Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam2.1.11.

“We want to re-establish our relationship with Krishna. The way you show an interest in establishing a relationship with anyone is by spending time with the person. So when you spend time chanting japa, even if you are struggling, Krishna sees, ‘Oh, this person is trying to revive his relationship with Me.’ He is pleased that you are making that effort, and He will help you in appropriate ways and at appropriate times. We just have to be patient, persevere, and be confident of success in the end. But the false ego, the false sense of self, wants to take the place of Krishna and be the center, and the mind, by habit, acts as the agent of the false ego. So when we try to focus the mind on Krishna, the false ego and the mind react: ‘Why Krishna? Why not me?’ But the whole thing is a false construction; it doesn’t have any reality. The false ego can seem so huge and powerful, like there is no way to get free from it, but if you just stick to chanting—and reading—you will see it is like a joke. It is a big show, but there is really no substance to it.”

Kirtan, Alachua
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11, Alachua

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=10647

Please chant 
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"हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे || 
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे ||" 
 
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare !
 
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare !!
 

A Beautiful View of Ekachakra dhama

Ekachakra is a small village located 20 km away from the town of Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal (165 km from Sridham Mayapur). During the Kurukshetra battle when Krishna broke His pledge of not taking sides in the battle to save Arjuna, He had charged with a wheel to strike Bhishma who had been fighting with Arjuna. When Bhishma sang Lord Krishna’s glories, Krishna lost His anger and threw the wheel away.

This wheel landed in this village and hence the name Ekachakra. The word Eka means one and the word chakra means a wheel. In the Mahabharata, it is said to be the place where the demon Bakasura was slain by Bhima. The five Pandavas are described as staying in Ekachakra during their years in exile.

Sri Krishna with a wheel (chakra) at Kurukshetra, charging towards Bhishma

Ekachakra extends from north to south for an area of about eight miles. Sri Nityananda Prabhu was born in Ekachakra. His parents were Padmavati and Hadai Pandita. During childhood He frolicked in this village like Balarama. When He was growing up, a sannyasi landed at the house of Hadai Pandita and pleaded for Nityananda to serve as his brahmachari assistant. Though Hadai Pandita agreed, the separation was too shocking, and very soon Hadai Pandita passed away. Nityananda Prabhu went on long pilgrimages with the sannyasi. He lived at Mathura for some time with the sannyasi, and there He heard about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvipa. On knowing this he came to Bengal to see the Lord. Knowing that Nityananda had arrived, Lord Chaitanya sent His devotees to Him, and there was a meeting between the two of Them.

Garbhavasa

This is the birthplace of Nityananda. In the Janmasthan Mandir is a deity of Nitai (Nityananda) worshipped by a local Brahmin family. The white temple next to Nitai Kund marks the exact spot where Nityananda was born. There are 2 banyan trees next to this temple that exist from the time of Nityananda.

Garbhavasa the spot where Lord Nityananda appeared

In the center of the main altar of the temple is a murti of Lord Nityananda. To His left, with His hands raised, is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. On Nityananda’s right is Sri Advaita Acharya. The altar on the side has deities of Radha-Radhakanta and Radha-Srikanta, with a large swaying Gauranga in the center. This temple was built by Prasannakumara Karapharma.

The Padmavati Kunda here is named after Lord Nityananda’s mother, Padmavati. Hadai Pandita got this as a gift from his father-in-law, Mukutanarayana Roy. Padmavati would come here and bathe little Nitai every day. This kunda is behind Lord Nityananda’s birthplace.

Lord Nityananda’s Murti at Sootika Mandir

Main Temple Altar

Mala Tala

An old Pippala tree that stands here is called Mala Tala. Just before Nityananda departed from the village when he was young, Hadai Pandita came here and chanted japa under this tree. ‘Mala’ means japa beads and ‘tala’ means tree. When Nitai was about to depart, Hadai Pandita left his japa beads here out of anxiety.

Many years after Nityananda left, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to Ekachakra. It is said that at that time Chaitanya left His flower garland on a branch of this tree. ‘Mala’ also means garland. For this reason also the tree was called Mala Tala.

Hantugada Tirtha

(Also known as Jahnu Kund) Nityananda brought the sacred waters from all the holy places to this kunda to save the local residents from traveling to the Ganges to take a sacred bath. It is named Hantugada as Nityananda Prabhu used to carry out the Dadhi-chida festival of giving chipped rice with yogurt prasadam here and He would take the prasadam kneeling down. This kunda is filled with water throughout the year. A great fair is held here on Goshthashtami and also on Nityananda Trayodashi, the appearance Day of Lord Nityananda.

Pandava Tala

This place is a short walk from Nityananda’s birthplace. It is bordered by several Keli-kadamba trees. The Pandavas lived here with mother Kunti, during their exile to the forest.

Pandava Tala

Nitai Kunda

This is the pond next to Lord Nityananda’s house. The clothes, utensils, etc., of Nitai were washed here. In the core of Nitai Kunda is another kunda named Ananga Kunda which not visible to material eyes. However the pujaris of the temple use water from this Kunda for their daily deity worship.

The Bakasura demon lived at Sikhandabi and was terrorizing the people at Ekachakra for several years. Bakasura would eat one human being every day. The villagers had devised a system where one person from each family was sent to Bakasura every day for his meal. Mother Kunti ordered her son Bhima, who had the strength of 10,000 elephants to kill Bakasura. After a fierce fight, Bhima killed this demon.  There is a mention of this in the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.13.3-4).

Fossilised knee cap of the Bakasura demon

Kundalal Tala

This is the place where Lord Nityananda used his earring to block a hole, thereby preventing a snake which lived in it from coming out and troubling the residents of this area.

Pastime: This snake was in fact a snake-arrow bestowed by Lord Shiva to Arjuna. Arjuna fired it to kill Bakasura and thereby help Bhima who had gone alone on that assignment. By the time the arrow reached the spot, Bhima had already killed Bakasura and the snake-arrow could not complete its task. Since then the snake remained in the vicinity and would trouble the residents. On coming to know of this, Lord Nityananda blocked the snake in its hole with one of his earrings which miraculously expanded in size. When the snake asked Lord Nityananda as to how he would get his food the Lord told him that a temple would soon be constructed here and people would make offerings of milk, etc., and he could survive on it. This is why Lord Nityananda is seen with only one earring in His later pastimes.

There is a Bakula tree between the birthplace of Nityananda and Jahnu Kund where the Lord and His friends used to take part in sporting activities familiarly known as jhala-jhapeta. All the branches and sub-branches of this tree look like the hoods of serpents. As desired by Nitai, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that way.

Bankima Raya Mandira

The deity in the Bankima Raya temple was found by Nityananda, within the Yamuna river at Ekachakra. It was then installed in a temple that is presently submerged in the Jahnu kunda. Nityananda entered within this deity at the time of His disappearance.

The priests at the temple tell that Lord Nityananda entered the body of Bankima Raya and left for His unmanifest pastimes. Therefore the deity of Jahnava-mata was later placed on the right side of Bankima Raya. There is also a samadhi of Virachandra Goswami in this temple.

At this temple there is an altar with a deity of Murali-dhara. It is said that this deity was given to Padmavati Devi by the sannyasi who took Nitai with him when He was just 12. The altar also has Deities of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

There is another little temple outside, of Madana Mohana Krishna. On His left is Srimati Radharani, and on His right is the gopi, Chandravali. These Deities have been worshiped for thirteen generations and are over 450 years old.

When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri, He told Nityananda to return to Bengal for preaching. Nityananda returned to Ekachakra after almost 30 years.

Kadam Khandi

The temple at Kadam Khandi is the spot where Lord Nityananda recovered the Bankima Raya Deity from the Yamuna river. Kadam means clay and khandi means ghata. Behind the temple is river Yamuna. The deity of Bankima Raya was floating in the water and Nityananda picked Him up and installed Him in the temple. In the village of Virachandrapura, about half a mile from here, underneath a neem tree, the deity of Srimati Radharani was located.

In recognition of Virabhadra Goswami (the son of Nityananda), the villages of Virachandrapura and Virabhadrapura are well-known and are close to Ekachakra.

Mouresvara Shiva

This is an ancient Shiva temple where Hadai would worship. On the appearance of Nityananda in Ekachakra, this deity roared and Advaita Acharya and other devotees could hear and understand the roar’s meaning at their residences in Mayapur and Santipur that an Avadhuta had appeared on Earth.

Information to reach Ekachakra Dhama:

Ekachakra is located about 165 km northwest of Mayapur. It is eight miles east of Mallarapura railway station.

From Mayapur regular guided tours are organized to Ekachakra Dhama. Tours leave early in the morning from Mayapur and return in the evening.

There is a small guest house for pilgrims at the temple where one can stay overnight. This village is very small and has limited facilities.

Who is Lord Nityananda?

Lord Nityananda is the eternal associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cannot be approached or understood without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, He serves as an intermediary between Mahaprabhu and His devotees. He is the second body of the Lord, manifesting as Balarama to Sri Krishna, Lakshmana to Sri Rama and Nityananda Prabhu to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Nityananda Prabhu has the whitish complexion of Lord Balarama. He has a deep melodious voice, constantly singing the glories of Sri Krishna and carries a red stick with benedictions for the devotees, but feared by the demoniac. He has the mood of an avadhuta and He is so absorbed in love of Godhead.

Nityananda Prabhu was born in Ekachakra, a small village in present West Bengal, around the year 1474. His birth site is commemorated by a temple named Garbhasva and is visited by pilgrims even today. His father, Hadai Ojha and mother Padmavati, were pious Brahmans originally from Mithila. Nityananda Prabhu was born on the auspicious thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magha. As a child, Nitai loved to enact the pastimes of Sri Krishna and Lord Rama.

The village of Ekachakra was completely absorbed in the love of little Nitai, where He spent the first 12 years of his earthly life. In the 13th year, a travelling sannyasi, enchanted by Nitai’s devotion and service, requested Nitai from his parents, as a travelling companion. His parents, bound by Vedic culture, could not refuse the request of a guest and reluctantly parted with Nitai.

Nityananda Prabhu met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in 1506, when He was 32 years old and Chaitanya 20 years. Nityananda Prabhu in His role as the original spiritual master was instrumental in spreading the yuga dharma of sankirtana all over the Gauda desh (Bengal, Odisha). His mercy knew no bounds, and fortunate were the people who tasted the nectar of His instructions.

He married Jahnava devi and Vasudha, the two daughters of Suryadasa Sarakhel, who was the brother of Gauridasa Pandit (an intimate associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the spiritual master of the famous Shyamananda Pandit). Nityananda Prabhu had a son (Virabhadra) and a daughter (Gangadevi) from Vasudha.

Lord Nityananda wound up His earthly pastimes, by entering into the Deity of Krishna, known as Bankim Ray, not far from Ekachakra. Vaishnava Acharyas emphatically state that people who try to understand Chaitanya Mahaprabhu without getting the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu will never succeed and one must pray very sincerely to Lord Nityananda Prabhu as the adi-guru (original spiritual master) to be delivered to the Lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So today is the transcendental appearance day of Lord Varaha. We have got the regular Bhagavatam verse on the board from Prthu Maharaj’s going back to Godhead. However we are not going to read that this morning. We are going to talk about Lord Varahadev instead because it is an interesting narrative.

There are different incarnations or appearances of Lord Varahadev. Previously the white boar incarnation has been described. The one that is in the Bhagavatama as we receive it is the story about the red incarnation and His fight with the demon Hiranyaksha. So it is an interesting history and one that is very instructive for the devotees because it is a narrative of people feeling sorry. The history is Diti was feeling unusually lusty. She was feeling impelled to the point where she lost control of herself and she approached her husband Kasyapa at an inauspicious time for the purpose of having a child. Of course it is to be noted that it wasn’t even though she was feeling lusty her intention was to have a child. So it was for procreative purposes. You could say it was dharmic nevertheless. However it was still at an improper time of the day because it was sunset and that is just when Lord Siva and his ghostly hordes become active.

Apparently any child that is conceived at that time of the day is likely to be one of those ghostly … taking their next birth. The Vedic principle is not to have sex for procreation or any sex at that time of the day because you don’t know who is coming into the womb. It might not be somebody that you particularly like. So somehow or the other she convinced her husband that don’t wait even a few more minutes. It must be done now because she was impelled by some force or the other. The end result was that immediately these two twins where put into a womb and the afterwards she immediately felt very sorry.

So she was the first person in this whole episode to start feeling sorry. She recognised her mistake immediately because she was a devotee and her husband also was feeling quite sorry. So she prayed to him. In fact she prayed to Lord Siva to excuse her mistake. On account of that although she did this act at an improper time the children that would be born from this will be terrorists. They will not terrorise just one small area but they are going to terrorise the entire universe and afflict everybody. And everybody else is going to be sorry because of what you have done. She was feeling very sorry when she heard that and because of her repentance although the deed itself could not be undone, the result could not be undone. It was modified.

She was given this benediction that, “Don’t worry the two sons that you will have will both be killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. So although they will cause a lot of problems ultimately it would come out okay. More for them and for everybody else because the Lord will appear and everybody will get the blessings of His appearance. They will get killed by Him and of course that means they will get liberation. So the outcome ultimately will be okay even if in the middle there is some trouble.”

She was satisfied with that and she was given a further benediction that she would have a grandson. So one of these two children would have a son who would be a great devotee. Of course that is Prahlad Maharaj. So that was a cause of celebration. In that way she was kind of pacified because she was feeling very sorry and she apologised and was feeling very regretful.

When the twins appeared immediately so many inauspicious symptoms appeared in the universe. Everything became very dark. There were all kinds of horrible events. It was raining puss and blood and rocks and asses were braying and disturbing all the other living entities. The cows were passing blood from their milk sacks. So many different things were observe when these two demons made their appearance.

The demigods went to Lord Brahma saying, “We can understand this is trouble for us. So what to do about it?” So then he being very intelligent first person he narrated the history of these two apparent demons. And so he begins to relate the story of how the four Kumaras, pure souls, his first born sons – very pure, not materially contaminated went to the Vaikuntha realm. At that time they were impersonalists but somehow or another not Mayavadis but impersonalists. Mayavadis are offenders. Impersonalists may not be.

They went to the doors of heaven. I think in some other places it is said there are seven gates. In this instance they passed through six gates that were guarding the Vaikuntha region and there was no opposition there was no problem. They were very innocent just like small children. They had no sense of what is right and what is wrong or you can’t do this. You can only do that. They were just wandering around as five year olds apparently – great sages. And they wandered through these gates wondering where it was all going. Then they got to the seventh gate. The seventh gate was being guarded by Jaya and Vijay. For so apparently unknown reason they were not in a very good mood although they were in Vaikuntha. Somehow or the other their mood was a little discordant.

So when they were approached by the four Kumaras they immediately demanded to know, “How did you get here? Where do you think you are all going?’ As soon as there was that challenge then these four Kumaras, young boys they also became offended and angry. And they became annoyed with the gate keepers. Both parties became annoyed with each other, which was highly unusual because all of them were liberated souls. So how that annoyance came about? So anyway because the four Kumaras became annoyed they cursed the two gatekeepers that, “You can take birth in the material world because you are showing the symptoms of material living beings. You are seeing somebody as a friend and somebody as an enemy and that mentality can only exist in the material world. In the spiritual world everybody is a friend.”

As soon as they spoke like that then the gate keepers felt very sorry. So they began to backtrack and apologise and beg for forgiveness. As soon as they did that then who appears on the scene but Lord Visnu Himself. As soon as Lord Visnu appeared on the scene then the four Kumaras became great devotees. They were impersonalist but as soon as they saw the Lord and especially as the breeze wafted the scent of the Tulasi leaves that were decorating His lotus feet. It went into their nostrils and they experienced transcendental pleasure.

And from that transcendental pleasure they were able to understand that their idea of impersonal Brahman was inferior and they immediately gave it up and they decided that they wanted to serve this Supreme Personality of Godhead who previously they had only seen in meditation within the heart. So even if you get to the point where you can see the Lord in the heart is not quite the same as actually seeing the Lord in person being right there with Him. It is not explaining the technicality of that but in this instance it is made clear that there was a difference between the personality they meditated upon in their heart and the person that now appeared before them.

As soon as they saw the Lord they realised that these gate keepers were great personalities. They were the eternal servants of the Lord and we just cursed them. So they started to feel sorry also. So everybody is feeling sorry – Diti is feeling sorry, Kasyapa is feeling sorry, the whole universe is feeling sorry and the gatekeepers are feeling sorry and the four Kumaras are feeling sorry and Lord Visnu Himself is starting to feel sorry. He was thinking that, “These boys have come and are very innocent and My servants have prevented them from entering. So because they acted incorrectly, not exactly according to His wish apparently he was also feeling sorry. So in that way it was a very sorrowful occasion. The whole event started to look very sorry.

It then becomes revealed how this whole episode came about. The four Kumaras where wandering. The appearance of the Lord, they could see this personality and understand the relationship between the Lord and His devotee in Vaikuntha. So they were wandering how these gate keepers could possibly could have developed this kind of mentality. This could only have happened due to the direct influence of the Lord. Therefore He must have some purpose. He is the ultimate doer and he has engineered this whole situation for some purpose of His own.

So they were feeling very sorry that they had taken action on their own and that made them realise that this is some lila of the Lord. “We may have interfered with that.” So they were very regretful about that. As it happens it was actually an arrangement of the Lord and the final course is explained by Lord Brahma. He said, “Sometime, (of course in the Vaikunthalokas there is no time. There is just activity but there is no time.)But it says here sometime previously (Although there is no past.) Laxmidevi had come to see Lord Visnu and He was sleeping. So the two doorkeepers had decided not to allow Laxmidevi to visit the Lord until He was awake.”

You can imagine what power they have that they can stop Laxmidevi from seeing Lord Visnu. Of course that wasn’t a good thing and Lord Visnu was not very happy when He woke up. So He decided that these two door keepers would have to be taught a lesson but at the same time He had a desire as well. His desire was that He was feeling like a fight but in Vaikunthaloka there is nobody to fight with because everybody is friends. So He was feeling like He wanted to exhibit His prowess as a fighter. Therefore He used this incident between Laxmi and the gatekeepers as a means so that he could have this lila of fighting in the material world.

It was already decided by Lord Visnu that the gatekeepers will have to go to the material world and they could take on a position of an enemy or His enemies so that He could fight them and have a good time. So in that way the whole lila started to become real and everybody became pacified that this was due to the Lord entirely and lord Visnu was happy. And so He told Jaya and Vijaya that, “Okay. You have been cursed by these great devotees, the four Kumaras so you have to go to the material world. There is no avoiding that. Once they have given a curse that cannot be retracted. But I will give you a choice. You can have seven births in the material world as My devotees or you can have three births as My enemies. Personally I prefer that you go down as My enemies because i want to fight with you.”

So in that way they thought, “This is the Lord’s desire and anyway we will come back to Vaikunthaloka a lot quicker if we take birth as demons rather than devotees. But then they were a little afraid that if they did that they may forget Lord Visnu. That is always the danger because the material world is a place of forgetfulness. Everybody who is here comes here because they want to forget Lord Visnu. They want to forget that they are His eternal servants and they want to pretend otherwise. So the material world is not a very desirable place to be in for the devotees because that tendency is always there – the forgetfulness that at any moment – just like Diti. She was a great devotee but became temporarily overwhelmed by the influence of the modes of material nature, the dense ignorance that comprises the material world – and they may do something that is not favourable for their relationship with the Lord or which will not please the Supreme Lord.

The devotees although they do not have fear of anything they do fear being in the material world because they know it is a very dodgy place. Any moment something could happen temporarily and one can forget one’s true position and then get into a lot of trouble. But the nature of devotional service is that it is eternal. The Lord is eternal. The devotees are eternal. So they cannot be bound up in that spell of maya for very long. Therefore we see this instant reaction. Even sometime there are mistakes that are made in the dealings of one devotee and another or the devotee’s dealings with the Lord. Somehow or the other because they are devotees they can recover themselves very quickly by being very sorry for what has happened, by being very repentant. That is the symptom of a devotee.

Sometime we feel that devotees mean that they never do anything wrong, never make any mistakes. But here is an instance where there is a whole bunch of mistakes made by very, very exhalted devotees or apparent mistakes. The lesson is because all of them were repentant in their own way for whatever part they had played in the whole episode immediately everything could be rectified and the devotional content of the lila could then come out. This is a very instructive lesson for all of us.

We are not on the level of Jaya and Vijaya or the four Kumaras. We are just insignificant little bugs in the universe and it is not surprising that when we do our devotional service we make mistakes. Sometimes we do the wrong thing. Sometimes we say the wrong things, sometimes we express the wrong emotion and it causes problems but if we take this lesson the rectification for any wrong situation that we may find ourselves in is repentance.

We have to feel sorry. If you don’t feel sorry when you have committed an offence you are in big trouble. But if we do feel sorry even if the person commits a big offence then he can be excused from that just like Dhurvasa Muni. He tried to kill Ambarish Maharaj. How big an offense can that be. He also went to the Vaikunthalokas. So it appears that sometimes even persons who are not fully in devotional service can go to the Vaikuntha realm. Dhurvasa also went to the Vaikuntha realm. He also personally met Lord Visnu just like the Kumaras but he did not get excused. The Kumaras – there was no problem. They were the only ones who weren’t sorry. When the two gatekeepers took birth as Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu everybody else was very anxious but the four Kumaras were very cool about the whole thing because they knew obviously the beginnings of that lila.

Durvasa Muni did not get any relief at all even by going to Vaikuntha. He spoke to Lord Visnu only to find out that, “You are not feeling sorry. So sorry. I am sorry but you are not sorry. So nothing can be done. You have to go back to the person, My devotee who you have offended and say you are sorry. Then i will forgive you. The the sudarsan chakra will stop chasing you all over the universe.”

Immediately he realised, “I have to go back to Ambarish Maharaj and apologise and as soon as he did that, of course Ambarish Maharaj being a great devotee he did not think that there was any offence caused at all. Somehow or the other he didn’t think of Durvasa as being an offender or his enemy and so he was immediately very forgiving and as soon as that apology came from Durvasa Muni and Ambarish Maharaj told him, “Don’t worry about it. I did not take any offence.” Immediately sudarsan chakra was removed and Durvasa Muni was relieved.

This is one of the key lessons in this lila. We know the story of Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu terrorising the universe. They got that benediction. Hiranyakasipu got the benediction that it would be very difficult, nearly impossible to kill him. Hiranyaksa also got a similar benediction. So they were roaming around and causing general havoc and mayhem to the point where the earth was plunged into the ocean at the bottom of the universe and nobody could do anything about it. So it was a really difficult situation.

So we know that story but here’s one lesson that we should learn for ourselves. We are not likely to see Lord Varaha lifting out the earth from the ocean and killing Hiranyaksa. But still there is something here that is very relevant to our present situation as devotees or people who are trying to become devotees in Kali yuga. It is a really tough situation. There is alot going against us.

In the Mahabharata it is mentioned that in Kali yuga the demoniac mentality and the devotional mentality exists with the same body. In previous yugas it was in different cities and in the previous yuga to that it was in different countries and previous to that it was on different planets. The demons where on their own planet, the devotees where on another. Then they were on the same planet but in different countries, then in the same country but in different towns and in Kali yuga the demoniac and divine exists with the same body. So it is pretty tough. Therefore it is not surprising that as we do our devotional service we make mistakes.

Sometimes we feel an impulse and we do the wrong thing. That obliviously would lead to trouble Diti acted on an impulse. The result was these demons causing havoc for everybody so actually she was feeling very bad about that but the rectification also can be brought about by the right mood of repentance. So in that way this is our lesson in Kali yuga as we attempt to be devotees – when we do make mistakes (I won’t say if. I say when!) I don’t know anybody that has not made mistakes at some time or the other, who hasn’t knowingly or unknowingly committed an offence against other devotees. So what is our salvation? That is this mood of repentance – feeling very sorry. We have to be at least aware of our own selves that we are likely to commit offences at any moment and therefore we should always keep this humble state of mind. Therefore Lord Caitanya advised:

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]

Keep the mind always very humble because you are going to make mistakes, you are going to commit offences and this will save you. I had that practical experience when I first became Prabhupada’s servant in the late 1975 in Delhi. Somehow or the other i got asked to massage Srila Prabhupada and actually a couple of months before that I had a conversation with Nitai Dasa who was Prabhupada’s servant on and off and he had come to Sri Vrindavan with Srila Prabhupada during Janmastami of 1975 – Prabhupada’s first visit back to the Krishna Balaram Mandir after the opening at Ram Naumi. He came for three weeks just to see how things were going on. So Nitai was on the party. When Prabhupada left Nitai remained behind.

Breakfast time was usually quite nice because we would all sit together and he would tell us stories about Srila Prabhupada. So one morning at breakfast I told him, “You are so fortunate to have done that service.” I said, “I could never massage Srila Prabhupada. I am so gross that i would probably break his fingers or do something horrible.” He laughed and said, “You would if you got the chance.” Then I laughed and said, “Well I am never going to get the chance. Am I?”

Two months later there I am and I was asked to massage Srila Prabhupada. So I was very apprehensive. I wasn’t in any way an established devotee. I had been in the movement for three years or three and half years and I didn’t know anything at all practically. So I was simply asked. Harikesa came into the temple one day and he asked me, “Do you know how to massage.” I said, “No. Never done it in my life.” He said, “Well you better go on the roof because Upendra is massaging Prabhupada right now. He is leaving tomorrow and you are going to do it tomorrow.” And that was it!

I had to run up on the roof. Sure enough there was Prabupada. I couldn’t really believe what i had just heard. I was in a kind of suspended animation almost – at least my brain was anyway I didn’t really believe that he had just told me that I was going to have to massage Prabhupada. But when I went on the roof sure enough there was Prabhupada sitting on the mat and Upendra was massaging him. And I thought, “Wow! This is really happening!”

Then next day that was it. Upendra left and as he walked out the door with Prabhupada’s blessings – he gave him a garland and off he went with his suitcase to catch a plane to Fiji As soon as he walked out the door there was just Prabhupada and myself and Prabhupada looked at me and he said, “So? Let’s start!” Meaning let’s start have the massage. As I said I had never massaged anybody in my whole life, what to speak about Srila Prabhupada!

I think the only time that I had touched Srila Prabhupada was in 1975 when he came to Melborne. I offered him a garland and touched his feet. That would have been enough for a whole lifetime. Now I had to actually massage him and I hadn’t got a clue as to what I was doing. Upendra gave me two minute instruction on how to massage Srila Prabhupada and that was it. So I had to just pray to Krishna, “Please just give me some intelligence how to do this properly so that Prabhupada will be pleased.”

So I did it. I had all these horrible kind of visions in my head – I am massaging his head and I poked my thumb in his eye or something. And Upendra told me you had to pull his fingers and make the joints pop. And I was thinking what happens if I dislocate his fingers. [Laughter] There were all kinds of things going through my head. Externally I was trying to keep cool and do the job and of course immediately I made a mistake.

The massage was okay. That went fairly well but halfway through the massage then you were supposed to stop and have a bucket of water ready with the immersion heater – the electric sticks that you put in the water and they heat them up. Because in those days most Indian houses didn’t have running hot water as we do in the west. So Prabhupada needed warm water for bathing him and it was nearly winter, So we had to remember to put a bucket out and put an immersion heater. Then half way through the massage stop, know how to switch it on then go back and finish the massage. Then at the end of the massage there would be warm water or hot water carried out down to Prabhupada’s bathroom. Then he would mix that with cold water to the right temperature and then he would bathe.

So I was so intent on doing the massage properly that I totally forgot about the water. So at the end of the massage Prabhupada stood up ready to go off the roof into the apartment that he was staying in that was at 9 Todar Mal Lane, Bengali Markets. I sudden realized that there was no hot water so I had to hang my head and apologise, “I am sorry Srila Prabhupada I forgot to switch the heater on.” I could see that Prabhupada was a little put out but he didn’t say anything because it was my first day and I was sorry.

I switched it on. He had to stand around for fifteen minutes to wait for the water to heat up. Then the next day. I remembered everything went well and then the next day after that i forgot again. [Laughter] That time Prabhupada was not so patient. He said a few words to me. [Laughter]

Other things that happened: Of course I was allowed in at night time into Prabhupada’s quarters because he had an evening massage and so I was told to report back at nine o’clock at night into his rooms. I think that one of the first evenings I came into his rooms he was just finishing his darsan and he had a basket of fruit that was underneath his desk. One visitor had presented that to him. Prabhupada didn’t take any of the fruit because he decided that it should be offered to the deities. So as soon as I came in he called me over.

Harikesa had just cooked something, a light supper snack and Prabhupada had just eaten that. So his plate was on the table. Under the table was the basket of fruit. So Prabhupada called me over and he said, “Take this plate and wash it. Take this fruit to the temple and then it could be offered to the deities in the morning because it was still bhoga.’ So I thought, “Great. I got some service.’ So immediately I picked up Prabhupada’s plate with one hand and I picked up the basket of fruit with the other.

Prabhupada immediately stopped me. “You Yavana! Mleccha! The plate is dirty and you are picking it up with one hand and now you are picking the fruit that is to be offered to the deities with the other!” He said, “Now put them down. Go and wash your hands. Wash the plate first and then take the fruit.” So that was a first lesson. Anyway there was a whole series of things that happened – small things. Sometimes there was some big things as well.

I realised in those first couple of days that there is no way that I am going to be able to do this service without committing offences. I am so dumb and gross and Prabhupada is so elevated and he has such a high standard. Just that thing about cleanliness. Even at the end of my tenure at the end of sixteen months I still hadn’t learnt

We were up in the lotus building here and Prabhupada was talking to Gurukrpa and I was sitting at the back of his room. And because they were talking about some business to do with his loan i was thinking, “Well this has got nothing to do with me. So I was kind of spacing out.” I had my waistcoat on and in the waistcoat pocket I found a toothpick. So I was just sitting there [Laughter] and very casually poking my teeth. Typically Prabhupada was also sitting there engaged in this very intense managerial conversation with Gurukrpa. He had is one eye on Gurukrpa and his other eye on me. He stopped halfway through and he said, “What is this?” He said, “You are always playing with your nose and your mouth.” [Laughter] He said, “Go and wash your hands.”

When I had come back Gurukrpa had gone and Prabhupada was kind of laughing. I said, “I am sorry Srila Prabhupada.” I said, “It is just that somehow or another being clean is something of an artificial condition for the westerners.” [Laughter] I said, “I am learning.” At that time i was taking three baths a day. I would take a bath in the morning, one before the massage and another one at six o’clock at night. When i said, “I am learning.” Prabhupada said, “I do not know when you will learn.” [Laughter] So that was after a year and a half.

Devotional service is a very refined platform. To be a real devotee means to be beyond goodness, beyond being sattvic, you know vissuddha-sattva. So naturally people like us are inevitably going to make mistakes. So I realised that right at the very beginning of my tenure as Prabhupada’s servant that I am going to make a lot of mistakes here and I am going to commit offences. So what to do? One option is to not do the service then you won’t commit the offences. But then I thought that is not an option. Prabhupada needs the service and I really want to do it but then if I do it I am going to make offences and then I will get some reactions from that. I heard about previous servants who had become callous and started to take Prabhupada or the position as Prabhupada’s servant for granted – familiarity breeds contempt! They start making offences and then they leave the movement. So that wasn’t a very good prospect for me. I thought if I am going to continue doing this service I thought I am maybe going to end up blooping at the end of it. So I was thinking what is the solution?

Then I realised that you just have to be very, very humble. When you do your service you are going to make mistakes, you are going to commit offences. The only thing that saves you from the reactions is to be very, very humble – to be repentant, to recognise when you have done a mistake and rectify it somehow or the other and you begin that by apologising to the person that you have offended. I saw that time and again that when I did make mistakes – and sometimes really major ones I got relief by being apologetic and then working to rectify so that I didn’t make the same mistake again. Because if you made a mistake one time Prabhupada would forgive you but if you did it again then he would really start having doubts about your level of intelligence. And if you did it a third time he would really let you have it.

I committed offences on every level – minor, medium and major. The only way that I got over them was just to be very humble – just to be aware of the fact that I have done something wrong and apologise and then work to rectify that so that it didn’t happen again. So the same thing here: This is essential in devotional service that one has to be very humble in the execution of one’s duties, in the interactions that we have with other devotees and the interactions that we have with the deities and even with not just devotees but a devotee doesn’t like to be offensive or harsh in their dealings with anyone, even the karmis or even people that are inimical to a devotee. A devotee doesn’t have any bad feelings towards them – ajata-satru. They are friends to all living beings.

So we see that with Diti, with the Kumaras, with Jaya and Vijaya and with the Lord Himself. Everybody has got this very nice mood of forgiveness and regret if anything is being done which is not correct. So if we do that then we can get Krishna’s mercy. Then we can get the mercy of Lord Varaha, Lord Visnu and we can progress very steadily on the path back home back to Godhead. At least I thought that would be one lesson that we could learn from this lila of Lord Varaha. It is getting a little late. I was going to read. [End of recording.] [To receive Mayapurlive lectures by email, write to mayapurlive@pamho.net]

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19121

Meditation is an ancient process which helps us connect to our true nature and purify the mind. There are two ways to meditate; either through silent meditation or sound meditation. The struggle with silent meditation is that it might work for some time, but eventually the noisy mind will come back and begin chatting again. The mind’s duty is meant to always think, so you can not stop it’s function. Better to engage the mind in higher consciousness, which can be done through the power of sound mantras.

Ancient syllables have been chanted for thousands of years, and there are several which are particularly recommended in this age. The Vedas explain this is the age of Kali, also known as the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. This means society focuses on outer pleasures, neglecting the source within. As we look around the world, there is much chaos in our daily attempts for happiness and peace. Mantra, or sound vibrations can help clear the chaos, not only from the outside but also within. “Man” means mind, and “tra” means free. Mantra literally means to free the mind.

The Kali Santarana Upanishad recommends we chant in a 16 word, 32 syllable sound combination to help attain our original state of transcendence –

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

(Definition: To the Supreme Personality, please engage me in your devotional service.)

By regularly chanting this mantra, we will begin to attain our true nature. We are spiritual beings occupying a material body. By associating with the spiritual sounds, we can awaken the highest love which is dormant in us. This Hare Krishna mantra is so powerful that it’s helped thousands of people get off intoxications, drugs, meat-eating, illicit sex, and gambling. These impediments slow down spiritual progress.

The ancient Vedic literatures mention the word “Dharma”, which means duty. For example, it’s the dharma of water to be wet. It’s the dharma of sugar to be sweet. It’s the dharma of chili peppers to be hot. So what’s the dharma of the human being? ….To serve. We are all meant to constantly serve someone or something. We can see this easily in our daily lives. An employee serves his boss. A son serves his father. A student serves the teacher, and materialists serve their gadgets. Even further, we have to serve our senses. If we’re hungry, we have to serve the stomach, and so on and so forth. But what’s our true service, who are we really meant to serve? Something eternal, that which can not be destroyed. We are actually part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead . Our constitutional position is to serve that Supreme, because that is where we come from. It’s our true essence, and the best way to serve the Supreme is through sound vibrations of love.

Whether we claim ourselves as a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, it does not matter. Our true position has no designation. We are beyond these boundaries and borders. By understanding that this body is a vehicle, and we’re the Soul present inside, we can actually awaken to a higher state. Real meditation means focusing our energy on the Supreme Self and awakening our dormant love of God. When we speak about God, we do not speak about a sectarian religion. Rather, God is beyond any race, skin, nationality, or religion. God is one, and all living beings are connected as parts and parcels of the One. By chanting Hare Krishna, (Hare Krishna,Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare) we will deepen our realizations and awaken true knowledge of the Self.

Source: http://tattvadarsi.com/2016/01/31/meditation-through-sound/

With ISKCON’s 50th anniversary year now here, ISKCON devotees all over the world are getting inspired to bring their communities together and celebrate in creative ways.

At the temple in Potomac, a suburb of Washington D.C., for example, community members are holding their first 50-hour kirtan.

“Actually, it’s more like 60 hours,” says organizer Manu Bhattacharjee. “We started on February 12th, and until the 20th we’re holding kirtans from 4:30pm to 8:30pm every weekday, and from  10:00am to 8:30 on the weekend.”

Manu, 25, grew up in ISKCON and works as a navy engineer on aircraft carriers “as big as cities.”

Despite his demanding job, he tries not to miss a Sunday at the temple, and in his spare time “bites off more than he can chew” and helps organize events like this week’s 50-hour kirtan.

“Somehow, Krishna gives me the intelligence and the time,” he says.

Like most of ISKCON of D.C.’s congregation, Manu is commuting to the temple after work every day for the 50-hour kirtan.

“There’s always about 20 to 50 people there at any one time,” he says. “On Sunday, there were over 300. And on February 20th, which is Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance day, we’re expecting up to 400.”

ISKCON of D.C.’s 50 hours of kirtan is a perfect example of one of the many smaller “village-style” events ISKCON’s 50th anniversary is inspiring. There’s no effort at trying to pack a bill with international “kirtan stars.” Rather, it’s an attempt to really bring the community together.

“Throughout the week I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by how many people come and stay to just chant and hear,” says Manu. “They’re not jockeying for a slot or anything – they’re really just there to serve Radha Madan-Mohan and to be part of the kirtan.”

A young Sunday School student tries out what he's learned by singing for the Lord

Among the sweetest moments during the week, Manu says, were when devotees who don’t often get the chance to lead kirtan did so.

“Especially when the children got the chance to shine and serve,” he recalls. “That was the whole point of this festival.”

Children of all ages would often sing in groups – many of them students of Laksmivan Dasa’s Sunday School classes, where they learn kirtan instruments such as harmonium and mridanga.

“It’s awesome – every time one of these festivals come around and they have a chance to lead, you can see them getting better and better,” says Manu.

Also making the event especially sweet is the fact that the week is packed with special days – as well as Nityananda Trayodasi, there’s the appearance days of Raghunath Das Goswami and Advaita Acharya, and the disappearance days of Madhvacharya and Ramanujacharya.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to multiply the results of any sort of service we do, especially kirtan,” says Manu.

ISKCON’s 50th anniversary has also inspired devotees in Washington D.C. to undertake other efforts, and to increase what they’re already doing for Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. They’ve built a large new state-of-the-art greenhouse for their Tulasi Devi plants; more have joined the weekly Saturday and Sunday public Harinama Sankirtan; and community organizers are getting more and more people involved.

“Whether it’s becoming a monthly donor, joining the team that greets visitors, cooking or serving prasadam, or guiding cars to their parking spots on festival days, we’re encouraging everyone to take ownership for their temple and to share it with others,” Manu says. “We’re trying to move towards being a community of people who share, rather than one who just attends.”

Many other ISKCON communities around the world are also being brought together by the 50th anniversary, and inspired at the thought of what the next 50 years of Srila Prabhupada’s legacy could bring.

“When I was younger growing up in the movement, I had an abstract view of it as something that had kind of always existed – all the temples, deities, organizations and devotees I interacted with felt like they had always been there,” says Manu. “But the 50th anniversary of ISKCON has really brought perspective to how recent and young ISKCON is, and gives me tremendous hope for its outlook in the future.

“Because if we’ve come so far in just fifty years, who knows where we can be in another fifty?”

Source: http://iskconnews.org/in-dc-iskcons-50th-brings-community-together,5400/

The real meaning of love means to act fully for the pleasure of Krsna and all living beings – to totally dedicate ourselves to Krsna’s well-being and to the well-being of all living beings in Krsna’s creation. This is the real meaning of love.

Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2016/02/true-love/

New book: Brahma Samhita translated by Bhanu Swami.
Urmila Devi Dasi: This translation of Brahma Samhita by Bhanu Swami is very easy to read and understand. The book also contains Jiva Goswami’s commentaries and is fully illustrated in a modernized Kerala style.
Here’s where to purchase: http://us.srivaikuntaenterprises.in/index.php…
or visit the website http://www.srivaikuntaenterprises.in/shop/, click on the icon for ONLY INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS on the left corner, and select Brahma Samhita from Bhanu Swami book list.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18881

How beautiful our life would have been if every day would be filled with joy and just joy! When in life there would not be any fear of calamity, no fear of betrayal, no fear of losing our loved ones. Life with full of hope, full of happiness and no anxiety and no uncertainty.

However, in spite of all our wishful thinking this world does not provide us the luxury of being happy every moment because this world is filled with duality where happiness and sadness walk side by side. None in this world, no matter who he or she is, would say that they haven’t experienced any unpleasant moment in his or her life.

But as a sentient being when we suffer adversity then should we not question as why suffering is inevitable in this world? Why can’t the rising sun daily brings us tons of happiness, why can’t every moment of the day is delightful and why can’t every night is extremely satisfying?

But it never happens and Krishna, too, confirms in the Gita that just like summer and winter accompany each other, similarly happiness and distress will always be parts of our life and he asks us to tolerate it (Bhagavad Gita 2.14). But when a doctor informs his patient that his disease would torment him time to time and he just have to live with it then the patient would immediately beg doctor for a permanent cure to his disease.

Similarly, when we are informed that pleasure and pain have equal right on our life we immediately start seeking solution to purge all our present and future pains.  The solution is given in our Vedic literature. The sacred book does a root cause analysis and gives the reason for our suffering - our precarious condition is because we accepted this mortal body which is prone to suffering and this world where we live is an abode of misery. (Bhagavad Gita 8.15).

Lest we not become morose thinking that our quest for everlasting happiness would never be satisfied we are told that we are eternal souls having eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, we suffer because here we are encaged in this ephemeral body and world and have forgotten our relationship with the Lord.  As soon as we bring God in our life our entire problem will perish.

When a king walks his ministers and servants walk behind him, similarly when the Lord walks in our life, auspiciousness and good fortune – his two companions – follows him. When we associate with the Supreme Lord we also connect ourselves to the perennialpleasure mine making sure that we never remain deprived of happiness in this life.

And when the time come for us to leave this body and this material world we do not become morose, depressed or broken hearted because death reunites us with our family members of the spiritual world where they eagerly wait for us. In the spiritual world there is joy and just joy which we continuously look for, pray for and desire for. 

Source: http://iskconnews.org/journey-to-everlasting-pleasure-mine,5399/

Scriptures are often replete with long lists of names, exalted personalities who most have never heard of, but who are nevertheless immortalised in the pages of history. In the material world people are remembered for what they do – their ground-breaking achievements, their high ranking positions of responsibility, and their impactful influence on others. In spiritual circles, however, people are remembered for who they are. In some cases these outstanding spiritualists also made a visible mark on the world, but in many cases they were quiet, simple, humble souls who went about their daily life with a deep sense of devotion, sensitivity and saintliness, their consciousness merged in transcendence. Unassuming, and often unnoticed. The value system in spiritual circles, you see, is entirely different. Character over capability.

The spotless and exemplary character of these saintly personalities is an unending source of instruction and inspiration. They were never found to be duplicitous or superficial, but ever-preaching the highest ideals of human life and simultaneously walking the talk. A recent survey showed that over 70% of first-time attendants to a spiritual institution never return. Why? Because of the huge gap between the ideals of the philosophy and the behaviour of its adherents. How is that possible? Why might the practitioners of a worldview that’s all about character development, neglect to spend time to improve themselves?

Maybe we think the spiritual regime will automatically clean up our hearts, and that the deliberate effort to imbibe saintly qualities is neither genuine, effective nor sustainable.

Maybe we are so busy with the external activities (material and spiritual) that there is little time left for contemplation on the quality of our interactions and the purity of our dealings.

Maybe we tend to prioritise external achievements over internal purification – after all, that’s what gets the claps and nods from our social circle.

Maybe we’ve surrendered to our defective character, convinced that nothing can change us – “I am who I am, and everyone just has to live with it.”

Maybe we find it too depressing to deal with the internal issues, instead choosing to brush our bad qualities under the carpet and hope nobody will notice.

Maybe something is blocking us from seeing defects that are strikingly obvious to others.

Whatever it may be, the world is in desperate need of kind, generous and broadminded saints. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Let’s value and encourage character over capability.

Source: http://iskconnews.org/character-or-capability,5398/

By Sajjanasraya dasa

We can do great things, and I heard that if we want to accomplish great things we have to start with apparently small things, look at the details, concentrate on the essential, so we can go deep into the path of Bhakti. We should feel it is the most important thing in our life and put all of our heart and intelligence into developing our love for the Lord and giving it to others. We need to become friendly and compassionate at all levels. Becoming a happy, mature, advanced devotee, filled with compassion for others, is the best way to expand the Krishna consciousness movement. It is the attitude we have that is important and sometimes we can preach nicely even without ‘preaching’.

Some snapshots from life in the temple come to my mind: We are in the temple and this morning is Haridas Thakur appearence day. After Tulasi puja and in few minutes will be japa time. “Some announcement?” “Yes! Today it is a very special day, a great, great devotee appeared for our benefit…this morning let’s try to chant with all our attention, let’s put all our gratitude, love and attention on our japa…”

I have to go to cook, the kitchen is spotlessly clean and neat. We know we have to cook for the Sunday feast and it must be a very, very good feast, nothing ordinary. The head cook also reminds us that we have to try our best to satisfy Krishna, put our skill, our attention in the cooking and be concentrated. The food we cook will go to the spiritual world, Krishna, Sri Radha, the gopis, the cowherds boy will taste our preparations, and then all devotees and guests will taste it, we have to cook with love….. let’s pray, let’s try our best!…

Before harinam we check our dress and our motivation. We are going in the town center so the harinam should be nicely done. The devotees are advised to dress in simple clean and (ironed) dhotis and saris. We give our full attention to the Holy name.

An Istha ghosti is a wonderful opportunity to understand the hearts of the devotee. We express our feelings, and give suggestions to improve our divine service and to increase our sense of belonging in our devotional community.

The essence of everything is serving and doing things for Krishna with love, attention, care, respect, concentration and helping others to know their best friend. If people are ready to listen we can tell them directly about Him. Those who aren’t ready to hear directly about Krishna will be influenced by kindness of the devotees. Our outreach to others can take many forms.

We can feed poor and rich people prasadam, provide medical care, help people out of the ruins of an earthquake or a Tsunami. We can console the sick or help a person after a car crash (even if he is a butcher!). We can open Krishna conscious hospitals or schools up to university level. We can publish magazines and daily newspapers and hold conferences.

Apart from big projects, we can help others with little acts of kindness like giving a warm greeting to someone or helping an old lady cross a street. We can be kind and friendly to our neighbours. All this will help keep our hearts open and loving. Once Bhaktisiddhanta Sarswati Thakura chastised his disciple for not giving some donation to a beggar and said such neglect would make his heart hard. Our loving, giving and compassionate attitude will help us and others will be attracted to our good behaviour. This will allow them to be more open to hear the most important news we have to give them– the words that will help them to be free for ever from all kind suffering and death, words that can help them to go to our real home to be happy for ever. So before telling them the good news, good behaviour must be there. Obviously we can not ‘preach’ and being dishonest, rude, fanatic, indifferent or proud. Behaving in those way we become ridiculous and inefficient. Once in sankirtan a person told me: “You know, sometimes religious people ‘love the universe’, they developed cosmic love, universal love, they say ‘we are all brothers’ but then they fight all day with the neighbour next door…” During a famous meeting made mainly by sankirtan devotees Srila Prabhupada praised them for their service of distributing his books. Then one devotee said: “Srila Prabhupada what pleases you most?” It seemed that the devotee asked that question because he was sure of the answer, he thought that Srila Prabhupada would have said something like ‘that you distribute my books’, but instead Srila Prabhupada said “That you become pure devotees…” Srila Prabhupada also said that “a devotee is a gentleman” So giving others books of knowledge it is important because there people can find so many informations and inspiration, but then people needs living examples of purity to follow- sankirtan, I think, is not only giving others Srila Prabhupada’s books. That it is an aspect of sankirtan, others can be being expert in reading and explaining them, welcoming people at the temple, creating there a friendly and pure atmosphere, taking care of new people, make them pure devotees. 

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=18877

Yatra to Inamanamellur.
On the banks of Gundlakamma river, amidst Guava fruit orchards and blessed by Lord ChennaKeshava is the well-known Inamanamellur village. The village was once well known for its rich Sri Vaishnava traditions; therefore the name of the village has Tamil origin. But presently these traditions are followed more so as obligations. The younger generation is totally apathetic to these traditions. Though situated on the banks of a river the villagers are more focused on agribusiness like tobacco and aquaculture,instead of developing agriculture. Paddy is also a prominent crop. Somehow from over a century guava is grown in abundance in addition to other fruits. As seen in most of the opulent villages the younger generation has settled down in towns and cities, while the large houses in villages are mostly inhabited by elderly people. Village has a mix of traditional houses and concrete structures with all modern amenities.
After the pleasant experience in Gollapalem village in the morning hours of January 14, 2016, the Yatra team arrived in Inamanamellur village to witness a contrastive atmosphere. The youth in Gollapalem village had participated very actively in the program, but here we found the youth in a totally different mood. They were gearing up for a volley ball match that was to commence from 5pm and expected to continue till midnight as a part of sankranthi celebrations. Choosing the right spot for the program was a hard task despite the village being big, the people from one street do not usually visit other streets due to caste constraints and political reasons. Finally after lot of consultations with the locals, we decided to hold the program in the main street near the pedestal where Hanumanji’s 20 feet murthi is installed. Inspite of repeated announcements and having performed harinaam in main streets of the village, people did not turn up even until evening 7.30 pm. We decided to play a few videos and only then people started coming and in no time a decent crowd of over 60 people assembled. The program started by Sripathi prabhu introducing Bhagavad-gita and Krishna consciousness. Later Haridas prabhu spoke about the Holy Name and Ramsharan prabhu about the glories of mother cow. Video on Gau-vaibhavam was also screened. After the pledge to protect mother cow, arathi was performed and prasadam was generously distributed. As we were concluding the program, the village temple utsavamurtis were brought in procession as a part of festival celebrations. Devotees felt that the village temple deities came to bless the Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra as a grand finale of the program.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19097

Giriraj Swami discussed Srila Rupa Gosvami’s The Nectar of Instruction.

“Srila Prabhupada said, ‘We have to become conscious before we become Krishna conscious.’ We should not talk about others without reason. In other words, there should be some filtering process between what goes on in our mind and what comes out of our mouth—at least in the beginning. After Krishna went to Mathura, He sent Uddhava to meet the gopisin Vrindavan, and they had so many complaints about Krishna—of course, all on the platform of the highest love. But they had so many complaints about Krishna, not only in His present lifetime but in previous lifetimes as well. They concluded, ‘If Krishna can live without us, we can live without Him—but we cannot live without talking about Him.’ So when our mind is so filled with Krishna that the only thing that can come out of our mouth is Krishna, then we don’t need to worry about filtering. But when we have different things in our mind, we should be conscious and careful before we speak.”

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=10639

Photo one has Bhurijana Prabhu (founder of the VIHE) and Deena Bandhu Prabhu doing abhiseka of a Govardhana Sila at the Bhumi Puja. Second shows Raghava Pandit dasa (in saffron—in charge of construction), Krishna Ksetra Maharaja, and Prasanta Dasi (VIHE Director)

Bhumi Puja for the VIHE Govardhana Retreat Centre – and Construction Begins

The Govardhana Retreat has been going on since 2000 – the first with only thirty students under the trees surrounding Giriraja (we still remember having to crawl under a barbed wire fence to get to our spot!), the most recent with almost a thousand students, now at a rented ashram.

As the number of students has grown, so too has our desire to serve this ever-expanding community of devotees by building our own centre at Govardhana, along with our awareness that we needed our own place to house and host the devotees, and to give them a quiet place to actually retreat from the busy-ness of their lives.

For us, the bhumi-puja was a monumental event, like a first mango flower finally blossoming on a tree planted twelve long years earlier. We have been patient. We originally procured land near Govardhana Hill in 2004, and added three more small pieces over the next eight years. Finally, two years ago, we added a large two-and-a-half-bigha plot, making the final size of the plot for the Centre five acres. Finally, we had enough land to allow our centre to be uncramped, unbuilt-up, and to possess the natural and simple ambiance we desired.

Then, after another year spent acquiring legal approval from the local council (MVDA), we were ready to build. Interestingly and perhaps even mystically, that approval arrived suddenly while three hundred devotees were chanting Krishna’s holy names in a colorful pandal at Govardhana during an unseasonal rainstorm during the 2015 Holy Name Retreat. And now, on February 3, 2016, at an auspicious moment, two hundred meters from Govardhana Hill, we performed the bhumi-puja and the initial construction of the VIHE Govardhana Retreat Centre officially started.

Sweet that moment was. It reminded me of the sweetness that descends during the Govardhana retreats when all the devotees present are absorbed in hearing and chanting about Krsna. That sweetness, I take it, results from Giriraja Govardhana’s pleasure, for Krsna is being glorified in the association of devotees in Vrndavana.

And that is the essence of our endeavour to construct a retreat centre in this holy land. We wish to make this offering to Srila Prabhupada: May his followers, both individually and in groups, retreat at least for some time from the lands where maya’s influence dominates, and approach the shelter of Giriraja Govardhana to gain deep nourishment by practicing absorbed hearing and chanting about Krsna in Vraja.

As Çréla Prabhupäda said in his purport to Çrémad-Bhägavatam 3.21.17: “Only by drinking the nectar of chanting and hearing the pastimes of the Lord can one forget the intoxication of material existence.” And in a 1972 lecture in Vrindavana: “So we must be inquisitive. We must be very eager. That eagerness should be aroused: ““Where kåñëa-kathä is being taught, let me go there, let me hear.””

We pray that within the protected and serene atmosphere of the Govardhana Retreat Centre, devotees will experience Krsna’s potent presence through hearing and chanting His glories amplified by Giriraja Govardhana’s soothing shelter.

The bhumi-puja was highlighted by the presence of many kind-hearted sannyasis and other senior disciples and followers of Srila Prabhupada. (We also received the distant, recorded well-wishes from a number of others.) Their words highlighted their own hopes for the quick and successful completion of the Centre. We pray that you add your prayers to theirs.

For further information about the VIHE Govardhana Retreat Centre, the Govardhana Retreats, and to see photos of the bhumi-puja, please visit our website: http://www.govardhancenter.com

Your servants,

Sacinandana Swami

Bhurijana dasa

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19071

By Anya Kultyshkina

Kerala is the most materially educated state in India. Almost all local people know English. That is why even those devotees who do not know the local languages of India can go there and preach Krsna consciousness.

There is a need to bring Krsna consciousness to this area, because although the people are materially educated, spiritual knowledge is lacking. Because of contact with Europeans, first with Vasco Da Gama in the 15thcentury and later with the British dominion, many Christian churches were established there and I met Christians at every step.

It was almost impossible to make them aware of what kind of heavy sin they were committing by killing animals for their food. They consider that God created animals for their enjoyment and their churches fully endorse such philosophy. But even among the Christian people, I met some who were quite intelligent and open to dialogue. They were interested in Bhagavad Gita As It Is and they even were taking the books. There were also artists–young creative people such as musicians, architects, painters–kind of seekers interested in spiritual life.

With great joy I shared Krsna consciousness with them. Because they were attracted, I invited them to the Sunday program the devotees were organizing in a house nearby. Joshi, a musician I had met in the street, came to the Sunday program with his friend Abhilash. Abhilash is also a musician and has his own recording studio. He began to come regularly to the devotees’ house and started to chant the holy name. Nobody saw Joshi again. Many times I knocked on the doors of Hindu families and I was always warmly welcomed with kind gestures and friendly glances. First, according to their tradition, they would offer a seat, and then water, sometimes light food such as fruit, and then they were ready to hear about Krsna consciousness.

Once I came into the house of one family and found the family members fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness. I stayed about two hours with them, talking about the philosophy of Krsna consciousness. It was a nice spiritual reciprocation. They had their own sadhana: waking up before sunrise, taking bath, and then going to the Bala-Krsna temple located nearby. One week after our first meeting, I again met the head of the family, Venu Gopal prabhu, in the downtown market. The first thing he told me was, “Krsna wanted us to meet again.” I invited him and his wonderful family for the Sunday program. Once I came into a jewelry shop with the intention of offering the books.

The owner of the shop was there. He told me he already had the Bhagavad-gita and the book Krsna and that he liked ISKCON. I gave him two Back to Godhead magazines and one small book. He was very inspired and decided to give me one beautiful necklace for Srinathji Krsna, the deity worshiped by devotees in whose house I was staying. The last day, right before my departure from Kerala, I was walking in the area where I had been living for one month and found that every person I was passing by was loudly saying “Hare Krsna!” upon seeing me. I could hear only the name of Krsna everywhere. Such is the mercy of Lord Chaitanya!

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19075