I like chanting Hare Krishna. It’s great & a good means to bring out the best in people. Yet within the society of ISKCON I wonder if there is a place for people like me?
Let me explain what I mean, by people like me. I really want to be a good person in the sense that I want to treat everyone with love, respect & kindness. We’re all birds of a same feather – we are all spiritual beings at different places in our journey. Even the most apparently horrible person say for instance a cannabalistic
Srila Prabhupada Receives the First Big 1972 Original Bhagavad Gita As It Is
by Nanda Kumar Das
One day, when I was first with His Divine Grace in L.A., Brahmananda Prabhu came from New York and they were talking about the printing of a Bhagavad Gita with Sanskrit included. Evidently, there was a question as to whether the western people could pronounce the transliteration with diacritic marks.
Srila Prabhupad rang his bell, and I came into his room. Brahmananda was there. Srila Prabhupad hande
No one is equal to God. The servant cannot be equal to the master. According to the Vaishnava philosophy, the master is one, and the servants are also one, but the distinction between the master and servant must continue even in the liberated stage. - Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.11 Purport
It is funny how we devotees always can find something to occupy ourselves with. If I was a karmi, staying here at the ayurvedic center I would have left screaming for being bored out of my mind. Benefits of being a devotee, Radha rati mataji and me are occupying ourselves with singing kirtans, reading the Bhagavatam (we have an aim to finish the first canto before we leave) and generally exchanging our realizations.
Last night I was particularly lamenting on my separation from Panihati Dham an
In our current experience so far, to serve others is not very glorious position. In fact people like to be served but not serve others or people serve only if there is some sort of return. So generally speaking, to serve is not popular or done with some motive. So when pure devotees pray to the Lord for service, it is not very appealing to the common man.
Therefore very few people actually pray like this – “oh my Lord, please engage me in your service as the servant of your servant!”. However,
The TOVP Kalash is the only one of its kind in the world owing to its sheer size and magnitude. It is 23 meters (75 feet) tall and 19 meters (62 feet) wide, and sits atop a mammoth dome at a height of 84 meters (276 feet) from ground level. Being the topmost architectural feature of the temple dressed in resplendent gold, it will be visible from far and wide. Hence, considerable efforts have gone into its complex and intricate design as well as execution.
According to sacred architecture, the K
Gopidots.
Scent of rosewater making me heady
bathing your glowing white body
The silence of the altar
Hum of the mahamantra
It is just you and me
as I play with your skirts
Which earrings would you like today ?
The ache is back my dear Rani
Is some of that mercy saved for me?
One desire.
One day again....just to hold that brush
be absorbed in those patterns.......just to paint gopidots on your moonlike face.....When?
I have a cartoon. The first picture shows a child, you know, baby just born and the caption says, “Too young.” Next picture shows a couple in love, hand-in-hand, full moon behind them, “Too much in love.”Next picture shows a family, a few kids, you know, bags with groceries. He has got a phone, a computer, a drill and a screwdriver. I mean, they have six arms; they are, “Too busy.” Next picture, an old man; death, “Too old.” Last picture has cross on the grave, “Too late.”
So at every stage of
Jayapataka Swami remembers precious times with Srila Prabhupad.!
Srila Prabhupada spoke to me for the first time- then he asked, “What is your plan?” “Well I thought that I would go to India to find a master but I already found you here.” I said.
People are unhappy. Someone has lost their dear one, someone has not yet settled down in life. Someone still yearns for affection and appreciation, or that elusive recognition. Someone still looks back at what could have been and some heart burns at a lifetime of limited success. Someone has classmates more accomplished than them, someone has friends who pity them. Someone struggles for daily bread and someone dreams for a stable job. The list is unending. Eyes moisten if you care to look.
2015 was the 500th anniversary year of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s visit to Vraj Mandal and 2016 being ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Come for Vraj Mandal Parikrama on this special occasion and immerse yourself in Krishna katha and kirtan by devotees from around the world.
There will be special facilities for international group. Visit www.vrajmandalparikrama.com for details on booking and facilities available. For more information contact us
VRAJ84@Pamho.net, Brajbhoomi.lok@pamho.net,
Question: How to control our mind?
Romapada Swami answers:
In BG 6.35, Krsna addresses Arjuna’s concern of controlling the mind. Krsna mentions that mind can be controlled by practice and detachment. He says that wherever and whenever the mind wanders, due to its flickering and unsteady nature, we must bring it back under the control of the Self (BG 6.26).
As mentioned in this BG verse, our material mind is very flickering and therefore it is attracted to many things and is never satisfied. Therefo
Patita Pavana dasa: It was 1971 or 1972, I had been out on the streets of New York City all day preaching, selling books, collecting and generally spreading the blessing of serving the Supreme Lord through the mercy of His representative Shrila Prabhupada. That day the Guru of the Universe was leaving New York to spread Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s divine message of Krishna consciousness all over the world.
On the street of Manhattan I had spotted a sidewalk vendor selling novelty newspaper
Ananda Vrindavana Devi Dasi: As we approach Janmastami, Krishna’s birthday, we’ll be thinking of what to give. It’s a birthday celebration after all and everyone’s invited. The guest list is unlimited and when it’s a birthday we think of expressing our love with a gift.
Each of us has a unique and personal relationship with Krishna. Our world is not just me, myself and I. It’s me, the world, and Krishna. And still, this is our story as we are the main player. Everyone else is a supporting cast
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness celebrated its golden anniversary, recently, an in an effort to highlight this momentous occasion, a cupcake distribution was held.
A total of 5000 delicious cupcakes were lovingly prepared by devotees and then distributed throughout Durban at no charge. All residents enjoyed the sweet treats and thanked the devotees.
Source:http://risingsunchatsworth.co.za/66013/iskcon-spreads-cupcake-joy/
Inside Kathwada Gam (village) we have an extension centre of ISKCON Ahmedabad, along with a Gaushala and
various organic farms, approximately 15 km away from the temple. Recently, a team of young and energetic go-
getter devotees have taken up the challenge to establish a new temple, to develop a farm community, to improve
the services provided to the cows and to cultivate a wide range of organic products in this centre. Under the kind
care of HG Jashomatinandan Prabhu (ACBSP) (President, ISKCO
Honoring prasadam in the Vaishnava fashion is the culmination of culture and service. I learned this art when I was in the Mayapur Academy, and so when I helped direct The Radha Krishna Camp for Girls in Brazil, this system was implemented. Everyone sits in rows and servers come to each person with each dish, silently and lovingly offering prasadam. Then when everyone is completely satisfied, the director gets to serve the servers.
On our third day, I was all set to serve the servers after lun
Ravana wasn’t all bad. He, by all accounts, was educated, ran a good kingdom, worshiped the demigods and was good looking. In other words, he wasn’t your typical demon – horribly ugly, angry, with horns coming out the side of his head.
He was just a big materialist who got in over his head. And this can happened to the best of us. There are many Ravana’s lurking in the shadows, and yes, some inside of us.
Pride comes before a fall. Ravana had that. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He had tha
