All Posts - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree

Surrender

Posted by Parampara Vani Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 12:44pm

You write to say that simply you want to surrender, but according to the preface of T.L.C. you'll find that surrender means

(1) To Act favorably to develop Krishna Consciousness;

(2) To reject everything unfavorable;

(3) To have full faith in Krishna that He will give protection to His pure devotee;

(4) To keep oneself as one of the dependent devotees of the Lord;

(5) To have no separate interest besides the interest of the Lord;

(6) To always feel meek and humble.

These six things are surrender, And

Volunteer

How does Mantra Meditation Work?

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:09am

Question to Radhanath Swami: How exactly does this chanting of God's holy names work?

Radhanath Swami: It begins by regular chanting, like treatment begins with regular intake of medicines. And then we try to go deeper into the holy name by living according to the qualities of a true devotee, i.e. to live our life with humility, with tolerance and forgiveness, offering honor and respect to others, while demanding no respect for ourselves. We should live by the principles of morality, we should li

Volunteer

How to Pray in Happiness

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:08am

Question to Radhanath Swami: When only in distress one is able to pray from the heart, otherwise those prayers spring from the mind, and are mechanically offered. Why is it so? Why only in distress does the mind shut down and allow us to pray from the heart?

Radhanath Swami: What you are talking about is sometimes human nature. But we should cultivate a higher standard.

When you are successful and everything is going your way, you could thank God for the blessings. "I don't deserve this. Yet, you

Volunteer

Chant for Perfection

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:07am

We urge everyone throughout the entire world to chant the holy names of God for achieving the perfection of existence. We are not meant to suffer at all. Suffering is artificial. We are meant by nature to be completely peaceful, happy, satisfied, and successful. Chanting the holy names of God is the way prescribed in the Brihad-Naradiya Purana for attaining our natural, original perfect consciousness:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

"In th

Volunteer

Indebted to the sun.

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:06am

Indebted to the sun.

So we are so much indebted to the sun, to the moon, to the heavenly king, because they are supplying our necessities. The Indra sends the cloud. By the electrical action... We have got experience. And the cloud gives you sufficient rain. Ghanavad vatarhit(?). Most munificent. The cloud gives you rain even where you do not require. On the hill you do not require, on the ocean you do not require, but when there is cloud, there is no miserly behavior. "Take even samudra, you t

Volunteer

Death

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:02am

Death came to a guy and said: "my friend today is your day", and the guy
said: "but I am not ready" and death said:"well you're next on my list.
So the guy told death: "ok why don't you take a sit and I will get you
something to eat before we go", and death said "all right then".
The guy gave death some food with sleeping pills in it, death finished eating and
fell asleep and the guy removed his name from top of the list to the
bottom of the list so when death woke up he said to the guy: "I will sta

Volunteer

Please Srila Prabhupada

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 9:00am

Devotee: "We would like to know what would please you the most."

Prabhupada's reply was brief and to the point. "Understand Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, become perfect and distribute this knowledge to your fellow countrymen."

(Sunday, 25 April 1976 - From "The Great Transcendental Adventure")

Srila Prabhupada's letter to H.H. Tamala Krsna Maharaja, Bombay 28th December 1974: "I

was extremely pleased to hear your report from your travelling buses. It sounds as if your program is very very wo

Volunteer

Path to Mitigate Fatigue

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 8:59am

Krsna Balram

If one engages only in caring for the necessities of the body, not caring for the eternal necessities of life, then he is part of a civilization whose advancement puts the living entities in the darkest region of ignorance. Sleeping in that darkest region, one does not get any refreshment, but, rather, gradually becomes fatigued. He invents many processes to adjust this fatigued condition, but he fails and thus remains confused. The only path for mitigating his fatigue in the struggl

Volunteer

Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Deep compassion

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 8:58am

Deep compassion

Thursday, 13 May 1971

Early in the morning, around 1.30am, Bali-mardana awoke to hear Srila Prabhupada ringing his bell. Running into the room, he found Prabhupada sitting behind a small bookstand, his large volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam open in front of him. The whole room was dark, save for the light of the desk lamp.

Bali-mardana: Srila Prabhupada was wearing his glasses and he motioned me to come closer. It turned out that he didn't need anything, but rather he wanted to talk to m

Volunteer

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 28

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 22, 2011 at 8:58am

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 28
asisrpsoh purah purya
nabhi-dvaram apanatah
tatrapanas tato mrtyuh
prthaktvam ubhayasrayam

asisrpsoh -- desiring to go everywhere; purah -- in different bodies; puryah -- from one body; nabhi-dvaram -- the navel or abdominal hole; apanatah -- was manifested; tatra -- thereupon; apanah -- stopping of the vital force; tatah -- thereafter; mrtyuh -- death; prthaktvam -- separately; ubhaya -- both; asrayam -- shelter.

TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when He desired to

Volunteer

The Fate Of Modern Man

Posted by Shalabh Gupta on April 22, 2011 at 8:43am

The Fate Of Modern Man

We are 5000 years into Kali Yuga, we still have another 427,000 years to go before Lord Krishna appears on a white horse as Lord Kalki to end this age.

The following statements are from the Srimad Bhagavatam canto 12, which was written more than 5000 years ago. These are the predictions for the current age of Kali Yuga. Having read the predictions you will see that the Vedic scriptures are infallible. Every prediction is becoming a reality. The recent Tsumani, and Katrina na

d bottom line of material world is

Posted by KOLLURU VENKATA SUBRAHMANYAM on April 21, 2011 at 8:30pm

d bottom line of material world is envy & it is envy alone that is d cause of lust, exploitation, violence & all suffering. Nectar Drops - H.H.RNSM

The Wonderful Yogurt Pot

Posted by Ravi Chandran on April 21, 2011 at 1:01pm

Posted on July 22, 2010Filed under BVKS SangaThere is a little story, very interesting. So one poor boy, he was studentin a school, and the teacher’s annual ceremony of father’s death would beheld. So he requested all his student, “What you will give me,contribution?” Formerly the teacher was not taking any salary. But whateverhe wanted, the students will bring either from parents’ house or by begging.That was the system. The teacher would not charge anything. A brahmanacannot be…, charge anythi

The Wonderful Yogurt Pot

Posted by Ravi Chandran on April 21, 2011 at 1:00pm

The wonderful yogurt pot

There is a little story, very interesting. So one poor boy, he was student
in a school, and the teacher’s annual ceremony of father’s death would be
held. So he requested all his student, “What you will give me,
contribution?” Formerly the teacher was not taking any salary. But whatever
he wanted, the students will bring either from parents’ house or by begging.
That was the system. The teacher would not charge anything. A brahmana
cannot be…, charge anything.

So this teacher, t

Srila Prabhupada and an Envious Reporter

Posted by Ravi Chandran on April 21, 2011 at 12:30pm

ISKCON Chicago, 1974

Reporter: In Los Angeles, do you live in richness, do you have a car, and a
chauffer, and a yacht?

Srila Prabhupada: Why not? I am the guru of the richest country, why shall I
not have a car? If I am guru of the richest country, then why shall I not
have a car?

Reporter: So, you have one?

Srila Prabhupada: I have many. In each center I’ve got at least one dozen
cars. Just now I’m coming from Europe, Germany. They’ve got vans. They go
into the interior villages. Volkswagen? So our dev

Volunteer

How to Do Perfect Japa?

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 21, 2011 at 11:26am

Question: How to Do Perfect Japa?

What is the proper method, technique, or way of doing perfect japa? How one can avoid different kinds of thoughts while doing japa? Renu

Answer: Precisely Follow These Instructions

The perfection of japa is to hear and chant each syllable and to call out to the Lord and His energy like a small child crying for its mother begging to be engaged in their pure devotional service. If you will totally absorb yourself in such a way, you will experience such a sweet taste

Volunteer

Symptoms of one in illusion

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 21, 2011 at 10:11am

Symptoms of one in illusion

When there is no illumination, knowledge is absent. One in the mode of ignorance does not work by a regulative principle; he wants to act whimsically, for no purpose. Even though he has the capacity to work, he makes no endeavor. This is called illusion. Although consciousness is going on, life is inactive. These are the symptoms of one in the mode of ignorance.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bg 14.13

Symptoms of one chiefly under the influence of the mode of ignorance are lazines

Volunteer

Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Preaching technique

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 21, 2011 at 10:10am

Preaching technique

Srila Prabhupada had agreed to speak that evening at the Wayside Chapel, a centre started by the Reverend Ted Noffs in the red-light district of Kings Cross to minister to drug addicts and prostitutes. A sponsor from the chapel with an "afro" haircut and dressed as a hippy, met Prabhupada at the temple in the evening and accompanied him to the chapels theatrette. The tiny hall consisted of a ground floor dais slightly raised above the ground floor seats, with rows of very stee

Volunteer

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 27

Posted by Saci Gaurasundara Dasa on April 21, 2011 at 10:08am

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 27
utsisrksor dhatu-malam
nirabhidyata vai gudam
tatah payus tato mitra
utsarga ubhayasrayah

utsisrksoh -- desiring to evacuate; dhatu-malam -- refuse of eatables; nirabhidyata -- became open; vai -- certainly; gudam -- the evacuating hole; tatah -- thereafter; payuh -- the evacuating sense organ; tatah -- thereafter; mitrah -- the controlling demigod; utsargah -- the substance evacuated; ubhaya -- both; asrayah -- shelter.

TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when He des

Blog

All Posts (35972)

Surrender

All You Need is Love

How does Mantra Meditation Work?

How to Pray in Happiness

Chant for Perfection

Indebted to the sun.

Death

Please Srila Prabhupada

Path to Mitigate Fatigue

Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Deep compassion

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 28

The Fate Of Modern Man

The Fate Of Modern Man

d bottom line of material world is

The Wonderful Yogurt Pot

The Wonderful Yogurt Pot

Srila Prabhupada and an Envious Reporter

How to Do Perfect Japa?

Symptoms of one in illusion

Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Preaching technique

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Chapter 10 Text 27

Note: this page contains paid content.

Question: All You Need is Love

Dear Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I have heard this advice that instead of loving another person on earth, like husband, mother, friend, etc, we should address our loving feelings to Krishna. But how? How to love someone, that we cannot see? And why should the love we feel towards other person be taken as a false feeling? Why, if we all are spirit souls, and can love each others' spiritual forms, why gay-love is so