Yamaraj is the demigod who records all of our pious, as well as evil deeds. Once, the servants of Yamaraj approached him and complained about something which they were very concerned about. Here is the conversation between Yamaraj and his Yamaduta servants.

Yamaduta 1: How are you Prabhuji?

Yamaraj: I am doing well. But you look a little tense?

Yamaduta 1: Yeah Prabhu... we are disturbed by a few matters.

Yamaraj: Oh, let me know your issues.

Yamaduta 1: I am worried about this hell.

Yamaraj: Why? What has happened?

Yamaduta 1: Hell is getting empty by each passing day and if this situation continues, we will need to close down hell.

Yamaraj: But why, what is happening?

Yamaduta 1: This is just because of a devotee of Krishna.

Yamaraj: Devotee? How is a devotee doing such miracle?

Yamaduta 1: This devotee is a representative of Krishna and although he has already left his material body and returned to the spiritual world, his magic is still working like anything.

Yamaraj: Whom you are speaking about?

Yamaduta 2: Prabhuji - It is obvious - Srila Prabhupada. I don't know what he told his followers but they are preaching and preaching and preaching, and because of their preaching - no one is coming to this hell.

Yamaraj: Yes, you are right - this is a concern...

Yamaduta 1: Even we cannot touch them or take them to hell.

Yamraj: Why? They must have made some mistakes... and for making certain mistakes they can be brought to my hell.

Yamaduta 1: We can't take them. Everyone is going to Krishna-loka because they know a transcendental secret.

Yamaraj: Which transcendental secret?

Yamaduta 1: They know that "In whichever state you quit your body; in your next birth you will attain the same body." That's why every devotee keeps chanting Krishna's name and never stops chanting. They practice to chant the Lord's holy name so at the time of death they will be able to attain the Lord.

Wherever they go - they keep on chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, which is so powerful that these devotees become very sharp and smart. They always chant loudly so that people around them can also hear. The sound is everywhere . Some senior devotees are totally renounced and are travelling from country to country giving classes on Krishna consciousness. There are others that send regular weekly wisdom emails in order to give spiritual guidance. What shall we do? We will be in big trouble if hell closes! We will all lose our jobs!

Yamaraj: This is a big issue and problem for hell. But at least I am happy that we still have a lot of prisoners in hell.

Yamaduta 2: No Prabhu. These devotees are very cunning. Srila Prabhupada has revealed every secret to them. These people are observing ekadasis to give benefits to their forefathers, and therefore hell's population is decreasing.

Yamaraj: Oh no...

Yamaduta 1: Especially because of Indira ekadasi! Due to Indira ekadasi lot of souls have been released from hell. As stated in the Garuda purana, someone who is suffering in hell cannot practice Krishna consciousness - because it requires some mental peace. The reactionary tortures of hell make that impossible. But if a relative of a sinner suffering in hell gives some charity in the name of the sinner, he can leave hell and enter the heavenly planets. Or if a sinner's relative observes Indira ekadasi fasting for his suffering kinsman, the kinsman goes directly to the spiritual world.

Yamaduta 2: And moreover - they observe every single ekadasi as per the directions given by Srila Prabhupada and thereby give comforts to their forefathers in this hell.

Yamaraj: Oh my Krishna... I am getting concerned with these devotees.

Yamaraj: Why don't you put these devotees in some turbulence so that they will be afraid and will forget to chant Hare Krsna?

Yamaduta 2: Prabhuji - It's not easy... whenever we create some problems for these devotees, they start chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and thank Krishna for giving them a test, or for their purification. They are not afraid of any problem. They think that whenever Krsna sends some problem, it means that Krishna loves them and is testing their sincerity. They are not afraid of anything. They know that Krishna is everywhere. They sing the Hare Krishna mantra in every situation. They are making us mad. We are really sitting idle just because of these devotees.

Yamaraj: Oh no... we are really in trouble.

Yamaduta 1: Even One more problem is there.

Yamaraj: What?

Yamaduta 1: They are making every place like Vrindavana.

Yamaraj: How?

Yamaduta 1: They are building new temples and spending money in Krishna's service. They have installed so many deities in people's homes. I can tell you that these devotees are making such a big mess in this material world. I am sure that if they continue to work with this speed, they will make everyone go from this world to Krishna-loka.

Yamaraj: Oh my Krishna!! Save us from these devotees!

Yamaduta 1: Yeah... better to request Krishna to give us another job...

Yamaraj: What is their mantra?

Yamaduta 1 & Yamaduta 2 (In Chorus): Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. And suddenly Yamaduta 1 and Yamaduta 2 became invisible and Yamaraj understood that they were going upwards to the spiritual plane.

Then Yamaraj started chanting ----

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Suddenly - I heard my clock "ring, ring, ring" – It's 4:00 am. It's 04:00 am - It was a dream. But yeah, never stop preaching, even in a dream.

HH Lokanath Swami Mahraj speaks on World Holy Name

Hailing from a small village in central India, HH Lokanath Swami Mahraj is one of the most senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada and a vaishnava devotee. He has been handed over the responsibility of heading the World Holy Name Week by HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami Mahraj who was the pioneer of this event. He unfolds the pages of his past as he speaks to us about what the Holy Name of Krishna means to him. 

1. When and how you were first introduced to the Hare Krishna mahamantra?

There was a Hare Krishna festival organized by the ISKCON devotees way back in 1971 in Mumbai and I had the fortune of attending that, which was the first time I had come across the mahamantra. Srila Prabhupada had been travelling all over the country holding various Hare Krishna festivals and here was Mumbai’s turn to witness the onset of the Holy Name. it was at a stadium in Churchgate station wherein his disciples, mostly westerners, were chanting and dancing in front of the lord and thousands of people had gathered to witness the same. Even in my village, I had not heard of the mahamantra as we would chant different mantras then. 
 

2. What were your first realisations when you heard the mahamantra? 

I was reminded of a biblical statement then – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' As I watched the devotees singing, chanting, dancing and playing different instruments on the stage, they were doing so with all their heart and were truly absorbed in it. Oblivious to the surrounding, their heart was immersed into chanting the mahamantra, the Holy Name of the Lord, as if nothing else was important to them. They were using all their strength and even perspiring but they continued dancing and chanting, and this left a deep impact on me. For them, it was a serious business and that seriousness was what attracted me. That dancing was an expression of the joy within themselves and were satisfied with that. 
 

3. Describe what does the Holy Name mean to you?

I don’t think I could exist or survive without the Holy Name. 
 

4. How has the Holy Name transformed your life?

I give the Holy Name credit for all sorts of transformation I have undergone. The Holy Name is also a prayer to the lord. Seva Yogyam kuru – Oh Lord please make me eligible to serve you – is also a prayer. To the degree we have prayed, the lord reciprocates to the sincerity involved. That reward is the transformation of our consciousness and everything then changes with it. The cause of all transformation is, hence, the kindness, mercy and potency of the Holy Name of the Lord. 
 

5. One advice to increase focus during japa?

We should be alert while chanting and we should do so honestly. If I am chanting, I should keep checking on where my mind is and actually engage it in chanting. Sometimes we do forget while chanting that we are chanting but it is the intelligent that can discriminate between mechanical chanting and devotional chanting. Less intelligent people anyway cannot chant. It is only the intelligent that can. In the shastras it is stated that only the intelligent can take up the Sankirtan Yagya so it is the job of the intelligent person to chant Hare Krishna. We should take charge of our mind and understand its nature. We need to think about the lord and the pastimes of the lord which is very important. Constantly remembering that Oh Lord, I am your servant is the thinking we should have. Thinking is, then followed by feelings as depending on what thoughts we have, our feelings originate from that and then the will develops. A strong will to serve he Lord or propagate the Krishna Consciousness, will lead you to having a deeper relationship with the Lord. Where there is a will, there is a way.  

Devotees thank the former premier for help in getting 500 K grant for Albert Park Temple’s “Kitchen Project”

By Richa Bishnoi

On 5 and 6 September, more than 15,000 people got together to for the annual Janmasthmi festivities at Albert Park Temple –Australia’s oldest temple — to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

Former Victorian Premier Hon. Ted Baillieu, Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Community Ambassador Mrs Robyn Baillieu, and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Margaret Fitzherbert were among those who joined the ISKCON’s 41stJanmasthmi celebrations.

Mr Baillieu was given a traditional welcome of “teeka” and garland welcome by Bhakta Das and Annirudha Das from the ISKCON management.

A quick tour of the temple was followed by a “prasadam”, after which Mr Baillieu was escorted to the auditorium where there was a large gathering assembled. The formal proceedings were beautifully compered by Mrs Roshni Sharma and Rashi Kapoor (Miss Australia National Finalist and AFL Focus Group Member). There were various cultural performances as well to keep the crowd entertained.

On behalf of ISKCON devotees, the MCs thanked Mr Baillieu, Mr Darpan Mittal and Mr Nitin Gupta for their help in getting the 500 K grant sanctioned for the Temple’s upcoming Kitchen project. Mrs Sharma gave a brief overview of the events and milestones that helped in securing the state government grant for the temple.

In his speech, Mr Baillieu thanked the Victorian Indian and Hindu community for their overall contribution to Victoria and Australia, after which – as is almost a tradition now – he was mobbed by the crowd with requests for photographs with them and their family. He did try his best to oblige as many people as was practically possible.

The other special guests for the event included Namrata Kapoor from the Art of Living Foundation, Dr Subash Sharma from Sahitya Sandhya, and Dr Manjula O’Connor from the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health.

During the informal chit-chat about the upcoming kitchen project, Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills came under discussion. During a recent visit to Shine Café in Glen Waverley, Mr Baillieu had shown his cooking skills, photographs of which had gone viral on social media.

ISKCON devotes said they would love to see Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills at the upcoming kitchen, and the former premier said he would be more than happy to oblige.

Lecture on Krishna Consciousness outside of what Srila Prabhupada gave by HH Sivarama Swami on 25 Oct 2014 at India

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. His family immigrated to Canada where some years later in 1970 he first came in contact with Srila Prabhupada's teachings, via his transcendental books. He became an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace in 1973 and accepted the renounced order of life in 1979.)

To Listen and Download - click here

Lecture on Memorial Class of HG Kaulini Mataji and HG Sankirtan Prabhu by HH Romapada Swami in 27 Mar 2015 at Naperville

(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969. The lecturer was His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The following year, Romapada Swami joined the movement in Boston and was initiated in 1971.)

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Lecture on Grihastha Ashram by Kratu Prabhu on 10 Jan 2011 at Toronto

(During high schooling years, he became president of the students union and went on to receive a bachelor degree in engineering from the M.S. University, Baroda.)

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Lecture on All You Need is Love by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami on 23 Aug 2015 at Crawley England

(HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON’s founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. )

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Time passes quickly when you are doing something you love, and since the devotees love spreading Krsna consciousness, the summer flew by. Our schedule was intense—a festival every day—but the reward of seeing people smile and dance with us was enough to keep us going. And we got this reward every day.

One evening during harinam on the beach before the evening festival, an elderly woman came up to me. “I just love the way you people sing,” she said. “I can’t wait for the festival tonight.” We stood watching the devotees as they danced. The woman smiled a little smile. “I have a big desire in my heart,” she said. “I wish that all the people on this beach would jump up and start singing and dancing with you. Do you ever feel like that?”

“All the time,” I said.

“I have been watching you for many years,” she said. “I once read a book that explained that you are singing the names of God. Your singing is like a spiritual first-aid kit. People get cured of their awful ways.”

Farther on the beach another woman came running toward us. “It’s you!” she said, out of breath. “The Hare Krsnas! I found you!” She bent over to catch her breath, and then looked up with a smile. “No, actually you found me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I was trying to decide where to go on vacation this summer,” she said, still out of breath, “but my co-workers told me not to go overseas. They said the weather in Poland was supposed be good this summer and that I should just come to the Baltic Sea coast. They said if I was lucky I might even run into the Hare Krsnas and be invited to your festival. Many of them have been to your festivals and they just raved about it. Are you having a festival here?”

“We sure are,” I said, handing her an invitation.

“Will there be samosas?” she asked.

“Oh? You already know about samosas?”

“Well, I’ve never actually had one,” she said. “But they are one of the things my friends told me about. They said I had to try one if I found you, and they asked me to bring some back to the office.”

“Well, yes,” I said. “We’ll have plenty of samosas. We make six hundred for every festival. We have a restaurant tent, and you’ll find them there.”

On our way back to the festival site we passed through the town. A man called out to me from a restaurant, “Hey Guru! Come here! I want to talk to you!”

I took the chance and walked over to the restaurant. The man took my hand and shook it vigorously. “Thank you,” he said. “My wife here said that if you shake hands with a guru you get lots of blessings. Thank you so much!”

“Um… no problem,” I said. “We’re having a festival this evening. Please come if you can. You’ll get lots of blessings there too.”

I was jogging to catch up with the harinama party when a woman rushed out of a store and ran up to me. “Stop!” she shouted. “Can you just stop for a minute! I want an answer from you, and I want it now. Why do you people only sing in this part of town? Why only here, huh?”

“This part of town?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know,” she said, looking me in the eye, her clenched hands pushing on her hips. “Years ago you used to come and sing in the other part of town where my store is. We used to look forward to it all summer. Don’t you care about us on the other side of town anymore?”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Answer me!” she demanded. “Why should the people in this part of town be the only ones who get to hear your singing?”

“Well,” I began, “we came here to chant because…”

“Look,” she said, cutting me off, “if you don’t turn around right now and come to my part of town, I’m going to tell all my friends and neighbors not to go to your festival.”

I called out to the kirtan party and waved for them to come back.

“You lead the way,” I said to her. We chanted behind her as she led us to her part of town, and we stayed for an hour, chanting and dancing. She waved to us from the doorway of her store as we left. “See you tonight!” she shouted with a huge smile.

Our detour had made us late for prasada. The devotees ate a hurried meal and began preparing for the festival. Half an hour or so before the festival was to begin, I saw a man, a woman and their young daughter sitting in the front row of benches.

I walked up to them. “It will be a little while before things get going,” I said.

“That’s OK,” the man said. “We could use a little break. We just drove up from Warsaw. Our daughter was adamant that we come.”

“Oh, I see,” I said. “So is this your first time with us?”

“No, no,” the woman replied. “We were at another one of your festivals earlier in the summer. But when we got home our seven-year-old daughter couldn’t stop talking about it. She loved everything: the singing, the dancing, the puppet shows, the make-up tent, the food. Everything. And day and night she insisted on wearing the sari she had won at the dance competition.”

“She was pestering us constantly to come back,” the man said. “She just wouldn’t stop. It was driving us crazy. So in the end I asked my boss for another week’s vacation. Fortunately he understood the situation. He had been to one of your festivals himself, so he agreed. I had to take money from my pension fund to pay for the trip.”

“So here we are,” the woman said with a laugh. “And we’ll be at every one of your events over the next week.”

Forty five minutes later as Bada Haridas began the first bhajan on the stage, a woman walked up to me. “I just wanted to thank you for all you’re doing,” she said. “I know you have very high principles.”

“Thank you,” I said. “You must have read some of our books then.”

“No, not yet,” she replied. “I was speaking with my neighbor about you last summer. Her son had become interested in your movement and was thinking of joining. My neighbor was concerned and went to our local priest for advice, but the priest told her not to worry. He said her son probably wouldn’t stay long because your principles are so high and your discipline is so strict. Then he said that if her son did decide to stay it would be all the better for him.”

Hungry from the day’s activities, I decided to go to our restaurant. Inside the tent, a young teenage girl carrying a plate of prasada came up to me. “I’ve always wanted to thank you for how you changed my life,” she said. “Five years ago I came with my parents to your festival. I put on a sari in the fashion tent, and when I came out you were standing there. You said I looked like an angel. I was just a child then, but I was touched by your words, and I decided I should actually become like an angel. I started going to church more, and every night I prayed to God.

“Then last year I found a Bhagavad-gita in our house. My parents had bought it at your festival. I started reading it and found many instructions about how I could become the angel you saw in me. I even became a vegetarian and I started learning English so that if I ever met you again I could thank you and learn more about your way of life.”

“I… I hardly know what to say,” I replied. “I am so moved by your story. Let’s sit and talk for a while.”

We had been talking for about twenty minutes when a young man interrupted us. “Are you the leader here?” he asked. “Someone told me you’re in charge of the show.”

“Yes,” I said. “I do help manage things.”

“I have a question about the big chariot that you have parked in the middle of the field out there. Man, that thing is gigantic! One of your people told me that it gets pulled through the streets with long ropes on special days.”

“Yes, it does,” I said.

“Well, my question is this: Where do you keep the slaves who pull it?”

“Uh… Did you say ‘slaves’?” I asked.

“Yeah. I figure it must take between fifty and a hundred slaves to pull that massive cart down the street. Do you keep them locked up somewhere?”

I had to try hard to keep from laughing. “Actually we don’t use slaves,” I said. “We pull the chariot ourselves. It’s said that by pulling that chariot one makes spiritual advancement. Everyone is eager to pull the ropes.”

“So there aren’t any slaves?” he said.

“Nope,” I said. “No slaves.” He shook his head and wandered off into the theater tent to wait with the others for the show to start.

As he left, another man came up to me. “Can you sign this Bhagavad-gita?” he asked. “I just bought it.”

“Sure,” I said.

“I’ve been attending your festivals each summer for fifteen years,” he said as I began writing. “But this time something just clicked, and I decided it was high time that I bought a book and went deeper into your philosophy. Sorry it took me so long.”

I smiled. “Better late than never,” I said and handed the book back to him.

Then I saw a man dressed in a suit, wearing old-fashioned glasses and carrying a small briefcase. He looked like an old professor, and I could see that he wanted to talk to me. I excused myself from the young woman I had been talking to, and stood up to receive him.

“May I have a brief word with you?” he asked.

“Of course, sir,” I said. “I am at your service.”

“It’s only a quick question,” he said. “I just want to know when you will begin your lecture.”

I looked at my watch. “In about thirty-five minutes,” I said, “when the theater is over.”

“Very good,” he said. He turned to leave, but I called after him.

“Excuse me sir,” I said. “Is this your first time with us?”

“Oh no,” he said. “I have been attending your event for many years, as far back as I can remember. It’s been going on for twenty-eight years now, hasn’t it?”

A smile broke out on my face. “You have a great memory, sir,” I said. “Yes, it’s been exactly twenty-eight years.”

“Each time, though, I only come for one hour,” he said. “I come just to hear you speak. I write your words of wisdom down and try to imbibe them in my life throughout the year.” He opened his briefcase and showed me a notepad and pen. “I have become a much better person through the years and have gotten closer to the goal of life.”

“What do you mean when you say ‘the goal of life’?” I asked

“You know very well what that means,” he said with a smile.

When I was giving my talk from the stage that evening, I saw him on the last bench furiously writing. At the end of the lecture, I made my way over to where he had been sitting, but he had gone.

As I walked back toward my van, I saw a woman carrying an especially large plate of samosas. It was the woman I had met on the beach whose co-workers had told her to visit our festival. “Hey!” I called out. “I see you got your samosas!”

She turned toward me. “I can’t thank you enough!” she shouted back. “I love your festival! And my friends were right. These samosas are fantastic!”

“Everything about this festival is auspicious,” I thought. “I feel so fortunate to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, delivering His message in such an attractive way.”

The last kirtan of the evening went on for about an hour. Everybody was dancing—children, parents, everybody. Afterwards, a middle-aged man came up to me, his eyes welling with tears, a gentle smile on his face. He stopped for a minute and took a deep breath. “Hearing you people sing,” he said, “is like touching the feet of the gods.”

*****************************

“The people had fallen into the sinful life of this age of quarrel, being overwhelmed by grief and delusion, disturbed by anxiety to acquire money for family and relatives. Considering the situation, the Golden Lord took birth in order to protect them. Being very merciful, He made manifest His delightful form as the giver of His holy names.”

[Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Susloka-Satakam, text 4]

By Nrtya Kisori Dasi

“I bow down to Sri Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who is the embodiment of the energy of Sri Gaurasundara and a great sadhu in the line of the followers of Sri Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada.”

Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura was born with the name Sri Kedarnath Dutta on September 2, 1838. He appeared in the village of Ula, in the district of Nadia, West Bengal, which was his maternal uncle’s home, but the house of his forefathers is in the village of Chhoti in the Kendrapara District of Orissa. Chhoti is the sripat, the native place of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and he resided here.

Having been decorated with the dust of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s lotus feet, this is a very sacred place, but most people have not known about it. This place is now coming to everyone’s notice because of the blessings of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Getting the strength of that blessing, the research scholar Dr. Fakir Mohan Das has been working to reveal this place to the world. Without such blessings, no one can do this work. Sripada Fakir Mohan Das may face much opposition, but after resisting this opposition strongly, he will surely establish the real truth.

Three Catagories of Daya

What is the best welfare work for the world? Thakura Bhaktivinoda has expressed the following in his monthly journal Sajjana-tosani: Showing compassion, daya, to living entities can be divided into three categories,

• Deha-sambandhini-daya, which means showing kindness to the material body of the living entity through sat-karma, auspicious deeds. Giving food to a hungry person, supplying medicine to a patient, giving water to a thirsty person, and supplying winter clothes to a poor person suffering from the cold are acts of kindness to the material body.
• Manah-sambandhini-daya, which means showing kindness to the mind by giving knowledge.
• Atma-sambandhini-daya, which means showing kindness to the soul, which is the best daya of all. By such kindness one attempts to save a person from all worldly sufferings by giving him devotion to Lord Krsna. Some persons consider acts of kindness to the body to be very auspicious. Others, who are learned persons, emphasize acts of kindness to the mind, but pure devotees of the Lord act for the eternal welfare of the living entities by preaching devotion.

He Exhibited the Topmost Type of Compassion

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura exhibited the topmost type of compassion or welfare work, but how many people understand it? How many people glorify the qualities of such Vaisnava sadhus and mahajanas? Even learned persons do not understand the work of the Vaisnavas.

We see that those who have done or are doing something for the welfare of the body or mind are highly glorified, but who is speaking the glories of those doing welfare work for the soul? How many people have spiritual knowledge? How many people realise the soul? How many people have the vision to see the soul? The sadhu-mahajanas have dedicated their whole lives for doing welfare work for the soul. By their blessings, spiritual vision has been received by many persons. Who knows and glorifies these sadhus and mahajanas? In this material world, no one speaks about their great works and efforts.

He Exercised His Mighty Pen

Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda left this world on June 23, 1914. He dedicated his whole life to preaching Gaudiya Vaisnavism and spiritualism, or bhagavat-dharma [eternal service to God]. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, Lord Krsna Himself descends along with His followers to re-establish the principles of religion. Thakura Bhaktivinoda is the embodiment of this verse. In this age of scepticism and fruitless nihilism, he exercised his mighty pen to re-establish sanatana-dharma, eternal religion. Inspired by the Gaudiya Vaisnava Acaryas, he wrote book after book, refuting materialistic views based on nihilism and atheism. By speaking on the eternal Vedas, on civilization and education, he enlightened many conditioned souls who had forgotten their real spiritual identity. Without imparting scriptural knowledge there is no means to bring the living entities, who are oppositely attracted, towards para-tattva, the Supreme Truth.

He Strung Together the Teachings of

the Gaudiya Gurus

Gaudiya gurus such as Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, and Srila Jiva Gosvami did the work of spiritual masters by analyzing the Srimad-Bhagavatam and commentaries on it. TheBhagavatam is the essence of the eternal Vedic sound and the mature fruit of the desire tree of the Vedic literature. Thakura Bhaktivinoda nicely strung together the teachings of these Gaudiya gurus in easy and simple language. Therefore, after the six Gosvamis, Thakura Bhaktivinoda is known as the Seventh Gosvami.

Following in the footsteps of Srila Jiva Gosvami, in 1884 Bhaktivinoda re-established the Viswa Vaishnava Sabha (World Vaishnava Congregation) and preached the Vedic religion—Upanisads, Vedanta Sutras, Srimad-Bhagavatam—as well as the life and philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. His son Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada inherited these bright qualities from him and preached this great ideology of Gaudiya Vaisnavism throughout the Indian subcontinent, from the Himalayas to the oceans and abroad.

Srila Bhaktivinoda’s Great Call

Thakura Bhaktivinoda wrote more than one hundred books, both original works and commentaries, in English, Sanskrit, and Bengali. His numerous devotional songs, immersed in divine love born of full surrender, reveal his deep love for Lord Sri Krsna. These songs have inspired all types of people, from ordinary conditioned souls to highly elevated devotees. His books of devotional songs, such asSaranagati, Gitavali, and Kalyana-Kalpataru, are food for the soul and are very praiseworthy in human society. In this age of short-lived sensual pleasure and false renunciation, these books are Bhaktivinoda’s great call for those who are thirsty to get a taste of Vaikuntha [spiritual] love. Who can imagine the kindness he has shown?

Hear the Devotional Message Spoken by Mahajanas

Conditioned souls, being victims of illusion and the repetition of the cycle of birth and death, are prone to commit errors. The material world created by the Lord is our testing place. Here at every step we are continually being tested by maya. To pass this test one has to hear the devotional message spoken by mahajanas like Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Bhaktivinoda’s teachings should be preached more and more. If the leaders of present-day society sincerely desire the welfare of humanity, they should deeply cultivate and introspectively reflect upon these teachings. Please practice these teachings in your life and teach them to the world. This will surely bring auspiciousness and the unlimited blessings of Thakura Bhaktivinoda.

I pray for his blessings as follows:

“Keeping straw between my teeth, I pray repeatedly that life after life I may be a particle of dust at the lotus feet of Thakura Bhaktivinoda.”

Jaya! Sri Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura ki jaya!

By Iskcon Mayapur

As 2015 is the 50th year of HDG Srila Prabhupada’s entry into western land, ISKCON Mayapur is making all the arrangements to make 2015 book distribution marathon a mega event. So, it was announced that this year marathon will be celebrated from 1st October, 2015 to 31st December, 2015 for a period of three months. ISKCON Mayapur conducted an event on 23rd September to encourage devotees to engage in book distribution. The event was inaugurated by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami Maharaj and HG Pankajanghri Prabhu.

HG Pankajanghri Prabhu highlighted the importance of book distribution as major service to Lord Krsna. He went on to say that if a devotee fails to engage him/herself in the service of book distribution, their service is not considered beneficial.

HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami Maharaj stressed the need to give top priority to book distribution service. He wanted that everyone should to engage in this service to please Srila Prabhupada. He gave a strong message to all the temples to make book distribution a mandatory service, rather than being satisfied with daily services like mangala aarti, lectures and distributing prasadam. Maharaj even went to the extent of saying that a married woman in India looks very beautiful and attractive in golden ornaments, but she loses her charm and beauty if she becomes a widow. Similarly, a temple without book distribution is like a widow. This gave clear direction to the devotees to engage in book distribution always. He recollected his initial days when he was asked to engage in book distribution within a month after completing new bhakta course. He concluded that material world is superior to Goloka Dham since sastra daan is a rare opportunity available only in the material world and not in any of the other planets including Goloka.

The assembled devotees become ecstatic when they saw HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj entering the stage for his lecture. After giving a short, transcendental kirtan, HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj added further on the importance of book distribution. He wanted all assembled devotees to take part in the great mission of Srila Prabhupada. He referred to the speech of HH Bhakti Purusottama Maharaj and described the beauty of Lakshmi Priya, wife of Lord Caitanya. He narrated how beautiful were her golden ear rings and how glittering were her golden bangles and golden waist belt. HH Jayapataka Swami showed His humility and gave full credit to the efforts of Mayapur devotees who were instrumental in achieving sale of more than 7 lacks book units last year. On the other hand, HG Sankarshan Nitai Prabhu gave him the credit for his constantly encouraging the devotees by sending letters even while he was undergoing treatment for critical illness in Delhi.

HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj wanted everyone to actively participate in book distribution service and asked all the assembled devotees if they all will involve in it. The devotees’ whole heartedly showed their support and raised both their hands to commit themselves in the great service. Maharaj wanted everyone to take a pledge in front of Lord Caitanya for distributing the scriptures. As Maharaj is known for his humor, he displayed that during the course of this lecture when he said that the organizers wanted him to speak short but he remember that only then. With that HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj ended his inspirational speech. It gave great inspiration to all the assembled devotees to participate in the mission. A devotee came forward and took a commitment to sponsor 3000 Bhagavad Gita books. HG Nareshwar Prabhu took a commitment of 1000 books.

HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami wanted all to take a pledge of distributing at least one book to their friends or family members. As the program was nearing its completion, HG Bhadracharu Prabhu read the sankalpa mantra and made everyone to take a sankalpa for their yathasakthi.

These transcendental books, the life line of ISKCON have to be spread continuously. HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami Maharaj wanted support from all the devotees and exhibited his desire to double the amount which Mayapur is giving to BBT every year for printing the sastras.

Before the start of the program, Mayapur Sankirtan Department inaugurated two new vehicles for Sankirtan. HG Pankajanghri Prabhu performed an aarti for the buses. A Deity of Srila Prabhupada cut open the ribbon at the entrance of the bus.

Villa Vrindavana’s Renaissance salons host MOSA, the Museum of Sacred Art, an artistic space that is quite unique in Italy.

The gallery displays impressive artistic works portraying religious and devotional subjects from ancient India lore and its epics. Here are displayed imposing works by the Italian contemporary artist Giampaolo Tomassetti, together with other beautiful pieces of art by other international painters.

The varied styles reflect different artistic traditions from the great regions of India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Orissan, Kerala and Tanjore). The collection includes original sculptures from different areas of the Far East.

With its permanent exhibition and its periodic initiatives, MOSA also encourages interfaith dialogue, where art is man’s universal language.

MOSA also has a gallery in Belgium at Radhadesh, a Durbury, in the Ardennes region.

The MOSA Villa Vrindavan is open to the public at the following times:

Saturday and Sunday: guided tours at 10:00 and 16:00

You can book special openings for groups (minimum 15 people).
http://www.villavrindavana.org/en/gallery-mosa-museum-of-sacred-art/