. That’s because Hiranyakashipu, even he is teaching against that.

So we have some challenges, we have fantastic opportunity but part of the problem if you could take shelter of the pure devotee of the Lord you are supposed to become a pure devotee of the Lord. You know if you take shelter of a second class volley ball coach, if you learned to play volley ball second class grade, great, you did good. But if we take shelter of the pure devotee of the Lord, we are supposed to become pure devotees of the Lord. Not just become, but we are supposed to pass it on to others and to do so it’s Krishna Conscious to see Krishna in everything. So if we fail to do so, if we fail to see Krishna in everything, if we fail to see ourselves as servants, if we fail to see our duty to simply help others come to Krishna where there is service here? We are not the owners of the property. With the service we are meant to bring others, so many people are coming to the Lord, let me help them come. If we failed to do that and if we don’t try that, we risk being little Hiranyakashipus.

Hiranyakashipu had spiritual knowledge but he misused it. If we have spiritual knowledge and if we misuse it, you know where to lie on the spectrum. so we have to be careful. We, especially me, have to be careful. We have knowledge, we may have knowledge but we may have demoniac heart. That’s the challenge. We won’t necessarily be pleasing Srila Prabhupada. We may think that we are devotees, but like we are reading here, it’s a little blurred, then our progress will be slowed. How to we correct that is quite simple. We have to remember that we are servants and as we know here we are the at the feet of Lord Chaitanaya who is so kind he came in the mood of a servant to show the dumb people of this ag. How lucky we are to be servants? God Himself comes and do what he is telling us to do and we don’t want to do it. He comes and relishes the highest spiritual ecstasy in that mood. He comes to the lowest people and says, No you follow my footsteps. Prabhupada says to become a servant, go to the top of the class. So being servants and appreciating whatever we do have is a gift of Krishna it’s not mine, it’s a gift of Krishna. Know the Sun comes up as it’s a gift of Krishna. The fresh air Prabhupada mentions in some of these verses the fresh air is a gift of Krishna. Vaishnava sanga is the gift of Krishna.The fact is that some pilgrim comes and somehow wanders to the front with their little paisa, piece of cloth, puts it in the box, that’s the gift to us from Krishna. How this woman or this man you know walked 10 kilometres, 20 kilometres, some of these people walked and travelled three days just to come and put their paisa in the box, that’s a gift from Krishna to show me the mood I should try to be developing.

So remember we have service to see that everything is a gift and do everything we possibly can. We are conditioned and it’s difficult but try to share whatever we have. That’s Prabhupada’s mood, he struggled and he suffered, he suffered two heart attack, he suffered the cold, he suffered on the bowery. He took so much austerity just to try to help us, each other and every one of us and he said if you love me, we will try to repay our debt to him to preach like he has done to us in a humble mood.

Just please somehow attract others to Krishna, try to demonstrate our service to others and try to give everyone an opportunity to come and take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya, here or in Moscow or in Los Angeles or wherever we are. If we do that then we are fulfilling this definition of Vaishnava. Then 50th anniversary of ISKCON is not just the celebration of what’s been done, but will be a celebration of wonderful great things to come in our generation and many many generations to come.

So thank you very much for your kind attention, I’ll end there. Srila Prabhupada Ki Jay!

Anuttama Prabhu: So can I take a question or two or not? Its 8:45, did it finish Pakka? Questions are Ok? Ok, the book minister, I’m the communication minster. In the hierarchy of ministers I am at the feet of the book distribution ministry. So I will take his order any questions or comments. Apurva prabhu, I know there is no Mic so I just repeat it.

Devotee: I’m remembering the pastime of Srila Prabhupada going on a morning walk in Mayapur one devotee told me. He wasn’t on the walk, he heard it later Prabhupada was mentioning somehow the conversation came up that Prabhupada has done so much. Prabhupada didn’t boast it but said yes, I have done this, I have done ten times more than my spiritual master, so you should do 10, 20 times more than me. Can you please unpack that for us?

Anuttama Prabhu: Well, so many people here could comment on that. I’ll just try to say that, Prabhupada said that many times he said that the desire of a spiritual master is to see the devotees, not just chanting and dancing but preaching, so that’s one. He also said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one can actually surpasses. He was explaining the spiritual master in this sense, that by His grace he can use us as an instrument. Again we are not the doer but he can use you as an instrument and he can achieve more things through us than to seem like he achieved. Of course none of us are ever going to surpass Prabhupada, that’s not possible but it’s the order of the spiritual master that we shouldn’t be too humble and think Oh what can I do. You know it’s a nice expression they say, “we should act as if everything dependent upon us and we should pray and meditate knowing that everything depends upon Krishna” that we give our full endeavour but maintain that humility and we see like that beautiful prayer, Markandeya Bhagavad Darshan, Prabhupada wrote to him in Boston Harbour it was such a beautiful prayer. Sirla Prabhupada is just so much struggling just on the cusp of you know, maybe been assuring came back on the ship but he’s about to disembark for good. He was just in the mood of utter helplessness, “I don’t know why you brought me here the people are covered by the modes of ignorance and passion but now if you want you can make my words understandable”, he says it again and again and again. “Now if you want you can make me your instrument”, so we should pray the same way, Thank you for the nice remembrance of Srila Prabhupada.

Anuttama Prabhu: Any questions from the ladies? You are little harder to hear can you come closer

Devotee: What’s the main thing Prabhupada wants to show our love to him after he leaves?

Anuttama Prabhu: First we know he emphasized cooperation we know that, why is that so important. We are from everywhere around the world. You know my friend, Baladev Prabhu is from Argentina, Srivas prabhu from West Africa, devotees here from Punjabi Bagh, Florida, New Vrindavan. We have a devotee here, by Krishna’s empowerment carved the deity of Nrsimha dev, he is sitting there. So what a fit that is. Devotees give us so many gifts. So the most important thing is to we have to cooperate the problem is really hard to cooperate, because people just don’t understand that “usually you are right”. Everybody understood “I was right It will be easy to cooperate and unfortunately they are in ignorance and they don’t understand how right I usually am”, obviously I’m making a point (smiling). That the materialistic mentality. So you know cooperate is not hard. Rasa reminded us a beautiful story I think it was in Atlanta. Prabhupada had an important meeting with the book distributors, and we all know how important book distribution is and when the book distributors asked Prabhupada, Prabhupada what is the most important way to please you? What is the most important service? I think ,they were you know, leading a kind of question a little bit and response was when you love Krishna that pleases me the most. But we can’t love Krishna, if we don’t love his parts and parcels. It doesn’t work. But if we want to love Him we have to try to love His parts and parcels. If we are trying to love Him we have to love His parts and parcels. You can’t do that if you don’t love him.

Anuttama Prabhu: There is one comment here, Prabhu where are you from? Nigeria? You know 50 nice devotees that came from Nigeria? You are 51, nice to have you here.

Devotee: I want to first of all say thank you to you. It’s a big introspective class you gave, it was very meticulous in that you raised questions several philosophical questions especially for example the question you raised about the rickshaw wallah and also different principles. We know that if we please Krishna and then everyone become please and also social order. There are laws are karma are in everything we do and we cannot please everyone and if Krishna is pleased everyone become pleased?

Anuttama Prabhu: So therefore I can’t please everybody, so if I please Krishna don’t worry about anybody else we can understand that?

But Krishna says that one who is in knowledge sees with equal vision Brahmana, elephant, cow, dog and dog eater. Those from West think dog eater it means abominable. When you see the dogs here, it’s really abominable, I mean when I get close to one of those lovely creatures, what to speak of eating one right? Dog eater is pretty low. One in knowledge see that person and Brahmana as equal. What is meant by this? Do we treat everybody equal? In one sense yes and in one sense no. Srila Prabhupada says, even a pure devotee doesn’t embrace a tiger, he thinks she is the tiger, but still he is merciful. If you go to the zoo you can still chant Hare Krishna mantra but you don’t jump in the tiger cage. So he sees everyone equal, gives everyone mercy and compassion. So yes, if we love Krishna, we are automatically pleasing everyone, that refers to the people you never run into. What about everybody else you have an exchange with. You are proper brahmachari with tilak, Shika so you walk to the airport and you know buy a bottle of water and you replied to that lady behind the counter and she thinks who is this person, Such a gentlemen, who are you anyway? Oh I’m a Hare Krishna, She says, I should learn more about you people. Or you buy your water and you are thinking you are in Samadhi, how you are going to offer to Krishna so you are rude to that lady, now have you pleased Krishna? You can’t please everybody at the back bottling the water but you can do little service to the lady who is selling you water. There was a class years ago called “Sankirtan Yoga” that book distributors, Sankirtan devotees, see I’m running from Krishna to Krishna to Krishna, that he is in your heart to your heart, to your heart, that everybody we meet. So you are right, we can’t please everybody, so we should try to please Krishna. Part of pleasing Krishna is to give everyone a chance to do service. It doesn’t mean that people who are already chanting 16 rounds, or even become a vegetarian, even come to the temple, why not everyone. Everyone you meet everywhere you, every rickshaw wallah you meet. I don’t know any Bengali but how are you are you having a nice days, how’s your kids? You ever bring them to the temple? Can I give you some prasadam? Why not? Are we too good to give a rickshaw wallah prasadam? To the bus driver say, thank you. “I’m a Big big Brahmin, you are lucky to have served me to driving this bus, you are fortunate, now your life is like this perfect and purified, you served the Vaishnava,” if we think like that he didn’t get much credit as I’m not much of a Vaishnava, and instead we should say, Thank you sir for helping me I’m going to work, I’m going to pick up my children go to temple. I’m so grateful you helped me. If we think like that he’s going to think, well, what kind of people are these? I’ve been driving bus for 30 years and nobody appreciated what I’m doing. Well, I guess they are all thinking about their sense gratification, you just an object I need to drive into work so I can make money for me, the world’s all about me. You are one more object. Devotees think you know everything is for Krishna you helped me for Krishna , thank you for this ride. Ok?. I’ll stop here thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai! Sri Sri Panchattava Ki Jay Sri Sri Radha Madhava ki Jay.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19800

Hare Krishna: Fifty Years of Service & Joy” Documentary Released Online

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:42pm

New York, 26 2nd Avenue. "Can an ancient Eastern religious tradition be relevant in the modern 21st century?"

In 1965, a 69 year-old spiritual teacher from India arrives in the West and settles among the hippies of New York’s Lower East Side. From a tiny storefront, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami starts a revolution of consciousness influencing tens of thousands in the US and worldwide. But what happens to his spiritual movement after their charismatic leader’s passing? Will it survive? Will it change? Can an ancient Eastern religious tradition be relevant in the modern 21st century?

In celebration of the upcoming Gaura Purnima festival, a new documentary short entitled as "Hare Krishna: Fifty Years of Service & Joy" has now been released online and is available to share worldwide.

The twenty-minute film was supported by ISKCON Communications Ministry and the 50th Anniversary Committee, and it was created by an international filmmaker crew, who traveled around the globe to shoot the footage and interview devotees.

The film was released early February, and so far it has been screened in 17 countries and seen by over 10,000 people including ISKCON devotees and congregation, students, teachers, and representatives of other religions.

Some of the feedback the film has received so far:

“We have shown the video in our Sunday feat program yesterday. The audience was spellbound to see the growth of ISKCON all over the world." (From devotees in Nairobi, Kenya)

“We shared the film clip at yesterday's Nityananda Trayodashi festival at ISKCON-London and it was well-received. Made us appreciate that we are part of a wonderful, truly international movement. And was also nice of course to see footage of ISKCON-London Temple and darshan of Radha-Londonisvara included.” (From ISKCON Soho, London, UK)

“I really liked how the video showed people from all over the world, and stressed the fact that ISKCON accepts everyone. I also thought that the part about the vegetarian food was very cool!” (A high school student from Naperville, IL, USA)

“I really like how this video went into depth. It made me really appreciate how rich and beautiful their culture is.” (A high school teacher from Naperville, IL, USA)

Hare Krishna: Fifty Years of Service & Joy

To order a high definition screener copy of the film, representatives of ISKCON centers and projects could write to Krishna-lila dasi at editor@iskcon.org.

Source: http://iskconnews.org/hare-krishna-fifty-years-of-service-joy-documentary-released-online,5460/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=twitterfeed

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa – Where Lord Caitanya took sannyasa

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:31pm

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa is the actual site where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa from Sri Keshava Bharati in year 1510 AD at the end of His twenty-fourth year. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left Navadvipa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayara-ghata. Then He reached Kantaka-nagara, orKatoya (Katwa), where He accepted sannyasa. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa, three personalities were with Him to perform all the necessary activities. They were Nityananda Prabhu, Candrasekhara Acarya and Mukunda Datta. By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, kirtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyasi, with one rod (eka danda). From that day on, His name was Sri Krishna Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimai Pandita.

Sri Gadadhara dasa established this Gauranga Bari temple at Katwa.Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 10 verse 53 states that Sri Gadadhara dasa, the twenty-third branch of the Caitanya tree, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari. Katwa is about an hour’s distance from Sridham Mayapur.

Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 3 verse 34 purport mentions:

Lord Caitanya remained a householder only until His twenty-fourth year had passed. Then He entered the renounced order and remained manifest in this material world until His forty-eighth year. Therefore His sesa-lila, or the final portion of His activities, lasted twenty-four years. During the time of Lord Caitanya, the influence of Sankaracarya in society was very strong. People thought that one could accept sannyasa only in the disciplic succession of Sankaracarya. Lord Caitanya could have performed His missionary activities as a householder, but He found householder life an obstruction to His mission. Therefore He decided to accept the renounced order, sannyasa. Since His acceptance of sannyasa was also designed to attract public attention, Lord Caitanya, not wishing to disturb the social convention, took the renounced order of life from a sannyasi in the disciplic succession of Sankaracarya, although sannyasa was also sanctioned in the Vaisnava sampradaya.

Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati. When He first approached Kesava Bharati, He was accepted as abrahmacari with the name Sri Krishna Caitanya Brahmacari. After He took sannyasa, He preferred to keep the name Krishna Caitanya.

The great authorities in the disciplic succession had not offered to explain why Lord Caitanya refused to take the name Bharatiafter He took sannyasa from a Bharati, until Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja volunteered the explanation that because a sannyasi in the Sankara-sampradayathinks that he has become the Supreme, Lord Caitanya, wanting to avoid such a misconception, kept the name Sri Krishna Caitanya, placing Himself as an eternal servitor. A brahmacari is supposed to serve the spiritual master; therefore He did not negate that relationship of servitude to His spiritual master. Accepting such a position is favorable for the relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master. The authentic biographies also mention that Lord Caitanya accepted the danda(rod) and begging pot, symbolic of the sannyasa order, at the time He took sannyasa.

Nidayara ghata in Sridham Mayapur - Lord Caitanya left Navadvipa to Katwa to take sannyasa from this place.

One day Lord Caitanya suddenly clasped Lord Nityananda's hand taking Him away to a quiet and lonely spot. Lord Caitanya said,"listen, dear Nityananda, I am revealing My heart to You. The purpose of My advent was to deliver the entire world, but instead of delivering the living entities it seems I have to ultimately destroy them. The people are supposed to attain salvation just by seeing Me, whereas now their material bonds become stronger. I incarnated with the intention of liberating the good and innocent mass but now I have spoiled everything and am leading the people to their doom. Therefore, I have decided to shave off My head and take to the renounced life of asannyasi, and go begging door to door. I will stand at the doors of those who wanted to attack Me with a begging bowl. Then these same aggressors will fall at My feet and in this way I will deliver the whole universe. Everyone respects a sannyasi, no one will ever think of harming a sannyasi. I have fully decided to take up the sannyasa order and leave My home and family. Please do not feel sad due to this, rather please give Mepermission to take up the renounced life. Whatever is Yourdesire I will certainly act in accordance, but You should consider that I have taken this incarnation for a specific reason and so require Your permission in this matter. If you really want to see that everyone in the world becomes liberated then you must not stop Me from My decision. And You are the last person to lament over this because You know the confidential reason for My advent."

Main entrance to Sri Gauranga Bari Temple where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa

Hearing about the Lord’s departure, all the devotees fell the ground unconscious. Filled with agony, they all cried loudly. Placing their arms around each other’s necks, they all lamented in various ways. “O Gopinatha, what a terrible night we have passed!” Holding their heads they all wept. “How will we live without seeing that moonlike face? What is the use to continue this sinful life?” Speaking in this way, some of them rolled on the ground, and some of them beat their chests. The Lord’s house resounded as the devotees cried uncontrollably. Whatever devotee came to see the Lord, all were drown in an ocean of separation. Constantly weeping, the devotees fell on the ground saying, “The merciful Lord of the forlorn left us to take sannyasa, thus throwing us in an ocean of lamentation.”

Sri Gauranga, after crossing the Ganges, arrived at Katwa. Instructed previously by the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara, Mukunda, Candrasekhara Acarya and BrahmanandaBharati each arrived there separately. Along with His intimate associates, the Lord, like a maddened lion, arrived there to meet Kesava Bharati. Upon seeing the Lord’s wonderful bodily effulgence, the pious Kesava Bharati stood up. The Lord fell flat offering obeisances and folding His hands, He offered prayers,“O master please be merciful on Me. You are most compassionate, the deliverer of the fallen. Lord Krishna always sits in your heart, therefore you are qualified to give Krishna to Me. I have no other desire than the service of Krishna. Please instruct Me accordingly.”

Transcendentalists discussing sannyasa pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Gauranga Bari Temple

The Lord’s body seemed to float in the water of ecstatic love. The Lord then began to dance and cry out loudly. Millions and millions of people gathered there from where no one knew. With unblinking eyes, they all drank the beauty of the Lord’s form. The flow of tears from the Lord’s eyes was beyond the description of even Lord Ananta. As the Lord danced in a circle His tears bathed everyone who was gathered around Him. Thus soaked in the waters of love of God, everyone - man and woman, young and old - all chanted, “Hari! Hari!” The Lord sometimes shivered, sometimes perspired, and sometimes fell unconscious. The people were frightened seeing the Lord fall to the ground.

Taking a straw in His teeth, the Lord, who is the proprietor of unlimited universes, begged everyone for the service of Lord Krishna. Seeing the Lord’s humility everyone cried in grief.“How will His mother survive? What a terrible night she must have passed! What pious activity His wife performed to obtain the Lord as her husband? And by what misfortune she lost Him? How will His mother and wife survive when even our hearts are broken?” In this way the ladies wept with sorrow completely bound in the ropes of Sri Caitanya. After sometime Sri Gauranga controlled Himself and sat down surrounded by His associates. Kesava Bharati was absorbed in an ocean of bliss after seeing the devotional sentiments displayed by the Lord. He then offered his prayers to the Lord, “The devotion which I have seen with my eyes today is not found except in the Lord Himself. I have certainly understood that You alone are the spiritual master of the entire world, therefore no one is qualified to become Your guru. I think that in order to teach the people in general You will accept me as Your guru.”

Exact spot at Sri Gauranga Bari Temple where Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu had His hair cut before taking sannyasa.

Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the life of all, sat down to have His head shaved. However, just as the barber Madhu came to shave the Lord, at that moment the sound of weeping was heard. The barber hesitated to shave the beautiful hair of the Lord, rather he also began to cry. The devotees headed by Nityananda Prabhu all started weeping and rolling on the ground. What to speak of the devotees even the people in general all began to cry in grief. One woman said, “Who has invented this system ofsannyasa?” Speaking like this the ladies all sighed deeply. Hidden from view all the demigods also cried. In this way the entire world was filled with the sound of crying. Such compassion was shown by Sri Gauracandra that even dry wood and stone could melt. This pastime of the Lord was displayed for the deliverance of the living entities and the weeping was evidence for this.

Tree where under Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu took His seat to get His hair shaved.

Sri Gauracandra was greatly agitated by the mellows of love. He was constantly shedding tears and His body trembled. Lord got up and started dancing, continuously chanting, “Hari Bol!”.As Mukunda sang the Lord was unable to remain steady even while sitting, but due to ecstatic love He trembled and tears flowed from His eyes. In this way the Lord constantly shouted, “Hari Bol!” The barber was therefore unable to do his work. His eyes filled with tears, and he was unable to see. Mahaprabhu requested him to use the razor his hair. After some time, ShriMadhu, the barber did the work of shaving the Lord's beautiful hair from his head.

Tree where under Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu took His seat to get His hair shaved.

The barber, Madhu, cried out in anguish, "What misery I have caused! What have I done?" and fell unconscious upon the earth. A great uproar of weeping and wailing filled all four directions. Who could console them? What a pitiful sight. The men and women there were unable to speak, and seeing this pitiful sight, the birds in the trees also fell silent.

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa where Lord Caitanya tooksannyasa. This is the actual site where Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa from Sri Keshava Bharati. Sri Keshava Bharati named Him “Sri Krishna Caitanya”

Thereafter the Lord of all took His bath in the Ganges and sat for His sannyasa ceremony. Sri Gauracandra, who is declared in the Vedas as the spiritual master of all, deceptively spoke something to Kesava Bharati, “In a dream some mahajanaappeared to Me and spoke some sannyasa mantra in My ear. Please examine whether it is appropriate or not.” Speaking in this way, the Lord spoke the mantra in Kesava Bharati's ear. Thus the Lord by trickery made Kesava Bharati His disciple. Kesava Bharati was struck with great wonder and said, “This is the best amongst all mantras. By the mercy of Lord Krishna, what is unknown to You?”

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa where Lord Caitanya tooksannyasa

According to the instructions of the Lord, the broad-minded Kesava Bharati then spoke that very mantra in the ear of the Lord. The auspicious sound of the holy names was heard in the four directions. The Lord then put on the enchanting saffron dress and appeared as beautiful as millions of cupids. His beautiful body was decorated with sandalwood pulp and flower garlands. Holding His danda and kamandalu in His hands, the Lord was overwhelmed in ecstatic love.

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa where Lord Caitanya tooksannyasa

Srila Vedavyasa has given description in his Visnu-sahasra-nama that the Lord would advent as a sannyasi. Now this statement has been fulfilled by the best of the brahmanas. This secret is well-known to the society of Vaishnavas. sannyasakrcchamah santo nistha-santi parayanah “That Lord, Visnu, who will accept sannyasa, will be fully surrendered to Krishna. He will be fixed in determination, engaged in the performance ofhari-nama yajna, and He will destroy the non-devotee followers of impersonalism. He will be fully peaceful and possessed ofmahabhava.”

Devotees taking darshan of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Kesava Bharati then began to think of a name to give the Lord, “I cannot find such a Vaishnava in the fourteen worlds. This is my conviction. Therefore I will give a name that is not previously heard, then my desire will be fulfilled. Although the disciple of a Bharati should be named Bharati, that name is not appropriate.”

Care-taker pujari at the Sri Gauranga Bari Temple

As the fortunate Kesava Bharati was thinking like this, SudhaSarasvati, the transcendental goddess of learning, appeared on his tongue. Finding the suitable name, the pure-hearted KesavaBharati placed his hand on the chest of the Lord and said, “You have induced the worlds to chant the name of Krishna and by inaugurating the movement of sankirtana, You have roused people's consciousness (chaitana). Therefore Your name will be Sri Krishna Caitanya. Because of You, everyone will be grateful.” When Kesava Bharati spoke this, everyone chanted, “Jaya! Jaya!” and flowers showered on them. The Vaishnavasfloated in waves of transcendental happiness and began to chant, “Hari! Hari!” The devotees then offered obeisances to Kesava Bharati, and the Lord felt satisfied on receiving His name.

Transcendentalists discussing sannyasa pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Gauranga Bari Temple.

In this way as the holy name of Sri Krishna Caitanya was manifest, all the devotees fell flat offering obeisances. By accepting sannyasa, the merciful Lord thus became famous as Sri Krishna Caitanya. Many other pastimes took place there, however only Lord Nityananda knows them all. Whoever hears this pastime will certainly become a servant of Sri Caitanya. By hearing this pastime of the Lord's acceptance of sannyasa one will achieve the wealth of Krishna-prema and will destroy one’s bondage due to fruitive activities. [ref. Sri Caitanya Bhagavata by Srila Vrindavana Das Thakura]

Sri Gadadhara dasa established this temple at Katwa

Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 10 verse 53 states that Sri Gadadhara Dasa, the twenty-third branch of the Caitanya tree, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

Sri Gadadhara dasa established this temple at Katwa

Srimati Tulasi Maharani at Gauranga Bari Temple courtyard

Devotee residents cooking bhoga for the pleasure of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa

Places of interest near Katwa

Near Katwa is Yajigrama [4 kms; where great souls SrilaNarottama Dasa Thankura, Srila Srinivas Acarya and Srila Ramacandra Kaviraja lived], Madhai Tala Temple [where the tombs of these two brothers, Jagai and Madhai are there] and Sri Path of Narahari Sarkar and Raghunandan Thakura.

Katwa map and places of interest

Katwa is about an hour’s distance from Sridham Mayapur.

PASTIME: LORD SRI GAURANGA MAHAPRABHU TAKES SANNYASA IN KATWA

A Student asks why the Lord is chanting the names of the Gopis

One day the Supreme Lord Caitanya was immersed in the pastimes of the gopis of Vrindavana. He was incessantly chanting, "gopi, gopi,".Along came a student scholar from somewhere and without understanding His mood said to Him, "O Nimai Pandit why are Youchanting gopi! gopi!. You should better chant Krishna's name. What pious gain is there in chanting 'gopi! gopi!' But according to the Vedas one's piety increases many folds by chanting Krishna's name!" An ignorant man can never comprehend the Lord's spiritual state. The Lord said, "Krishna! He is a plunderer! Who worships Him? That ungrateful Krishna killed the innocent Vali and although His winsome looks and strength has won many women He deliberately cuts off a woman's nose. Again, He begs everything from Bali Maharaj leaving him with nothing and then sends him down to help. What will I gain chanting His name?" Saying this Lord Caitanya picked up a stick and still immersed in 'prema bhava' He rushed towards the student menacingly. The student jumped up and ran out with the Lord close behind in hot pursuit, raving and ranting. The student ran in fear of his life not understanding the Lord's real mood.

The devotees ran after Their Lord, and catching up with Him brought Him back and pacified Him. The student in the meanwhile made good his escape. Panting heavily and drenched with perspiration he came to his friends. They were all curious to see his plight and enquired the reason for his fright. He replied, "do not enquire further! I am lucky to be here alive and breathing. Everyone says, "Nimai Pandit is very saintly, but today when I visited Him I found Him chanting 'gopi, gopi'. He is only chanting these names day and night. So I told Him, "what are You doing o learned man, You should chant 'Krishna, Krishna' as is recommended in the scriptures. These words enraged Him to such an extent that He came charging at me with a stick. Not only that, He was even cursing and abusing Krishna, which I am afraid to repeat. Only destiny could have intervened to save my life today."

The students began to laugh foolishly and air their vacuous views. One said, "the people say He is a good 'Vaishnava' then why does He come chasing a brahmana with violent intentions." Another offered, "howcan you call Him a Vaishnava if He refuses to utter Krishna's name?" Yet another remarked, "it sounds very strange that a Vaishnava is chanting only 'gopi, gopi'!" Another said forcefully, "why should we feel cowered and shrivel in this hovel. Don't we also possess that power so characteristic of brahmanas. He maybe a brahmana, so are we learned in the scriptures. Why should we tolerate His threatening. He is not a king or officer that He can punish us, let us group together and next time He tries to intimidate us we will thwart Him. He maybe the son of the learned Jagannatha Misra but our parents are no less worthy. Just see, yesterday we were studying together as mates and today how does He become suddenly the big 'master'.”

The offenders and atheists spoke so caustically against Him but LordCaitanya, the Supersoul residing in everyone's heart knew everything. One day He was sitting with all His devotees when suddenly He made a mysterious remark, whose meaning was too shrouded for anyone to understand. He said, "the medicine 'pippalikhanda' was prepared to cure the excess phlegm but instead it increased the phlegm in the body." Saying this the Lord began laughing loudly musing over something incomprehensible to all, the devotees became very concerned.

Lord Nityananda knew the inner meaning of the Lord's statement and the Lord's confidential mood. He thought, "soon the Lord will leave home and take sannyasa." Lord Nityananda fell into deep despair. The life air seemed to leave His body at the thought of seeing His beloved Lord Caitanya, beautiful as He is to be shorn of those lovely locks of hair.

Lord Gaura tells Lord Nitai about His intention to take sannyasa

Lord Caitanya suddenly clasped Lord Nityananda's hand taking Him away to a quiet and lonely spot. Lord Caitanya said,

"listen, dear Nityananda, I am revealing My heart to You. The purpose of My advent was to deliver the entire world, but instead of delivering the living entities it seems I have to ultimately destroy them. The people are supposed to attain salvation just by seeing Me, whereas now their material bonds become stronger. As soon as they contemplated on beating Methey became tightly chained to eternal bondage. I incarnated with the intention of liberating the good and innocent mass but now I have spoiled everything and am leading the people to their doom. Therefore, I have decided to shave off My head and take to the renounced life of a sannyasi, and go begging door to door. I will stand at the doors of those who wanted to attack Me with a begging bowl. Then these same aggressors will fall at My feet and in this way I will deliver the whole universe. Everyone respects a sannyasi, no one will ever think of harming asannyasi. Tomorrow when I take up begging as a sannyasi I can go safe anywhere. I have fully decided to take up the sannyasaorder and leave My home and family. Please do not feel sad due to this, rather please give Me permission to take up the renounced life. Whatever is Your desire I will certainly act in accordance, but You should consider that I have taken this incarnation for a specific reason and so require Your permission in this matter. If you really want to see that everyone in the world becomes liberated then you must not stop Me from My decision. And You are the last person to lament over this because You know the confidential reason for My advent."

When Nityananda heard from His dear Lord that He was shaving His beautiful locks and entering the renounced order, Nityananda's heart shattered to pieces in grief. He did not know what to say to Lord Caitanya, but He was sure that the Lord will go ahead with His decision.

Lord Nityananda replied, "My dear Lord, You are absolutely independent, whatever You wish must be executed. Who can desistYou or go against Your wishes, whatever You have decided is surely to happen. You are the maintainer and protector of this cosmicmanifestation, Your wishes are always for the good of the people. Who but You can conceive the best method for liberating the conditioned souls. You are perfectly free to act in any way You think best. And yet I think You may present these facts to all the Vaishnavas and ask their opinion. After hearing them You may do whatever You think is necessary."

Lord Nityananda's words satisfied Lord Caitanya and He embraced Nityananda again and again. Thus advised Lord Caitanya went to meet the assembly of Vaishnavas. The paralysing thought that Lord Caitanya will take sannyasa echoed in grey emptiness in LordNityananda's mind. He walked about normally but within Him raged a fitful storm. "How will Sacimata contain her grief stricken life once her Nimai abandons home." He thought, "How will she live through the long lonely days and nights without Him?" Each time these thoughts raised though His mind He felt devastated with despair and finding a secluded corner wept bitterly because He could not bear to think what will happen to Sacimata.

Lord Caitanya came to Mukunda's house. Mukunda was overjoyed to see his beloved Lord coming personally to his house. the Lord said, "sing something about Krishna." Mukunda began to sing and the Lord listened to the transcendental sweetness of Mukunda's singing. Withdrawing the ecstasy within Himself the Lord calmed Himself and spoke to Mukunda. The Lord said, "Mukunda, please listen to Me, I have decided to leave My family and home to join the sannyasa order. Shaving My hair I shall travel all over." The Lord's words crushedMukunda's joy he had felt earlier on seeing the Lord. Piteously he begged the Lord, "my Lord since You are firm in Your resolve to become a mendicant, it must happen, but wait a little longer and stay with us and pass time in 'Krishna kirtan' then do what You have to."

Lord Caitanya left Mukunda's home and went to see GadadharaPandita. Gadadhara offered obeisances to his Lord, praying at His lotus feet. The Lord addressed Gadadhara, "I want you to hear Me carefully please. Gadadhara, I have to leave My family and home for the sake of My Lord Krishna. I shall shave My head and as a mendicant go wherever the road leads." Gadadhara remained motionless, thunderstruck. Feeling a burning grief swallowing him within, he replied, "Your words are very strange My Lord. You mean to say that one can attain Krishna simply by shaving the head and leaving home, and not by staying in the householder life? What spiritual gain is there in shaving one's head, all this maybe Your opinion, but certainly not found anywhere in the Vedic scriptures. How do You propose to leave a widowed mother all alone, at the very outset You will be burdened with the sin of bringing about Your mother's death. You are her life a dream, if You are gone what reason will she have to remain alive. Is one not dear to the Supreme Lord if one remains in the house, in fact a householder is liked by everyone. And if in spite of everything I told You, You still want to cling on to Your decision, then do what You like."

Like this the Lord visited all His dear and near ones and told everyone of His plan to take sannyasa. Whoever heard this was shocked with grief. They wept bitterly at the thought of seeing their beloved Lord, beautiful as the springtime full moon, shorn off all His black cascading curls. They lamented, "what will be the use then to string a garland for His curly locks." Yet another said, "how will I live without seeing His delightful locks." Yet another said beating his head, "I will never be able to smell the transcendental aroma from His hair anymore." The devotees were wailing in grief, tossed about in an ocean of despair, loudly they wailed, for they were going to lose their beloved Lord.

Intense pain experienced by the Devotees in Navadvipa to hear about Lord Gauranga taking sannyasa

All the devotees very much perturbed and grief stricken, they were already feeling the pangs of separation from their beloved Lord Caitanya, they cried piteously. They said amongst themselves, "where will He go after taking sannyasa? Where will we see Him again? Surely, He is not going to return to this village after accepting a mendicant's robe, there is no way of finding out where He will be and which direction He will travel in." The devotees were constantly worrying in this manner, Their hearts filled with consternation that they may never see their most precious Lord again, no one took interest in food and sleep any longer.

The Lord could not bear the pain His devotees were suffering. Smiling pleasantly to alleviate their distress the Lord assured them, "why do you unnecessarily vex yourselves? I am always present with you. It is wrong of you to think that once I have taken sannyasa I will leave all of you and go far away. Not for a moment can I leave you. All of you are My eternal associates. Not just for this birth, but birth after birth. Those of you who are associated with Me in this incarnation will eternally remain with Me in the mellow of congregational chanting of the Holy name. In every millennium I advent and in every one of Myinnumerable incarnations you have participated in My pastimes. With this advent I have come with two incarnations, one is the congregational chanting and the other is My transcendental deity form full of bliss. In both these incarnations you must participate in Mypastimes with full vigour and joy, chanting with Me in ecstasy. I am taking sannyasa only to educate humanity, therefore please allay your fears and worries."

Placating the distressed devotees with His sweet words He embraced each one of them again and again. Lord's words had a pacifying effect on the devotees, and feeling more assured they allowed their beloved master to leave. Word spread swiftly everywhere that Nimai was going to embrace the mendicants life. When Saci devi heard this news her heart almost stopped. Her grief was so intense that the pain of the entire universe seemed like nothing. She fell to the ground unconscious, tears flowing in torrents and remained lying on the floor, a heart rending sight, the lotus eyed Lord saw all this sitting very still and grave.

Sacimata cried out to Nimai saying, "My darling son, please do not leave Your mother and go, all of us are simply depending on seeing Your divine lotus face. Your lotus eyes and moonlike glowing face, ruby lips and pearly jasmine white teeth, words like showers of ambrosia, graceful gentle elephants grit are impossible to live without. Your constant followers Advaita and Srinivas and Your bosom friend Nityananda and Gadadhara are always there, just stay home and perform Your congregational chanting. You have incarnated to teach everyone the principles of religion, then what religion teaches one to leave one's mother. You embody the religious principles and if Youforsake Your mother then how will You teach the world about religion?"Laden with immense love for her son Sacidevi waited out these words, and the Lord heard all this quietly, unable to speak, His voice choked with intense love for His mother.

She continued, "Your elder brother left some time ago and then Yourfather left for the Lord's eternal abode, only You remained, and looking at You I could forget my pains of separation; now If You leave I will certainly give up my life. My dearest son, just see the pitiful sight ofYour lonely widowed mother, how can You leave me. Stay home, Nityananda is always here, You can perform kirtan in Your own house with all the devotees. You are everything to me. Your eyes are full of love and compassion and Your long hands are exquisite, Your words are cascades of nectar. My darkened house without a lamp is illuminated by Your presence, and Your lotus feet is the source of life giving elixir." Silently Visvambhara sat and listened, bearing the deep pain within as His mother out of intense love spoke painful words of separation; like Kausalya trying to reason with Lord Ramacandra.

Lord Gauranga pacifies His Mother

Sacidevi spoke on unable to calm herself the Lord still remained silently listening. She felt drained out, rampaged by the storm of grief, food and sleep were to her now a curse. The Lord seeing His mother's condition, revealed to her some secrets that might pacify her. He said,"Mother, please calm yourself and listen, I have been your son since many births. You were once Prishin and I was your son. Again you became Aditi in another life and you were residing then in the heavenly planets and I became your son Vamana. Then once again I became your son Kapila when you were Devahuti. When you wereKaushalya I was your son Rama. Another time you were Devaki in Mathura imprisoned in the dungeons of the cruel King Kamsa, and I became your son Krishna. In this present incarnation I will be your son twice. You will be the mother of My incarnation as the "deity form", and also the mother of My incarnation as the "Holy name". Mother, like this you have had Me as your son eternally, I can never leave you mother. I revealed this to you very confidentially, now mother please allay your fears and grief.” Sacidevi on hearing this esoteric narration was somewhat calmed.

In this way Nimai passed His time in the ecstasy of sankirtana. No one can understand the activities of the Lord, who is the fully independent Lord of all. The Lord always enjoys performing kirtana along with His devotees. All the devotees were so fully absorbed in transcendental ecstasy that they forgot themselves completely. The fortunate devotees enjoyed pastimes with the Lord, whom the Vedas personified desire to see.

One day the Lord secretly told Nityananda which day He would leave home to take sannyasa. O Nityananda, please listen!

This may be disclosed to only five persons. On the coming MakaraSankranti day I will certainly leave home and take

sannyasa. There is a village named Katwa near Indrani. At that place lives the pure soul, Kesava Bharati. I will certainly take sannyasa from him. The five persons You may tell are, My mother, Gadadhara,Brahmananda Bharati, Sri Candrasekhara Acarya, and Mukunda.

The Lord spoke this to Nityananda in private, so no one else knew. Then Nityananda Prabhu told the five persons about the Lord’s coming departure. That day the Lord spent engaged in sankirtana along with the Vaishnavas. After happily taking His noon meal, the Lord went to see the Ganges in the evening. He offered obeisances, sat on the bank for some time and then returned home.

Sri Gaurasundara sat at home surrounded by His followers. No one knew of the Lord’s desire to leave home and take

sannyasa, therefore everyone happily enjoyed the company of the Lord. The lotus-eyed Lord sat there with His limbs decorated with a beautiful flower garland and scented sandalwood pulp. Whatever Vaishnava who came to see Him brought along sandal pulp and flower garland. The Lord attracted so many people that no one knew from where they all came. Even Lord Brahma had no power to count the number of persons who came to see the Lord.

Whoever came fell flat offering obeisances and gazed on the beautiful face of the Lord. Lord Gauranga then gave them a garland from His neck and instructed them, “Chant the holy name of Krishna. Worship Krishna, and don’t think of anything other than Krishna. If you have any affection for Me, then don’t speak about any topics other than Krishna. Whether you are sleeping, eating, or waking, always think of Krishna day and night and chant His name.”

In this way the Lord cast His compassionate glance on whoever came and then He sent them home. In this way so many people came and went without knowing each other. The beautiful body of the Lord, decorated with sandal pulp and flower garlands, could not be compared to the insignificant beauty of the full moon. After receiving the Lord’s mercy, all the people became ecstatic and left loudly chanting, “Hari! Hari!”.

At that time the pious Kolavecha Sridhara came bringing a loki in his hand. Seeing the loki the Lord inquired, “Where did you get that?”. The Lord however thought, “Tomorrow I will leave, therefore I’ll not be able to eat this. Whatever is brought by Sridhara cannot be wasted, so I must eat this today.” Thinking like this, in order to maintain His affection for His devotees, He requested His mother to cook the loki. Just at that time someone else came with a pot of milk. The Lord smilingly told His mother, “This is very nice. Please cook these together.” Mother Saci immediately went to cook in great satisfaction. In this way the son of Saci is so affectionate to His devotees. The Lord of Vaikuntha thus happily spent the evening.

After seeing everyone off, Lord Visvambhara came to take His dinner. When He finished eating Lord Gauranga washed His mouth and went to His bedroom. There He slept under the influence of His yoga-mayaalong with Gadadhara and Haridasa Thakura. Mother Saci, knowing that the Lord would depart, was unable to sleep and remained awake weeping. The Lord awoke for leaving during the brahma-muhurta. He understood the auspicious time for His departure had come by observing His breathing.

Gadadhara and Haridasa Thakura also awoke, and Gadadhara told the Lord, “I will accompany You.” The Lord however, replied, “I am fully independent, one without a second. This is My pastime.” Mother Sacithen came and sat at the doorway to see the Lord’s departure. Seeing His mother, the Lord held her hands and solaced her in various ways.“You have maintained Me very nicely. Because of you I have studied and learned. You have not cared for your personal happiness, but you have increased My pleasure throughout My life. The amount of affection you have shown towards Me in each moment, is more than I can repay in millions of kalpas. Only by your mercy will I be relieved ofMy debt. Still, however, I will remain indebted to you lifetime after lifetime. Please listen, dear mother, this entire creation is under the control of the Supreme Lord. No one has the strength to be independent. Who can understand His will by which living entities sometimes meet and sometimes separate. Whether I leave now or after ten days, you should not lament. Your loving dealings with Meare very pleasing, therefore I take full responsibility for you.”

Placing His hand on mother Saci’s chest, the Lord repeatedly solaced her, saying, “I will take full care of you.” Whatever the Lord spoke, mother Saci quietly heard as she constantly wept. Thus mother Saci, the mother of the universe, became as grave and quiet as mother Earth. Who can understand the inconceivable pastimes of Lord Krishna? The Lord then took the dust of His mother’s feet and aftercircumambulating her, He immediately departed. The Lord, who is the hero of Vaikuntha, left home to take sannyasa in order to deliver the fallen souls.

When the Lord left, the universal mother, Saci, became almost inert and was unable to speak. All the devotees, after

taking their morning bath, arrived at the Lord’s house unaware of the Lord’s departure. Although they came to offer obeisances to the Lord, they were only able to find mother Saci sitting outside the doorway. The magnanimous Srinivas was the first to inquire, “O mother, why are you sitting at the doorway?” The almost inert mother Saci was unable to reply, only tears flowed continually from her eyes. After some timeShe said, “Please listen all of you. All the Vaishnavas are eligible to share the property of the Lord. “Whatever things are left by Him, you may all distribute amongst yourselves. This is the verdict of thesastras. So be satisfied, do as you please and let me go from here.”

Hearing about the Lord’s departure, all the devotees fell the ground unconscious. Filled with agony, they all cried loudly. Placing their arms around each other’s necks, they all lamented in various ways. “O Gopinatha, what a terrible night we have passed!” Holding their heads they all wept. “How will we live without seeing that moonlike face? What is the use to continue this sinful life?” Speaking in this way, some of them rolled on the ground, and some of them beat their chests. The Lord’s house resounded as the devotees cried uncontrollably. Whatever devotee came to see the Lord, all were drown in an ocean of separation. Constantly weeping, the devotees fell on the ground saying, “The merciful Lord of the forlorn left us to takesannyasa, thus throwing us in an ocean of lamentation.”

All the devotees cried and fell unconscious. They loudly chanted, “Hari! Hari! What is the use of our wealth, our families or even our lives, when the Lord has left? They cried and rolled on the ground of the Lord’s courtyard beating their chests and exclaiming, “O Lord Hari! O Visvambhara! You have left to take sannyasa without telling us!” Mukunda, Murari, Sridhara, Gadadhara, Gangadasa, Srinivas and his family, Candrasekhara, and Haridasa Thakura all continually cried in this way. Hearing the crying of the devotees, the people of Nadia rushed to see what has happened. By not seeing the Lord’s face, they too were stricken with grief and also began to cry. Whether young or old, whatever devotee came from the town, they all cried incessantly. The atheists, however, laughed saying, “Now we’ll not see Nimai again.”

After some time the devotees became pacified and sat around motherSaci. Meanwhile, the news of the Lord’s departure for taking sannyasasoon spread throughout the Navadvipa. Hearing the news, all the people were struck with wonder and came to the Lord’s house. When they saw the Lord’s house empty, they also began to cry. Hearing the people lament, even the offenders and atheists became aggrieved. “We are very sinful, therefore we could not recognize Him. They repented in this way and they also began to cry. The people of the town cried and rolled on the ground lamenting, “We’ll not see the Lord’s moonlike face again!” Someone said, “Let us burn our houses and wearing earrings we’ll leave home and become yogis.” Someone else said, “When the Lord Himself has left Navadvipa, then why are we still breathing?” In this way all the men and women of Nadia could not think of anything, but simply lamented.

The independent Lord however, knew when and how to deliver the fallen living entities. Those who were filled with

offenses and envy were also bitten by the snake of the Lord’s separation. All glories to the merciful Lord Gaurasundara, the Lord of all! He expertly delivered everyone.

Lord Caitanya prepares to accept sannyasa from KeshavaBharati

Sri Gauranga, after crossing the Ganges, arrived at Kantaka Nagara(Katwa) that very day. Instructed previously by the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara, Mukunda, Candrasekhara Acarya andBrahmananda Bharati each arrived there separately. Along with His intimate associates, the Lord, like a maddened lion, arrived there to meet Kesava Bharati. Upon seeing the Lord’s wonderful bodily effulgence, the pious Kesava Bharati stood up. The Lord fell flat offering obeisances and folding His hands, He offered prayers, “O master please be merciful on Me. You are most compassionate, the deliverer of the fallen. Lord Krishna always sits in your heart, therefore you are qualified to give Krishna to Me. I have no other desire than the service of Krishna. Please instruct Me accordingly.”

The Lord’s body seemed to float in the water of ecstatic love. The Lord then began to dance and cry out loudly. Mukunda and the other devotees began to sing while the son of Saci danced in His own mood. Millions and millions of people gathered there from where no one knew. With unblinking eyes, they all drank the beauty of the Lord’s form. The flow of tears from the Lord’s eyes was beyond the description of even Lord Ananta. As the Lord danced in a circle His tears bathed everyone who was gathered around Him. Thus soaked in the waters of love of God, everyone - man and woman, young and old - all chanted, “Hari! Hari!” The Lord sometimes shivered, sometimes perspired, and sometimes fell unconscious. The people were frightened seeing the Lord fall to the ground.

Taking a straw in His teeth, the Lord, who is the proprietor of unlimited universes, begged everyone for the service of

Lord Krishna. Seeing the Lord’s humility everyone cried in grief. “How will His mother survive? What a terrible night she must have passed! What pious activity His wife performed to obtain the Lord as her husband? And by what misfortune she lost Him? How will His mother and wife survive when even our hearts are broken?” In this way the ladies wept with sorrow completely bound in the ropes of Sri Caitanya. After sometime Sri Gauranga controlled Himself and sat down surrounded by His associates. Kesava Bharati was absorbed in an ocean of bliss after seeing the devotional sentiments displayed by the Lord. He then offered his prayers to the Lord, “The devotion which I have seen with my eyes today is not found except in the Lord Himself. I have certainly understood that You alone are the spiritual master of the entire world, therefore no one is qualified to become Your guru. I think that in order to teach the people in general You will accept me as Your guru.”

“Please don’t deceive Me. Give Me initiation so that I may become a servant of Lord Krishna.” Speaking in this way, the Lord spent that night engaged in Krishna-katha. Early the next morning the protector of all planets rose and instructed Candrasekhara, “You are practiced in the performance of all the Vedic rituals, therefore I appoint you as Myrepresentative.” Candrasekhara began to perform the required Vedic ceremonies. Various items such as milk, yogurt, butter, betel, sandalwood flowers, a sacred thread, and cloth were all brought by people from surrounding villages. Various eatables were also brought, although no one knew who brought everything or where everything was coming from. Everyone who came chanted the holy name, “Hari!Hari!” Indeed, no other sound could be heard.

Shaving of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s beautiful hair

Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the life of all, sat down to have His head shaved (including sikha). However, just as the

barber Madhu came to shave the Lord, at that moment the sound of weeping was heard. The barber hesitated to shave the beautiful hair of the Lord, rather he also began to cry. The devotees headed by Nityananda Prabhu all started weeping and rolling on the ground. What to speak of the devotees even the people in general all began to cry in grief. One woman said, “Who has invented this system of sannyasa?” Speaking like this the ladies all sighed deeply. Hidden from view all the demigods also cried. In this way the entire world was filled with the sound of crying. Such compassion was shown by Sri Gauracandra that even dry wood and stone could melt. This pastime of the Lord was displayed for the deliverance of the living entities and the weeping was evidence for this.

Sri Gauracandra was greatly agitated by the mellows of love. He was constantly shedding tears and His body trembled. Lord Visvambharagot up and started dancing, continuously chanting, “Hari Bol!”. As Mukunda sang the Lord was unable to remain steady even while sitting, but due to ecstatic love He trembled and tears flowed from His eyes. In this way the Lord constantly shouted, “Hari Bol!” The barber was therefore unable to do his work. His eyes filled with tears, and he was unable to see. Mahaprabhu requested him to use the razor his hair. After some time, Shri Madhu, the barber did the work of shaving the Lord's beautiful hair from his head. The barber cried out in anguish,"What misery I have caused! What have I done?" and fell unconscious upon the earth. A great uproar of weeping and wailing filled all four directions. Who could console them? What a pitiful sight. The men and women there were unable to speak, and seeing this pitiful sight, the birds in the trees also fell silent.

Lord Caitanya accepts Sannyasa

Thereafter the Lord of all took His bath in the Ganges and sat for Hissannyasa ceremony. Sri Gauracandra, who is declared in the Vedas as the spiritual master of all, deceptively spoke something to KesavaBharati, “In a dream some mahajana appeared to Me and spoke somesannyasa mantra in My ear. Please examine whether it is appropriate or not.”

Speaking in this way, the Lord spoke the mantra in Kesava Bharati'sear. Thus the Lord by trickery made Kesava Bharati His disciple. Kesava Bharati was struck with great wonder and said, “This is the best amongst all mantras. By the mercy of Lord Krishna, what is unknown to You?”

According to the instructions of the Lord, the broad-minded KesavaBharati then spoke that very mantra in the ear of the Lord. The auspicious sound of the holy names was heard in the four directions as the jewel of Vaikuntha accepted the order of sannyasa. The Lord then put on the enchanting saffron dress and appeared as beautiful as millions of cupids. His beautiful body was decorated with sandalwood pulp and flower garlands. Holding His danda and kamandalu in His hands, the Lord was overwhelmed in ecstatic love. The beautiful face of the Lord was more attractive than millions of moons and His two eyes were filled with tears of love. Later that form the Lord manifested as a sannyasi will be elaborately described by Vedavyasa.

Srila Vedavyasa has given description in his Visnu-sahasra-nama that the Lord would advent as a sannyasi. Now this statement has been fulfilled by the best of the brahmanas. This secret is well-known to the society of Vaishnavas.

sannyasa krcchamah santo nistha-santi parayanah “That Lord, Visnu, who will accept sannyasa, will be fully surrendered to Krishna. He will be fixed in determination, engaged in the performance of hari-namayajna, and He will destroy the non-devotee followers ofimpersonalism. He will be fully peaceful and possessed ofmahabhava.”

Kesava Bharati then began to think of a name to give the Lord, “I cannot find such a Vaishnava in the fourteen worlds. This is my conviction. Therefore I will give a name that is not previously heard,then my desire will be fulfilled. Although the disciple of a Bharatishould be named Bharati, that name is not appropriate.”

As the fortunate Kesava Bharati was thinking like this, SudhaSarasvati, the transcendental goddess of learning, appeared on his tongue. Finding the suitable name, the pure-hearted Kesava Bharatiplaced his hand on the chest of the Lord and said, “You have induced the worlds to chant the name of Krishna and by inaugurating the movement of sankirtana, You have roused people's consciousness (chaitana). Therefore Your name will be Sri Krishna Caitanya. Because of You, everyone will be grateful.” When Kesava Bharatispoke this, everyone chanted, “Jaya! Jaya!” and flowers showered on them. The Vaishnavas floated in waves of transcendental happiness and began to chant, “Hari! Hari!” The devotees then offered obeisances to Kesava Bharati, and the Lord felt satisfied on receiving His name.

In this way as the holy name of Sri Krishna Caitanya was manifest, all the devotees fell flat offering obeisances. By

accepting sannyasa, the merciful Lord thus became famous as Sri Krishna Caitanya. The Lord, Sri Caitanya, eternally

performs His pastimes, which those who have received His mercy can see. Many other pastimes took place there, however only Lord Nityananda knows them all.

Whoever hears this pastime will certainly become a servant of Sri Caitanya. By hearing this pastime of the Lord's acceptance ofsannyasa one will achieve the wealth of Krishna-prema and will destroy one’s bondage due to fruitive activities.

[References: Sri Caitanya Bhagavata by Srila Vrindavana Das Thakura and Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami]

Other temples near Katwa:

#1. Yajigrama (or Jajigrama) - Srinivas Acarya Sri Path:Yajigrama is a very important place associated with great Vaishnava stalwarts - Srila Narottama Dasa Thankura, Srinivas Acarya and Srila Ramacandra Kaviraj. Srinivas Acarya’s Sri Pat (preaching center) as well as his worship place and house are also here. This is where these great souls lived and a number of pastimes took place. Yajigrama is a small village 4 km from Katwa. At present there is a temple inYajigrama at the exact spot where they lived.

Yajigrama Deities of Srila Srinivas Acarya

#2. Madhai Tala Temple: Madhai Tala temple is in Katwa about 3 km from Sri Gauranga Bari Temple. This is the place where the tombs of these two brothers, Jagai and Madhai, are in a place known asGhosahata, or Madhaitala-grama. It is said that Sri Gopicarana dasaBabaji established a temple of Nitai-Gaura at this place about two hundred fifty years ago. Jagai and Madhai were two brothers born in Navadvipa in a respectable brahmana family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura used to preach the cult of Krishna consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagai and Madhai, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them.

Next day, as soon as Nityananda Prabhu approached the two brothersJagai and Madhai, to ask them to chant the holy names, one of them threw a piece of earthen pot at Him. It hit Lord Nityananda’s forehead, and blood began to flow. Nityananda Prabhu was so kind that He said, "It does not matter that you have thrown this stone at Me. I still request you to chant the holy name of Lord Hari." Jagai immediately fell down at Lord Nityananda's feet and asked Him to pardon his sinful brother. Madhai tried to hurt Nityananda again, but Jagai stopped him and implored him to fall down at Nityananda's feet. When Lord Caitanya heard that Nityananda had been hurt, He came immediately and invoked His Sudarshana chakra (disc weapon of the Supreme Lord), ready to kill the sinners. Nityananda Prabhu reminded Lord Caitanya of His mission, to deliver the fallen souls of Kali-yuga (the present age); that these two brothers were a typical example of most of the population of Kali-yuga.

While Lord Nityananda was talking in this way, both brothers fell at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. They agreed to give up all their sinful habits and therefore the Lord accepted them and never again referred to their past misdeeds. When the all-merciful Lord Gauranga sawJagai’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 10 verse 120 mentions: Jagaiand Madhai, the 89th and 90th branches of the tree, were the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pavana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.” In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (115) it is said that the two brothers Jagai and Madhai were formerly the doorkeepers named Jaya and Vijaya, who later becameHiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. Jagai and Madhai were born in respectable brahmana families, but they adopted the professions of thieves and rogues and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities, especially woman-hunting, intoxication and gambling. Later, by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, they were initiated, and they got the chance to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. As a result of chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The descendants of Madhai still exist, and they are respectablebrahmanas. The tombs of these two brothers, Jagai and Madhai, are in a place known as Ghosahata, or Madhaitala-grama, which is situated about one mile south of Katwa. It is said that Sri Gopicarana dasaBabaji established a temple of Nitai-Gaura at this place about two hundred fifty years ago.

#3. Sri Path of Narahari Sarkar and Raghunandan Thakura:Narahari Sarkar was a very special and intimate companion of Mahaprabhu. He is famous for his seva of waving a camara to Mahaprabhu. Raghunandan Thakur is the son of Mukunda Sarkar(eldest brother of Narahari Sarkar). He was a great devotee even when he was a child. When he urged Gopinatha deity to have bhogawith his simple heart, Lord factually ate bhoga with great pleasure.

#4. Baradanga: As the name Badadanga suggests, there is a big (bara) pond (danga) here. But the main attraction here is a Temple called the Narahari Gaura Kunja. On its courtyard walls, there are paintings. One such painting shows the main Srikhandbasis as listed inSri Caitanya Caritamrta.

Painting of Raghunandan Thakura feeding Gopinatha atNarahari Gaura Kunja

Sri Gauranga Bari Temple at Katwa is the actual site where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa from Sri Keshava Bharati in year 1510 AD at the end of His twenty-fourth year. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left Navadvipa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayara-ghata. Then He reached Kantaka-nagara, orKatoya (Katwa), where He accepted sannyasa. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa, three personalities were with Him to perform all the necessary activities. They were Nityananda Prabhu, Candrasekhara Acarya and Mukunda Datta. By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, kirtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyasi, with one rod (eka danda). From that day on, His name was Sri Krishna Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimai Pandita.

Sri Gadadhara dasa established this Gauranga Bari temple at Katwa.Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 10 verse 53 states that Sri Gadadhara dasa, the twenty-third branch of the Caitanya tree, was understood to be the topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord Hari. Katwa is about an hour’s distance from Sridham Mayapur.

Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Adi-lila chapter 3 verse 34 purport mentions:

Lord Caitanya remained a householder only until His twenty-fourth year had passed. Then He entered the renounced order and remained manifest in this material world until His forty-eighth year. Therefore His sesa-lila, or the final portion of His activities, lasted twenty-four years. During the time of Lord Caitanya, the influence of Sankaracarya in society was very strong. People thought that one could accept sannyasa only in the disciplic succession of Sankaracarya. Lord Caitanya could have performed His missionary activities as a householder, but He found householder life an obstruction to His mission. Therefore He decided to accept the renounced order, sannyasa. Since His acceptance of sannyasa was also designed to attract public attention, Lord Caitanya, not wishing to disturb the social convention, took the renounced order of life from a sannyasi in the disciplic succession of Sankaracarya, although sannyasa was also sanctioned in the Vaisnava sampradaya.

Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Kesava Bharati. When He first approached Kesava Bharati, He was accepted as abrahmacari with the name Sri Krishna Caitanya Brahmacari. After He took sannyasa, He preferred to keep the name Krishna Caitanya.

The great authorities in the disciplic succession had not offered to explain why Lord Caitanya refused to take the name Bharatiafter He took sannyasa from a Bharati, until Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja volunteered the explanation that because a sannyasi in the Sankara-sampradayathinks that he has become the Supreme, Lord Caitanya, wanting to avoid such a misconception, kept the name Sri Krishna Caitanya, placing Himself as an eternal servitor. A brahmacari is supposed to serve the spiritual master; therefore He did not negate that relationship of servitude to His spiritual master. Accepting such a position is favorable for the relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master. The authentic biographies also mention that Lord Caitanya accepted the danda(rod) and begging pot, symbolic of the sannyasa order, at the time He took sannyasa.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19786

Devotees to Feed 50,000 For Shantipur Festival

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:12pm

By: Madhava Smullen on March 16, 2016

Serving prasad at the Shantipur Festival last year

Devotees from ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal are expected to feed hot sanctified vegetarian meals to around 50,000 villagers in the nearby town of Shantipur on March 20th.

The Shantipur festival has been a key part of ISKCON Mayapur’s Gaura Purnima festival for many years.

Historically, it was put on by fifteenth century saint Advaita Acharya in honor of the Disappearance Day of his guru, Madhavendra Puri. Since then, it’s been held on that sacred day every year.

“The Shantipur Festival is a very popular draw,” says organizer Sankarshan Nitai Das. “Because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, declared that anyone who gives or receives prasad [sanctified food] during the festival will get Krishna Prem, or love of God.”

Devotees will set up an outdoor kitchen in the large mango grove outside the house where Advaita Acharya himself once lived and is still worshipped. There, they’ll cook vast quantities of kichari and chutney in giant pots.

Then nearly 2,000 international devotees will participate in serving the prasad out to “dhamvasis,” the residents of the holy town.

Meanwhile, there will also be a cultural stage program where many senior devotees and sannyasis including Jayapataka Swami, Kavicandra Swami, Lokanath Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami and more will speak.

Dramas, dances and songs performed by students of Mayapur’s Bhaktivedanta National School will cap off the day.

“Devotees around the world who cannot participate in person can offer service in the form of generous donations,” says organizer and participant Kavicandra Swami. “To donate online, please just go to http://www.mayapur.com/serve-mayapur/general-donation/,’ and make a note that it is for the Shantipur Festival. Thank you!”

Source: http://iskconnews.org/devotees-to-feed-50000-for-shantipur-festival,5464/

Manu in the Bible and the History of Mankind

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:05pm

By Abhaya Mudra Dasi

“The Manu named King Satyavrata formerly saved himself by tying the small boat of the entire world to the horn of the Matsya avatara, the fish incarnation. By the grace of the Matsya avatara, Manu saved himself from the great danger of the flood. May that same fish incarnation save us from the great and fearful danger caused by the son of Tvashta.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.9.23)

A single event of the ancient world has been covered by a number of scriptures—even though some of these old historical texts are not generally considered as Vedic. Elements of the history of Vaivasvata Manu, our current Manu, can be found as the story of “Noah and the Flood” both in the Bible and in the Koran. The great flood is also described in some other scriptures including the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jasher. The inundation is also described in the Sumerian epic poem Gilgamesh. Manu, who is the progenitor of humanity, has made a significant mark on history. Therefore it is natural that he has been discussed in numerous scriptures from different periods throughout millennia. It would appear that the Noah we read about in the Bible is none other than the current Vaivasvata Manu.

The Book of Jasher, which is an apocryphal work (and which is twice mentioned in the Bible) says the following in 4.13-14 about the birth of Manu:

“And the wife of Lemech conceived and bore him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year. And Metushelach called his name Noach, saying, ‘The ground was in his days at rest and free from corruption.’ And Lamech his father called his name Menachem (Manu), saying, ‘This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil from the ground, which YHWH (God) had cursed.’”

In the book of Enoch—an ancient Jewish religious work that is mostly preserved in its original form in Ethiopia—Noah is described as a follower of God’s rule (dharma). It is written there that he lived during a period that had become degraded due to the intermingling of the demigods with human women and that this intermingling had produced giants of demonic nature. In time practically all humankind became corrupted. Foolish people began to worship mere inhabitant of the Earth as gods … a vice that continues till this day in our present Kali Yuga.

The different Manus are described in Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.13 and the flood is described later.

“O King Parikshit, at the end of the past millennium, at the end of Brahma’s day, because Lord Brahma sleeps during the night, annihilation took place and the three worlds became covered by the waters of the ocean. At the end of Brahma’s day, when Brahma felt sleepy and desired to lie down, the Vedas were emanating from his mouth, and the great demon named Hayagriva stole the Vedic knowledge. Understanding the acts of the great demon Hayagriva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who is full of all opulence, assumed the form of a fish and saved the Vedas by killing the demon.” (SB 8.24.7-9).

Shrila Prabhupada comments, “Because everything was inundated by water, to save the Vedas it was necessary for the Lord to assume the form of a fish.” (Note that this verse does not relate to the form of Matsya who saved Manu at the end of a certain millennia when only a partial annihilation takes place.)

At the end of each Manvantara (lit. “rule of one Manu”), and before the next progenitor of humankind Manu takes charge, a total dissolution of the Earth—a flood—occurs. This is obviously the same devastating flood that is also described in the Bible, in the Book of Enoch and in the Book of Jasher. As Noah was an enlightened personality, he was saved from the flood along with other sages and his sons. It is said that his ark, or huge boat, remained atop the Malaya Mountain after the flood.

The Book of Jasher 5.13 discusses why Vaivasvata (Noah) was chosen as the present Manu:

And Noach was a just man, he was perfect in his generation, and YHWH chose him to raise up seed from his seed upon the face of all the earth.

The book describes the many long years during which the flood ravaged the Earth. It tells how all creatures had to endure being tossed from one side of the ark to the other. Despite the fear that Manu and the rest of the animals and sages endured in the boat, we know from Shrimad Bhagavatam that Lord Matsyadeva protected the ark throughout the flood’s duration.

After the flood Manu and his sons populated the Earth. The sons of Manu are mentioned as being three in number in the Book of Jasher, but the Vedic literature mentions at least ten amongst whom Ikshvaku is prominent. Since theBook of Jasher was scribed in a mleccha tongue, it mentions only the facts that are considered more important for the people of that time and who spoke that language:

“And these are the names of the sons of Noach: Yafe (Ikshvaku), Ham and Shem; and children were born to them after the flood, for they had taken wives before the flood.” (Book of Jasher 7.1)

It is interesting that in the line concerning Noah, the name of Rama appears along with the name of Kush in the same paragraph, possibly an indirect reference to Lord Shri Ramachandra:

“And these are the sons of Ham; Kush, Mitzraim, Put and Kanaan, four sons; and the sons of Kush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.” (Book of Jasher 7.10)

After some years the children and descendants of Manu populated the entire Earth. Once again, in due course of time, the people again became irreligious. They built a city with the Tower of Babel that was supposed to reach for the heavens where they proposed to install human idols. According to the Bible, such misguided plans could not work and their skyscrapers were destroyed by the designs of the Lord. Assisted by His devotees (the demigods), the mouths of the inhabitants of the city were made to mispronounce their language, and thus Babel became the source of the English word “babble.” Since the citizens could no longer understand each other, conflicts arose and in this way they destroyed both the city and themselves. Thus different languages were created which now rendered the immoral citizens incapable of working together and considering competing with the demigods. Since this occurs at the end of Kali Yuga, we propose that this event this could have marked the end of another chatura-yuga cycle and the beginning of another Satya Yuga.

Manu is described in the Bhagavata as living for seventy-one yuga cycles. Our present Manu has already lived for twenty-eight yuga cycles. This means that already in his lifetime twenty-eight major destructions must have occurred with the onset of each consecutive Satya Yugas.

In the Book of Jasher the nations that were born from the sons of Manu are mentioned and some of them, like Turkey and Bulgaria, are still recognizable today:

“And the sons of Yafet the son of Noach went and built themselves cities in the places where they were scattered, and they called all their cities after their names, and the sons of Yafet were divided upon the face of the earth into many divisions and languages. And these are the names of all their families according to all their cities which were built to them in those days after the tower.” (10.6)

“And the children of Tugarma are ten families, and these are their names: Kuzar, Partzinak, Bulgar, Elikanus, Ragvina, Turki, Buz, Zabuk, Ongar and Tilmatz; all these spread and rested in the north and built themselves cities. And they called their cities after their names, those are they who abide by the rivers Hital and Altak unto this day. But [the families of] Angoli, Bulgar and Partzinak, they dwell by the great river Danuvi; and the names of their cities are also according to their names.” (10.10)

As those nations were directly founded by different sons of Manu, it is obvious that their history—and thus the history of the world—is much older than the fairy tale that “historians” have been trying to wholesale us for the past many centuries. For example, Bulgaria has a modern history of around 1300 years which today’s so-called scholarship considers as one of the oldest nations. Bulgaria has preserved its name throughout the ages, and according to this ancient verse the histories of these areas are far, far more ancient. The Danuvi River mentioned is obviously the Danube which till today forms the northern bondary between Bulgaria and Romania.

All nations have one father and one culture which is the selfsame Vedic culture that is rooted in the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Shri Krishna. Today there is a demoniac policy of dividing the nations and erasing their united history. Such political foul play has only one goal, which is to keep the world chained to an ignorant babble that prevents people from seeking the real goal of life, or Krishna consciousness.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19790

Nityananda Triyodasi Enlivens Devotees Hearts

Posted by ISKCON Desire Tree on March 17, 2016 at 3:00pm

Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day, also known as Nityananda Triyodasi, is celebrated all over the world by Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Lord Nityanada is the most magnanimous expansion of Lord Sri Krishna, and Who is none different from Lord Balaram. Lord Nityananda is the adi guru, the first guru, and He is worshiped as the most merciful incarnation of Godhead.

New Vrindaban devotees celebrated this most auspicious appearance day of Lord Nityananda on February 20th, 2016. Around 120 devotees from the community and the surrounding areas gathered to glorify Lord Nityananda and to seek His mercy.

The celebration began with an ecstatic morning program where devotees enthusiastically participated in chanting and dancing as if Lord Nityananda was personally present. The program continued with Guru Puja and Deity greetings followed by a wonderful Caitanaya Caritamrta class given by Sankirtan Prabhu on various pastimes of Lord Nityananda. In his class, Sankirtan Prabhu explained how Lord Nityananda showers His mercy to everyone without even considering their qualifications.

Madri devi dasi, who always relishes the Vaisnava songs, organized the community devotees to come sing bhajans for the pleasure of Lord Nityananda Prabhu. One of the many songs sung was Boro Sukher Khabor Gai by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. In this song Bhaktivinode Thakur writes, “Lord Nityananda is greatly merciful. Taking only one's faith, He gives the highest ecstasy, except for the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, there is no other shelter".

H.G. Gaur Gopal Prabhu, one of the senior disciples of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, visited New Vrindaban Dham from ISKCON Chowpatty, India, for the first time. He gave three excellent seminars in glorification of Lord Nityananda with themes “Service: The Heart of Vaisnavism”, “The Mercy Department,” and “the Original Spiritual Master”. In his seminars, Gaur Gopal Prabhu described Lord Nityananda as an extremist, Lord Balaram as a separatist, and Lakshman as a loyalist. The reason Lord Nityananda is described as an extremist is because Lord Nityananda gives His mercy to everyone even Jagai and Madhai, who are considered to be the most sinful. Everyone appreciated Gaur Gopal Prabhu’s seminars.

Every devotee had the opportunity to bath Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaur Nitai with honey, water, fruit juice and flowers during the abhiseka.

Lakshman Isvara Prabhu led electrifying kirtan during the Gaura Aarti. Everyone ecstatically jumped, danced and chanted Nitai, Nitai, Nitai Gauranga!

The program ended with a grand feast cooked by Brhat Kirtan Prabhu and Sivaraj Prabhu, the feast included rice, dhal, subjis, dahi vara, kachori, tamarind chutney, puri, and cake baked by Lakshman Isvari Prabhu.

Jaya Nitai, Jay Nitai, Jaya Nitai!

Source: http://www.newvrindaban.com/newvrindaban/node/632

Simanta dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Sravanam

Godruma dvipa:

Most beneficial devotional process: Kirtanam

Madhya dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Smaranam

Jahnu dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Vandanam

Kola dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Pada-sevanam

Modadruma dvipa

Ritu dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Archanam

Rudra dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Sakhyam

Antar dvipa

Most beneficial devotional process: Atma-nivedanam

Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/knowing-sri-navadvipa-mandal-parikrama/

Hare Krishna: Fifty Years of Service & Joy

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