book - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT2024-03-28T08:55:24Zhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/bookIllustrated Bhagavatam Tales To Inspire Young Minds Book 4 Releasedhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/illustrated-bhagavatam-tales-to-inspire-young-minds-book-4-releas2024-02-07T13:38:07.000Z2024-02-07T13:38:07.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12374685884,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12374685884?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi</strong></p>
<p>Gauranga Darshan Das, an educator, TEDx speaker, and spiritual author of over 32 books, has launched his fourth book in the series, “Illustrated Bhagavatam Tales To Inspire Young Minds,” published and printed by Tulsi Books, a division of Sri Tulsi Trust. </p>
<p>“Bhagavatam Tales” unfolds a narrative skillfully rewoven by Gauranga Darshan Das, distilling profound sagas into a lucid language tailored for young minds. The initial three books cover the first four cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam, with each successive volume delving into the subsequent realms: the fourth, fifth, and sixth cantos in Book Two, cantos seven through nine in Book Three, while Book Four explores the tenth canto.</p>
<p>A profound narrative, “Illustrated Bhagavatam Tales To Inspire Young Minds Book 4” explores the enchanting realm of Krishna’s childhood pastimes, unfurling 32 resplendent stories sourced from the sacred Srimad Bhagavatam. There are references from various other sources, such as Ananda Vrindavana Champu, Gopala Champu, Hari Vamsa, and Garga Samhita. Each chapter is a beacon, illuminating the path of inspiration for eager young minds. The book has garnered praise from university authorities, professionals, parents, and devotees alike.</p>
<p>HH Devamrita Swami said, “The multi-volume Bhagavatam Tales fills me with admiration, and also regret. Why, during my childhood, was such an inspiring publication not available? The textual and visual quality is first-class. Oh, as a child who read encyclopedia from cover to cover, if only I had access to such an exquisite production, how my reading smartness, as well as my spiritual perception, would have both increased.”</p>
<p>Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Padmabhushan, Maharashtra Bhushan, PhD, IIT Delhi, and the Founder Chancellor & Chief Mentor of Multiversity said, “Bhagavatam Tales is a beautifully illustrated bouquet of children’s books that will enliven the stories from Bhagavata Mahapurana before young minds that will live with them for life. They will surely treasure and enjoy these pearls of wisdom. These books by Gauranga Darshan Das show us how to bring value education to our school education system as recommended by the new National Education Policy. A most valued possession for children, as well as parents.”<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/illustrated-bhagavatam-tales-to-inspire-young-minds-book-4-released/">https://iskconnews.org/illustrated-bhagavatam-tales-to-inspire-young-minds-book-4-released/</a></p></div>New Children’s Book by Visakha Dasi Explores Four Themes from the Bhagavad-gitahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/new-children-s-book-by-visakha-dasi-explores-four-themes-from-the2024-01-15T15:35:54.000Z2024-01-15T15:35:54.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12358224872,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="12358224872?profile=RESIZE_584x" /><br />Visakha Dasi has released a new book entitled <em>Virtues for a Happy Life</em>:<em> Bhagavad-gita for Children</em>. This beautifully designed volume makes the wisdom of the <em>Gita</em> easily accessible through photographs, paintings, and straightforward language as it explores four virtues found in the ancient text. “For me, the four virtues highlighted in the book are foundational teachings of the<em> Gita</em>,” said Visakha, “equal-mindedness (seeing everyone as an atma or soul), healthy-mindedness (understanding Krishna’s presence in our lives), wisdom (accepting scriptural teachings), and courage (embracing our own insignificance). There’s no doubt that many other vital virtues could be drawn from the<em> Gita</em>‘s teachings.”</p>
<p>It complements an earlier work of Visakha, “In 1996 (Srila Prabhupada’s centennial year), I published a <em>Bhagavad-gita</em> for children called <em>Our Most Dear Friend</em>. Since then, from time to time, I have met devotees who are now in their twenties who tell me that they grew up with that book, and it impacted them favorably,” she continued, “From that sort of feedback, I felt encouraged to make another <em>Gita </em>for children some 28 years later – better late than never.” <em>Our Most Dear Friend</em> is still available in several formats and in multiple languages.<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/new-childrens-book-by-visakha-dasi-explores-four-themes-from-the-bhagavad-gita/">https://iskconnews.org/new-childrens-book-by-visakha-dasi-explores-four-themes-from-the-bhagavad-gita/</a></p></div>“Career Dharma, The Natural Art of Work” Book Review by Visvambara Dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/career-dharma-the-natural-art-of-work-book-review-by-visvambara-d2024-01-08T15:36:45.000Z2024-01-08T15:36:45.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12347740497,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12347740497?profile=RESIZE_584x" /><br />What you were born to do is no longer a mystery. Career Dharma, The Natural Art of Work, by Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best) and Dr. Ruchira S. Datta, is here to help you discover that. The English word natural comes from the Latin term “naturalis,” which means birth, or in Middle English, it denotes the physical power of a person. What is your superpower? What is your dharma?</p>
<p>In this comprehensive volume, the authors begin with the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita, which speaks of our sanatana dharma (eternal dharma) and sva dharma (temporary dharma pertaining to our body). In fact, Krishna says, “It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly” (BG 3.35; 18.47), warning against upsetting the societal body. The other verse that is emphasized is, “Always think of Me and become My devotee (man mana bhava mad bhakti)” (BG 18.65). Our movement has emphasized the latter since its inception 57 years ago. It’s time to bridge the gap between where you want to be and where you are by finding out who you are.</p>
<p>After all, how can you work with detachment and give up the fruits of your labor, as Krishna recommends, if your work is not fulfilling and the fruits are acquired painstakingly?</p>
<p>Even if you are situated in your dream occupation, lacking the understanding of your dharma results in the misapplication of your potential; what to speak of the added value of understanding other’s natures as well as their respective dharma and the intrinsic dharmas of specific occupations.</p>
<p>The world is largely being educated by the likes of Hollywood, Bollywood, YouTube, Netflix, and social media influencers. Proclaiming that you can be whatever you want and that freedom is the ability to choose. That immediate gratification is your rightful claim—selling the dream of unlimited choices on an equal playing field. Overchoice and competition, rather than cooperation among the fields of work, abound. When, in fact, your experience is more of an unequal playing field, over choice, and mental anguish. Naturally, job satisfaction is at its lowest. Enter Dr. Best and Dr. Datta, who unfold the ancient texts to inform the reader of a brighter truth: a system devised by Krishna for harmonious social intercourse, thus moving from defective business practices to utilizing Krishna’s invention. Alternatively, tried and tested corporate practices have been the go-to for innovative communities in ISKCON. <br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/career-dharma-the-natural-art-of-work-book-review/">https://iskconnews.org/career-dharma-the-natural-art-of-work-book-review/</a></p></div>“Madan Mohan: An Enchanting Saga” Book Released in Collaboration with BRChttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/madan-mohan-an-enchanting-saga-book-released-in-collaboration-wit2023-12-19T14:36:13.000Z2023-12-19T14:36:13.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="margin:20px 0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.7;font-family:Montserrat, sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:inline-block;"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12328876255,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12328876255?profile=RESIZE_584x" />In a ground-breaking initiative to promote and celebrate Vaishnava research and literature, Mandala Publishing and the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) have collaborated to co-publish “The Vaishnava Studies Series,” a unique endeavour with a multi-dimensional approach aiming to showcase the most recent and impactful research on Vaishnavism. The publishers are thrilled to announce the latest addition to this ongoing series—a 172-page book entitled “Madan Mohan: An Enchanting Saga.”</span></p>
<p style="margin:20px 0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.7;font-family:Montserrat, sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:inline-block;">Released in both Sri Jagannatha Puri Dhama and Sri Vrindavana Dhama during the auspicious month of Kartika, this volume is an absorbing blend of heartfelt devotion and rigorous scholarship. The author, Sushant Bharti, is a devout follower of Gaudiya Vaishnavism initiated into the Radha-Ramana parivar in Vrindavana and possesses an academic background in architectural conservation. This combination uniquely positions him to illuminate the built heritage of Braja. Having a long-held desire to contribute to the scholarship concerning the Braja region, his passion received a concrete shape upon meeting H.G. Gauranga Dasa, the Director of the Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). Gauranga Prabhu encouraged the author to write a document expounding the religious and historical significance of the Madan Mohan temple in Vrindavana. The result is this masterpiece that takes readers on a devotional odyssey to the Madan Mohan temple.</span></p>
<p style="margin:20px 0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:1.7;font-family:Montserrat, sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:inline-block;">Speaking at the book launch in Jagannatha Puri, H.G. Braja Vilasa Prabhu reminded devotees of Srila Prabhupada’s constant emphasis, “If you want to please me, print books; distribute books.” Commending BRC for its service, he said that Srila Prabhupada was surely immensely pleased with this book. He urged everyone to make this book “viral,” declaring that “Every hand should have this book!”<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/madan-mohan-an-enchanting-saga-book-released-in-collaboration-with-brc/">https://iskconnews.org/madan-mohan-an-enchanting-saga-book-released-in-collaboration-with-brc/</a></span></p></div>Mandakini Dasi Launches Latest Book “Panchatattva: Five Heroes Of The Golden Age”https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/mandakini-dasi-launches-latest-book-panchatattva-five-heroes-of-t2023-12-01T12:23:51.000Z2023-12-01T12:23:51.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12306134490,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12306134490?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi</strong></p>
<p>Mandakini Dasi released her latest book, Panchatattva: Five Heroes Of The Golden Age, on November 16, 2023, in Puri. The series consists of five books, each dedicated to one of the Panchatattvas, and they are available as a colorful box set that is very appealing to parents and children alike.</p>
<p>The launch of the book took place at the inauguration of HH Radhanath Swami’s Puri Yatra. Mandakini revealed, “The decision to launch in Puri Yatra was driven by the intention to engage with international devotees who have been readers of my initial work. Additionally, the launch served as an occasion to seek the blessings of revered Srila Prabhupada disciples and esteemed senior devotees, contributing to the formal recognition of their guidance and support.”<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://iskconnews.org/mandakini-dasi-launches-latest-book-panchatattva-five-heroes-of-the-golden-age/">https://iskconnews.org/mandakini-dasi-launches-latest-book-panchatattva-five-heroes-of-the-golden-age/</a></p></div>Giriraj Swami Launches His Latest Book, “Dancing White Elephants”https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/giriraj-swami-launches-his-latest-book-dancing-white-elephants2023-11-29T14:03:36.000Z2023-11-29T14:03:36.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12305182275,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12305182275?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi</strong></p>
<p>His Holiness Giriraj Swami has unveiled his latest book, <em>Dancing White Elephants</em>: <em>Traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India, August 1970–March 1972</em>, published by BBT Australia and launched in Vrindavan on November 14 during the auspicious Govardhana-puja celebrations. </p>
<p>Based in Carpinteria, California, Giriraj Swami is one of the most senior sannyasis in ISKCON—and a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who, having read an article by him in Back to Godhead in Gorakhpur in February 1971, told him, “You should write. This is your first business.” Srila Prabhupada then asked young Giriraj to travel with him so that Prabhupada could train him in writing. Because he was engaged in other service, Giriraj was not able to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instruction at the time. Still, he never forgot it, and he picked it up years later when he embarked on writing several books:<em> Watering the Seed; Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas; Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective; I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story; and now Dancing White Elephants.</em></p>
<p>This new book will capture the minds and hearts of readers and increase their attachment to and love for Srila Prabhupada and his white elephants (his disciples who helped him in his mission). In her foreword, Malati Dasi encourages readers, “This book is a page-turner to the highest degree; once you begin, you just can’t put it down. Through Maharaja’s carefully chosen words, you will see the exquisite sights and feel like you are living the experiences that were part of establishing the Hare Krishna Movement in India. You will meet incredible devotees, who became pillars of this movement through their own storied spiritual growth and advancement, and be introduced to seemingly ordinary persons whose lives became transformed by contact with Prabhupada and his ‘dancing white elephants,’ just as he envisioned.”<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/giriraj-swami-launches-his-latest-book-dancing-white-elephants/">https://iskconnews.org/giriraj-swami-launches-his-latest-book-dancing-white-elephants/</a></p></div>The first Vyasa Puja book by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-first-vyasa-puja-book2023-09-08T07:40:00.000Z2023-09-08T07:40:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515262410,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515262410,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515262410?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>The next day was Vyasa-puja day, the celebration of Prabhupada’s seventy-fourth birthday. That morning a package arrived from New York containing several copies of the Vyasa-puja booklet, a twenty-five-page paperback filled with homages from Prabhupada’s disciples.</p>
<p>Months before, one of the devotees had discovered an old issue of a magazine published by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati; the magazine contained a Vyasa-puja homage Prabhupada had written commemorating the appearance day of his own spiritual master. When the article had been brought to Prabhupada’s attention, he said that his disciples could also write their own appreciations, just as he had done forty years before. So the devotees in New York had gathered offerings from seventeen different temples and had printed them all in a Vyasa-puja booklet.</p>
<p>Prabhupada was very pleased to receive the little booklet, and he had one of the devotees read it aloud in the temple. When all the readings were finished, he explained how service and prayers were accepted by Krishna through the medium of the disciplic succession. Although outsiders might think that, “This man is becoming flattered in hearing his own eulogy,” the real meaning of Vyasa-puja homage is that it is a test of how well the disciples were understanding Krishna consciousness and serving the spiritual master.</p>
<p>Their praises were all going to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the disciplic succession. And such praises were required training for the disciple, just as officers train soldiers in the military.</p>
<p>Reference: Prabhupada Lila – Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=66036">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=66036</a></p></div>53rd Edition of Sri Vyasa-puja Book Honoring Srila Prabhupada Now Available Onlinehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/53rd-edition-of-sri-vyasa-puja-book-honoring-srila-prabhupada-now2023-08-19T12:46:26.000Z2023-08-19T12:46:26.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12199918697,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="12199918697?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Thomas Haribol</strong></p>
<p>In advance of the Appearance Day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the 53rd edition of the Sri Vyasa-puja book is now available <a href="https://gbc.iskcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/spvp2023.pdf">online</a>.</p>
<p>The first volume of this kind was published in 1969, with homages from seventeen ISKCON temples. This latest version includes tributes from 155 temples, ISKCON leaders, and organizations, spanning nearly 450 pages.</p>
<p>The Introduction notes, “It has been 36 years since Srila Prabhupada enacted his disappearance pastimes, but perhaps his greatest achievement is still unfolding before our eyes: that his disciples, grand-disciples, and great-grand disciples have wholeheartedly imbibed his missionary spirit and dedication to spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to every town and village.”</p>
<p>The new Vyasa-puja book team, composed of Ananda Tirtha Dasa, Mukhya Devi Dasi, Praghosa Dasa, and Satyamedha Gauranga Dasa, expressed their appreciation to “Srila Prabhupada’s disciple, Dravida Dasa, who for decades has been the rock upon which the annual Vyasa-puja book has been constructed.” This year, Dravida passed on this responsibility to the new team of grand-disciples of Srila Prabhupada while still being available to guide them through this service. The 2023 publication includes Dravida’s insightful article entitled “The Meaning of Vyasa-puja.”</p>
<p>You can download or read the purifying publication by clicking the link <a href="https://gbc.iskcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/spvp2023.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/53rd-edition-of-sri-vyasa-puja-book-honoring-srila-prabhupada-now-available-online/">https://iskconnews.org/53rd-edition-of-sri-vyasa-puja-book-honoring-srila-prabhupada-now-available-online/</a></p></div>Reading Srila Prabhupada’s Books by Nikunja Vilasini dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/reading-srila-prabhupada-s-books-12023-05-08T10:30:00.000Z2023-05-08T10:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:center;"><img style="height:534px;width:400px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JIQ6DblLxLY/W88UZzUyXpI/AAAAAAAAnW8/ueFuliQ63BYHWl63CHhmSIGVXW8uCHXmQCHMYCw/s0/2018-10-23_14-29-09.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Throughout his teachings, Srila Prabhupada expresses his ardent desire that his followers read and study his books. Keshava Bharati Dasa Goswami, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has not only taken this basic instruction to heart but has made it his life’s work by inspiring others to systematically read Srila Prabhupada’s books. He has dedicated forty-six years to studying, editing, distributing, and teaching his spiritual master’s books and is convinced that all challenges, internal and external, individual and collective, can be overcome by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and applying the examples and precepts given therein into one’s character and practical dealings. In recent years, he has expressed in his Vyasa-puja offerings to Srila Prabhupada that reading his books out loud is especially potent. Thus, he has inspired the inauguration of Bhaktivedanta Reading Groups throughout the world and has heard from the participants how they feel spiritually revived by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books to one another. Please read Maharaja’s 2018 Vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada to get a glimpse into the magnificence and power of this practice. You can also watch this practice in action by going to the FaceBook page “Daily Readings of Srila Prabhupada’s Books” and “liking” it.</p>
<center>
<p><strong>Letting Śrīla Prabhupāda Speak for Himself</strong></p>
<p><strong>By Keśava Bhāratī Dāsa Goswami</strong></p>
<p><strong>Part 2</strong></p>
</center>
<p style="text-align:justify;">nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale<br /> śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe <br /> nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">My dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda,</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to you and your spiritually refreshing transcendental books, which are sowing seeds of pure devotion (bhakti) in the hearts of conditioned souls throughout a world suffering from the pangs of humanity’s degraded moral and spiritual values. Your books also nourish those seeds in the hearts of sincere souls who read them, especially those who drink the nectarean sound of your writings through their ears.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, your purports repeatedly remind us of the marvelous effects of hearing about the Absolute Truth:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Simply by receiving the glories of the Lord through purified transcendental ears, the devotees of the Lord are immediately freed from strong material desires and engagement in fruitive activities. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.24.62, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">A person trying to be perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious by hearing the words of Kṛṣṇa from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatamor Bhagavad-gītā certainly has all the dirty things cleansed from the core of his heart. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.19.25, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">A devotee who constantly engages in hearing and chanting (śravaṇa-kīrtana) is certainly freed from the disease of envy, and thus he becomes eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam9.11.23, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, my offering this year is a sequel to last year’s, which was written in Dallas as I was convalescing from an undiagnosed fever. As I mentioned in that offering, I felt so weakened from that fever that I took a break from writing to do my daily reading of your books. In that reading you warned me that one should be very careful of relapse from fever if one is still in the convalescent stage.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Having no idea at the time how serious the fever was, I must not have been careful enough because three days after submitting my offering I had a relapse that became a fever so extreme that it nearly took my life. In fact, after I was moved to Houston from Dallas, Doctor Gurubhakti later called a doctor in the UK and found out that the fever had been diagnosed as typhoid two weeks after I had been released from the hospital there and had flown to Dallas.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Just after I arrived in Houston, my health deteriorated to its lowest ebb. The first blood test showed very little water in my blood. How that manifested itself physically and mentally was that my senses could not connect very well to the environment around me and I became so weak that I could barely function. But by your grace, Śrīla Prabhupāda, from years of practice I had developed the habit of reading your books out loud every day; thus, I was able to continue to chant my rounds and read for at least an hour out loud every day throughout that dangerous ordeal.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">One evening during the peak of my health crisis, as I was preparing to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, I suddenly felt that I possessed nothing in this world. This consciousness was forced on me by my physical condition. It was not a result of spiritual contemplation or qualification on my part; nonetheless, the effect was there. And as I started to read out loud as best I could, the quality of the sound was different than usual. The words were the same, but somehow what I heard was more than I’d ever heard before. Suddenly I was understanding more than I had ever understood before. And the taste of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes was sweeter than ever before. Then, to my amazement, all at once my misery disappeared. I was no longer suffering.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I had been writing year after year about how important it is to read your books every day, especially out loud. I had also been stressing the number of pages to read that would allow one to finish the entire Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in just one year to get a continuity of the subject. But I had never paid enough attention to the quality of hearing and how important it is.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, the effect of submissively hearing the Supreme Lord’s pastimes is confirmed throughout Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. For example:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The author requests every reader to hear these talks with faith and without argument. By studying them in this way, one will be able to understand the confidential truth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 8.308]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Anyone who desires to cross over the ocean of nescience, please hear with great faith the life and characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 11.107]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Just try to hear these topics with faith, for there is great pleasure even in hearing them. That hearing will destroy all miseries pertaining to the body, mind, and other living entities, and the unhappiness of false arguments as well. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is ever-increasingly fresh. For one who hears it again and again, the heart and ear become pacified. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 19.110–111]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I was forced by circumstances to hear submissively, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I can’t honestly say that I was able to maintain the degree of freedom from misery I experienced that night, but the incident did greatly increase my already strong faith in hearing your books. Thus, my sense of mission to help revive the taste for hearing your books in devotees who, for whatever reason, have stopped reading them has increased exponentially. And my faith in reading them to newcomers as the best way to give them a taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness has become fixed.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Toward the end of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kavirāja Gosvāmī goes on to say:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I now worship the lotus feet of all my readers, for by the mercy of their lotus feet there is all good fortune.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">If one hears the pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, I wash his lotus feet and drink the water.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I decorate my head with the dust of the lotus feet of my audience. Now you have all drunk this nectar, and therefore my labor is successful. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 20.150–152]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Therefore, the readers of your books also become deserving of worship. And the active principle that underlies hearing with proper consciousness—with complete faith, without argument, in rapt attention—is the blessing of an eternal associate of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the eternal associate of the Lord who made it possible for the world to taste real relief from the sufferings of the degraded Age of Kali and to feel true happiness by reading your books, especially out loud.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Dearest Śrīla Prabhupāda, my heart overflows with gratitude to you. I have no love or pure faith, but by force of circumstances and by your blessings and training I was able to hear in an especially helpless condition, without the ability to think of anything except what I was hearing, without the capacity to mentally argue, doubt, or embellish. This was the silver lining in the dark cloud of a life-threatening disease. You taught us that we are all helpless in this material world. The difficulties and suffering we face are all Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, meant to help us hear His holy names and pastimes with a feeling of complete helplessness.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Whatever our social position, whatever our level of realization, whatever our service, however busy we may be, we must all find time every day to hear the teachings and pastimes of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is,Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And this near-death experience of mine increased my conviction that if we systematically hear, from cover to cover, the main books you gave us, again and again for the rest of our lives—along with following the regulative principles strictly, chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra while trying to avoid offenses, and distributing these jewels of wisdom to others less fortunate than ourselves—we will gradually become eligible to enter the pastimes of the Lord. Your translations and purports are transcendental, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Hearing them sincerely is as good as hearing the original Sanskrit. There is no other explanation for how Kṛṣṇa consciousness has spread across the globe in these degrading times. As you repeatedly tell us:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">It is not that because one has once finished the Bhagavad-gītā he should not hear it again. The word abhīkṣṇam is very important. We should hear again and again. There is no question of stopping: even if one has read these topics many times, he should go on reading again and again because bhagavat-kathā,the words spoken by Kṛṣṇa and spoken by Kṛṣṇa’s devotees about Kṛṣṇa, are amṛtam, nectar. The more one drinks this amṛtam, the more he advances in his eternal life. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.14.3–4, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In the śāstras—the purāṇas and other Vedic literatures—there are so many narrations describing the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and everyone should hear them again and again. For example, even if we read the entire Bhagavad-gītā every day, all eighteen chapters, in each reading we shall find a new explanation. That is the nature of transcendental literature. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.14.8, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">And what will happen if we stop hearing and studying your books?</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">During the rainy season the roads, not being cleansed, became covered with grass and debris and were thus difficult to make out. These roads were like religious scriptures that brāhmaṇas no longer study and that thus become corrupted and covered over with the passage of time. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.20.16]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">All the devotees connected with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep, and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure. [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya25.278, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the following excerpt from a lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you elaborate on how intensely you want your followers to read your books out loud:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Vidura particularly came to enlighten Dhṛtarāṣṭra and to give him a lift to the higher status of spiritual cognition. It is the duty of the enlightened souls to deliver the fallen ones, and Vidura came [for] that reason. But talks of spiritual enlightenment are so refreshing that while instructing Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Vidura attracted the attention of all the members of the family, and all of them took pleasure in hearing him patiently. This is the way of spiritual realization. The message should be heard attentively, and if spoken by a realized soul, it will act on the dormant heart of the conditioned soul. And by continuously hearing, one can attain the perfect stage of self-realization.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Therefore, śravaṇam is very essential. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. So in all our centers, this process should be followed. We have got now so many books. Simply if we read books . . . Our Yogeśvara Prabhu is very enthusiastic to read books. So everyone should read books, and others should hear. That is very essential, śravaṇam. The more you hear . . . We have got so many books. Whatever is already published . . . Just like we are describing one verse daily. So at least . . . There are so many verses already in stock, you can go on speaking for fifty years. These books already published, you can go on. There will be no want of stock.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">So this practice should be adopted. Don’t waste time. As much as possible, try to hear about this transcendental subject matter, Bhāgavatam. Yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyam. It is stated that “The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very, very dear to the Vaiṣṇavas, to the devotees.” In Vṛndāvana you will find they are always reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is their life and soul. So now we have got already six volumes, and further . . . How many? Eight volumes are coming? So you will have enough stock. So you should read. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. That is the main business. That is pure devotional service. Because we cannot devote twenty-four hours in hearing and chanting, therefore we have extended our activities, program activities, in so many ways. Otherwise, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so nice, if you practice anywhere, any condition, simply by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you will be happy. So adopt this practice and make your spiritual life perfect more and more. Thank you very much. [Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam1.13.12–14, Geneva, 3 June 1974]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In your 1975 visit to Perth, Śrīla Prabhupāda, a situation arose that compelled you to correct your devotees’ thinking. Kūrma Prabhu described what happened next in his book The Great Transcendental Adventure:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Prabhupāda’s chastisement went on for some minutes more. Then he suggested that someone bring a book and begin reading. As the devotees read aloud, they felt their ignorance dissipate. It was as if a heavy curtain was being lifted. Prabhupāda, the transcendental physician, had once again supplied the medicine—hearing and chanting about the glories of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa—to wipe out the disease of ignorance. The afternoon thus ended on a pleasant note, with an inspiring question and answer session before Prabhupāda spoke to his scheduled guest—a young Indian boy. [10 days in Perth, 1975]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In your purport to the verses in which Prahlāda Mahārāja describes the nine processes of devotional service, you analyze each one individually. In the first paragraph of the section explaining the process of hearing, you write:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śravaṇam. Hearing the holy name of the Lord (śravaṇam) is the beginning of devotional service. Although any one of the nine processes is sufficient, in chronological order the hearing of the holy name of the Lord is the beginning. Indeed, it is essential. . . .</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">And in the second paragraph of that same section, you write:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Hearing from the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is considered the most important process of hearing. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of transcendental chanting of the holy name, and therefore the chanting and hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are transcendentally full of mellows.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, great devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī have specifically described Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, and qualities. Unless one hears about the holy name, form, and qualities of the Lord, one cannot clearly understand the other processes of devotional service. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.23–24, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In another purport you state:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Hearing about the activities of Kṛṣṇa is the beginning of purified life. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ: simply by hearing and chanting, one becomes purified. Therefore, in discharging devotional service, śravaṇa-kīrtana(hearing and chanting) is most important. Then, with purified senses, one begins to render service to the Lord (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate): this is called bhakti. [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.6.34, purport]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda, on practically every page of your Bhaktivedānta purports you enlighten us about the importance of hearing your books along with the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. You insist that they are both kīrtana. They are equally important—essential, in fact. And you also confirm this same truth in discussions with your disciples. For example:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda: Both of them are kīrtana. When you chant, that is also kīrtana; when you distribute book, that is also kīrtana. When you read book, that is also kīrtana. [Morning walk, Honolulu, 19 January 1974]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In researching this subject, I came across the following statement of yours in a letter:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Along with the restaurants there can be “Bhaktivedanta Reading Room” where all my books can be kept and people can come and sit comfortably and read. The people will like these restaurants and reading rooms. They will take them as non-sectarian. [Letter to Śubhavilāsa, 16 March 1977]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, please forgive me if this suggestion seems impertinent: Recently, the leaders of your movement have recognized the importance of reviving the reading of your books—for so many devotees have fallen away from reading them—and to place you clearly in the center of your movement again as its founder-ācārya by placing your books in the center once again. A revival has begun, and many ideas are being put forward. When I read your words “Bhaktivedanta Reading Room,” I had a related idea: “Bhaktivedanta Reading Groups.” I seek your blessings to establish as many such reading groups as I can and to inspire ISKCON leaders to do the same. I can think of no more efficient way to put you solidly in the center of your movement. From devotees who have set up such reading groups and sustained them over the past year, I’ve heard that their spiritual lives have changed for the better by reading your books out loud together.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">To help propagate this revival, I’ve made a vow to live-stream my daily reading of your books. On the Facebook App, if one searches for “Daily Readings of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Books” and “likes” the page, one can hear your books, either live or at one’s convenience. Now I’m reading the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But when I finish the Bhāgavatam I’ll move on to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and read it out loud cover to cover; then the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, cover to cover; then back to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and so on, for the rest of my life. I seek your blessings, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to complete this vow.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, in 2015 I wrote this to you in my Vyāsa-pūjā offering:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I want to live in the Bhāgavatam, to make the Bhāgavatam and your other books my home, and to bring others into this transcendental abode. As Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī prays:</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">asādhu-sādhutā-dāyinn ati-nīcoccatā-kara<br /> hā na muñca kadācin maṁ premṇā hṛt-kanṭhayoḥ sphura</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">O [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam] bestower of saintliness to the unsaintly, O exalter of the most fallen, please never leave me. Always appear in my heart and my voice with pure love. [Śrī Kṛṣṇa-līlā-stava 416]</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">I am completely unqualified to fulfill this desire of mine, Śrīla Prabhupāda; thus, it will be possible only by your causeless mercy. On this auspicious day of the anniversary of your appearance, September 4, 2018, let me express my unending indebtedness to you for giving me a taste for reading out loud your sublime books and sharing that taste with others.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Your eternal servant,</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Keśava Bhāratī Dāsa Goswami</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=67841">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=67841</a></p></div>“Svalikhita Jivani” – Autobiography of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, published after a century by Bhaktivedanta Research Centerhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/svalikhita-jivani-autobiography-of-srila-bhaktivinoda-thakura-pub2023-02-27T10:57:19.000Z2023-02-27T10:57:19.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><em><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10973692056,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="512" alt="10973692056?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj and HH Guruprasad Swami Maharaj launching the book, Svalikhita Jivani at ISKCON Leadership Sanga in Sridham Mayapur on 15th February 2023</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Khusboo Basan </strong></p>
<p>Svalikhita Jivani, the autobiography of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura published by the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) in its original Bengali language was released at ISKCON Leadership Sanga by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj and HH Guruprasad Swami Maharaj facilitated by HG Gauranga Prabhu and HG Braj Vilas Prabhu on 15th Feb 2023 as part of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga event in Sridham Mayapur. The event was telecast <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcorirQf71c">live on Mayapur TV.</a></p>
<p>Originally, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur’s autobiography was written by him in the form of a letter to his son Lalita Prasad in 1896 and it was posthumously printed by the latter in 1916. However, after the first print, the book went out of circulation and remained almost beyond access over the course of the next hundred years.</p>
<div><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/svalikhita-jivani-autobiography-of-srila-bhaktivinoda-thakura-published-after-a-century-by-bhaktivedanta-research-center/">https://iskconnews.org/svalikhita-jivani-autobiography-of-srila-bhaktivinoda-thakura-published-after-a-century-by-bhaktivedanta-research-center/</a></div></div>Why We Distribute Books by Seva Devi Dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/why-we-distribute-books-12023-02-15T10:00:00.000Z2023-02-15T10:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><center>
<p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UtYZYLmRGj0/V2qpaWLHznI/AAAAAAAAcMg/2LfV4dpJFto/s0/2016-06-22_17-06-12.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="450" alt="2016-06-22_17-06-12.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></p>
</center>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>From Back to Godhead</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>A devotee-bookseller explains.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Have you ever met a Hare Krsna devotee in an airport, a parking lot, or on the street distributing books and collecting donations? Many people wonder why we do this. I’ve been distributing books for over six years, and I’d like to tell you something about the origin of book distribution.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Devotees are not ordinary booksellers; their bookselling is transcendental. It is sankirtana, the glorification of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Sankirtana can be executed very easily, without great endeavor or expense. One can simply chant the Hare Krsna mantra by himself or with others. Or one can read about and discuss the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. When we give someone a book, we allow him to get in touch with the philosophy and pastimes of Krsna. Any donation he gives helps support the book publication and the temples of the Krsna consciousness movement. Temples worldwide distribute prasadam (spiritual food) free of charge and give people the opportunity to come and take part in spiritual activities. And all of this is sankirtana, the glorification of Lord Krsna, which is what Krsna consciousness is all about.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Sankirtana is not new. Five hundred years ago in West Bengal, India, Lord Caitanya Krsna Himself in the role of His own devotee came to establish sankirtana as the process of purification in this age. At that time, many persons believed that one could attain perfection only by intense study of Sanskrit and the Vedas. They would spend their whole lives memorizing and discussing verses. Many also believed that spiritual life was open only to those bom in the families of brahmanas, or intellectuals. Lord Caitanya, however, did not concern Himself with caste distinctions, nor did He require candidates for spiritual life to possess vast amounts of learning. He allowed everyone the opportunity to engage in the service of God simply by chanting the holy names: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Lord Caitanya desired that the chanting of the holy names of God be spread to every town and village in the world. Traveling widely throughout India, He introduced people to the chanting of Hare Krsna and also asked them to give the chanting to others. He directed His most competent disciples to write books elaborating all aspects of devotional service to Krsna, for the benefit of people in the future.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">After Lord Caitanya left this world, many persons claiming to be His followers changed the essence of His teachings, until by the 1800s His teachings were no longer respected by intelligent, educated persons. Then, on September 2,1838, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a pure devotee of Lord Caitanya, was born in India. Although a highly placed government magistrate and the father of ten, Bhaktivinoda Thakura would rise very early every morning to write essays, books, poems, and songs about devotional service to Lord Krsna. Thus, through his writings and personal influence, he reestablished the purity and deep meaning of Lord Caitanya’s teachings.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Bhaktivinoda was very concerned that the message of Lord Caitanya be spread throughout the world, and he prayed to the Lord for a son to help him accomplish this mission. On February 6, 1874, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born to him in Jagannatha Puri. Even as a young boy, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was an avid scholar of Vedic literature, and his father trained him in proofreading and publishing his magazine, Sajjana-tosani. By age twenty-five, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had established himself as an outstanding author and scholar. He never married, but directed all his attention to the distribution of Krsna consciousness. He initiated many disciples and established the Gaudiya Math, a unified group of devotees, temples, and presses throughout India.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was especially interested in using the printing press to disseminate Krsna consciousness, and he coined the term “brhat mrdanga” (big mrdanga) in relation to the printing press. A mrdanga is a drum used to accompany the chanting of Hare Krsna. This drum can be heard for only a block or two, whereas the “brhat mrdanga” of the printing press can be heard all over the world.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was very eager to see that Lord Caitanya’s teachings be spread worldwide, and he always urged his disciples to take Krsna consciousness to the West, where most people were ignorant of spiritual life. One of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s disciples, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, very successfully carried out this instruction.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Srila Prabhupada was born on September 1, 1896, in Calcutta. An astrologer predicted that the child would be a great devotee of the Lord and in his later years would be a very successful religious leader, opening 108 temples around the world. His father, Gour Mohan De, was a pure devotee and very carefully trained Prabhupada in all the principles of devotional service.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">In 1922, Prabhupada met Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. At that time, Bhaktisiddhanta requested Prabhupada to spread Krsna consciousness in the West. From that first meeting, Prabhupada began planning how to carry out this instruction. In 1944, he began to publish a monthly magazine in English called BACK TO GODHEAD, which he would distribute to many people in India as well as abroad. In 1962, after retiring from family life, he began to translate into English and write commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam,India’s great spiritual classic, and by January 1965 he had published the first three volumes. With these books he felt confident to travel to America and spread Krsna consciousness.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">After one year in America, Prabhupada had gathered a few followers, and in 1966 he officially incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He initiated many disciples, some of whom he then sent to various cities to establish more centers. At first additional centers sprang up in America, then in Canada, Europe, India, and eventually all around the world. But the prime means for spreading Krsna consciousness, Prabhupada emphasized, was the distribution of transcendental literature.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Following the instructions of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada, the devotees in ISKCON are enthusiastically distributing books for the benefit of people everywhere. So, when you meet the devotees collecting donations, remember that they’re not out to exploit you by taking your money to give it to some big man at the top or to keep it for themselves. The members of ISKCON want to give people the opportunity to find out about Krsna consciousness and thus perfect their lives.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Charitable organizations abound, but to give a suffering person free food or medical treatment is incomplete, because it neglects to give a person the knowledge that he is not his body but an eternal spirit soul, servant of Krsna. As long as one does not have transcendental knowledge, he must repeatedly suffer birth, disease, old age, and death. All problems are due simply to a lack of God consciousness.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">The books the members of ISKCON are distributing present the science of God consciousness and explain how it can be implemented in society. The devotees who are distributing these books understand the urgency of presenting this message, and therefore they work with great determination. But it’s not easy. Most people are not inclined toward spiritual life, and a devotee has to tolerate a lot of rejection and harsh treatment, just as he tolerates the heat, cold, rain, and snow. You may have seen a devotee untiringly approaching people despite continual rejection, or running up to people in a parking lot for hours on a freezing winter day. Some people think that these devotees get a lot of money for this or that they’re “brainwashed,” because this kind of voluntary enthusiasm and determination isn’t ordinary. But for the devotee, distributing transcendental literature isn’t an ordinary job, and he derives transcendental satisfaction from meeting receptive people and from knowing he’s pleasing his spiritual master and Krsna.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Now hundreds of devotees all over the world are distributing Krsna conscious literature, and the desire of the great spiritual masters and the Supreme Lord is being fulfilled. The “brhat mrdanga” is being heard all over the world, and people are being benefited.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28777">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28777</a></p></div>Call for Homages for Srila Prabhupada’s 2023 Vyasa Puja Bookhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupada-s-2023-vyasa-puja-book2023-02-04T13:53:44.000Z2023-02-04T13:53:44.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10954199263,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="10954199263?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></p>
<p>January 27, 2023</p>
<p>Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,</p>
<p>Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!</p>
<p>Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 15.</p>
<p>NOTE: This year a new team of devotees will be producing Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja book. Therefore please do not send your homage to Dravida Dasa at dravida108@gmail.com but rather to Ananda Tirtha Dasa at Ananda.Tirtha.pvs@pamho.net.</p>
<p>In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out <a href="http://www.sptributes.com">www.sptributes.com</a> to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is April 15.</p>
<p>The standards for submitting an homage to the Vyasa-puja book published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are as follows:</p>
<p>————</p>
<p>*Absolutely no homages will be accepted after April 15, 2023.*</p>
<p>Homages must be in English.</p>
<p>Please restrict the length to a maximum of 2,500 words.</p>
<p>Please omit all diacritics on words that can be found in the VedaBase. It’s easier for us to put them in. If you quote a verse from outside the VedaBase or compose original Sanskrit, please include diacritics. Any quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s writings or spoken words must be available in the VedaBase.</p>
<p>Do not “recycle” an homage — no homages from previous years will be accepted.</p>
<p>The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada, not venting grievances. We reserve the right to reject an inappropriate homage or ask for a rewrite.</p>
<p>When writing an homage on behalf of a temple or other unit, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your unit can also identify with the homage.</p>
<p>Who may write an homage?</p>
<p>1) Governing Body Commissioners</p>
<p>2) GBC Emeriti</p>
<p>3) Sannyasis</p>
<p>4) Authorized representatives of ISKCON temples, ministries, preaching centers, farms, gurukulas, BBT offices, and “others,” such as BTG magazine and ISCOWP (this is not a complete list). If there is some doubt, we will request you to send written authorization from your GBC representative.</p>
<p>No multiple homages. For example, a temple should not enlist all its bhaktas to write homages under the temple heading. Joint authorship (2-4 devotees) of a single homage is fine.</p>
<p>Please make sure you tell us where the homage originates. For example: New Vamsivata (the Madagascar farm community), NOT just New Vamsivata. If we don’t know where the homage comes from, we will not print it.</p>
<p>Always leave a double space between paragraphs. If you want some special formatting, submit your homage as an attached file in DOC, DOCX, or RTF format.</p>
<p>Submit your homage by emailing it to Ananda Tirtha Dasa at Ananda.Tirtha.pvs@pamho.net.</p>
<p>Homages may be submitted any time from now until April 15, 2023. We will confirm receipt of your homage by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation, resend it.</p>
<p>We are not responsible for lost homages.</p>
<p>————</p>
<p>Hoping this meets you well, I remain<br /> Your servant,<br /> Dravida dasa<br /> <br /> <strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?post_type=post&p=105760#">http://www.dandavats.com/?post_type=post&p=105760#</a></p></div>Nagendra finally stops for books by Bhakta Nirmalhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/nagendra-finally-stops-for-books-by-bhakta-nirmal2022-08-23T11:45:19.000Z2022-08-23T11:45:19.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10784152461,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="300" alt="10784152461?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></p>
<p>In Manchester, Nagendra dashed past me as I attempted to stop him. He did however capture a momentary glimpse of our “Veda” book and seconds later he returned to find out more.</p>
<p>I spoke about “Veda” and also introduced him to the Bhagavad Gita. He then revealed that a couple of years ago someone in the City Centre stood in the exact same spot as me, tried to give him a Bhagavad Gita, and he said he would come back later to take it. However, he never did. Since that day he’s sometimes felt overwhelmed by a strong sense of guilt and regret that he had never returned to take the book.</p>
<p>I further expounded the scriptures and explained that if he would also like to distribute some of them to others he would receive endless blessings and that would certainly dissipate his guilt for not having taken a Bhagvad Gita on the previous occasion.</p>
<p>He was elated to hear this and gave an extremely generous donation in exchange for five copies of the Bhagavad Gita and five copies of the Veda to distribute to his friends. He also took a copy of Higher Taste, as he has been contemplating becoming a vegetarian for a while and needs some inspiration. In addition, he took a copy of Chant & Be Happy to learn this form of meditation.</p>
<p>This encounter illustrates that, whilst people may not initially take a book, their destiny will always bring them back to the transcendental literature. We are simply instruments of the Lord who present a window of opportunity and when the time is right for that person, divine intervention will do the rest.<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://www.iskconbookdistribution.com/nagendra-finally-stops-for-books/">https://www.iskconbookdistribution.com/nagendra-finally-stops-for-books/</a></p></div>Srila Prabhupada’s 2022 Vyasa-puja book now availablehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-prabhupada-s-2022-vyasa-puja-book-now-available2022-08-03T10:47:27.000Z2022-08-03T10:47:27.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10742790273,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="10742790273?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></p>
<p>If you live in North America, this year’s Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book can now be ordered from the North American offices of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. The price is $14.25 plus shipping. The book can be ordered any time, but please order your copy by calling 1-800-927-4152 no later than August 5th so you’ll receive it in time for Vyasa-puja, on August 20th. If you’re not a resident of North America, contact your local BBT office to order your copy of the Vyasa-puja book.</p>
<p>The book will also be available as a pdf download from Krishna.com on and after Vyasa-puja day.</p>
<p>Your servant,<br /> Dravida dasa<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=101141">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=101141</a></p></div>Hon. Governor of Kerala Inaugurates New Srila Prabhupada Bookhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/hon-governor-of-kerala-inaugurates-new-srila-prabhupada-book2022-05-24T13:29:00.000Z2022-05-24T13:29:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10511796658,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="10511796658?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></p>
<p>The Governor of Kerala state of India, honorable Shri. Arif Mohammad Khan officially inaugurated the brief biography of Srila Prabhupada titled ‘The Captain’ written by Toshan Nimai Das from ISKCON Pune on 4th May 2022.</p>
<p>Written and presented on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the appearance of Srila Prabhupada, this book is based on Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita and other biographies of Srila Prabhupada and is presented in a brief biography style in 14 chapters. After each chapter, the author has added an essay containing philosophical tidbits, historical information, and practical application points such as easy-to-remember acronyms, icons, statistics, etc. The appendices, in the end, contain other relevant and interesting information about Srila Prabhupada. Full of pictures and hand illustrations, this book is written mainly for guests and dignitaries visiting ISKCON, for school competitions on Srila Prabhupada, for new devotees, etc.<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/hon-governor-of-kerala-inaugurates-new-srila-prabhupada-book/">https://iskconnews.org/hon-governor-of-kerala-inaugurates-new-srila-prabhupada-book/</a></p></div>Second call for Homages for Srila Prabhupada’s 2022 Vyasa Puja Bookhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/second-call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupada-s-2022-vyasa-puja-bo2022-02-09T12:45:16.000Z2022-02-09T12:45:16.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10083595867,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="350" alt="10083595867?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></p>
<p>Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,</p>
<p>Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!</p>
<p>Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 7.</p>
<p>In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out <a href="https://href.li/?http://www.sptributes.com">www.sptributes.com</a> to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is April 15.</p>
<p>The standards for submitting an offering to the Vyasa-puja book published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are as follows:</p>
<p>*Absolutely no offerings will be accepted after April 7, 2022.*</p>
<p>Offerings must be in English.</p>
<p>Please restrict the length to a maximum of 2,500 words.</p>
<p>Please omit all diacritics on words that can be found in the VedaBase. It’s easier for us to put them in. If you quote a verse from outside the VedaBase or compose original Sanskrit, please include diacritics. Any quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s writings or spoken words must be available in the VedaBase.</p>
<p>Do not “recycle” an offering — no offerings from previous years will be accepted.</p>
<p>The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada, not venting grievances. The BBT reserves the right to reject an offering it deems inappropriate or to ask for a rewrite.</p>
<p>When writing an offering on behalf of a temple or other unit, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your unit can also identify with the offering.</p>
<p>Who may write an offering?</p>
<p>1) Governing Body Commissioners</p>
<p>2) GBC Emeriti</p>
<p>3) Sannyasis</p>
<p>4) Authorized representatives of ISKCON temples, ministries, preaching centers, farms, gurukulas, BBT offices, and “others,” such as BTG magazine and ISCOWP (this is not a complete list). If there is some doubt, we will request you to send written authorization from your GBC representative.</p>
<p>No multiple offerings. For example, a temple should not enlist all its bhaktas to write offerings under the temple heading. Joint authorship (2-4 devotees) of a single offering is fine.</p>
<p>Please make sure you tell us where the offering originates. For example: New Vamsivata (the Madagascar farm community), NOT just New Vamsivata. If we don’t know where the offering comes from, we will not print it.</p>
<p>Always leave a double space between paragraphs. If you want some special formatting, submit your offering as an attached file in DOC, DICX, or RTF format.</p>
<p>Submit your offering by emailing it to Dravida Dasa at dravida108@gmail.com.</p>
<p>Offerings may be submitted any time from now until April 7, 2022. We will confirm receipt of your offering by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation, resend it.</p>
<p>The BBT is not responsible for lost offerings.</p>
<p>Hoping this meets you well, I remain<br /> Your servant,<br /> Dravida dasa<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://dandavats.tumblr.com/post/673115656154234880/second-call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupadas">https://dandavats.tumblr.com/post/673115656154234880/second-call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupadas</a></p></div>Call for Homages for Srila Prabhupada’s 2022 Vyasa Puja Bookhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupada-s-2022-vyasa-puja-book2022-01-14T12:00:25.000Z2022-01-14T12:00:25.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10011751301,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="10011751301?profile=RESIZE_400x" />Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,</p>
<p>Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!</p>
<p>Kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 7.</p>
<p>In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out <a href="https://href.li/?http://www.sptributes.com">www.sptributes.com</a> to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is April 15.</p>
<p>The standards for submitting an offering to the Vyasa-puja book published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are as follows:</p>
<p>————</p>
<p>*Absolutely no offerings will be accepted after April 7, 2022.*</p>
<p>Offerings must be in English.</p>
<p>Please restrict the length to a maximum of 2,500 words.</p>
<p>Please omit all diacritics on words that can be found in the VedaBase. It’s easier for us to put them in. If you quote a verse from outside the VedaBase or compose original Sanskrit, please include diacritics. Any quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s writings or spoken words must be available in the VedaBase.</p>
<p>Do not “recycle” an offering — no offerings from previous years will be accepted.</p>
<p>The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada, not venting grievances. The BBT reserves the right to reject an offering it deems inappropriate or to ask for a rewrite.</p>
<p>When writing an offering on behalf of a temple or other unit, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your unit can also identify with the offering.</p>
<p>Who may write an offering?</p>
<p>1) Governing Body Commissioners</p>
<p>2) GBC Emeriti</p>
<p>3) Sannyasis</p>
<p>4) Authorized representatives of ISKCON temples, ministries, preaching centers, farms, gurukulas, BBT offices, and “others,” such as BTG magazine and ISCOWP (this is not a complete list). If there is some doubt, we will request you to send written authorization from your GBC representative.</p>
<p>No multiple offerings. For example, a temple should not enlist all its bhaktas to write offerings under the temple heading. Joint authorship (2-4 devotees) of a single offering is fine.</p>
<p>Please make sure you tell us where the offering originates. For example: New Vamsivata (the Madagascar farm community), NOT just New Vamsivata. If we don’t know where the offering comes from, we will not print it.</p>
<p>Always leave a double space between paragraphs. If you want some special formatting, submit your offering as an attached file in DOC, DICX, or RTF format.</p>
<p>Submit your offering by emailing it to Dravida Dasa at dravida108@gmail.com.</p>
<p>Offerings may be submitted any time from now until April 7, 2022. We will confirm receipt of your offering by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation, resend it.</p>
<p>The BBT is not responsible for lost offerings.</p>
<p>Hoping this meets you well, I remain<br /> Your servant,<br /> Dravida dasa<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://dandavats.tumblr.com/post/673115656154234880/call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupadas-2022-vyasa">https://dandavats.tumblr.com/post/673115656154234880/call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupadas-2022-vyasa</a></p></div>Award-Winning Introduction to Bhakti “Wise Love” Released in Spanishhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/award-winning-introduction-to-bhakti-wise-love-released-in-spanis2021-11-10T11:28:02.000Z2021-11-10T11:28:02.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9787452096,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="550" alt="9787452096?profile=RESIZE_584x" />By Madhava Smullen </strong></p>
<p>Wise Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness, an innovative introductory book to the path of Bhakti for a modern Western audience, has been translated into Spanish as Amor Sabio, and is now available in paperback and Kindle editions.</p>
<p>Author Pranada Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, first released Wise Love in March 2018. The book replaces common ISKCON vernacular with more accessible terms for philosophical concepts. “Wise Love” itself, for instance, refers to Bhakti, meaning love that is grounded in reason and philosophy. The essential theme of the book is love – how our current experience of love is unsatisfying, because we lack wise love, unconditional and grounded in a relationship with the Supreme Person.</p>
<p>After reading Wise Love in English, a devotee from Puerto Rico, who wishes to remain anonymous, was moved to translate it. “There’s no book like this,” he commented. “It fills such a need in our outreach work, giving people a comprehensive look at our philosophy and theology without dogma. It calls the reader to come to their own conclusions, but presents Bhakti in a way that makes so much sense to them that they feel they should look into it more.”</p>
<p>Wise Love presented a particular challenge even to the experienced translator; due to the unique way it expresses philosophical concepts, especially deep thought was required.</p>
<p>The book was also edited and finalized by Spanish BBT editor Partha Das, resulting in a high quality translation.</p>
<p>Amor Sabio is already highly anticipated by some Spanish-speaking readers. “I heard from one reader in Mexico who had read Wise Love in English, and said it inspired some of her most profound ‘aha!’ moments,” Pranada says. “She said she was very excited that it was coming out in Spanish, and that she planned on giving it as a gift to several people.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile Wise Love continues to make quite an impact in its original English edition. The book was a 2019 Montaigne Medal Winner, an award given “For the most thought-provoking books that illuminate, progress, or redirect thought.”</p>
<p>The Bhakti Center in New York City is currently running a fifteen-week course using Wise Love and the free eCourse that accompanies the book. Lavangalatika Dasi in Dallas, who is teaching the course for The Bhakti Center, says students are going deep into the book and deriving a lot from it.</p>
<p>In Washington D.C., devotees printed a bag inscribed with the words “Wise Love,” and would call people to their book tables by talking to them about Wise Love. They would then invite them to get Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is along with Wise Love.<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/award-winning-introduction-to-bhakti-wise-love-released-in-spanish,8070/">https://iskconnews.org/award-winning-introduction-to-bhakti-wise-love-released-in-spanish,8070/</a></p></div>My Daily Prayers – A Gift From Sivarama Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/my-daily-prayers-a-gift-from-sivarama-swami2021-09-25T10:30:00.000Z2021-09-25T10:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:center;"><img style="height:606px;width:450px;" src="https://i.imgur.com/NZtYk4k.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><strong>By Sivarama Swami</strong><br /> <br /> Some years back, in response to repeated requests to write something about prayer, we published the prayers I recite daily upon rising. The name of the book is My Daily Prayers. While that book is now out of print, Lāl Publishing would like to make it easily available to devotees as an ebook, which can be downloaded from here: <a href="https://srsbooks.com/gift/">https://srsbooks.com/gift/</a>.</p>
<p>At this time our planet and our devotees need prayer. No doubt many devotees have their own prayers. Yet some do not. It can be downloaded, there is no cost. You can forward it to whoever you think would value it or who would benefit from it. Our hope is that the contents will ease devotees’ concerns during the challenging times that face us.</p>
<p>With a prayer that Radha-Syama protect you all and enable you to remember their names, forms, qualities and pastimes whatever providence has in store; I thank you!</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads72/MDP-cover.png" alt="" /><br /> <a href="https://srsbooks.com/gift/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/JbhPZBw.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=84472">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=84472</a></p></div>The first Vyasa Puja book by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-first-vyasa-puja-book-by-satsvarupa-dasa-goswami2021-08-31T11:35:03.000Z2021-08-31T11:35:03.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9507171664,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="9507171664?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></p>
<p>The next day was Vyasa-puja day, the celebration of Prabhupada’s seventy-fourth birthday. That morning a package arrived from New York containing several copies of the Vyasa-puja booklet, a twenty-five-page paperback filled with homages from Prabhupada’s disciples.</p>
<p>Months before, one of the devotees had discovered an old issue of a magazine published by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati; the magazine contained a Vyasa-puja homage Prabhupada had written commemorating the appearance day of his own spiritual master. When the article had been brought to Prabhupada’s attention, he said that his disciples could also write their own appreciations, just as he had done forty years before. So the devotees in New York had gathered offerings from seventeen different temples and had printed them all in a Vyasa-puja booklet.</p>
<p>Prabhupada was very pleased to receive the little booklet, and he had one of the devotees read it aloud in the temple. When all the readings were finished, he explained how service and prayers were accepted by Krishna through the medium of the disciplic succession. Although outsiders might think that, “This man is becoming flattered in hearing his own eulogy,” the real meaning of Vyasa-puja homage is that it is a test of how well the disciples were understanding Krishna consciousness and serving the spiritual master.</p>
<p>Their praises were all going to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the disciplic succession. And such praises were required training for the disciple, just as officers train soldiers in the military.</p>
<p>Reference: Prabhupada Lila – Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami</p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=66036">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=66036</a></p></div>Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja Book 2021https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-prabhupada-s-vyasa-puja-book-20212021-08-31T09:50:09.000Z2021-08-31T09:50:09.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9506734897,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="9506734897?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hare Krishna,<br /> Dear Devotees<br /> <br /> Click this link for download pdf : <br /> <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9506657279,original{{/staticFileLink}}">Srila Prabhupada's 2021 Vyasa Puja Book</a></p></div>How to Get Srila Prabhupada’s 2021 Vyasa-puja Book by Dravida Das.https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-get-srila-prabhupada-s-2021-vyasa-puja-book-by-dravida-das2021-07-27T11:49:48.000Z2021-07-27T11:49:48.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9318679654,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="9318679654?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></p>
<p>As usual, this year’s Vyäsa-püjä book will be available as a free PDF file.<br /> We will not have a traditional print run, but if we get pre-orders for at least fifty books we can produce the book as a print-on-demand project for North America only. The cost will be approximately $33 per book. Shipping is extra, priced according to destination.<br /> Please call the BBT (1-800-927-4152) to place your order. Orders must be received by Friday, July 30!<br /> If you reside outside North America, please contact your nearest BBT office.<br /> Addresses can be found here: <a href="https://www.bbt.org/contact-us" target="_blank">https://www.bbt.org/contact-us</a></p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dandavats/posts/2024567207708185">https://www.facebook.com/Dandavats/posts/2024567207708185</a><br /> </p></div>Vrinda Sheth Talks About The Final Book of Her Ramayana Trilogy Focusing on Sita’s Perspectivehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/vrinda-sheth-talks-about-the-final-book-of-her-ramayana-trilogy-f2021-03-23T10:57:57.000Z2021-03-23T10:57:57.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8696187480,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="550" alt="8696187480?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Madhava Smullen</strong></p>
<p>Destroyer of Sorrow, the epic conclusion to Vrinda Sheth’s Sita’s Fire trilogy based on the Ramayana, is set to be released by Mandala Publishing on April 20th. Hardbound and 336 pages long, the book features over ninety illustrations by Vrinda’s mother Anna Johansson (Annapurna Dasi) and is the culmination of a decade of work on the trilogy by the mother and daughter team. (Pre-order here: <a href="https://sitasfire.com/">https://sitasfire.com/</a>)</p>
<p>In this final volume, Princess Sita defies all odds to rise above the forces that threaten to consume her and faces her own demons, as well as the terrible Ravana. Meanwhile, Sita’s beloved husband, Rama, and his brother continue their desperate search for Sita. Ultimately, an epic battle between the forces of good and evil ensues, with implications for Sita, and for all of humanity, in the balance.</p>
<p>Alternately told through the perspectives of Sita and Hanuman, Destroyer of Sorrow reveals an entirely new side to this classic saga. Dr. Vandana Shiva writes in her foreword, “Vrinda brings out the agency of Sita in protecting herself, her integrity, and her autonomy while held captive by Ravana.”</p>
<p>Here author Vrinda Sheth talks about Destroyer of Sorrow, her unique approach, her journey throughout writing the trilogy, and how it has changed her life.</p>
<p><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/vrinda-sheth-talks-about-the-final-book-of-her-ramayana-trilogy-focusing-on-sitas-perspective,7732/">https://iskconnews.org/vrinda-sheth-talks-about-the-final-book-of-her-ramayana-trilogy-focusing-on-sitas-perspective,7732/</a></p></div>Final call for Homages for Srila Prabhupada’s 2021 Vyasa Puja Bookhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/final-call-for-homages-for-srila-prabhupada-s-2021-vyasa-puja-boo2021-03-10T11:51:51.000Z2021-03-10T11:51:51.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8652068478,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8652068478?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="400" /></p>
<p>March 9, 2021</p>
<p>Dear follower of Srila Prabhupada,</p>
<p>Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!</p>
<p>This is our final reminder to kindly submit your homage to Srila Prabhupada for his Vyasa-puja book by April 7.</p>
<p>In addition, if you’re a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, please check out <a href="http://www.sptributes.com">www.sptributes.com</a> to learn about a Vyasa-puja book open to all his disciples. The deadline for submission to this book is April 15.</p>
<p>The standards for submitting an offering to the Vyasa-puja book published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are as follows:<br /> </p>
<p>*Absolutely no offerings will be accepted after April 7, 2021.*</p>
<p>Offerings must be in English.</p>
<p>Please restrict the length to a maximum of 2,500 words.</p>
<p>Please omit all diacritics on words that can be found in the VedaBase. It’s easier for us to put them in. If you quote a verse from outside the VedaBase or compose original Sanskrit, please include diacritics.</p>
<p>Do not “recycle” an offering — no offerings from previous years will be accepted.</p>
<p>The Vyasa-puja book is meant for glorifying Srila Prabhupada, not venting grievances. The BBT reserves the right to reject an offering it deems inappropriate or to ask for a rewrite.</p>
<p>When writing an offering on behalf of a temple or other unit, please try to write in such a way that the other devotees in your unit can also identify with the offering.</p>
<p>Who may write an offering?</p>
<p>1) Governing Body Commissioners</p>
<p>2) GBC Emeriti</p>
<p>3) Sannyasis</p>
<p>4) Authorized representatives of ISKCON temples, ministries, preaching centers, farms, gurukulas, BBT offices, and “others,” such as BTG magazine and ISCOWP (this is not a complete list). If there is some doubt, we will request you to send written authorization from your GBC representative.</p>
<p>No multiple offerings. For example, a temple should not enlist all its bhaktas to write offerings under the temple heading. Joint authorship (2-4 devotees) of a single offering is fine.</p>
<p>Please make sure you tell us where the offering originates. For example: New Vamsi-vata (the Madagascar farm community), NOT just New Vamsi-vata. If we don’t know where the offering comes from, we will not print it.</p>
<p>Always leave a double space between paragraphs. If you want some special formatting, submit your offering as an attached file in Microsoft Word or RTF format.</p>
<p>Submit your offering by emailing it to Dravida Dasa at dravida108@gmail.com.</p>
<p>Offerings may be submitted any time from now until April 7, 2021. We will confirm receipt of your offering by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation, resend it.</p>
<p>The BBT is not responsible for lost offerings.</p>
<p>Hoping this meets you well, I remain<br /> Your servant,<br /> Dravida dasa</p>
<div><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92563">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92563</a></div>
<div> </div></div>New Book Recounts History of Building Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/new-book-recounts-history-of-building-srila-prabhupada-s-samadhi2021-02-21T06:48:06.000Z2021-02-21T06:48:06.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><strong><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8580211292,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8580211292?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="400" />By Madhava Smullen</strong></p>
<p>“The Rising Sun: Vrindavan Samadhi Diary” by Alfred Valerio (Bhaktisiddhanta Das), now available on Amazon Kindle, recounts the story of how the Vrindaban samadhi, or mausoleum, for ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada was built. </p>
<p>Author Bhaktisiddhanta Das, a seasoned professional in bronze casting, fiber-glass and mixed media sculpture, assisted in the design and construction of both the Vrindaban Samadhi and Mayapur Pushpa Samadhi of Srila Prabhupada. He also created sculptural panels and oil murals for the ISKCON Delhi Glory of India Museum, and has been assisting in the design of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur. </p>
<p>His book covers Srila Prabhupada’s final moments, and tells the history of his Vrindaban Samadhi, starting with the beginning of construction in 1978 and ending with the recent installation of new bronze panels in 2016, including all the setbacks, difficulties and successes. Along the way, paintings show each stage of construction.</p>
<p>The book describes how the late Surabhir Abhipalayantam Das, who was tasked with constructing both Srila Prabhupada’s Vrindaban and Mayapur samadhis, conceived the design.<br /> <br /> <strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://iskconnews.org/new-book-recounts-history-of-building-srila-prabhupadas-samadhi,7696/">https://iskconnews.org/new-book-recounts-history-of-building-srila-prabhupadas-samadhi,7696/</a></p></div>Daily Readings of Srila Prabhupada’s Bookshttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/daily-readings-of-srila-prabhupada-s-books2021-01-25T11:00:00.000Z2021-01-25T11:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><center>
<p><img class="align-center" src="https://i.imgur.com/6hyMSbO.jpg?profile=RESIZE_400x" alt="6hyMSbO.jpg?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="400" /></p>
</center>
<p><strong>By Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami</strong></p>
<p>Vyasapuja offering to Srila Prabhupada 2020</p>
<p>My dearest Srila Prabhupada,</p>
<p>Please accept millions of my heartfelt obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada, service to your lotus feet, to your instructions – especially those found in your translations of and Bhaktivedanta purports to the most essential works of the vast Vedic scripture, the source of all knowledge – are my life and soul. Indeed, hearing and distributing this transcendental sound is my very life.</p>
<p>Your Divine Grace, for your pleasure, let me attempt to glorify you on this holiest of days marking the 124th year of your appearance in this world.</p>
<p>Your service to your guru maharaja and to the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu reigns unique in history. No one else has spread pure Krsna consciousness throughout the entire world in so many languages and transplanted it into so many cultures. The ways to examine that uniqueness are myriad, but I would like to focus on one aspect of your unique greatness. You mentioned it in a room conversation in Australia:</p>
<p>Brian Singer: What does… When you become Krsna conscious, does it mean you come into the chapel, or can you lead the sort of life that we lead and still…?</p>
<p>Prabhupada: No, going to the chapel, that is one of the means. But there are nine different processes, of which hearing about Krsna is the most important thing, sravanam. If you continuously hear about… Therefore these books are there, hearing and chanting. If you cannot read, I’ll read; you hear. I’ll speak. Or you will speak; I’ll hear. These two processes are very important. Therefore we are presenting in English language the subject matter of Krsna so elaborately. We have published eighty-two books like this. If you read one book… This is the preliminary study. Then, if you read it with great attention, you become Krsna conscious immediately. Then you understand about Krsna from Srimad-Bhagavatam in sixty books, and then you enjoy the transcendental pleasure in Caitanya-caritamrta in seventeen books. So you cannot finish even within your life, so many books are there. And you’ll forget reading other books.</p>
<p>Brian Singer: We’ll just…?</p>
<p>Prabhupada: The first book of reading is this, Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita is well known all over the world. Every scholar, religionist, everyone reads, all over the world. But sometimes they are misinterpreted foolishly. We are therefore presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any foolish interpretation. What Krsna says, we repeat the same thing.</p>
<p>Brian Singer: Do you find that in the translation from the thoughts and the Sanskrit to the English words, then from the English words to the mass of the people’s heads, do you find that there is much loss?</p>
<p>Prabhupada: No, if you have grasped the thought, that you can express in any language. But if you cannot grasp the thought, then you cannot express. So the… Our translation is that we have to receive the thoughts as it is by the parampara system. Therefore it is presented so nicely, and people like it. It is… It is the value of the subject matter. That we have to receive from authorities. Just like any scientific book, say medical science. You cannot understand medical science [just] by reading the books. It must be received through a medical man. Then it will be clear. (760422R3 Melbourne)</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada, the entire International Society for Krishna Consciousness is expanding all over the world on the basis of the transcendental literature you have published and continue to publish to this day through your Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. And as you said yourself in the introduction to your Bhagavad-gita As It Is:</p>
<p>Recently an American lady asked me to recommend an English translation of Bhagavad-gita. Of course in America there are so many editions of Bhagavad-gita available in English, but as far as I have seen, not only in America but also in India, none of them can be strictly said to be authoritative because in almost every one of them the commentator has expressed his own opinions without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gita as it is.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada, throughout your Bhaktivedanta purports you repeatedly touch on this concept of how to properly gasp the thoughts contained in the Vedic literature and to explain those intricate spiritual concepts with realization so that any honest and reasonable person who hears them will be able to properly understand them. The result? You did the seemingly impossible. You were able to explain the essence of the Absolute Truth, which is the goal of the Vedas (Bg. 15.15) in a way that any sincere person could understand that God––the Absolute Truth, the source of all knowledge––must be a person.</p>
<p>We are propagating the Krsna consciousness movement simply by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We may not be very well versed in the Vedanta-sutra aphorisms and may not understand their meaning, but we follow in the footsteps of the acaryas, and because of our strictly and obediently following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is to be understood that we know everything regarding the Vedanta-sutra.” (Cc Adi-lila 7.148, purport)</p>
<p>One can overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the material world by practicing bhakti-yoga, and therefore Vyasadeva, acting on the instruction of Sri Narada, has very kindly introduced Srimad-Bhagavatam to relieve the conditioned souls from the clutches of maya. Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must read Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. (Cc Adi 7.73, purport)</p>
<p>Personal realization does not mean that one should, out of vanity, attempt to show one’s own learning by trying to surpass the previous acarya. One must have full confidence in the previous acarya, and at the same time one must realize the subject matter so nicely that he can present the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable manner. The original purpose of the text must be maintained. No obscure meaning should be screwed out of it, yet it should be presented in an interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. This is called realization. (SB 1.4.1, purport)</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada, in my offerings to you over the past five years, I have tried to document your desire that we constantly read you books, especially out loud to one another, as you explained above to Brian Singer, in order to understand how to chant the holy names properly, without offense, and achieve love of God through nama sankirtana.</p>
<p>This is not my word; this is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have to associate with kirtana. The reading is also kirtana, and chanting on the beads, that is also kirtana. There is no difference. So make your life in such a way. Either chant Hare Krsna or read books. (Lecture, 02/27/75, Miami)</p>
<p>Persons conducted by such a conception of life can never get liberation from material bondage. But even a person perpetually condemned to the miseries of material existence can get relief from bondage if he simply agrees to hear only krsna-katha. In this Age of Kali, the process of hearing krsna-katha is the most effective means of gaining release from unwanted family affection and thus finding permanent freedom in life. The Age of Kali is full of sinful reactions, and people are more and more addicted to the qualities of this age, but simply by hearing and chanting of krsna-katha one is sure to go back to Godhead. Therefore, people should be trained to hear only krsna-katha – by all means – in order to get relief from all miseries. (SB 3.5.44, purport)</p>
<p>The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from the clutches of maya can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme transcendental platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu presented Himself as a fool because prior to accepting the shelter of a spiritual master He could not understand that simply by chanting one can be relieved from all material conditions. But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His spiritual master and followed his instructions, He very easily saw the path of liberation. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra must be understood to be devoid of all offenses. The ten offenses against the holy name are as follows: (1) to blaspheme a devotee of the Lord, (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are many gods, (3) to neglect the orders of the spiritual master, (4) to minimize the authority of scriptures (Vedas), (5) to interpret the holy name of God, (6) to commit sins on the strength of chanting, (7) to instruct the glories of the Lord’s name to the unfaithful, (8) to compare the chanting of the holy name with material piety, (9) to be inattentive while chanting the holy name, and (10) to be attached to material things in spite of chanting the holy name.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada, now, after reading out loud every day for the past two years your translations over the internet, cover to cover, of the Bhagavad-gita As Is and Srimad-Bhagavatam and now Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, including your Bhaktivedanta purports, the fruits are beginning to show and to ripen. Please allow me to share an atomic drop of what is possible by associating with you through hearing your transcendental books, even as a worldwide health crisis plunges the world into chaos, forcing the total lockdown of entire countries, even shutting down the normal activities of ISKCON’s temples.</p>
<p>The following is a sample from the many letters I am receiving, this one from a devotee who has been listening every day to the Face Book page “Daily Readings of Srila Prabhupada’s Books” (which is now available on the YouTube channel of the same name):</p>
<p>Maharaja, I’d like to share a little update with you on my reading groups in Sydney because I know that you are enthused by sharing and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and you are encouraging devotees to also do this – and that’s what’s given me the enthusiasm to try and do this service. Here in Sydney we’re quickly moving towards lockdown like other countries. I’m mostly at home however my reading groups are getting bigger even though they are all online now and this is really very blissful. This pandemic has meant people have more anxiety and uncertainty in their lives but also more time to search for spiritual solace.</p>
<p>Here’s something that might be nice to share with you. Yesterday after we read from the 6th chapter of Bhagavad-gita on my zoom group, I asked each participant to write a few words about what the reading meant to them. Carole, a 76-year old lady from a country town who just joined yesterday, and was reading Srila Prabhupada’s books for the very first time, said “as we were reading, I felt like things I knew deep down, things I’d lost, were being renewed.” Isn’t that nice! It just shows how Srila Prabhupada’s words are able to reach sincere seekers of all backgrounds.</p>
<p>Your servant</p>
<p>Vilasa Manjari devi dasi</p>
<p>My dearest Srila Prabhupada, there is no way to repay you for the causeless mercy you have given the world. So again and again, and yet again, I pray to you that I may be able to continue to live in the abode of your transcendental books and to serve you by sharing with as many people as I can the bliss of hearing out loud your transcendental books and spreading this process of bhakti-yoga by associating with you who are uniquely empowered to deliver the Absolute Truth to anyone who agrees to hear, sincerely, submissively, without argument from Your Divine Grace.<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88516">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88516</a></p></div>New Book Discusses An “Endangered Species: ISKCON Ashramites”https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/new-book-discusses-an-endangered-species-iskcon-ashramites2020-11-18T11:48:33.000Z2020-11-18T11:48:33.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8183451700,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="8183451700?profile=RESIZE_584x" />In their new book, “An Endangered Species: ISKCON Ashramites in the West,” Kalakantha Das and Jitamitra Dasi posit that ashrams are still an important part of today’s ISKCON. They explain how to create an ashram program that attracts devotees from all backgrounds in the West, especially in North America.</p>
<p>“Some say that the idea of joining an ashram or commune is passé, a hangover from the drop-out anticulture of the 1960s that is not the way of today’s Millennials and Generation Z,” writes Akhandadhi Das in the Foreward. “Based on my experience, I disagree.” </p>
<p>Akhandadhi says that while running the UK’s largest retreat center, he has seen many serious adults preparing to enter some kind of monastic or communal life. “From these encounters I have observed that although young people today are less driven to turn their back on society, they have a greater awareness that they must care for themselves as holistic beings, striking a sustainable balance between their outer and inner lives,” he explains.</p>
<p>Speaking about ISKCON devotees’ experiences, he adds: “Though most of us no longer reside in temple ashrams, we attribute the lion’s share of our realizations, purification, advancement and devotion to those formative ashram years.”</p>
<p>One center that has been incredibly successful in providing and maintaining ashram training in the West is the Krishna House in Gainesville, Florida, USA, now managed by temple president Sruti Sagara Das. </p>
<p>Previously, Kalakantha Das was the president for fourteen years, while his wife and co-author Jitamitra Dasi served as secretary treasurer. Today, Jitamitra continues her service, while Kalakantha serves as the Krishna House chaplain, counseling new students. <br /> <br /> <strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://iskconnews.org/new-book-discusses-an-endangered-species-iskcon-ashramites,7593/">https://iskconnews.org/new-book-discusses-an-endangered-species-iskcon-ashramites,7593/</a></p></div>The Book That Does Multitasking by Gauranga Darshan Dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-book-that-does-multitasking-by-gauranga-darshan-das2020-09-03T09:17:34.000Z2020-09-03T09:17:34.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7817410853,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="7817410853?profile=RESIZE_400x" /><br />The greatness and sweetness of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the right mood of approaching it</p>
<p>by Gauranga Darshan Das</p>
<p>A multitalented person could do many things alone and even simultaneously. But have you ever heard of a book that does multitasking like this? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam does. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also a person, non-different from the<br /> Supremely powerful Person Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>God descends to save the devotees, destroy the demons and reestablish dharma (BG 4.8). For these purposes, He appears as Matsya among the fish, as Varāha among the animals, as Haṁsa among the birds, as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa among humans, and as Vāmana<br /> among the devatās. Similarly, He appears as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam among the scriptures. The Bhāgavatam is another form of Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>This Book is a Teacher, a Friend and a Lover</p>
<p>The way Śrīmad Bhāgavatam teaches its readers is profound. This book has multiple meanings and perspectives that cater to multiple audiences. Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes,</p>
<p>kṛṣṇa-tulya bhāgavata—vibhu, sarvāśraya</p>
<p>prati-śloke prati-akṣare nānā artha kaya</p>
<p>“Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is as great as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord and shelter of everything. In each and every verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in each and every syllable, there are various meanings.” (Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līla, 24.318)</p>
<p>It is said that the Vedas generally teach in an instructive manner like a parent educates the child; the Purāṇas teach laterally, like a friend to another friend; and the Kāvyas (poetic works) teach their audience just like a lover speaks to a beloved,<br /> but Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam does all the three.</p>
<p>vedāḥ purāṇaṁ kāvyaṁ ca</p>
<p>prabhur mitraṁ priyeva ca</p>
<p>bodhayantīti hi prāhus</p>
<p>trivṛd bhāgavataṁ punaḥ</p>
<p>(Quoted in Tattva-sandarbha; From Muktā-phale, by Hemādri)</p>
<p>By this beautiful Bhāgavatam, we are taught in times of ignorance, reasoned with in times of doubt, and nourished at all other times, as if by our most intimate companion. It is in this mood that Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī prays:</p>
<p>mad-eka-bandho mat-saṅgin</p>
<p>mad-guro man-mahā-dhana</p>
<p>man-nistāraka mad-bhāgya</p>
<p>mad-ānanda namo ’stu te</p>
<p>“O my only friend! my companion!, my guru!, my great wealth!, my savior!, my fortune!, my happiness!, I offer my respects onto You.” (Kṛṣṇa-līlā-stava 415)</p>
<p>Śrīla Nārada Muni who inspired Śrīla Vyāsadeva to compile Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, instructed him to write it in such a way that it mitigates the miseries of common masses and satisfies the hankerings of learned people (SB 1.5.40). Thus, the Bhāgavatam caters to the needs of multiple audiences ranging from hard core materialists to elevated spiritualists. Being Kṛṣṇa’s literary incarnation, the Bhāgavatam reciprocates with the moods and needs of its readers.</p>
<p>Amongst the Purāṇās, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is considered spotless (amalaṁ) because it does not present anything material and is very dear to pure Vaiṣṇava devotees (vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyaṁ) (SB 12.13.18). Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravarti<br /> Thākūra, a great commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, compares the Bhāgavatam with a lamp, the sun, a tasty fruit and Mohinī-mūrtī. These four comparisons are very significant in presenting different facets of the Bhāgavatam,<br /> highlighting how this divine literature benefits the humanity.</p>
<p>This book is like a lamp</p>
<p>A lamp dissipates darkness in a room. Similarly, the lamp (adhyātma-dīpam) of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam eradicates the darkness of ignorance in our hearts, by revealing the general descriptions of the Supreme Lord, such as His pastimes of creating<br /> the material universe (sarga) and destroying the universe (nirodha). Sūta Gosvāmī compares the Bhāgavatam to a lamp in the following verses.</p>
<p>yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam</p>
<p>adhyātma-dīpam atititīrṣatāṁ tamo ’ndham</p>
<p>saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyaṁ</p>
<p>taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām</p>
<p>“Obeisances unto the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the guru of all sages, who, out of his compassion for the materialists who struggle to cross over the dark material existence, spoke the confidential essence of all Śrutis, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the<br /> transcendental lamp that reveals ātmā, after having personally assimilated it by experience.” (SB 1.2.3)</p>
<p>kasmai yena vibhāsito ’yam atulo jñāna-pradīpaḥ purā</p>
<p>tad-rūpeṇa ca nāradāya munaye kṛṣṇāya tad-rūpiṇā</p>
<p>yogīndrāya tad-ātmanātha bhagavad-rātāya kāruṇyatas</p>
<p>tac chuddhaṁ vimalaṁ viśokam amṛtaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi</p>
<p>“I meditate upon that pure and spotless Supreme Absolute Truth, who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable lamp of knowledge (Bhāgavatam) to Brahmā. Brahmā then spoke it to Nārada, who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, who<br /> later revealed it to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who mercifully spoke it to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.” (SB 12.13.19)</p>
<p>This book is like the Sun</p>
<p>A lamp can eliminate the darkness within a room, but to fully dissipate the dense darkness of the night, the sun has to rise. With the sun rises even the thieves and rogues become fearful to steal. The Bhāgavatam, like a lamp, not only dissipates<br /> the darkness of the hearts of individual souls, but like the effulgent sun, it destroys the demonic conceptions and atheistic mentalities in the entire world and brings joy to the devotees. Thus, the sun analogy reveals the capability of the Bhāgavatam in completely nullifying the effects of ignorance. The Bhāgavatam has twelve cantos, just as the sun has twelve forms for each of the months of the year. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, like the sun among the planets, shines among the Purāṇas<br /> (purāṇārka).</p>
<p>kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate</p>
<p>dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha</p>
<p>kalau naṣöa-dṛśām eṣa</p>
<p>purāṇārko ‘dhunoditaḥ</p>
<p>“This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in<br /> the age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.” (SB 1.3.43)</p>
<p>This book is like a Fruit</p>
<p>Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is also compared to a tasty fruit. Although all twelve cantos of the Bhāgavatam are like the lamp, the sun and a tasty fruit, the sweet topics of the Supreme Lord’s appearance and activities, and the topics of His devotees,<br /> bhakti and prema, are especially considered to be the tasty fruit of rasa. All the topics, however, give joy to the devotees by taking on a meaning favorable for bhakti. The Bhāgavatam fulfills the desires of devotees who approach it with great eagerness to relish the pastimes of the Lord (āśraya).</p>
<p>The Bhāgavatam is described as a tasty ripened fruit in its third verse.</p>
<p>nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ</p>
<p>śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam</p>
<p>pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ā-layaṁ</p>
<p>muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ</p>
<p>“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already<br /> relishable for all, including liberated souls.” (SB 1.1.3)</p>
<p>“Galitam means that it falls down of its own accord when ripened on the tree, not by force. Even after falling from a high position in the tree, it does not break, nor does it lose its sweetness. That is because it comes down from the highest<br /> position, from Nārāyaṇa, to the branch of Brahmā, then to the lower branch of Nārada, then to Vyāsa, and finally to the mouth of Śuka. Thus, without being damaged, it is endowed with liquid sweetness like honey. The parrot, Śuka, has even made an<br /> opening in the fruit with his beak for bringing out the sweetness. Moreover, having been tasted by him, that fruit becomes even sweeter. Moreover, it remains unbroken, coming down step-by-step from the branch of Sūta and others. What is implied here<br /> is that without the guru-paramparā, one cannot drink Bhāgavatam in its unbroken form – just by trying to taste it through use of one’s limited intelligence. How should the fruit be consumed? One should drink it, for this<br /> fruit is the essence of taste (rasam), devoid of skin, seed and other objectionable parts.” (1.1.3 V)</p>
<p>This book is like a Mohinī</p>
<p>The tasty fruit of the Bhāgavatam, however, is not accessible to everyone. Right consciousness is required to relish it. The Bhāgavatam, being a person, doesn’t reveal its heart or deeper meanings to someone who approaches it insincerely<br /> and with non-devotional intentions. The same topics of the Bhāgavatam that give spiritual bliss to the devotees take on a different meaning to bewilder demonic people who are unfavorable to bhakti-yoga.</p>
<p>When the demigods and the demons churned the milk ocean, nectar appeared. But the demons snatched it away. The demons are envious, selfish and aesthetic in nature and are not qualified to drink nectar. The demigods who are devoted to the Lord are the<br /> meant to drink the nectar. So, the Lord appeared in the form of Mohinī-mūrti, a beautiful woman and distributed all the nectar to the demigods and bewildered the demons with Her feminine attributes and didn’t give them even a drop. Similarly, the<br /> Bhāgavatam reveals its inner meanings to sincere devotees and baffles those who approach it insincerely, for selfish purposes of making money and earning fame. Such people make a show of studying and speaking the Bhāgavatam and give<br /> out deviant meanings to impress their audiences.</p>
<p>Lord Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad-gītā that He would reciprocate with people according to the way they approach Him (ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham, BG 4.11). Because the Bhāgavatam is nondifferent<br /> from Kṛṣṇa, the Bhāgavatamalso reciprocates with the kind of person that approaches it, giving the true meaning only to the devotees who are sincere and engaged in devotional service of the Lord.</p>
<p>When Lord Kṛṣṇa entered the wrestling arena of Kaṁsa, He appeared differently to different groups of people. Kaṁsa’s wrestlers saw Kṛṣṇa as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathurā saw Him as the best of males, the women as Cupid personified, the gopas as their relative, the impious rulers as a punisher, His parents as their child, Kaṁsa as death personified, the unintelligent as a material form, the yogīs as the Absolute Truth and the Vṛṣṇis as their supreme worshipable Deity (mallānām aśanir nṛṇāṁ nara-varaḥ… SB<br /> 10.43.17). Just as Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself to different people according to their attitudes, the Bhāgavatam, which is non-different from Kṛṣṇa also reciprocates according to the reader’s attitude. Kṛṣṇa is full of Śaktis and so is<br /> the Bhāgavatam. Thus, it takes meanings corresponding to the minds of various types of persons who read or hear it.</p>
<p>The purpose of a sincere devotee in approaching Bhāgavtam is to understand the name, fame, pastimes and qualities of the Supreme Lord; to derive inspiration from the lives of His great devotees; to develop Vaiṣṇava qualities of tolerance, humility, compassion<br /> and so on that ender one to the Lord; to render selfless devotional service to the Supreme Lord; and to ultimately develop our innate love for Him. So, if we approach the Bhāgavatam in this right mood as taught to us by the parampara or the lineage of spiritual teachers, we can attain the greatest benefit from this transcendental masterpiece.</p>
<p>Gauranga Darshan Das, a disciple of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, is dean of the Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha at ISKCON GEV, a member of ISKCON Board of Examinations and GEV Administrative council. He has written books namely Gita Subodhini, Bhagavata Subodhini,<br /> Caitanya Subodhini, Disapproved but not Disowned and Bhagavata Pravaha. He teaches sastric courses at several places in India.</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88917">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88917</a></p></div>Another soul closer to Krsnahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/another-soul-closer-to-krsna2020-09-02T05:32:36.000Z2020-09-02T05:32:36.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7804099288,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7804099288,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="7804099288?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></a>Recenly a friend gave a Bhagavad Gita to a person named Donald. From the beginning of his reading he liked it so much. Every day he was reading for two hours. He had smoked for thirty years but stopped, then he had stopped eating meat, and he felt a sense of being purified, all from reading Srila Prabhupada's books.<br /> <br /> He contacted the devotees in Columbus, Ohio, and asked whether there was any way to get more books. It was during the pandemic so he wasn't working, meaning he was short of money. He wanted books to both read and distribute. He wanted the Srimad Bhagavatam, but couldn't afford it. A devotee put it on the Columbus forum of devotees asking whether anyone would sponsor a SB set. Within two minutes, a set was sponsored. When the devotee told Donald a set was sponsored, he was in tears.<br /> <br /> All glories to the merciful devotees and to Srila Prabhupada's books!<br /> <br /> Your servant, Vijaya Dasa<br /> <a href="http://iskconbookdistribution.com/" target="_blank">iskconbookdistribution.com</a></p></div>On Sending the Juhu Book for Printing by Giriraj Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/on-sending-the-juhu-book-for-printing-by-giriraj-swami2020-08-17T12:30:53.000Z2020-08-17T12:30:53.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7499887263,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7499887263,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="350" alt="7499887263?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a>We sent the book I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story to the BBT for printing. And coincidentally, a devotee shared with me a beautiful three-minute video of His Holiness Radhanath Swami speaking about Srila Prabhupada’s struggle in Juhu and my book about it. He said, “One of the most important books about Srila Prabhupada. It’s about Srila Prabhupada and his lila of years of heartbreak and struggle in Juhu, Bombay. No one could write this book like His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja . . . he was there from the beginning to the culmination.”</p>
<p>You can hear His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja’s inspiring talk here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmHpahWsn3Y&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2kuA0WEjbLy00xFsSfZFCqrBzIkFn0N8miVqn4IFbfErjCFAH1B_dtkjI">https://youtu.be/bmHpahWsn3Y</a><br /> <br /><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=16262">http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=16262</a></p></div>