speech - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT2024-03-29T00:41:33Zhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/speechPancaratrika-vidhi versus Bhagavad-vidhi by Nrsimha Kavaca dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/pancaratrika-vidhi-versus-bhagavad-vidhi-by-nrsimha-kavaca-dasa2024-02-02T11:30:00.000Z2024-02-02T11:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515092907,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515092907,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515092907?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>The world around us is changing at an ever-increasing rate. The notion of keeping up with the changing world may have relevance in devotional service. But is this perspective relevant in all areas of our practices of bhakti? Are there some elements of devotional service that must always be constant? Srila Prabhupada wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own process for worshiping the deities. … Whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact standard as I have given you, that’s all.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Srila Prabhupada often speaks about pancaratrika and bhagavata vidhis, the theme for this, our first issue of Arcana News for 2016, stressing their interdependence and importance for practitioners of bhakti yoga. ISKCON’s temple worship is clearly an element of pancaratrika vidhi. The rules of the pancaratra are specifically meant to regulate our activities, mind and senses, and thus help us to understand we are not the body and we are ultimately a servant of Krishna. Personal purification is one of the main results of deity worship. Srila Prabhupada writes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The temple worship will keep us sanctified, and when we shall preach in sanctified, pure heart, the preaching will be immediately effective. So we have to follow the two parallel lines simultaneously for successful execution of devotional service.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Or as Jiva Gosvami explains, “Although sankirtana is sufficient for the perfection of life, the arcana, or worship of the deity in the temple, must continue in order that the devotees may stay clean and pure.”</p>
<p>Some may consider that in this age the pancaratra is not so relevant and that it is sufficient to simply focus on the chanting of the Lord’s holy name. Some misunderstand the appropriate mood of temple worship in ISKCON temples. This is manifest in different ways. How the deities are dressed, the mood of worship, or our interpretation of our relationship with the Lord, the way we interact with the deities, how strictly we follow the worship process and the rules and regulations of deity worship, etc. Yet Srila Prabhupada clearly explains in his purports that for this age of Kali, “Without the help of such codes [of the pancaratra], one cannot approach the Lord…” and “[the pancaratra is the] prescribed purificatory process suitable to the age and time.”</p>
<p>Bhagavata vidhi, also known as bhagavata marga or raga marga, broadly refers to activities such as hearing and chanting, studying Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc. In the Bhagavad-gita it is explained that even though we are followers of the bhagavata marga, still we engage in devotional service according to the rules of the pancaratrika vidhi.</p>
<p>While the pancaratrika vidhi is what helps to situate a devotee in the purity required to approach the Lord, the bhagavata marga gives us the inspiration or taste that enlivens us in our practice of devotional service. While all of us experience some glimpses of bhagavata marga in our day-to-day practices, the bhagavatamarga is particularly suited or available to those who are elevated to the consciousness of the residents of Vrndavana.</p>
<p>In our practice of deity worship in ISKCON, though predominately pancaratrika vidhi, it is actually a blend of pancaratrika and bhagavata vidhis, as explained by Srila Prabhupada in the following extract from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.45-46, purport:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Generally the worship of the Lord begins with the worship of Narayana, or Visnu, whereas the worship of Lord Krsna and Radha is most confidential. Lord Narayana is worshipable by the pancaratrika-vidhi, or regulative principles, whereas Lord Krsna is worshipable by the bhagavata-vidhi. No one can worship the Lord in the bhagavata-vidhi without going through the regulations of the pancaratrika-vidhi.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Actually, neophyte devotees worship the Lord according to the pancaratrika-vidhi, or the regulative principles enjoined in the Narada-pancaratra. Radha-Krsna cannot be approached by the neophyte devotees; therefore temple worship according to regulative principles is offered to Laksmi-Narayana. Although there may be a Radha-Krsna vigraha, or form, the worship of the neophyte devotees is acceptable as Laksmi-Narayana worship. Worship according to the pancaratrikavidhi is called vidhi-marga, and worship according to the bhagavata-vidhi principles is called raga-marga. The principles of raga-marga are especially meant for devotees who are elevated to the Vrndavana platform.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada also explains, if we accept one without the other it will become troublesome later.<br /> So both things should continue: bhagavata-marga and pancaratriki-marga. … Both of them should be accepted, parallel line. Otherwise, one without the other will be later on troublesome.</p>
<p>Even though we are followers of advanced souls known as raganuga bhaktas, and we may be inspired by the Lord’s Vrndavana pastimes and our ultimate destination is His supreme abode of Goloka Vrndavana, it is still necessary for us to approach the Lord through the rules and regulations of the pancaratra in order for us to become purified enough to gain access to the Lord’s abode in the spiritual world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=26666">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=26666</a></p></div>Surrender By Kavicandra Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/surrender-by-kavicandra-swami2023-12-25T07:30:00.000Z2023-12-25T07:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515096077,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515096077?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="400" /></p>
<p>We often get questions about surrender, like “how can we surrender”. Recently I was reading one old BTG, 2001, and found a nice practical statement from Srila Prabhupada. If we search “surrender” on the vedabase we find 7445 hits, so we know it is an important topic. And we all know the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita:</p>
<p>sarva-dharman parityajya<br /> mam ekam saranam vraja<br /> aham tvam sarva-papebhyo<br /> moksayisyami mä suca</p>
<p><strong>TRANSLATION</strong></p>
<p>Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.</p>
<p>BG 18.66</p>
<p>Here is simple guidline from Srila Prabhupada.</p>
<p>” Another name for Krsna is Ajita. No one can conquer Krsna, but Krsna can be conquered by His devotee.</p>
<p>One should be submissive and say, “Krsna, I am very poor. I have no means to understand You. Please be merciful upon me. Please allow me to understand You and surrender.”<br /> This is wanted. Krsna is very merciful, and when He sees that someone has surrendered, He will help from within.</p>
<p>>>> Ref. VedaBase => TLK Vs 30</p>
<p>Just before that he refers to the following verse from the SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM:</p>
<p>nane prayasam udapasya namanta eva<br /> jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam<br /> sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir<br /> ye prayaso ‘jita jito ‘py asi tais tri-lokyam</p>
<p><strong>TRANSLATION</strong></p>
<p>Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.</p>
<p><strong>PURPORT</strong></p>
<p>Here the word udapasya clearly indicates that one should not even slightly endeavor to understand the Absolute Truth by the process of mental speculation, for it invariably carries one to an imperfect, impersonal understanding of God. The word jivanti indicates that a devotee who always hears about Lord Krsna will go back home, back to Godhead, even if he can do nothing except maintain his existence and hear topics concerning the Lord.</p>
<p>Srila Sanatana Gosvami has explained the words tanu-van-manobhih (“by the body, words and mind”) in three ways. In reference to devotees, through their body, words and mind they are able to conquer Lord Krsna. Thus becoming perfect in Krsna consciousness, they can touch His lotus feet with their hands, call Him to come with their words, and attain His direct audience within their mind simply by thinking about Him.</p>
<p>In the case of nondevotees, the words tanu-van-manobhih refer to the word ajita, “unconquered,” and indicate that those not engaged in the loving service of Lord Krsna cannot conquer the Absolute Truth by their bodily strength, verbal expertise or mental power. Despite all their endeavors, the ultimate truth remains beyond their reach.</p>
<p>In reference to the word jitah, “conquered,” the words tanu-van-manobhih indicate that the pure devotees of Lord Krsna conquer His body, words and mind. Lord Krsna’s body is conquered because He always remains by the side of His pure devotees; Lord Krsna’s words are conquered because He always chants the glories of His devotees; and Lord Krsna’s mind is conquered because He always thinks about His loving devotees.</p>
<p>Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has explained the words tanu-van-manobhih in regard to the word namantah, “offering obeisances.” He explains that the devotees can take full advantage of the transcendental topics of the Lord by offering all respects to those topics with their body, words and mind. One should engage his body by touching the ground with his hands and head while offering obeisances to the topics of the Lord; one should engage his words by praising transcendental literatures such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as the devotees who are preaching such literatures; and one should engage his mind by feeling great reverence and pleasure while hearing the transcendental topics of the Lord. In this way, a sincere devotee who has acquired even a small amount of transcendental knowledge about Lord Krsna can conquer Him and thus go back home, back to Godhead, for eternal life at the Lord’s side.</p>
<p>SB 10.14.4 </p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1007">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1007</a></p></div>You Bet Your Life By Arcana Siddhi Devi Dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/you-bet-your-life-by-arcana-siddhi-devi-dasi2023-12-09T10:00:00.000Z2023-12-09T10:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515105981,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515105981,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515105981?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><strong>From Back to Godhead <br /> </strong><br /> <strong>For anyone interested in spiritual progress,</strong><br /> <strong>gambling is more than just a harmless amusement.</strong></p>
<p>High’s convenience store is bustling with last-minute shoppers picking up odds and ends for a holiday dinner. Having run out of milk, I find myself in the crowded store, standing in a line that wraps around the food aisle. I resign myself to the waiting, and chant the Hare Krsna mantra softly to myself.</p>
<p>An elderly shabbily dressed woman at the counter draws my attention. She’s frantically scratching away at a lottery card Instant Win Bingo. She crumples the card and stuffs it into her coat pocket, then pulls a five dollar bill from her other pocket, demanding another card. Again she feverishly scratches the card with her cracked thumbnail. Sighing in disappointment, she produces another five dollars. She keeps buying cards until she’s out of money, and dejectedly shuffles out of the store.</p>
<p>I imagine that the woman has just spent her Social Security check, hoping for a large return. Yet now she may be left with nothing. Would she have food for the month? Would her rent be paid? I feel sympathy for this small gray-haired woman who has disappeared out into the dreary fog.</p>
<p>By the time I decided to become a devotee of Krsna and aspire for spiritual initiation, I’d already learned from devotees that I’d have to give up certain activities that impede spiritual growth. Those activities, considered the pillars of sinful life, include intoxication, meat-eating, illicit sexual activity, and gambling. Each pollutes our consciousness and is addictive.</p>
<p>Watching the frenzied woman in the convenience store today sparks my desire to understand more about gambling, so I turn to Srila Prabhupada’s books.</p>
<p>The Srimad-Bhagavatam tells of a bull, representing religion, and the bull’s four legs, representing mercy, truthfulness, cleanliness, and austerity. The Bhagavatam says that meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling erode the integrity of the legs of religion. Meat-eating covers our feelings of mercy. Illicit sexual connections consume our quality of cleanliness. Intoxication impedes our ability to perform austerities and forgo immediate gratification to obtain long-term goals. Gambling destroys truthfulness.</p>
<p>In the current age, Kali-yuga, the bull of religion is wobbling on one leg truthfulness the other three having practically been destroyed. Truthfulness is suffering, too, and even the president of the United States gets caught lying under oath.</p>
<p><strong>Gambling with the Truth</strong></p>
<p>How does gambling erode truthfulness? I think back to one of my first psychotherapy clients. Joe, in his late thirties, had recently married for the first time and desperately wanted the marriage to work. But every time he got his paycheck, he’d secretly go to the Atlantic City casinos. Using an elaborate web of lies, he’d explain his absence to his wife. If he lost all his money, often the case, he’d have to lie about the money as well. He’d make up stories: Aunt Berla is dying and needs the money for a respirator; Uncle Martin borrowed the money for his rent. On and on it would go, until his wife no longer could or would believe him and was ready to leave the marriage.</p>
<p>Finally, Joe confessed to the blatant truth: He was a compulsive gambler, an addict swallowed up by an insatiable desire to turn his quarters into dollars with a flick of his wrist. His eyes filled with desperate tears. He begged his wife to stay and promised to get help for his addiction.</p>
<p><strong>An Old Vice</strong></p>
<p>Gambling addictions are much more common than most people think. With gambling legal and easy to find, every day more and more people fall prey to its devastation, their lives becoming ruined.</p>
<p>The gambling vice is nothing new. We can find accounts of it five thousand years ago with the advent of Kali-yuga. From historical Vedic books such as Srimad-Bhagavatam and Mahabharata, we can read stories of how gambling consumes truthfulness. In one narrative, Lord Balarama is playing chess with Krsna’s brother-in-law, Prince Rukmi. Being from the royal order, Rukmi was expected to exemplify all good qualities, including truthfulness.</p>
<p>Rukmi and Balarama were playing for larger and larger wagers of gold coins. At first Balarama was losing, but at the end he won a large wager, making up for his losses. Unable to bear the defeat, Rukmi lied, saying that he had actually won. Even when a voice from the heavens declared Balarama the winner, Rukmi refused to yield. Although gambling was sanctioned for warriors and the ruling class, the insidious affects of gambling infiltrated Rukmi’s consciousness. Rukmi abandoned truthfulness, a quality coveted by his contemporaries, out of his greed for gold.</p>
<p>In another historical event extensively narrated in Mahabharata, a great gambling match was arranged between the pious, exemplary king Yudhisthira and the wicked Sakuni. Being a king, Yudhisthira Maharaja was obliged to accept any challenge from another person of the royal order. The match was masterminded by his envious cousin King Duryodhana. Through deception and lies, Yudhisthira Maharaja temporarily lost his kingdom. The gambling match was a catalyst for the great Kurukshetra war, wherein millions of warriors died.</p>
<p>These events involving gambling ushered in Kali-yuga, the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Over the past few decades, the proliferation of gambling has continued to destroy truthfulness throughout the world. People no longer trust their leaders. Friends lie to each other, as do husbands and wives, students and teachers. The sanctity of truthfulness is wearing thin in all relationships.</p>
<p><strong>Subtle Gambling</strong></p>
<p>Like any vice, gambling has gross and subtle aspects. Betting in a casino and playing the lottery are gross displays of gambling. One subtle form of gambling is mental speculation, the attempt to understand the Absolute Truth through our own experience in other words, by guessing. Before becoming a devotee, I had tried to understand the Absolute Truth through this faulty process. I had surmised that I wasn’t the body and that the soul was waiting to be liberated from my body. While this was an accurate assessment, I concluded that suicide would free the soul from the encasement of the body. Had I acted on my speculation, I would have committed a grave error that would have cost me my opportunity to advance in Krsna consciousness in this human form of life.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada also mentions speculative business ventures as gambling. Many devotees have grappled with understanding this point. Some years ago, a friend tried to persuade my husband and me to “invest” $12,000 in a money pyramid. As more and more people put money into the scheme, we would be pushed to the top of the pyramid and make $60,000. The tempting offer was very risky. It was clearly a form of gambling, and we didn’t take part.</p>
<p>All business involves some risk. A majority of new businesses fail after the first two years. Yet Srila Prabhupada encouraged devotees to start businesses to support temples, and he himself had a business to support his family. After consulting senior devotees, I’ve concluded that by speculative business ventures Prabhupada meant high-risk investments where one hopes to reap a big return for a relatively small investment.</p>
<p>Finally, in his definition of gambling Prabhupada sometimes includes cinemas, mundane novels, frivolous sports anything that wastes time. How is wasting time gambling? Gambling means to risk something, and wasting time means risking time the most valuable commodity. We can’t buy back a single moment of time, even for millions of dollars. Our time on earth is limited and precious. We invest our time in an activity with the hope of some return. By nature we seek pleasure. But material adjustments don’t produce lasting solutions. Spiritual activity is the investment that brings permanent results.</p>
<p><strong>Bad Investment</strong></p>
<p>Srimad-Bhagavatam givesthe historical account of Hiranyakasipu, a powerful king inimical to spiritual culture. Hiranyakasipu used his time to perform great austerities. For one hundred years he stood on one leg. In return he hoped to receive immortality. He received great opulence that made him think he was immortal, but in the end he was killed by the Lord. Hiranyakasipu took the gamble that his investment of a hundred years of austerities would bring him immortality. But he lost his wager to the Lord, who appeared in His half-man, half-lion incarnation to take Hiranyakasipu’s life.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Hiranyakasipu’s son Prahlada invested his time in glorifying the Lord. He taught his friends about the valuable nature of time and encouraged them to give up frivolous activities and join him in chanting the Lord’s holy names. Prahlada wasn’t looking for anything in return. He was completely happy to act for the Lord’s pleasure. Prahlada’s investment of time brought him eternal happiness in pure love of God.</p>
<p>In our early stages of devotional life, to come to Prahlada’s high level of consciousness and never engage in frivolous activities or waste our time may seem impossible. But these are benchmarks of our advancement. As we advance, we will value our time and use it carefully to progress in spiritual life.</p>
<p>Advancement occurs naturally as we engage in devotional practices, but as with anything, the more conscientious our practices, the quicker we will realize our goals. The more we apply the simple formula of accepting things favorable for our spiritual life and rejecting things unfavorable, the faster we will become free of unwanted desires and activities.</p>
<p>While I have no desire to play the slot machines or bet at the races, I’m easily pulled into gossip and allured by images on supermarket tabloids. But I’ve come a long way in Krsna consciousness over the past twenty-four years, and I know if I continue to follow the process, in another twenty-four years I may be free of the more subtle aspects of gambling.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada gave us the highest, most sublime goals, and sometimes those can intimidate beginners. Our position may be like that of someone learning to play the piano and feeling discouraged watching the nimble fingers of an advanced student. But with practice, the beginner will see progress. What seems impossible in the beginning will appear more and more attainable.</p>
<p>I won’t become discouraged, therefore, that I haven’t completely conquered the propensity to gamble. Rather, I can be thankful for all the progress I have made, and I can pray that the gray-haired woman in the convenience store can become free of her gambling addiction and find the real source of her happiness and fulfillment: devotional service to the Lord. And although Srila Prabhupada instructs us not to gamble, by his inspiration I’ll continue to bet my life on chanting Hare Krsna, hoping the result will one day be love of God. </p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28396">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28396</a></p></div>Kirtan: Are there rules? By Rasananda dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/kirtan-are-there-rules-by-rasananda-das2023-02-22T07:30:00.000Z2023-02-22T07:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515114849,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515114849?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" /></p>
<p><strong>“How any spiritual activity should be done is understood from three sources: saintly persons, standard scriptures and the spiritual master”. (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.4, purport)</strong></p>
<p>Proper sankirtan – a phrase used by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in his Sri Sanmodana Bhasyam and by Lord Caitanya Himself – means certain tunes, certain instruments, a certain musical style, certain dress and certain kinds of dancing by the members of the chanting party. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan movement, rathayatra and the kirtan that is its soul are for distributing the benediction of the Lord’s own process for spiritual emancipation to the onlookers and participants alike. Understanding this, when sincere organizers of a rathayatra or sankirtan party see to it that the rath and the kirtan are proper, what to speak of people, even the birds and animals that hear and witness it can immediately experience spiritual happiness. Only some impersonalists and hardened atheists present might fail to experience the Lord’s benediction. On the other hand, Kirtan not according to the rules may succeed in entertaining onlookers but being not according to the principles and practices of acaryas and experienced devotees, the greatest result – transformation from spiritual somnolescence to a state of spiritual awakening, of actual Krishna consciousness – will not result. Such kirtans simply lack the potency to enact such transformation. Srila Saraswati Thakur therefore says that kirtan, if it is not proper, is not actually.</p>
<p>There are standards for what is to be sung and how to sing it, what instruments are to be used and how the participants should appear, how they should move, how they should dance, and failure to accept and implement those standards makes kirtan or rathayatra less spiritual and more of an entertaining show.</p>
<p>Some object that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in Sri Siksastaka, says that there are “no hard and fast rules for chanting”. It is a fact that to attract the public with musical artistry may have its usefulness, but somewhere in the movement must be some persons who understand and practice the real thing. Siksastaka’s “no hard and fast rules” refers to the individual jiva’s appeal, in helplessness to the Lord for His protection. When calling for help in situations like fire or accident there are no rules on how to call: One’s may call for help in a language unknown to the local people yet the purpose is served. In disease, the sufferer’s utterances may be incoherent but the doctor’s approach remains controlled and professional and the so the benefit of his efforts to help the sufferer are maximal. The point is that the knowledge and sincerity of at least the leaders of an organized activity like sankirtan or rathayatra to a large extent determine the outcome of the program. If the chanting is materially contaminated, its purifying benefit for the onlookers are less: “If one chants the holy name of the Lord just to make a show, not knowing the secret of success, he may increase his bile secretion, but he will never attain perfection in chanting the holy name.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 7.95-96 purport)</p>
<p>Still, as indicated in the item headed “San Francisco wild kirtans” later in the article, even if the chanters are not properly trained, if they are sincerely trying to please the acharya and the Lord, then their chanting is spiritually efficacious. The more their sincerity, knowledge and experience, the more will be the spiritual power of their chanting. Training simply means their knowledge of which tunes are better, which musical quality framing the chanting is best, how loud the accompanying karatals and mrdanga should be in comparison to the loudness of the chanting, the rhythmicity and the performers’ dress, gestures and way of dancing.</p>
<p>By sankirtan being properly performed the Lord is pleased with the chanters for their vibrating His names, for their efforts to remind the ignorant of His identity and glories – that He is their best friend, that matter due to its temporary nature is not true while the spiritual realm is true -and to invite them to give up their struggle for unattainable happiness in matter and go back to Him. As far as musical ornamentation, it is acceptable for attracting the people’s attention, but devotees should not be attached to it. Chanting in front of ‘devotee only’ audiences should be in the old tunes.</p>
<p>Besides introductory chanting of the pancatattva maha mantra three times, only the mahamantra, in tunes sung by Srila Prabhupada or other simple tunes that can easily be followed and responded to by the public, is to be chanted. Anyone not familiar with Prabhupada’s kirtans can find them on the internet.</p>
<p>In street sankirtan and rathayatra, no other mantras but the mahamantra are to be chanted. Even the Nrsimha mantra is not for public kirtan. And “Jai Jagannath, Jai Baladev, Jai Subhadra” is nowhere to found in sastras or the writings of acharyas and is therefore not in fact a mantra capable of liberating the hearer.</p>
<p>“In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that people’s sufferings are due to their sinful activities, and sinful activities are caused by ignorance. Suppose a foreigner like me comes to America and does not know that cars are driven on the right side of the road. In India the car is driven on the left side. So suppose a person does not know and he drives the car on the left and gets involved in an accident. If he is taken into police custody and says, “Sir, I did not know that here the car is driven on the right side,’’ that does not excuse him. The law will punish him.</p>
<p>“So ignorance is the cause of sinful activities or breaking the law. And when you commit some sinful activity, you have to suffer the result. The whole world is in ignorance. And due to ignorance everyone is implicated in so many actions and reactions, either good or bad.</p>
<p>“Ultimately, there is nothing good within this material world; everything is bad. We have manufactured something good and something bad. But in the Bhagavad-gita we learn that this place is duhkhalayam asasvatam, a place for misery. So in this miserable condition how can you say, “This is good’’ or “This is bad’’? Everything is bad.</p>
<p>“One should be very much pessimistic about the material world. Then one can make advancement in spiritual life. Duhkhalayam asasvatam. This place is full of miseries. If you study analytically, you’ll find simply miserable conditions.</p>
<p>“Therefore we should give up our material conditional life, and in Krsna consciousness we should try to elevate ourselves to the spiritual platform and thereby be promoted to the kingdom of Godhead.” (Lecture, Los Angeles, Dec. 9, 1969; Disappearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami)</p>
<p><strong>Proper chanting</strong></p>
<p>Gaurasundara said, “When many persons gather together and properly chant the names of Krishna, I will certainly appear there.” (Caitanya Bhagavat, Adi Kanda 5.151, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s Gaudiya Basya purport)</p>
<p><strong>Kali-yuga worshipable because perfection achievable by performing sankirtana</strong></p>
<p>Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.36)</p>
<p><strong>Sankirtana means ‘complete kirtana. Partial or imperfect kirtana is not real sankirtana</strong></p>
<p>Sankirtana means ‘complete kirtana’, for it is unnecessary to perform any other devotional activities if one performs sankirtana. Partial or imperfect kirtana of Lord Krsna’s holy name is not the same as sankirtana. Imperfect chanting of Krsna’s name is unable to cause the optimum spiritual change in the living entities. This will lead them to doubt the potency of kirtana. (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s commentary on Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s Sanmodana Bhasyam commentary on Siksastakam, sloka 1)</p>
<p><strong>Chanting must be heard from pure devotees in disciplic succession</strong></p>
<p>Holy names uttered by the Mayavadis are not holy names but simply a perverted reflection of the holy names. Therefore in spite of chanting such names, the Mayavadis are affected by the faults ofnamaparadha. (Sajjana Toshani 5.12)</p>
<p>sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah – If your mantra does not come through the disciplic succession, it will not be effective. (Padma Purana)</p>
<p><strong>Pretensious kirtan results in sending people to Hell </strong><br /> “Making a pretense of harinama, people are waltzing their way to hell. ” (Srila Prabhupadera Goloka-vani, Vol. 1, p 286)</p>
<p>“…chant in the proper way, then my predecessors, the acaryas, will be satisfied” So this is very nice process. And even others do not take it very seriously or they do not come to our philosophy, if you try for it, that is your business. Krsna will be satisfied. Our acaryas will be satisfied, Guru Maharaja will be satisfied. And yasya prasadad bhagavat… If they are satisfied, then your business is finished. You see? Not that others is satisfied or not. By your chanting some public is satisfied—no, we are not concerned with that. He may be satisfied or not satisfied. But if I chant in the proper way, then my predecessors, the acaryas, will be satisfied. That is my business, finished, if I don’t invent in my own way. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada Appearance Day Lecture, L.A. Feb. 7, 1969)</p>
<p><strong>Kirtan leaders should chant in the manner of the acarya… all should be pure devotees</strong></p>
<p>“Regarding Kirtana Party: My idea is that at least one dozen persons should form a Kirtana Party. Two persons play mrdangas, eight persons play karatalas, one person playing tamboura, and one person playing melodious harmonium. The person who will play on tamboura will be leader singer. You have just calculated what I want, when you suggest that the leader should sing as I do, and the others will respond. That will be very nice. But all the members of the party will be pure devotees. None of them should be outsiders. We do not want any outsiders as far as possible. Mrdanga playing as you are doing at present will make you more and more expert as you go on playing. Here also I see Gaurasundara simply by playing is improving. If all the members keep their faith in Krishna and tries to please Him, certainly everyone will be pleased by hearing our Kirtana. It is sure and certain. When such Kirtana will be demonstrated, only the harmonium player may sit, and all the others may stand up and join the Kirtana and dancing properly dressed.” (Prabhupada letter to Hansadutta, February 4, 1968)</p>
<p><strong>Sankirtana means complete, perfect kirtana. It can never be partial or imperfect</strong></p>
<p>Sankirtana means ‘complete kirtana’, for it is unnecessary to perform any other devotional activities if one performs sankirtana. Partial or imperfect kirtana of Lord Krsna’s holy name is not the same as sankirtana. Imperfect chanting of Krsna’s name is unable to cause the optimum spiritual change in the living entities. This will lead them to doubt the potency of kirtana. (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s commentary on sloka 1 of Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s Sanmodana Bhasyam commentary on Siksastakam)</p>
<p><strong>Tune, manner of chanting:</strong></p>
<p>While Prabhupada did on a few occasions say that other tunes and musical styles could be used, looking into the matter more extensively, seeing how many times he asked or emphatically instructed that the simple tunes he used be chanted, we understand that he wanted those tunes to be used. As far as the occasional permissions he gave for other tunes and musical styles to be used, there were always stipulations.</p>
<p>First we will present the evidence that the old, simple tunes accompanied by karatals and mrdanga played in simple rhythms should be used.</p>
<p>Authorized songs means the songs which were sung or composed by self-realized Acaryas.</p>
<p>“Regarding authorized songs, you may inform George that authorized songs means the songs which were sung or composed by self-realized Acaryas. It is an injunction in the Vaisnava regulations that unauthorized songs or statements should never be heard. The comparison is given that milk, although very nutritious food, if it is touched by the tongue of a serpent, it acts like poison. So I am giving herewith a few lines of authorized songs which you may deliver to George. They are as follows:</p>
<p>1. hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare</p>
<p>hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare</p>
<p>2. hari haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah</p>
<p>yadavaya madhavaya kesavaya namah</p>
<p>3. krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna hay</p>
<p>krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna hay</p>
<p>krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna raksa mam</p>
<p>krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna krsna pahi mam</p>
<p>krsna kesava krsna kesava krsna kesava raksa mam</p>
<p>rama raghava rama raghava rama raghava pahi mam</p>
<p>So these songs were sung by Lord Caitanya Himself, therefore they are the most authorized songs.</p>
<p>I am very glad to learn that he has given up composing nonsense songs, it is a great advancement of his spiritual life. But as he has got the aptitude for writing songs, I shall be very glad to give him many such themes of songs on which he can write in his own language and expression. I am giving below one theme:</p>
<p>“My Dear Lord, I have simply wasted my privileges of human form of life. This life was meant for understanding Krsna Consciousness and the pastimes of Lord Krsna with Radharani, but I did not take care of this important business of life. Therefore I have not only wasted my valuable time, but also I have willingly drunk poison for committing suicide. My heart is always in blazing fire because of my association with material sense enjoyment, and I did not fix up my mind in the Krsna Consciousness movement which is imported directly from the Kingdom of God. This Krsna Consciousness movement is inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda Who are Krsna and Balarama respectively. They have descended very kindly to reclaim all fallen souls of this age of whom the typical examples are the two brothers Jagai and Madhai. Now, forgetting all mistakes that I have committee. in my past life, I humbly surrender unto You, my Lord Krsna the Son of Nanda Maharaja, and also to Srimati Radharani the daughter of King Vrsabhanu. So both of You are present together, and I fully surrender unto You. Please do not reject me as I have no other shelter except Yourselves.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps you have heard, and George has also heard, my song on this theme, “Hari Hari bifale janama gonainu . . .” So if George can compose a nice song in his own words, and sings, I am sure it will be an epoch making incident. There are many hundreds of thousands of such themes, and if he wants to introduce such songs propitious for pushing Krsna Consciousness movement, that will be very nice.</p>
<p>“The transcendental vibration OM is also authorized, but is specifically sung by the impersonalists. Although there is no incongruity, still because we are preaching the personal feature of God, we shall not chant Hari Om. … …this specific sound of Kirtana as I sing is also another introduction of art that can be intermingled with Western art, and such combination will certainly be appreciated. But so far I know that the Kirtana tune is a specific representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavas and this tune is appreciated all over India as unique. They say that the Kirtana tune is the specific gift of Bengal, and that is a fact. So why not utilize this tune in the Western countries under the able guidance of such expert musician as George?” (Prabhupada letter to Syamasundara, 25 February, 1970)<a id="sdendnote1anc" href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29006#sdendnote1sym" name="sdendnote1anc">i</a></p>
<p><strong>Prabhupada’s kirtanas are special</strong></p>
<p>“Religious teachers may talk about God or meditation, but Prabhupada chants, he actually sings – a guru who sings the Lord’s holy names. Within the first moments of my meeting him, I saw and heard him chant. He walked into the storefront where we were waiting, sat down on the same level as us, and spoke a few words. He handed out the karatals and told us the rhythm, “One, two, three; one, two, three.” Then he began to sing, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna … “</p>
<p>So, as soon as you came into his presence, you were hearing a singing Swami. Of course, Srila Prabhupada also talked of Krsna, but he gave equal attention to singing the Lord’s holy names. It is not that he was mainly a philosopher who sang on a rare occasion. He was a minstrel on behalf of Krsna, always singing Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare …</p>
<p>You would ask him, “Swamiji, is there some system of meditation you teach?” He would reply, “Chanting. We chant the holy names.”</p>
<p>“But aside from the chanting?”</p>
<p>“Just the chanting,” he said, “that’s all. You cannot do any other meditation. You are not capable of yoga or anything like Vedanta. Just chant.”</p>
<p>He even said that studying philosophy was not necessary. One could make full advancement in love of God simply by chanting the transcendental vibration.</p>
<p>Prabhupada said that our kirtanas with him were special, even in comparison to others’ kirtanas. One time he invited us to accompany him to a yogi’s asrama in upstate New York. He told us that they also chanted Hare Krsna sometimes, “But ours is heart and soul.”</p>
<p>Prabhupada gave his disciples credit for chanting kirtanas with heart and soul as he did. One evening we had a small, informal kirtana in Prabhupada’s hotel room in Hawaii. Since there was no official program at the temple, Prabhupada was spending a quiet evening working, and his servants were also busy with their tasks. However, Prabhupada called us together and asked us to chant. I came from my editorial desk, Pradyumna came from his Sanskrit work, and Bali Mardana and Sudama also came. Prabhupada asked Sudama to lead the singing. As Sudama began to sing a particular tune, he became self-conscious and stopped. He said, “That’s not the right tune.” He meant that it was not the tune that Prabhupada usually sang. Prabhupada encouraged him, “That is all right. That is your ecstasy.” It enlivened us to think that Prabhupada said we had ecstasy within us, and that even a neophyte devotee’s choosing of a particular tune could be called “his ecstasy.”</p>
<p>Prabhupada’s followers always liked to perform kirtana, especially in his presence. Prabhupada was in weak health when he met with guests during his visit to Hrsikesa in 1977. He spoke for almost an hour and then said, “So now we can have kirtana.” There were a few Indian men present and they began to discuss Prabhupada’s invitation to hold kirtana.</p>
<p>One of the men said, “Prabhupada, tomorrow if you will be willing to come just a hundred feet away from here, there is big hall nearby that can hold many more people who want to hear you.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Prabhupada said. “I can do that tomorrow night. And now we can have kirtana. If you like, you can go to that hall and do kirtana.”</p>
<p>Two of the Indian men began speaking to each other about Prabhupada’s proposal. One said, “Prabhupada is saying that tomorrow night we can have kirtana in the hall.”</p>
<p>The other man said, “No, right now we should have it.”</p>
<p>Tamala Krishna Maharaja began to laugh at this conversation, because the men were like little children trying to work up their courage to go on harinama. One of them wanted to put off the kirtana until tomorrow night, but the other was trying to be brave and convince his friend that “Prabhupada says we should do it right now.”</p>
<p>The talk went on about whether to do kirtana or not. Suddenly, Trivikrama Swami began clapping his hands in a loud rhythm and singing, “nama om visnu-padaya … “ Trivikrama Swami’s voice cut through the speculation and he seemed to say, “I may not be the world’s best singer, but here goes, right now.”</p>
<p>One time, during the annual Gaura-Purnima festival in Mayapura, Prabhupada called his GBC men to his room to tell them that he was hearing and take pleasure in the kirtana. With his leaders gathered before him in the room, Prabhupada stated that all the devotees in the world should come to Mayapura and constantly have kirtana. He was very blissful as he told them of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s statement that he had searched the fourteen worlds but found nothing of value except the chanting of the holy names. Prabhupada said that this was Mayapura’s purpose, to come and chant. We may have problems in different parts of the world, but they will go away if we simply come together and chant. Lord Caitanya always chanted and we could do it also. We now had a big building in Mayapura, so everyone could come and live there and simply chant.</p>
<p>On one level, we all enjoyed this blissful talk by Prabhupada, but since the GBC men had so much managerial responsibility, they were also bewildered as to how this could be carried out. Finally Ramesvara spoke, “Prabhupada, if we were actually to do what you said, it would very much reduce the … I mean, how could the programs go on in the different temples around the world?”</p>
<p>“Oh yes,” Prabhupada agreed. Then the talk became managerial. Suggestions were made how we could increase the practice of kirtana in the various ISKCON temples. Prabhupada agreed that some temples were too small to hold constant kirtana, but a few of the bigger temples could attempt to hold twenty-four-hour kirtana, as long as it was not done to the detriment of other work. Prabhupada (he) didn’t mean it literally, he said. All the devotees could not come and live always in Mayapura. So it became a relative discussion about the possibilities of increasing the chanting, although Prabhupada had originally called us together to share his own bliss and to ask that we should all stay in Mayapura to chant.” (Prabhupada Meditations, Volume III, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami)</p>
<p><strong>The old, traditional tune: “I like that tune very much”</strong></p>
<p>“Everyone was excited: Prabhupada was about to arrive in Delhi. Many devotees awaited his arrival, including many ISKCON leaders, so rather than bicker over what aspect of the arrival I would help with, I let the others bargain. “I want to give a garland,” said one person. “You get his luggage,” said another. “I want to wash his feet,” someone else informed us. Eventually, all the devotional duties were assigned, until only I was left. “No one had volunteered to lead kirtan,” I thought to myself.”</p>
<p>Prabhupada’s arrival was very formal on this occasion, and he hardly looked at anyone as he walked into the airport waiting lounge. He offered pranams, but kept a stern look. While he passed through the devotees, I began to bellow out the Hare Krishna mantra to the old, traditional tune we used to sing in New York and San Francisco. Prabhupada, still aloof, heard the chanting and saw me with the kartalas. Then his reticence became a bright, wide-open smile, and he gave me a big wave. As he got in the car, he invited me to join him. “I like that tune very much,” he said, smiling contentedly.</p>
<p>I answered, “Like we sang in San Francisco.” (By His Example, Gurudas das)</p>
<p><strong>Prabhupada sang one tune throughout</strong></p>
<p>Gaura Gopala: “I was right next to Prabhupada through the whole ceremony, playing the drum. He particularly liked to sing one tune through the whole time. He put his hands up in the air. He was dancing.” (Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Vol. 5, 44. Let There be a Temple)</p>
<p><strong>Prabhupada “kept the same tune”</strong></p>
<p>“Several people gathered around us as we chanted. Then Srila Prabhupada arrived with a few devotees. He walked the blocks from the temple to the park, which was about a ten-minute walk. Then he sat down and joined us. He played drum himself, and he chanted Hare Krsna for at least an hour. The rhythms would rise and fall like the waves in the ocean, and we would rise and fall with them. He would lead, we would respond, and then he would lead again. Sometimes I would look up to him, sometimes at the crowd, which grew to many people, and the chanting never stopped. Srila Prabhupada’s voice was strong. He kept the same tune, and we kept chanting as if we would never stop: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.” (Prabhupada Lila, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Ch,1: Meeting Srila Prabhupada)</p>
<p><strong>Prabhupada rejects showy kirtan</strong></p>
<p>“At one of the festivals in Vrndavana, Prabhupada rejected the singing of one of his disciples. The devotee had previously been a singer in a band and his kirtanas were much appreciated by some devotees, especially those from his home temple. But when, with showy professionalism, he began leading the guru-puja in Prabhupada’s presence making the tune sound like a rock’n’roll ballad, Prabhupada didn’t like it. He shook his head and indicated that someone else lead.” (Srila Prabhupada Nectar, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Ch. 1, Little Drops of Nectar)</p>
<p><strong>The essence is not ornamentation but ecstasy… awakened by sravanam kirtanam</strong></p>
<p>“ …with our kirtana we are only using drums and karatalas, but people come to the point of ecstasy. It is not the ornamentation, it is the ecstasy. This ecstasy is awakened by sravanam kirtanam by devotees. I hope this makes everything clear.” (Prabhupada letter to Dr. Wolf, Jan. 29,1976)</p>
<p><strong>A great secret about the essence of Krsna consciousness: chanting the way we used to when Prabhupada was present</strong></p>
<p>“At Gita-nagari we held an old time kirtana. First we listened to a 1966 kirtana led by Prabhupada. I pointed out that Prabhupada sang only one tune and kept a steady beat for half an hour. Then we tried it. It produced a wonderful feeling and so we repeated it again the next night. Here are some of the letters I received from devotees who were in those kirtanas:</p>
<p>Muktavandya: “I feel like we discovered a great secret about the essence of Krsna consciousness tonight. I suggest you do this wherever you go because it will remind and enlighten everyone about what it was like with Prabhupada. The chanting tonight was very, very nice. Very powerful medicine. Not at all mechanical.”</p>
<p>Caitanya-rupa dasi: “The kirtana last night was wonderful! One devotee told me her opinion that if we were to do this more often we would all come to love each other. I hope we’re going to have this type of kirtana again.”</p>
<p>“Our experiment took place in front of Prabhupada murti in the Gita-nagari temple room. The Deity doors were open and Radha-Damodara gave us Their darsana. We began sitting and we were careful not to speed up. After fifteen minutes one or two devotees stood up to dance. Soon everyone was up. The dancing was that style which some persons have called “The Swami Step.” The nice thing about it was that the dancing energy was not concentrated in one place. There were no superstar dancers. The women were also dancing, as the kirtana energy spread democratically throughout the room.”</p>
<p>“I thought I would become bored, and I braced myself for that, but it did not occur. The only reason I looked at the clock was to make sure we did not go too long. Something nice was happening for everyone. It was a combination of the timeless potency of harinama, and the special effect of chanting the way we used to when Prabhupada was present.” (Prabhupada Meditations, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Vol. 3, Ch. 3: Old Time Kirtans)</p>
<p><strong>The tunes sung by Prabhupada are Vaikuntha melodies</strong></p>
<p>“Srila Prabhupada, who is a paramahamsa, who descended from the spiritual sky, who brought his melodies…he said these are Vaikuntha melodies. If we want to know how do they chant in Krishna Loka, it’s not a Marathi melody, it’s not a Gujarati melody, it’s not a Punjabi melody or a Bengali melody or a South Indian melody or a Tamil melody. These are Vaikuntha melodies. So if you want to know what is it like in Krishna Loka, listen to Prabhupada chanting because that’s where he’s situated, he’s situated in Krishna Loka.” (Naranarayan das, ISKCON Mumbai 25th Anniversary, at Chowpatty Temple)</p>
<p><strong>Up to his last days, Prabhupada encouraged chanting in a simple, meditative way… as he had done</strong></p>
<p>Laksmi Nrsimhadev: “… I was sitting in the corner, Srila Prabhupada was lying on his bed and Bhavananda was doing various things. Since it was midnight it was very, very quiet. There was hardly any light at all and I could barely see Srila Prabhupada because I was in the back doorway. Bhavananda gave me small kartals and he said, “Play very, very softly because Prabhupada should get his rest.” I thought that Srila Prabhupada was asleep because he was lying very still and Bhavananda was tiptoeing around. I figured, “Okay, let me chant something very simple.” So I started chanting the standard melody “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.” (sings softly) I was chanting that for a while and I don’t know what possessed me to change that tune but at this particular time someone had introduced “brahma bole chaturmukhe, krishna krishna hare hare.” As soon as I got through the first line “krishna krishna, hare hare”, Prabhupada’s hand went up like a traffic cop. I thought Prabhupada was asleep. But his hand just came from the side of the bed and went up… I immediately went right back to the standard melody… Prabhupada encouraged us to chant the Panchatattva mantra and of course obeisances to guru, and to chant Hare Krishna in a simple, meditative way just like he did. He didn’t use very many melodies and every time you listen to Prabhupada chant, it was a total meditation. That’s what he wanted to hear and that’s what I got from that experience; just keep it simple. (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 51)</p>
<p><strong>Melodic instruments divert attention from the mantra; rhythm instruments make one inclined to dance and dancing unlocks devotion; melodies are to be filled with the mantra; no extended notes</strong></p>
<p>Revatinandana: “Srila Prabhupada gave a Sunday feast lecture about kirtan, and he said things that I never heard him say at other times, particularly not during a lecture. He remarked that melodic instruments, including the harmonium, are not meant for kirtan, and he explained why. He said that the ear will automatically follow musical strains, and then our attention will be diverted from the mantra. He said that rhythm instruments are good for kirtan because they make one more inclined to dance, and dancing, in turn, unlocks devotion. He liked graceful dancing. He used to mention that Jayatirtha was a graceful dancer. He said, “See how he dances. This is very good. This will help one feel more devotion.” Another time he told Vishnujana that he did not like melodies that had long, extended notes in them. He liked the melody to be filled with the mantra.</p>
<p>During the lecture he gave that day he also said, “Don’t harmonize during the response.” The leader may sing little variations, but the group should sing a steady response. One person shouldn’t be singing one melody and another doing another melody during the response. “These things,” he said, “will help one pay more attention to the mantra as one is chanting and dancing. That way one will get the maximum benefit, and the kirtan will also become more ecstatic.” He also said that the dancing should be graceful and gentlemanly. Then, during the second kirtan, he got off the vyasasana and danced in the middle of the kirtan party. He danced back and forth very gracefully in what we called the “swami step.” After a while he put his hands up and started leaping up in the air straight up and down. He wasn’t shaking his body around. His hands were up, and he was leaping in the air. He kept leaping and leaping and leaping for a long time, and we were doing it with him. I got tired. I stopped and started to dance back and forth at one point. I was twenty-two years old at the time, and he was over seventy. Yet Prabhupada went right on leaping. He seemed to have no physical exhaustion at all. I was impressed because I thought, “I play basketball and here this guy can jump more than I can.” I shouldn’t say “guy,” but those are the kind of thoughts that were going through my mind. It was the first time I had ever seen him dance, and I was amazed.” (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 8)</p>
<p><strong>Melody should not supersede the Holy Name</strong></p>
<p>Bhavananda: “During the festival the devotees were having a kirtan in the temple in Mayapur. They sang a tune that lent itself to saying Ga’dadhar (accent on first syllable). But it was one of those newer melodies. Prabhupada called me in and said, “They are singing Ga’dadhar but it is Gada’dhar (accent on second syllable).” I told everyone, but no one listened to me. They all continued to chant Ga’dadhar because it was more syncopated for the melody. The melody shouldn’t take precedence over the name.” (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das, ITV] Chapter 18)</p>
<p><strong>Prabhupada wanted the devotees to learn how to do kirtan properly</strong></p>
<p>Prabhupada wanted to teach his London-bound disciples to sing and play instruments in a specific way. Someone should learn to play the harmonium properly-following the melody, not simply pumping it, as the devotees had been doing for years. And the Sanskrit mantras and bhajanas should be pronounced properly and the melodies sung correctly. Some melodies were to be sung in the morning, others in the evening. Each word was to be pronounced correctly and with the right intonation.</p>
<p>Prabhupada liked Yamuna’s singing, and Mukunda was an expert musician for organizing the party. The spacious Montreal temple was a suitable place for them to practice. Ideally, Prabhupada said, the party should have two mridanga players, one harmonium player, one tamboura player, and at least six karatala players. He talked about sending the group not only to London but to the European continent and then to Asia also. So he wanted them to become expert at kirtana. (Prabhupada Lila 7– 4, Satsvarupa Swami: A Summer in Montreal 1968)</p>
<p><strong>In his last days Prabhupada was pleased by kirtan in the old tunes</strong></p>
<p>Rupa-Vilasa: During Prabhupada’s last days, 24-hour kirtan was going on in his room and devotees would chant for him in shifts. I went with a group of gurukula students. Prabhupada couldn’t take too much sound so we used tiny kartals and made as little noise as possible. Tamal Krishna Maharaj asked me to lead the chanting and I thought, “I’d really like to please Prabhupada with this chanting.” I tried to remember every tune that Prabhupada had chanted the Hare Krishna mantra to and I chanted those. I really concentrated, then our shift ended and we left. The next day when we went to chant, Tamal Krishna Maharaj grabbed me by the arm and said, “You have to chant for Prabhupada.” I said, “Sure, but why?” He said, “The other day after you left Prabhupada called me over and said, ‘Who was that chanting?’” Tamal, always the guardian, said, “Was there anything wrong, Prabhupada?” Prabhupada said, “No. It was very nice.” (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 43)</p>
<p><strong>Popular Bengali melodies are a form of entertainment</strong></p>
<p>Dinadayadri: “At the first Mayapur festival in 1972, when the cornerstone was laid, devotees were learning so-called Bengali-style chanting, which was quite different from the chanting Srila Prabhupada had taught us. The Bengali melodies, rather than being completely transcendental, were a form of traditional folk entertainment. When, instead of simply absorbing Srila Prabhupada’s example and trying to emulate that, the devotees imbibed these Indian styles, techniques and drumbeats. Prabhupada expressed some displeasure especially in the beginning when they weren’t good at it.</p>
<p>Achyutananda Maharaj had been in India for some time, learned these styles from some of Prabhupada’s God-brothers in the Gaudiya Math and had started teaching others. Maharaj was a bit arrogant about it, “You don’t know how to chant. I’ll teach you how you should be chanting. In India you have to do it this way.” Some devotees fell for it because the drumbeats and tunes were catchy. But the devotees weren’t good at it, so the result was a cacophony of unpleasant sounds—a mess—rather than the beautiful, angelic chanting that we did under Prabhupada’s tutelage. When Prabhupada heard those kirtans from his thatched hut he’d make a face and say, “It is a pinching sound,” and he would close his windows to reduce the volume. When the kirtan ended he’d say, “Thank goodness it’s over.”” (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 37)</p>
<p><strong>Kirtana of persons not anxious for their own well-being is of no benefit</strong><br /> “As long as we remain aloof from Krishna-kirtana that is conducted by pure devotees, maya will delude us in various ways. We will derive no benefit by joining the kirtana of persons who are not anxious for their own wellbeing and hoodwink themself. There will be no sankirtana if we follow such people who, without receiving instructions from true Vaishnavas, imitatively decorate their body with beads and tilaka and screech out some names that merely resemble harinama. ” (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, Sri Caitanya’s Teachings, p. 122)</p>
<p><strong>Musical ornamentation attracts people but devotees should not be attached to it</strong></p>
<p>“Aniruddha: Vishnujana Swami was a wonderful devotee who sang beautifully. Prabhupada said, “By his singing alone, he can go back to the spiritual world.” And Vishnujana Swami was expert in playing the tambora, the mridanga, the harmonium, and in making up his own melodies. He was a little embarrassed to play his own melodies for Prabhupada, but he wanted to be recognized. Once, in the La Cienega temple, where Prabhupada had a small private room adjoining the main temple room, Vishnujana was elaborately playing his melodies on the harmonium in the temple room when Prabhupada came out of his room and said, “What is wrong with the melodies I have given you?” Today the movement has grown and we have many different melodies, but I’m fond of Prabhupada’s original ones.</p>
<p>Prabhupada knew that we were attracting all varieties of people and he was broad-minded. When Vishnujana Maharaj started the road shows using guitars and a lot of music, Prabhupada said, “This is very good to attract people, but the devotees shouldn’t get attached to it.” Today, however, in some places it’s common for devotees to play all these songs. Whatever brings a person to Krishna consciousness is all right – Prabhupada taught us to be broad-minded – but we have to be careful not to compromise.” (Srila Prabhupada Remembrances [Siddhanta das ITV], Chapter 32)</p>
<p><strong>“Those who possess love and devotion in their hearts love to hear Kirtana in the old and ancient tune.”</strong></p>
<p>We were extremely pained to hear kirtana performed by Nyadas, Bahuls and other unauthorized people in the tune of cinemas songs. But our pain was somewhat diminished by hearing the eternal names of Hari, Krsna and Rama uttered by them in the course of their singing. Those who possess love and devotion in their hearts love to hear Kirtana in the old and ancient tune. They do not like to hear or sing useless topics. They sing and hear the pure holy names of Hari in the old tune. Due to lack of good association, the residents of this metropolitan city do not easily realize the characteristics of pure devotional service. Therefore they follow their own concocted process. Anyhow our Sri Gauranga is most merciful. Since He has mercifully allowed the residents of Calcutta to perform Kirtana, we hope that gradually He will reveal pure devotional service in their hearts. (Bhaktivinoda Vani Vaibhav, 55.Chanting the holy names of the Lord)</p>
<p><strong>That old kirtana tune is “the specific gift of Bengal”</strong></p>
<p>Regarding the presentation of “Govindam” as well as other mantras, the vibration is always pure. I will give the theme and if the sound is Westernized that does not matter. But another point is that this specific sound of Kirtana as I sing is also another introduction of art that can be intermingled with Western art, and such combination will certainly be appreciated. But so far I know that the Kirtana tune is a specific representation of Gaudiya Vaisnavas and this tune is appreciated all over India as unique. They say that the Kirtana tune is the specific gift of Bengal, and that is a fact. So why not utilize this tune in the Western countries under the able guidance of such expert musician as George? (Prabhupada letter to Shyamsundar, Feb. 25, 1970)</p>
<p><strong>Maya-kirtana</strong><br /> “Can kirtana really be considered genuine if some worthless people with no ardor for Hari-seva come together and howl? True Hari-sankirtana is that of genuine devotees, who serve Hari according to the principles enjoined in the Vedas and allied sastras. Kirtana is not Hari-sankirtana if conducted for the prevention of cholera or pox epidemics, for prosperity in trade, or for labha-puja-pratishtha. Such kirtana is maya-kirtana.” (Sri Caitanya’s Teachings, p. 122)</p>
<p><strong>No Benefit?</strong><br /> “As long as we remain aloof from Krishna-kirtana that is conducted by pure devotees, maya will delude us in various ways. We will derive no benefit by joining the kirtana of persons who are not anxious for their own wellbeing and hoodwink themself. There will be no sankirtana if we follow such people who, without receiving instructions from true Vaishnavas, imitatively decorate their body with beads and tilaka and screech out some names that merely resemble harinama.” (Sri Caitanya’s Teachings, p. 122)</p>
<p><strong>Go to hell via harinama!</strong><br /> “Making a pretense of harinama, people are waltzing their way to hell. ” (Srila Prabhupadera Goloka-vani, Vol. 1, p 286)</p>
<p><strong>Not to please the crowd but to deliver Krsna in the right way</strong></p>
<p>“Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd. Your business is satisfy Krishna, and then crowd will be automatically satisfied. We are not going to please the crowd. We are going to give them something, Krishna. So you should be very much careful whether you are delivering Krishna in the right way. Then they’ll be satisfied. Your only business should be to satisfy Krishna.” (Bhagavad-gita 7.1, Los Angeles, December 2, 1968)</p>
<p><strong>Kirtan for pleasing the senses through melody, beat and tempo is not kirtana</strong><br /> “Kirtana that is bawled with the intention of pleasing the senses through melody, beat, and tempo is not kirtana; actually it is not kirtana for Krishna. Krishna-sankirtana means vocalizing the aprakrita names of aprakrita Krishna and chanting about the aprakrita form of Krishna, the aprakrita qualities of Krishna, the aprakrita associates of Krishna, and the aprakrita pastimes of Krishna. Still, it is not that melody, beat, and tempo are to be rejected in Krishna-kirtana; all of them must be present. The six ragas and thirty-six raginis are servants of Krishna-kirtana. ” (Srila Prabhupadera Goloka-vani, Vol 1, p 1.300-304)</p>
<p><strong>So called ‘rasa kirtan’</strong></p>
<p>“Professional singers of rasa kirtana are called rasika in the namesake only; In fact they are devoid of any knowledge regarding rasa and are averse to Vaisnava conclusions. Their songs are full of different musical modes and tunes, but their kirtana is not fit to be heard by the Vaisnavas. They add so much to the original mahajana songs in order to please the assembled women and foolish people. Such people are full of pride because they get money and praise from foolish audience.” (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, Sajjana Tosani 6/2)</p>
<p><strong>Other tunes and styles of music – when they are acceptable</strong></p>
<p>We already have explained the fallacy of the idea that the Siksastaka’s statement about there being “no hard and fat rules for chanting” refers to the individual souls’ call on the Lord… that organized chanting has to be done according to certain rules and regulations.</p>
<p>But what of the occasional statements by Prabhupada allowing or encouraging chanting in various other tunes and styles?</p>
<p><strong>Change of tune not harmful</strong></p>
<p>“If there is no mistake in the set up of the wording, the change of musical tune, that is not harmful.” (Srila Prabhupada referring to an album promoted by Rameswar set in modern tunes;</p>
<p>Room Conversation, November 25, 1976, Vrndavana)</p>
<p><strong>San Francisco wild kirtans:</strong></p>
<p>One day while living with Srila Prabhupada at the New Jersey seashore, a tape arrived from the San Francisco temple; some devotees from New York brought it and Srila Prabhupada sat listening to the taped ‘San Francisco kirtan’. Now, a bit of background: Gaurasundara and I had met Srila Prabhupada in San Francisco when he first arrived and had been initiated at the San Francisco temple, the Haight Ashbury Frederick Street storefront, and then had followed him to New York when he returned in March of 1967. The San Francisco Haight Ashbury district was quite wild, there was a hippie environment; Gaurasundara and I were students just prior to meeting Srila Prabhupada, were both in our senior year in the University of Texas; we found the more studious and sedate New York temple more to our liking. In New York, devotees were reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, chanting regularly, and following pretty strictly. In San Francisco, things were generally wilder, with lots of flamboyant kirtans and hardly anyone reading or following strictly. Because of this vast difference between New York mood and San Francisco mood, the natural tendency was for the New York devotees to look down upon the San Francisco temple, and to criticize and roll their eyes when talking about the San Francisco devotees. Yes, the politics had already begun. New York temple really did not take the San Francisco devotees seriously, and San Francisco did indeed have a mood of its own. Knowing all this, I was eager to see Srila Prabhupada’s reaction to the San Francisco kirtan tape. As the old reel-to-reel tape player began blaring the new Hare Krsna chant, Srila Prabhupada began to wag his head in time to the music: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare. It was a new singsong chant, nothing at all like the morning and evening ragas that Srila Prabhupada had introduced. This was an American version for sure: horns blared, drums boomed, and cymbals clanged; it was a festive party sound. Some of the New York devotees were aghast; after hearing the tape through, Srila Prabhupada smiled broadly and expressed his appreciation: “Oh, they have done nicely. Very nice. They are chanting so enthusiastically”. One of the tape bearers protested the modern unauthentic sound. Srila Prabhupada drowned him out. It was, in his opinion, wonderful. He sent a message to San Francisco to let them know he loved their kirtan tape and to go on chanting. Srila Prabhupada then said: “They are chanting Hare Krsna, that is the main thing. It may be this tune or that tune, doesn’t matter – this way or that, but they are sincerely chanting. That is what Krsna wants”. (Prabhupada Stories, Govinda dasi, Story # 6 – Wild kirtans)</p>
<p>The Haight Ashbury devotees, though still hippy-like in many ways, were simple and pure in their surrender and following of Krishna consciousness. They had given up drugs and sex. But even other ISKCON temples in the west – what to speak of the situation in India, particularly urban India, are very different. In India there are temples everywhere and many people still go to them although mostly they are demigod temples and a significant number are temples to man-made gods. And of those claiming to be vaisnavas, mainly they are so only by birth, their practice of bhakti often consisting only of visiting some temple once in a year. And what Vedic practices still exist are being eroded away as materialism advances. In modern India, though the maha mantra has spread quite widely, it is usually ‘filmy’ tunes or directly clips from cinema sound tracks. Cinema singing is not anywhere near as good as the sincere efforts at kirtan by those ex-hippy devotees Govinda dasi writes about… Krishna likes the service of new devotee’s. Of course, as the Bible says, “For every thing there is a season”… an appropriate time for everything. The sixties chanting in San Francisco is not for all time and all places while the tunes sung by Prabhupada are.</p>
<p>Prabhupada says “ … we chant Hare Krsna. So we are not training our students any way about musical science, that “We have to chant in this way or that way, we have to dance in this way or that way.” Without any musical knowledge, without any poetic understanding, even a child can take part in it, and he becomes immediately absorbed in ecstasy. Why? This is because we are chanting the glories of the Lord… it does not require any artificial musical knowledge or dancing knowledge. Out of your own ecstasy, you will dance, you’ll chant. You don’t require to study. Just like our playing of mrdanga. Nobody has gone to an expert mrdanga player to learn it. Whatever I play, I sing, I never studied under some expert teacher. But by practice, chanting… It may be melodious, it may be very nice or not. That doesn’t matter. We are not concerned about that, whether it is appealing to the people or not. It will appeal; there is no doubt about it. But we don’t require to divert our attention on these things. Simply because there is glorification of the Lord, it will be palatable. … Krsna is not within the material qualities of goodness, passion, or ignorance. All His qualities are transcendental, nondifferent from Him. Therefore His glorification of the transcendental qualities can be chanted who are already in the transcendental platform. Others cannot. … nivrtta-tarsaih. Nivrtta means already finished, completely finished. … One who has finished his material hankering, they can chant this transcendental glorification of the Lord. Others cannot. Just like in our sankirtana movement, you are taking so much ecstasy, pleasure. So others will say, “What these people are doing? Crazy fellow, they’re trancing, dancing and beating some drum.” They’ll feel like that because their hankering for material enjoyment is not finished. Therefore nivrtta. … Actually, this transcendental name of Krsna, or God, can be chanted in liberated stage. Therefore we prescribe, while chanting, there are three stages. The offensive stage, liberated stage, and actually on the platform of love of Godhead stage. That is the perfectional stage by chanting. In the beginning we chant in offensive stage—the ten kinds of offenses. But that does not mean that we shall not chant. Even there are offenses, we shall go on chanting. That chanting will help me to get out of all offenses. Of course, we must take care that we may not commit offenses. Therefore this list of ten kinds of offenses are given. We should try to avoid. And as soon as it is offenseless chanting, then it is liberated stage. That is liberated stage. And after liberated stage, the chanting will be so pleasing because that is on the transcendental platform that actual love of Krsna and God will be relished. But the same thing… The chanting… In the offensive stage, the chanting, and the liberated stage is chanting… But in the mature stage… Just like Rupa Gosvami, he used to say that “What shall I chant with one tongue and what shall I hear with two ears? If millions of ears I had, if millions of tongue I had, then I could chant and hear.” Because they are in liberated stage.</p>
<p><strong>Other instruments</strong></p>
<p>Electric guitar, if it is, they chant Hare Krsna only, nothing else, then it is all right. But as far as possible, simply mrdanga and kartal. But if GBC thinks that it attracts more people so they give contribution, that is a different thing. Otherwise there is no need. – Room Conversation, London, August 15, 1971</p>
<p><strong>The question of offensive chanting</strong></p>
<p>If one uses the vibration of the holy name for the benefit of the material body, for material wealth and followers, or under the influence of greed or atheism – in other words, if one utters the holy name with offenses – such chanting will not produce the desired result very soon. Therefore one should diligently avoid offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.60)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>A single utterance of the holy name brings liberation but only if not blocked by offences</strong></p>
<p>O brahmana, when, pronounced properly or not, it appears on the voice, walks on the path of the memory, or enters the ears, if it is not stopped by offenses a single utterance of the holy name of the Lord carries one beyond the world of birth and death. However, if the chanter commits offenses, or if he chants to attain wealth, followers, or the happiness of this material body, he will be thrown into the world of birth and death, and his chanting will not quickly bring the desired result. (Srila jiva Goswami’s Bhakti Sandarbha Anucceda 202.16)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>If only offensive chanting is going on, the movement will dissolve into uselessness</strong></p>
<p>“So chanting, even if it is in the offensive stage is not to be avoided for that reason. At the same time, if there is no offenseless chanting going on, only offensive, what kind of people will be attracted? Those who are advanced from previous births or by dint of previous devotional credits in this life will intuitively be able to recognize that “this chanting these people are doing is not pure. There is no use in my joining them… in my associating with them.” On the other hand, too, if people see the members dressed expensively, carrying expensive mobile phones, etc., they will think “Hey, these people have lots of money. Let me join them and also cash in”. In that way any movement can become diluted to uselessness. Prabhupada said “boil the milk”: “I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter. Now do like that, boil the milk.” (Prabhupada letter to Rupanuga, Honolulu, 9 May, 1972) … “we have got so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way that we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost.” (Prabhupada letter to Hamsaduta, Los Angeles, 22 June, 1972)</p>
<p>Those that have already joined, get them refined by constantly encouraging them, instructing them. If that is not attended to, if there is concentration only on grand programs, grand projects, then it will all become useless… If many new people are induced to join and their numbers are counted and reported without concern for the effect on the existing membership and what will happen to them, it is like diluting milk… After diluting it to such an extent, it is no longer milk. You can’t make yogurt out of it, you won’t get nourishment by drinking it… It will just cause dysentery. The movement becomes a sick movement. It may be said that “it is spiritual” but a sick movement cannot do any good for the world. It cannot be said to be spiritual in fact. Only out of sentiment you may say that it is still spiritual. Spiritual means pure, free from disease. Disease is a one of the material contaminations.</p>
<p>So things are to be done according to standards, not in different ways that some may claim – without offering authentic references to guru, sadhu and sastras – that “it is very effective”. Effective in increasing the number of members without consideration of their quality? That is contrary to the acharyas’ desire and we should avoid it. We don’t care if some say we are “fanatical”, or “insisting on following so many rules… Prabhupada didn’t say ‘follow so many rules’”. Whoever argues like that is on the mental plane… understanding simply theoretical. Such persons may appear to follow Prabhupada but they have not internalized his teachings. They cannot in fact effectively chant or preach. Mouthing words is not chanting or preaching. Such members don’t last. They may be called “devotee” and they may be great in number but why listen to them? We have to follow the acharyas. Acaryavan vijnanaya… One who has acharya, he knows the Vedic conclusions. Not others.</p>
<p>End</p>
<p>This article with some additional formatting that makes it easier to follow is here:</p>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6VJu4PdHB6_MlFhMW9WbUFLVFU">https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6VJu4PdHB6_MlFhMW9WbUFLVFU</a></p>
<p>Some of the non-Folio references have not been verified but are included as they are from reputable sources.</p>
<p>Considered questions, comments may be addressed to: rasanandadas[at]gmail[dot]com or on Skype, ID h.zuckerman</p>
<p><a id="sdendnote1sym" href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29006#sdendnote1anc" name="sdendnote1sym">i</a> (Upon joining the movement in 1969, among other services, I (the author) was assigned to look after the temple’s “library” consisting of the Collier Bhagavad Gita, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Sri Isopanisad, a set of Prabhupada’s Indian printed first canto Srimad Bhagavatam volumes, photocopies of letters from Prabhupada on his instruction circulated to all the then four or five temple, a few reel-to-reel tapes of Prabhupada’s bajans and kirtans, the ‘Happening’ album, one or two 45 records and maybe one or two other books. Among the letters was one in which Prabhupada says about authorized chants that they include govinda jaya jaya gopala jaya jaya, radha ramana hari govinda jaya jaya andgopala, gopala, yasodanandana gopala. As this letter does not appear in Folio, I did not include them among the references to authorized mantras.)<br /> <br /> <strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29006">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29006</a></p></div>Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja’s disappearance dayhttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-jagannatha-dasa-babaji-maharaja-s-disappearance-day2023-02-21T08:30:00.000Z2023-02-21T08:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515175405,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515175405,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515175405?profile=original" width="480" /></a></p>
<p>(Bhaktivedanta Research Centre: This is a one of a kind original photo of Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj found by BRC while going through Sri Sundaranand Vidyabinode’s collection.)</p>
<p>Today is Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja’s disappearance day. He comes in the Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on His pastimes. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, near the temple of Suryadeva, where Srimati Radharani used to come and worship the sun-god—or, I should say, where She used to come to meet Krishna on the pretext of coming to worship the sun-god.</p>
<p><img class="cke_anchor" title="Anchor" src="http://htmleditor.in/ckeditor/images/spacer.gif?t=B5GJ5GG" alt="Anchor" />Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who comes in the disciplic succession after Jagannatha dasa Babaji, accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja as his main guru, his siksa-guru. Once, some of Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples in Vraja approached the Thakura. They complained that although they had come to Vraja to live like Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names and meditating on Sri Sri Radha-Krishna’s astakaliya-lila, Babaji Maharaja had refused to instruct them in such esoteric topics and had instead engaged them in cultivating tulasi plants, flowers, and vegetables to offer to the Lord. So these disciples requested Bhaktivinoda Thakura to appeal to their guru maharaja to instruct them in the esoteric practices of Krishna consciousness.</p>
<p>Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told them, “Actually, your Gurudeva’s instructions are right for you. Because you still have anarthas, for you to try to sit and do nirjana-bhajana [solitary worship] and practice asta-kaliya-lila-smarana [meditation on the Lord’s eightfold daily pastimes] would be artificial, and you would just become degraded. So you should follow your Gurudeva’s instructions with full faith and work hard in Krishna’s service. Then, in time, you may be able to chant the holy names purely.”</p>
<p>Eventually, Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja moved to Mayapur, where he lived by the banks of the Ganges, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names. He had the greatest reverence for the holy land of Navadvipa. Although he was so renounced and so absorbed in Krishna consciousness, as his reputation spread, gentlemen would come to him and give him donations. Once, Babaji Maharaja asked one of his servants to take the donations he had received, which he kept in an old burlap bag, and purchase a large pot of rasagullas. All the devotees were surprised, because Jagannatha dasa Babaji was so renounced and lived so simply. He would eat just the most simple rice and dal. Anyway, the servant brought the sweets, and Jagannatha dasa Babaji offered them to his Deities and then distributed them to the cows and dogs in the dhama. He said the creatures of the dhama were elevated souls and worthy of service.</p>
<p>Later, Babaji Maharaja would not accept prasada until he had shared his food with ten newborn puppies. He would wait until they came, and he would count them with his hands. (In his old age, Babaji Maharaja’s eyelids drooped over his eyes and prevented him from seeing.) So he would count them with his hands, and only after they had begun to eat would he also partake. He would say, “They are puppies of the dhama. They are not ordinary living entities.” He had so much faith in and affection for the dhama.</p>
<p>He had less affection for Mayavadi impersonalists. He used to say, “Let the dogs come in for darsana, but the impersonalists—kick them out!”</p>
<p>Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji lived to a very old age. In fact, some Vaishnavas say he was just waiting for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to come—someone to whom he could impart his special knowledge and realization, for the benefit of humanity. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had requested to be transferred from his post in Orissa to Bengal so he could be near Navadvipa-dhama. And eventually, he was posted at Krishnanagar, near Navadvipa.</p>
<p>Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura did extensive research to determine the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He studied various old maps, consulted the local people, and visited the different places. Eventually he found a mound where many tulasi trees were growing. He got the intuition that this was the actual birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, but still he wanted his intuition to be confirmed. At the time, Jagannatha dasa Babaji was the most renowned Vaishnava, and he was Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s siksa-guru. Thus, Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples carried him to the place with the mound and tulasi plants. He was so old (over a hundred and forty years old, some say) that his disciples had to carry him in a basket. And his eyelids were so heavy that he had to open them with his hands to be able to see. So, the disciples brought him, but they didn’t tell him that it was the site Bhaktivinoda Thakura had determined to be the birthplace. Still, when Babaji Maharaja arrived there, he spontaneously jumped out of his basket and began to dance in ecstasy, singing the holy names. Thus he confirmed the location of Mahaprabhu’s birthplace.</p>
<p>Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s bhajana-kutira and samadhi are there in Navadvipa-dhama, in Koladvipa. Devotees who perform Navadvipa-parikrama visit there and get his mercy. We also pray to him for his mercy, that we may be instrumental in fulfilling the desires of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the other acaryas in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu coming to us through Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.</p>
<p>Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja ki jaya!</p>
<p>Srila Prabhpada ki jaya!</p>
<p>[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disappearance day, February 20, 2004, Carpinteria, California]</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=43407">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=43407</a></p></div>Advanced Civilization by Chirag Dangarwalahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/advanced-civilization-by-chirag-dangarwala2023-02-09T09:30:00.000Z2023-02-09T09:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515109138,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515109138,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515109138?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="500" /></a> The common understanding of an Advanced Civilization in today’s context is to be advanced in Technology, having a comfortable lifestyle, Earning Lots of money and having enough or rather lavish facilities to enjoy the senses to the fullest. This is the yard stick that is generally used to gauge the Advancement in Civilization. Owing to this yardstick Countries like United States of America, Great Britain etc are considered as First world Countries and more advanced in civilization then others. Undoubtedly these countries are advanced as far as Material comforts and Technology is concerned, however the ancient Vedic scriptures of India have a different perspective on Advancement in Civilization.<br /> <br /> As per Bhagavad-Gita, the living entities in this world are not the material bodies which are visible with the eyes, but they are eternal spirit souls possessing different kinds of bodies. It is something like a driver sitting in a car where Car is compared to the material bodies and the driver is compared to the spirit soul. So the material body is dead in itself and cannot be animated unless the spirit soul resides in it, just like a car cannot move without a driver.</p>
<p>dehino ‘smin yathā dehe<br /> kaumāraḿ yauvanaḿ jarā<br /> tathā dehāntara-prāptir<br /> dhīras tatra na muhyati [ B.G. 2.13]</p>
<p>” As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change”</p>
<p>na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin<br /> nāyaḿ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ<br /> ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaḿ purāṇo<br /> na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [ B.G. 2.20]</p>
<p>“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”</p>
<p>The above verses from Bhagavad-Gita, suggest that the living entity is not the body but is the soul within the body which changes its body from boyhood to youth hood too old age, and the soul does not die or take birth but is eternal.</p>
<p>So from Vedic point of view, the civilization is centered on advancement of the spirit soul and not of the temporary material body. This means that the definition of Advancement as per Vedic terms is advancement in spiritual consciousness, which leads one to understand their real identity as spirit souls and eternal loving servants of the Supreme Soul Sri Krsna or God. As per great thinkers and philosophers of the Vedic science the allotted time of a human being should be utilized in advancing spiritually and accept whatever is needed to keep the soul and the body together to perform Krsna Conscious or God Conscious activity.</p>
<p>Spending more than required time on material advancement is considered to be a waste of time in this all precious human form of life. Since this most intelligent form of life is obtained after passing through 8, 400, 000 species of life forms in innumerable lifetimes, and spending this time in human body for advancement of temporary material things which will be taken away at death is considered less intelligent. More so, even if materially a person is opulent and very successful, he still cannot feel happy because of his misidentification of the body as the self. Since the soul is the real identity of a living entity, one has to perform activities conducive to please the soul instead of the body, in order to enjoy. For example if the bird in the cage is not fed and only the cage is taken care of nicely, the bird will soon die due to neglect and suffering. So in order to enjoy or eternally feel happy one has to enquire about the characteristics of the soul. As per the scriptures spirit soul is a minute particle of the Supreme soul Sri Krsna or God and only by pleasing Krsna the spirit soul can feel happy , Just like, by watering the roots of a plant all the leaves are nourished also.</p>
<p> Coming back to our topic on Advancement in Civilization , if we observe closely we find that the modern advanced civilizations are just doing the opposite, they are using their entire energy and time in this human form of body, to build big ” worlds tallest buildings”, great man made monuments to attract tourists , increasing the facilities for sense enjoyment like, casinos, bars, restaurants, movies etc and using all the technology available in order to improve techniques and methods of increasing material comforts. This as per the Vedic yard stick is a mere waste of time, energy and opportunity lost in the human body. The premise for such a behavior is mainly due to the lack of basic knowledge about the self. Today though we have educational institutions which are drawing heavy tuition fees to provide infrastructural and technological facilities, we are still ignorant about our own self and hence there is no satisfaction or happiness, since we are trying to become happy by improving our outer dress only without trying to take care of the real body.</p>
<p> Vedic Wisdom, of which Bhagavad-Gita is the essence, can help the misguided population to understand the real interest of every human being and has the capacity to changes life’s for good to provide with peace and happiness for which everyone is hankering today. It is evident , that our educations have made us good artist rather than knowledgeable persons, what we consider knowledge for example in understanding computer technology , in constructing high rise buildings and etc is a mere art , since it by this knowledge we are not able to solve the real problems of life that are birth , death , old age and disease. Bhagavad-Gita explains what real knowledge is</p>
<p>vidya-vinaya-sampanne<br /> brahmane gavi hastini<br /> suni caiva sva-pake ca<br /> panditah sama-darsinah [ B.g. 5.18]</p>
<p>“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].”</p>
<p>amanitvam adambhitvam<br /> ahimsa ksantir arjavam<br /> acaryopasanam saucam<br /> sthairyam atma-vinigrahah</p>
<p>indriyarthesu vairagyam<br /> anahankara eva ca<br /> janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-<br /> duhkha-dosanudarsanam</p>
<p>asaktir anabhisvangah<br /> putra-dara-grhadisu<br /> nityam ca sama-cittatvam<br /> istanistopapattisu</p>
<p>mayi cananya-yogena<br /> bhaktir avyabhicarini<br /> vivikta-desa-sevitvam<br /> aratir jana-samsadi</p>
<p>adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam<br /> tattva-jnanartha-darsanam<br /> etaj jnanam iti proktam<br /> ajnanam yad ato ‘nyatha [ B.g. Verses 13.8-13.12]</p>
<p>“Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; non attachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth–all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance. ”</p>
<p>Above verses describe what true knowledge is and what we receive in our today’s educational systems is by far nowhere near to what is defined as knowledge. Also in the Vedic vocabulary ignorance is compared to darkness and knowledge is compared to light, since one cannot see any thing in darkness similarly even after receiving Masters, and PhD degrees from the Vedic point of view we cannot see the reality, since we have not even touched true knowledge about the soul. And there can be no advancement without knowledge or in other words we cannot make any advancement of civilization when we are in ignorance of our identity as spirit souls. So it is imperative that we take to this process of understanding the true knowledge from the Vedic wisdom and Bhagavad-Gita AS it is which is readily available, and correct our misidentification and wrong notions on Advancement Of Civilization.</p>
<p> The modern advancement can be termed as “advancement ” not of civilization but of destruction, by increasing the technology and other material comforts, we have given rise to unemployment, wars, depression, greed, lust , disease and pollution . We have ecologically put nature into imbalance and hence we see the problems we face with the untimely weathers.</p>
<p> The need of the hour is not a more advanced computer system, but a process to educate people about their identities and encouraging activities pertaining to their spiritual nature, in order to change the consciousness of the human society. The best method recommended to achieve this for this age of Kali is chanting the holy names of God, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare collectively and individually as confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam.</p>
<p>kaler doña-nidhe räjann<br /> asti hy eko mahän guëaù<br /> kértanäd eva kåñëasya<br /> mukta-saìgaù paraà vrajet [S.B. 12.3.51]</p>
<p>“My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mahä-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.”</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8889">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8889</a></p></div>Origin of the universe: Srimad Bhagavatam and the Big Bang Theory By Brajahari dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/origin-of-the-universe-srimad-bhagavatam-and-the-big-bang-theory-2022-11-12T11:30:00.000Z2022-11-12T11:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p class="c14"><span class="c4"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515113255,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515113255,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515113255?profile=original" /></a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">In this article, I compare the origin of universe as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB) and the Big Bang (BB) theory .</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p id="h.hswx8yg25qxo" class="c14 c24 subtitle"><span class="c16">1. The initial state</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">According to SB, the initial </span><span class="c4">state of matter immediately previous to its manifestation is called</span><span class="c2">pradhāna </span><span class="c4">(SB 3.26.10p)</span><span class="c2">.</span><span class="c4"> </span><span class="c4">In the BB theory, this initial state is called the </span><span class="c2">singularity</span><span class="c4">. The table below compares these two states:</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p> </p>
<table class="c38">
<tbody>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c33" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c2">Pradhāna</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">SB 3.26.10p, SB12.4.20,21</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c39" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c2 c41">Singularity</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">ref : [1]-[4]</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*Unmanifested/undifferentiated form of matter.</span></p>
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*No manifestation of gross/subtle element (i.e. no space, air, fire, etc).</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*No formation of matter or space.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*Undifferentiated, yet total material elements are contained therein.</span></p>
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*Void & No space.</span></p>
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">T</span><span class="c4">o</span><span class="c0">tal matter in zero space=infinite density</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">*Contained all of the matter of the universe, condensed in an infinitely small point of zero space</span><span class="c0">.</span></p>
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">Total matter in zero space=infinite density </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*No manifestation of cause/effect. No reaction of material elements. </span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">*All the </span><span class="c4">laws of physics break down.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*No time. </span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*time=0 </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">*Indescribable</span></p>
<p class="c6"><span class="c0"> </span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">*Cannot be described by any mathematical/physical model. </span><span class="c4 c26">Defies our current understanding of physics & common sense. </span><span class="c0"> </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c36"><span class="c0">*Original substance, it is the actual basis of material creation.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c36"><span class="c0">*The origin of universe.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c8" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c36"><span class="c0">*No consciousness/soul</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c7" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c36"><span class="c0">*N.A.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="c37 c21"> </p>
<p class="c37"><span class="c4">Table 1: The comparison of </span><span class="c2">pradhāna </span><span class="c4">from SB and the </span><span class="c2">singularit</span><span class="c4">y from BB. All descriptions of</span><span class="c2">pradhāna </span><span class="c4">are almost verbatim from SB 3.26.10p & SB12.4.20,21.</span><span class="c2"> </span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">The table indicates a clear similarity between these two initial states. Both states, i.e. </span><span class="c2">pradhāna and</span><span class="c4"> </span><span class="c2">singularit</span><span class="c4">y, refer to a condition where no matter/space is manifested. Since, not even space is manifested, it is just an infinitely small point. SB describes it as void. Although no manifestation of matter/space, yet the total matter is contained and densely packed therein. It is a state where all physical laws break and thus beyond our ability to perceive.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p id="h.7x4e06ad0yzm" class="c14 c24 subtitle"><span class="c16">2. In the beginning</span></p>
<p class="c40 c42"><span class="c4">According to both SB and BB, the process starts with introduction of time.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p> </p>
<table class="c38">
<tbody>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c28" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">Srimad Bhagavatam</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c4">SB3.26.17, </span><span class="c4">SB 2.5.22</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c20" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">Big Bang Theory</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">ref : [1]-[4]</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c32" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">Time is injected into the pradhana. The pradhāna (unmanifested matter) is agitated and it begins to manifest.Thus creation/activity begins.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c22" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c0">Time starts and the process begins.</span></p>
<p class="c9 c21"> </p>
<p class="c9 c21"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c32" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">Cause: Time is injected by the glance of the Lord Mahavisnu. </span></p>
</td>
<td class="c22" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">Cause: The cause for Bing Bang is admitted as unknown by modern science.</span><span class="c4 c17">1-3</span><span class="c0"> </span></p>
<p class="c9 c21"> </p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c32" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">By glancing the Lord also injects souls with their respective karma.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c22" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c0">N.A.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c37 c43"><span class="c4">Table 2: Time causes the transformation of the initial state into manifested universe.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_nnu5yb9ab84r-0 start" start="1">
<li class="c14 c46"><span class="c4">“Events before the BB, are simply not defined, because there’s no way one could measure what happened at them… These had to be imposed on the universe by some external agency.” Stephen Hawking, The Beginning of Time [4].</span></li>
<li class="c14 c46"><span class="c4">There are many speculative proposals regarding the origin of BB: quantum fluctuation, big bounce, multiverse, quantum gravity loop, M-theory, God etc. None of these has any evidence yet.</span></li>
<li class="c14 c46"><span class="c4">There are various of </span><span class="c2">interpretations quantum mechanics, </span><span class="c4">e.g. </span><span class="c4"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_quantum_mechanics%23The_Copenhagen_interpretation&sa=D&ust=1466743827373000&usg=AFQjCNEkGAfNYy9H-ebV8hDL0wmEBj7rQQ">The Copenhagen</a></span><span class="c4">, Many World, Hidden Variable, de Broglie–Bohm, </span><span class="c4"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann%25E2%2580%2593Wigner_interpretation&sa=D&ust=1466743827374000&usg=AFQjCNGJFTWfoNi1ZReZoYKg1ys7-9gDdg">Von Neumann–Wigner</a></span><span class="c4">, ect</span><span class="c2"> </span><span class="c4">– on how matter takes a specific state</span><span class="c4">. According to </span><span class="c4"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann%25E2%2580%2593Wigner_interpretation&sa=D&ust=1466743827375000&usg=AFQjCNH5TunvpgXQftmufItgRi5uc2Z4Dw">Von Neumann–Wigner</a></span><span class="c4"> interpretation, a conscious observation is required for matter to take a specific state</span><span class="c4">. One criticism against this interpretation is: “there was no observer during BB”. The SB emphasizes on “the glance of the Lord over pradhana”. However, it is worth noting that none of these </span><span class="c2">quantum interpretations</span><span class="c4"> has been accepted unanimously by scientists.[6]</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p id="h.g5bzsyhg2uid" class="c14 c24 subtitle"><span class="c16">3. Transformation of matter</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">According to SB, once time is injected, material nature is agitated and thus transformation begins. First, modes of material nature interacts, manifesting subtle and thereafter gross matter. In various sections of SB, the evolution of gross matter is presented consistently, i.e. space –>air –>fire –>water –>earth. The BB also agrees that with time the universe begins to evolve. BB is an empirical theory, based on methodology which deals only with </span><span class="c2">gross matter</span><span class="c4">. I have compared the transformation/evolution of gross matter in both the SB and BB, in the table below:<br /> <br /> </span></p>
<table class="c38">
<tbody>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c31" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">Srimad Bhagavatam</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">SB 2.5.25-29, SB 3.26.32-44</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c35" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">Big Bang Theory</span></p>
<p class="c12"><span class="c0">ref : [1]-[4]</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c0">First: Interaction of the modes of material nature and manifestation of the subtle elements occurs.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c0">N.A.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">From false ego, the first of the five elements, namely the </span><span class="c1">sky</span><span class="c0">, is generated. </span></p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">First the universe expands exponentially from an infinitely small point creating </span><span class="c1">space</span><span class="c0">.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">Because the sky is transformed, the</span><span class="c4 c19"> </span><span class="c1">air</span><span class="c0"> is generated.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">As space expands, the universe cools down enabling formation of fundamental particles and eventually lighter atoms such as hydrogen & helium. Due to gravity, these elements clusters together in space forming </span><span class="c1">gas clouds</span><span class="c0">. </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">When the air is transformed in course of time and nature’s course, </span><span class="c1">fire</span><span class="c0"> is generated.</span></p>
<p class="c6 c21"> </p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">As the gas clouds become denser, gravitational collapse causes atomic fusion, and thus forming stars, which releases </span><span class="c1">light and heat</span><span class="c0">. This is the end of the “dark age of the universe” as the universe begins to have visible light.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">Since fire is also transformed, there is a manifestation of </span><span class="c1 c47">water.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">Within the core of the star, atomic fusion generates heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen (upto iron). When the star dies, it explodes (supernova) releasing these elements into space . </span><span class="c1">Water</span><span class="c0"> is formed here, due the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. [5]</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="c13">
<td class="c30" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c6"><span class="c4">Thence the</span><span class="c1"> earth</span><span class="c0"> becomes manifest.</span></p>
</td>
<td class="c29" colspan="1" rowspan="1">
<p class="c9"><span class="c4">Due to gravity, exploded star dust further clusters together forming planets. In “earthly” planets geological/weathering process forms</span><span class="c1">soil/earth</span><span class="c0">.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c37 c43"><span class="c4">Table 3: The transformation of matter in time.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Disclaimer : I compiled Table 3 based on my overall & limited understanding of SB. As the SB is very deep and large, there could be details that may either enhance, raise questions or invalidate these comparisons. However the individual details are accurate, and as such, I leave it to the reader’s discretion to make the comparison.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p id="h.fmgjhrin830e" class="c14 c24 subtitle"><span class="c16">FAQ</span> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_i9xq78p07ty8-0 start" start="1">
<li class="c3"><span class="c2">Explosion only destroys, cannot create order.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Scientists generally consider “explosion” as a misnomer for BB, in the sense, there was no space to explode into. Rather, BB is an expansion of space from singularity, and evolution of matter thereafter. This is similar to the “agitation of pradhana” and transformation into manifested prakrti, with space being the first manifested gross element. In other words, “BB explosion” is similar to “agitation of </span><span class="c2">pradhana</span><span class="c4">” in SB. In fact, Srila Prabhupada had called the “</span><span class="c4">BB explosion</span><span class="c2">”</span><span class="c4"> as “n</span><span class="c4">ot theory, but fact”</span><span class="c4">, and compared it with the “agitation of </span><span class="c2">pradhana</span><span class="c4">” (refer below).</span></p>
<p class="c5 c27"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_i9xq78p07ty8-0" start="2">
<li class="c3"><span class="c2">How can e</span><span class="c2">verything starts from nothing?</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c2">Pradhāna</span><span class="c4"> is also described as void (SB 12.4.20), and yet total matter is contained therein (SB 3.26.10). Similarly, the </span><span class="c2">singularity </span><span class="c4">is an infinitesimal point, containing total mass of the universe.</span><span class="c4"> Singularity/pradhāna is described as “nothing”/”void” as it has no space or manifestation of matter. Yet it contains total matter for the manifestation of the universe.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_i9xq78p07ty8-0" start="3">
<li class="c3"><span class="c2">Srila Prabhupada (SP) criticized BB as bogus.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">SP did not reject, rather often points out the limitation of the theory. SP’s focus was to establish Lord Krishna as the cause of all cause. For example, i</span><span class="c4">n the following lecture, when SP was asked about the “BB explosion”, SP accepted it as “not just a theory but fact”, comparing it to SB, emphasizing on the cause:</span></p>
<p class="c5 c34"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">“Explosion, yes. So they are seeing that explosion and the chunk, but they cannot explain how the chunk became exploded. …Material energy itself cannot explode. </span><span class="c4 c19">The explosion theory is there… Not theory, fact</span><span class="c4">. But the total material energy, mahat-tattva, when it is glanced over by Mahā-Viṣṇu, then it becomes agitated, and the modes of material nature begins to act. So then these activities are executed by Mahā-Viṣṇu, by His glancing, simply by His glancing… So simply by glancing, He can agitate the material energy, and the creation begins.”</span><span class="c2"> </span><span class="c2">Srila Prabhupada</span><span class="c4">,</span><span class="c2"> Lecture CC Adi 01.1</span><span class="c4">2</span></p>
<p class="c5 c34"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Note that, SP’s arguments are in line with the limitations accepted by modern science :</span></p>
<p class="c5 c34"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_cdgln42dxebp-0 start" start="1">
<li class="c3"><span class="c4">“Events before the BB, are simply not defined, because there’s no way one could measure what happened at them…These had to be imposed on the universe by some external agency.” Stephen Hawking, The Beginning of Time [4].</span></li>
<li class="c3"><span class="c4">“What caused the BB?Any answer to this problem must begin with a key realization: both time and space are contained within the universe and came into existence only after the BB occurred. The cause of the universe must not include them, they are not available to us. It must come from outside our experience.” [2]</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5 c34 c44"> </p>
<p class="c5 c34"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_i9xq78p07ty8-0" start="4">
<li class="c3"><span class="c2">BB</span><span class="c2"> is based on many assumptions and could be proven wrong in the future.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">This could be true. But</span><span class="c4"> the details in SB always remain as facts, independent of the BB.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<ol class="c25 lst-kix_i9xq78p07ty8-0" start="5">
<li class="c3"><span class="c2">God personally creates the universe, magically by his mystic potencies. He does not use scientific rules/laws.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Material manifestation is taken care by the external energy of the Lord. i.e. material nature :</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Bg 9.10</span><span class="c4"> — This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. </span><span class="c4 c19">Under its rule</span><span class="c4"> this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.</span></p>
<p class="c37"><span class="c4">SB 2.10.45</span><span class="c4"> — There is</span><span class="c4 c19"> no direct engineering by the Lord</span><span class="c4"> for the creation and destruction of the material world. What is described in the Vedas about His direct interference is simply to counteract the idea that material nature is the creator.</span></p>
<p id="h.q6hf58n3220m" class="c14 c24 subtitle"><span class="c16">Conclusion</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">I have compiled the origin of universe based on the SB and </span><span class="c4">the</span><span class="c4"> BB theory. The BB theory is based on </span><span class="c4 c26">empirical </span><span class="c4">science which could deal only with </span><span class="c2">gross matter</span><span class="c4">. As far as evolution of </span><span class="c2">gross matter</span><span class="c4"> is concerned, both SB and the BB appear to be in good agreement. SB gives further information regarding subtle elements, consciousness as well as the supreme cause.</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c11"><span class="c4">The cause for the BB is admitted as unknown by today’s science. Moreover</span><span class="c4">, scientists believe that the cause must be beyond space and time, outside our experience and due to </span><span class="c4">external agency [2],[4]. At present there are many speculative theories, i.e. quantum fluctuation, big bounce, multiverse, quantum gravity loop, M-theory, God etc. As far as science is concerned, the idea that God caused the BB, is just as speculative as the other theories. From scientific perspective, this idea does not carry any additional weightage, and contains similar pros & cons compared to the other theories.</span></p>
<p class="c11 c21"> </p>
<p class="c11"><span class="c4">H</span><span class="c4">owever, here we find an ancient text, SB – giving knowledge consistent with a modern scientific theory. Note that, this BB theory is less than one century old and it was developed based on complex physics and using high-tech equipments. The state of singularity in BB, which is a prediction </span><span class="c4"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.space.com/8024-einstein-general-relativity-confirmed.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827407000&usg=AFQjCNFpFYLP6oFuhbU7fypL0sHPkLebjw">Einstein’s </a></span><span class="c4"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.space.com/8024-einstein-general-relativity-confirmed.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827408000&usg=AFQjCNFs8EtOevjh6aovaWaSdGqwiYnNaw">theory of general relativity</a></span><span class="c4"> and is </span><span class="c4">beyond the ability of any human mind to grasp – is strikingly similar to the state of </span><span class="c2">pradhāna</span><span class="c4"> as detailed in SB. Doesn’t all these indicate the credibility of SB? </span><span class="c4">W</span><span class="c4">ouldn’t SB be a reasonably valid source to gain knowledge which are beyond the scope of empirical science?</span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">Hare krshna.</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4"> </span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c19">I highly recommend the readers to watch the following short clips:</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DwNDGgL73ihY&sa=D&ust=1466743827411000&usg=AFQjCNFclHrvmVx6XEM4WZSYxNdxj06l7w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNDGgL73ihY</a></span><span class="c4"> </span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c15 c18"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.deepastronomy.com/what-caused-the-big-bang.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827411000&usg=AFQjCNGbxBsozdXA7EKYEr95sVV184-Ehw">http://www.deepastronomy.com/what-caused-the-big-bang.html</a></span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c19">And read the following verses</span><span class="c4 c19"> & purports</span><span class="c4 c19">:</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/12/4/20-21&sa=D&ust=1466743827413000&usg=AFQjCNFvud44Y7ca4Om34xheAi3FmGXp7w">http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/12/4/20-21</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/3/26/10&sa=D&ust=1466743827413000&usg=AFQjCNH3lDh3RwIglgPhoSd3dtW-FjNu9g">http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/3/26/10</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/3/26/17&sa=D&ust=1466743827414000&usg=AFQjCNF4lBeTHm4aK_R4O1u6yYz3_64dXw">http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/3/26/17</a></span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p id="h.n5dv08v9sj5z" class="c14 c24 subtitle">Reference for BigBang:</p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">I have provided simple/non-technical references which can be easily understood:</span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[1] </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DwNDGgL73ihY&sa=D&ust=1466743827415000&usg=AFQjCNHZZkcO79J7QzkOYrnUDvVBiNydQA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNDGgL73ihY</a></span><span class="c4"> </span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[2] </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.deepastronomy.com/what-caused-the-big-bang.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827416000&usg=AFQjCNHez6c-ZqU07OlZ45ZtNkkk1c4KZA">http://www.deepastronomy.com/what-caused-the-big-bang.html</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[3] </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang&sa=D&ust=1466743827417000&usg=AFQjCNGh3bemoA-eyvp65YL1hEpQ3tW1-Q">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang</a></span><span class="c4">, </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.big-bang-theory.com/&sa=D&ust=1466743827417000&usg=AFQjCNHhsjMNRrOAN6qwyEcOsUSg4DYeKQ">http://www.big-bang-theory.com/</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[4] </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827418000&usg=AFQjCNEndkyyHmmyXzIXuVuHmzsIXgg5fQ">http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.html</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[5]</span><span class="c4 c15"> </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/physicsuniverse.html&sa=D&ust=1466743827419000&usg=AFQjCNHaY9_uw4PqaXnmb0u2yem0Ky3GsA">http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/physicsuniverse.html</a></span></p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">[6] </span><span class="c4 c18 c15"><a class="c10" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_quantum_mechanics&sa=D&ust=1466743827420000&usg=AFQjCNH_tXkSdGQ9EUMKoNrvQLfkUu-JzA">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_quantum_mechanics</a></span></p>
<p class="c5"> </p>
<p class="c14"><span class="c4">References from SB are given within the article.</span></p>
<p><span class="c4"> Source:<a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28817">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28817</a></span></p></div>Adventures in Krishna Consciousness - Chanting the Holy Names By Yamuna-devi dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/adventures-in-krishna-consciousness-chanting-the-holy-names-by-ya2021-12-13T08:30:00.000Z2021-12-13T08:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515141221,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515141221,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515141221?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p>I found this talk by Yamuna-devi, from the Pune Yatra 2001, so profound and powerful, I wanted to share it with you all. If you wish to learn more about—and from—this extraordinary devotee and disciple of Srila Prabhupada’s, you may visit the beautiful new website Unalloyed: The Yamuna Devi Legacy Project (<a href="http://www.unalloyed.org/">www.unalloyed.org</a>). —Giriraj Swami</p>
<p>Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and before I took rest, I was thinking how incongruous it was—you know, I have been a devotee for thirty-odd years, and it’s quite rare that I am asked to speak. In fact, it’s extremely unusual, so I am not practiced at it. And as I told you yesterday, I rarely spoke when Srila Prabhupada was here. He asked various disciples to speak, but I told him clearly that I wasn’t comfortable with this, and he was a little kind upon me and only on occasion he would ask me to speak. So, anyway, I’ll fumble through as best as I can.</p>
<p>So, Maharaja gave this broad assignment of Srila Prabhupada. And I was thinking what I could speak on—because yesterday I asked, “If you please, do you have any questions in regard to Srila Prabhupada the person—something you don’t find in books that have been written, or that you can’t grasp, or that you are hungry for upon seeing him on film or hearing his disciples glorify him on tape, something I may speak on?” But nobody asked me a question, except one prabhu about five minutes ago.</p>
<p>So, when I came this morning and sat down to japa amidst you all for the first time, again I was awestruck by your company. It was like “surround sound.” If you are ever in a recording studio—it’s a bit high tech—there are many tracks that can be recorded upon, and when you sit in the listening room and the sound comes on and the mixing is correct, you are surrounded in all directions with that sound—from the four directions: left and right, up and down. So, I felt like that. Just being in your company I was surrounded by your bhakti, your prayer, the repetition of the vibration of the maha-mantra, and again I was overcome by the quality of your association. And I spontaneously began to—in my japa I tried to focus in on what I am doing, because of all the regulative principles, the most important principle given to us was to chant sixteen rounds of japa. And I have been immersed for so many years in the offensive stage of chanting that just last year, when I was reflecting on what I wanted to change most in my spiritual life for this year, it was to try very hard to move to the clearing stage of chanting the holy name. And as I was focusing in, I remembered so many instances when I had been with Srila Prabhupada and had an exchange with him in this area of japa, and I thought I could share those pastimes with you. In so many ways they might inspire you as they inspired me. Because as I mentioned yesterday, we have this little time gap that seems to separate us so that Srila Prabhupada was with us from 1965, when he sailed on the Jaladuta and arrived in Boston Harbor and we have the history of his activities through November 14, 1977.</p>
<p>Today I would like you to experience a journey through time, so that perhaps you can do more than just hear what I heard from Srila Prabhupada; you can feel what I felt. So let’s just try. We’ll go back to the 1990s and 1980s and way back into the 1970s.</p>
<p>The first incident that strikes me profoundly is something that took place in Akash Ganga, in Mumbai. I think it was 1971, and although I wasn’t stationed in Mumbai very much, on occasion Srila Prabhupada called my husband and me there for service, or sometimes for sankirtana or some function—a pandalperhaps—and on occasion to report to him on some service we were doing. This was during the morning japa period. Yesterday, when Radhanath Maharaja gave the schedule for today, he said, “Please be prompt; everyone be there at 7:30 tomorrow morning,” and he said we would chant for two hours. So similarly, in all of our temples, there is this time allotted for all of us to chant japa together. And this was at that time one morning.</p>
<p>To give you a little bit of the setting of the inside, we had the entire seventh floor of this building; the front two rooms overlooked the sea. One of the rooms was the master bedroom—that was Srila Prabhupada’s room—and the other was the Lord’s living area, our temple room. Coming off that was a hallway, with first the kitchen on one side, and then what was called the office, and then a few rooms in the back, maybe for living quarters.</p>
<p>When it came time for japa, more or less everyone was in the temple room, and in those days it was the habit that sometimes the men would chant in a circle, kind of walking quickly. They would get really immersed, and they would walk, maybe because they were tired, or whatever the reason, but “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,” and they would go around in a circle. So, that was going on. And some people were sitting in various stages of japa; I was one of those disciples. We were chanting in front of the arca-vigraha form of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, who are now in Juhu.</p>
<p>Then Srila Prabhupada walked in from his bedroom and got on his vyasasana. He didn’t say a word; he was just looking at us chanting our japa. I immediately became aware of his presence. We all paid our respectful obeisances to him, and rather than immersing himself, he became intently focused on each and every one of us in the room. Other than on this occasion, I have never experienced that anywhere to such a degree. It became very profound. You’ve heard some devotees say that when Srila Prabhupada looked at you he saw you and he saw through you and he saw the past, present, and future—he just saw so much. So, during that japa period he was looking very intensely at each disciple, and something very, very transcendental happened. All of a sudden, the men who were walking around in circle sat down. And all of a sudden, devotees started to sit up very straight. Right now people are in various stages of leaning over, but there is something very powerful about sitting with one’s back nice and straight, the shoulders back . . . Just do it; you’ll feel what it is like. Right now—just sit up very straight, lift your head up, look ahead, and imagine yourself in great attention chanting japa in this way, all together. I felt as if we were a big lotus flower and Srila Prabhupada was in the whorl of the lotus flower, the center, and we were all these petals opening up around him in transcendental sound, and from Srila Prabhupada’s presence, the quality of the japa changed dramatically, without one word said.</p>
<p>And then straight away, of course, my foolishness—I had finished fourteen rounds, and I took out a little notepad. Malati mentioned this morning how I kept a little notebook, and I was actually going to record this moment because it had such a profound effect upon me. So, immediately, the first thing Prabhupada said to any of us was, “Yamuna, what are you doing?” I was so embarrassed. I said, “I am just writing something down, Srila Prabhupada.” He said, “Have you finished all your rounds?” I said, “No, I have two more to go.” He said, “No writing until you finish your rounds. Chant attentively and then write.”</p>
<p>So that’s one big instruction, which you can take as you wish. I have taken it a little seriously in my life. If I focus on my rounds first, in the brahma-muhurta hour without doing anything else—if I don’t write lists—then my day is different than if I do otherwise. Actually, I do build a fire in our wood stove at home because in our ashram we don’t have electricity or heaters—we have a wood stove that supplies the heat, so we start the wood stove in the morning beforehand, but other than that, we get up and chant and only chant.</p>
<p>So, then the next thing that happened was that there was a brahmacari present, Tatpura dasa, and Srila Prabhupada looked down at him and said, “Is that a clean bead bag?” Tatpura said, “No.” “How many bead bags do you have?” Srila Prabhupada asked. “I only have this one.” “You must have two, at least,” Srila Prabhupada told him. “Wash one, use it, and at the end of day wash it and use the other one, so you have a clean bead bag every morning.”</p>
<p>So, those were the two instructions that I remember from that time. Srila Prabhupada was very brief in his instruction, but very deep in the scope of the ramifications of our behavior during this time when we were focused on the holy name with our japa-mala. And that was transcendental and glorious.</p>
<p>Another occasion that was very moving was in Indore, in December of ’71, at a pandal program, I believe at Gita Bhavan. The living quarters given to Srila Prabhupada were very pleasant. It was a large piece of land—about this size, maybe a little larger—and there was an outer perimeter wall with small kutiras. There were sadhus there, and activities were going on, and in one corner of the land there was a little hut with a fire in it, and a large iron cauldron and water that had been heated the night before. When one wanted to take a bath, he went into that hut and got a few lotas full of nice warm water and mixed it into the cold so that the water was warm enough to bathe with. And Srila Prabhupada had one small room in that facility. There was also a hall, and rather than staying in his room, Srila Prabhupada would go into the hall to chant and do translation.</p>
<p>I was always a little hungry to experience Srila Prabhupada’s company, and in those days, perhaps it was youth, I was a little bold. Not as bold as Malati was, but all of us were so hungry to taste Srila Prabhupada’s company that we would try to slide in wherever we could to achieve that. So I found that Srila Prabhupada would chant and do his translation work in the hall in the morning. And one morning I got up at one o’clock, and I took my bead bag and Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which I was reading at the time, and really quite like a mouse, I slunk in through the back entrance and huddled in a little corner praying that Srila Prabhupada wouldn’t see me, that I would be able to stay in that space (there was nobody else in the room).</p>
<p>I generally chant with my eyes closed, and every once in a while I would just take a little peek to see if Srila Prabhupada was disturbed, or looking at me. And like that, I got to chant all my rounds there. Then I picked up my book and thought, Well, I have gotten this far; why don’t I do my studying now? So I picked up Teachings of Lord Caitanya and started to read, and right then Srila Prabhupada got up from what he was doing in front of the room and came to the back and looked down at me and said, “So, what are you studying?” I said, “Teachings of Lord Caitanya,” and he said, “This is very nice.” He said, “Please study my books. I write my books so that you will read them and study them.” Then I said, a little boldly, “Srila Prabhupada, may I come back and chant japa here tomorrow morning?” and he said, “Yes, you can come.”</p>
<p>The impact of that was, again, tremendous. I was very hungry for this kind of association. Even at that time I understood that I was in this dark well of nescience and that a lifeline was being dropped down, one of the lifelines . . . No, I actually considered the lifeline to be this japa. And yet I have been so offensive to it over the years—as I say, in this offensive stage—but I know its importance.</p>
<p>As Srila Prabhupada lived with us and we lived with him, there were practically no closed doors, even when Srila Prabhupada took rest. During this period in India, he gave us access to him more or less twenty-four hours a day. This had not necessarily been so in the early phase I discussed yesterday—the adi phase, from 1966 through 1969. That had been very intimate, and Srila Prabhupada had taken personal care with each and every one of his disciples, because it was a small-enough family for him to do that. But in this phase in India, this madhyama period, for the first time, those of us who were with Srila Prabhupada got to see him in action in a way that we hadn’t seen him in the West—he engineered everything. We had no idea how to function in India, and Srila Prabhupada was so comfortable in all different levels of that society. He knew how to reciprocate with the most sophisticated man and with the most simple. He knew how to associate with both the most learned men and the greatest of fools. And similarly, with his disciples, he was able to penetrate the heart of the disciple and reciprocate with that. So this japa was for me something I was very hungry for—especially to associate with Srila Prabhupada during the brahma-muhurta; I was very attracted to that.</p>
<p>Another transcendentally surcharged moment for me was later—all the way into Vrndavana. It was my second time in Vrndavana, in November of 1971, after the first Delhi pandal, and for the first time in India I was quite indisposed. Just as the pandal program was beginning and the first arati was performed for Their Lordships, I went into some kind of a fainting spell, and I didn’t wake up for two days or so. It turned out that I had jaundice, and that’s another beautiful side story—how Srila Prabhupada personally took care of me during that period. At the end of the pandal program, Srila Prabhupada took us all to Vrndavana together, and we were staying at the crossroads of what was then called Chattikara Road, which is now Bhaktivedanta Marg, and the town of Vrndavana, at a place called Saraf Bhavan.</p>
<p>During our time in Delhi, Srila Prabhupada had said that some of us would stay in Radha-Damodara Temple. He took Syamasundara with him, and Gurudas, and maybe a third man—I’m not sure if somebody else leaped on that. The minute I heard they were going, I thought, I want to go with them. I am such a greedy person, and I had a little taste because Srila Prabhupada had previously sent my husband with the keys to Radha-Damodara and said, “Go to those rooms and clean them out for me,” and no one had been in the rooms since 1967, and that was only briefly. Before Srila Prabhupada had left for the West, he had lived in two rooms in the Radha-Damodara Mandira complex—an incredibly glorious story—and those rooms were the epitome of simplicity and renunciation. One had a sense oftapasya and all the things one might assume a great transcendental personality would possess or live in—very simple, so simple: that little asana that he wrote on was a piece of weathered wood that looked like it had been floating in the sea for twenty years. It was all cracked, practically falling apart.</p>
<p>As you may know, in 1967 Srila Prabhupada had a heart attack that almost took his life and he went back to India to recuperate. He took two brahmacaris with him, and one followed later—Ramanuja and Acuytananda, then Kirtanananda. So, Srila Prabhupada stayed in Radha-Damodara for a little time, then he allowed Acuytananda and Ramanuja to stay in those rooms for a little while, and since then no one had been in them until he sent the keys.</p>
<p>When Srila Prabhupada sent us to clean the rooms, immediately that tirtha became very profound in the consciousness of all the devotees who went there, and that was Gurudas and Bhanu and Giriraj and Gopal and me—we all went and took out bucket after bucket of this fine transcendental Vrndavana sand with sparkling silica in it, very powdery because during the loo, the windy season, it would come through the little wooden shutters, which had big holes in them. There was about two and a half inches of dust, so we all wrapped ourselves up and took out the dust. It was like going on a transcendental mining expedition—to try to find Srila Prabhupada under all this Vrndavana element.</p>
<p>So I became very, very attached to the Radha-Damodara temple. And so when I heard he was going there for japa, I thought I was going to go. I got up at one o’clock, in the middle of the night, took my bath, and—I was still ill, and I didn’t know a thing of Vrndavana—somehow just started walking in the direction I thought Radha-Damodara temple was in.</p>
<p>When I got there, the front gate was closed, and I remember pushing it open centimeter by centimeter so that it wouldn’t make any noise and Prabhupada wouldn’t hear me. When I got into the courtyard, I noticed that the light was on in Srila Prabhupada’s room, so I was quiet, no japa—I mean my lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. I chanted like that for what couldn’t have been more than three minutes, and all of a sudden both of Srila Prabhupada’s two doors (he had two doors to his room) were pulled open and he appeared and said, “Yamuna, come here.” I thought, Oh my God! How does he know I am here? I was stunned. So I came up into the little pool of light from the one light bulb in his room, which was coming through the doorway, and paid my obeisances there. “How did you get here?” he asked. “I walked.” “You should never have done this,” he told me. “Vrndavana is very dangerous place at night. There are many dacoits here. And if they see just a little sliver of a copper lota, they could cut you, just for the lota.” I said, “I didn’t know.” “Never mind,” he said. “You have come; you can chant.” So I sat just outside of Srila Prabhupada’s room, and he was walking back and forth in his room, both of us chanting japa.</p>
<p>I also used to sit in the courtyard and watch Srila Prabhupada—how he chanted in this very, very sacred place. Those are moments that can give a disciple incredible strength, if he or she is capable of grasping the rope. And though I may happen to be the personality involved in these stories, you can apply them in your daily life to check how you are chanting your japa and how you are reciprocating with your guru. Just like when yesterday Radhanath Maharaja gave some ground rules of the Pune Yatra—he said, “No prajalpa. Be here. Take advantage of this time we have together. We can never take this second away. We can’t bring back two seconds ago or four seconds ago. We can only take full advantage of the moment that we have now in the shade of the mercy of the lotus feet of our guru’sblessings on us.” That’s what I realized when I was chanting japa with Srila Prabhupada—that it was very, very important not only to try to follow the injunction, which I have been miserable at, but to do it with full attention.</p>
<p>One other very small incident was in 1969, not in India but in a van. We were traveling from John Lennon’s estate in Tittenhurst, where we were residing at the time, to a Conway Hall lecture that Srila Prabhupada was to give in Central London, and by some amazing quirk I had the opportunity to spend much of the day in Srila Prabhupada’s service. Sometimes during that period, I didn’t get to rest until ten or eleven at night and I was up at two in the morning, bathing, waking up the little temple Deities, doing some temple service, and then going to Srila Prabhupada’s room for an arati. Srila Prabhupada was giving me and Purusottoma dasa, his brahmacari secretary at the time, our earliest instructions in approaching the arca-vigraha; it was a very special period. So I was really tired most of the time, because I slept only three hours a night, and I always wanted to ride in that van with Srila Prabhupada as much as possible. One day, I was sitting behind Srila Prabhupada with my back to the back of his seat, chanting japa. And Srila Prabhupada, very matter-of-factly said, “You sang the words wrong.” So I got up on my knees and leaned over the seat right behind his and asked, “What words?” He said, “That record you made—the words are wrong.” “Which words are wrong?” I asked. “Bhajahu re mana,” he replied. “They are wrong?” I asked, because we didn’t have songbooks in those days, and when we had made the recording, it had been early in the morning and I had been very tired. I had been sitting in a room, just singing to myself, and hadn’t known it was being recorded.</p>
<p>So, I was very surprised, and I said, “I am sorry; we didn’t know the words, so that one went wrong.” “Are you chanting your sixteen rounds?” Srila Prabhupada asked. “No,” I said. “I don’t have time for that.” “Can you make time?” he asked. “I don’t know where,” I said. “I don’t know how to do that.” Now, this is not to be imitated—I am just recounting the stories. “Well, for the time being,” he said, “can you chant at least for one hour a day?” “I can try to do that, Srila Prabhupada,” I replied. “Yes, at least one hour a day,” he confirmed.</p>
<p>There were a few other disciples to whom over the years Srila Prabhupada somehow or the other granted some concession because they were, like myself, in one way or other weak and couldn’t prioritize enough time in the day to chant their sixteen rounds.</p>
<p>Just last year I had the good fortune to study two books: Prabhupada Saraswati Thakur: The Life and Precepts of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Of Love and Separation, which has a series of collated letters that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta wrote to his disciples. And one section of letters was on japa, including an instruction that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta gave to one of his disciples—that he could chant at least one hour (his disciples were required to chant sixty-four rounds, instead of sixteen).</p>
<p>So, these aren’t exciting stories in terms of humor or adventure—the adventure that Srila Prabhupada took his disciples on in Krsna consciousness—but they are really the core of how I can aspire to be a Gaudiya Vaisnava disciple of such a great personality, and that’s through the vehicle of the holy name. And really, that is true for all of us—past, present, and future.</p>
<p>Hare Krsna. Thank you</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=11226">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=11226</a></p></div>What’s Wrong with Our Politicians – Three Examples of Perfect Leadershiphttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/what-s-wrong-with-our-politicians-three-examples-of-perfect2021-10-04T12:30:00.000Z2021-10-04T12:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515174614,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515174614,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515174614?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p><strong>By Rama vigraha Dasa</strong></p>
<p>From Back to Godhead</p>
<p>To say that most politicians are incompetent, and in many cases downright dishonest, isn’t very controversial. We’ve all read about their blunders, their tricks, and their schemes. So the aim of this article is not to give proof of their failure to bring about world peace and prosperity; it is rather to show that the root cause of their incompetence is selfish materialism, and that the remedy is the re- spiritualization of society through the worldwide propagation of Krishna consciousness.</p>
<p>The following are some of the reasons why a self-centered materialist is incapable of bringing about a peaceful and harmonious world society:<br /> He has no sense of spiritual brotherhood</p>
<p>The materialistic leader can never bring harmony to society because he fails to see the spiritual unity of all mankind. Preoccupied with superficial distinctions such as race, class, or nationality, he cannot understand that all living beings are his brothers, being children of God, the Supreme Father. As Lord Krishna puts it in the Bhagavad-gita (4.35)</p>
<p>And when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living beings are but part of Me, and that they are in Me and are Mine.</p>
<p>He has a one-sided view of life:</p>
<p>Instead of using his influence to bring about social conditions favorable for both spiritual as well as economic development, the materialist considers economic development to be the all in all. Thus he promotes the creation of an artificial environment that is far from peaceful, contemplative, or healthful. Devoid of spiritual culture, the people become alienated from God, nature, and each other. And the more alienated and materialistic the people get, the more frustrated, angry, and bewildered they become. Thus a materialistic leader takes the people on a “progressive” march to a hellish existence.<br /> He’s ambitious and self-serving:</p>
<p>The materialistic politico, having neglected the spiritual side of life, is never satiated in his drive for power and position. Since his number one consideration is his own political advancement, he continually campaigns for office, and after winning the election, he’s afraid of being removed from his seat. He is so preoccupied with the fear of losing his job, status, power, and wealth that this fear itself—not love, or actual concern for the people—is the primary motivation for his activities. Materialistic leaders are merely merchants, trading empty promises for votes, and the people naturally distrust them. Everyone knows that a sly merchant must be watched very carefully: even when offering a “good bargain,” he ultimately has his own bank balance in mind.<br /> He’s always disturbed and often irrational:</p>
<p>Because the materialistic politician is not at peace with himself, he cannot help others find peace, either individually or collectively. Unable to realize all his political ambitions, he is often subject to deep inner frustration, which may cause him to behave irrationally. A person in such a disturbed state of mind cannot have the clear intelligence needed to solve today’s complex problems. Even if his mind is razor-sharp, his decisions will never be clear if his heart is infected with selfish desires. A crooked politician may be intellectually astute, but an envious person with a sharp mind is like a poisonous snake with a beautiful jewel on its forehead. The snake is still dangerous, despite its fancy ornaments.<br /> His perception is blurred:</p>
<p>Due to the pressures of power, many of today’s leaders try to forget their miseries by dimming their awareness with intoxicants like alcohol, amphetamines, caffeine, and nicotine. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times revealed that the highest rate of alcoholism in the United States is in Washington, D. C., and in Washington, D. C., the area most affected is Georgetown, the suburb where most U. S. senators and congressmen live. A true leader sharpens his awareness; he doesn’t blur it with a haze of intoxication.<br /> He neglects God’s laws:<br /> Today’s politicians are too busy wheeling and dealing to pay much attention to the laws of God. As Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (3.21):</p>
<p>Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”</p>
<p>A good leader must be an ideal example for the people to admire and try to follow. If he is able to set the standard of perfect behavior, then the people will naturally be inclined to follow. Therefore he must obey God’s laws and possess godly qualities himself. Of course, many politicians go to church and publicly declare their piety. A person is known, however, not by his words, but by his deeds. Certain qualities must be present in a worthy leader, and certain ones must be absent. For instance, a spiritually enlightened leader is free from lust, anger, and greed. Although strong in his determination, he is gentle, compassionate, and ready to respect others. Above all, he actually follows God’s laws; he doesn’t simply proclaim himself to be pious and then act sinfully beyond the range of the TV cameras.</p>
<p>These are just a few reasons why a materialistic person is unqualified to be a leader of society. The list is endless, but they all point to the same conclusion: a materialistic politician, devoid of spiritual knowledge and ignorant of the goal of life, can never help bring about world peace and prosperity. Since the problem stems from ignorance, the obvious solution is education. Unfortunately, present-day educational institutions provide no information about our spiritual nature and our relationship with God. In a recent conversation with Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins of Franklin and Marshall College, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada expanded on this theme:</p>
<p>“People want material gain because they have no spiritual information. If I take care of my shirt very nicely, but I do not care for the person inside the shirt, then what is my position? Similarly, this whole material world is busy taking care of the body, not the soul inside the body. Therefore all these so-called educational institutions are blind. It is a society of the blind leading the blind. The solution is first of all to understand that you are spirit. Then find out what is your relationship with God and act accordingly.”</p>
<p>This, then, is the goal of human life. As long as we ignore our relationship with God and remain caught up in the pursuit of material wealth and physical comforts alone, we will always find ourselves alienated, confused, and anxious about the future. World peace and prosperity do not depend upon more sophisticated weaponry or increased productivity, but on the widespread propagation of genuine spiritual knowledge.</p>
<p>This knowledge can be easily acquired through the practice of bhakti-yoga,especially the hearing and chanting of the holy names of God. The result of chanting the name of the Lord is that the heart of the chanter becomes cleansed, and he sees his true spiritual identity as an eternal servant of God. God has many names, and they are given in the various scriptures of the world. Different names refer to His different attractive features: Jehovah means all-powerful, Allah means all-compassionate, and so on. The name Krishna, however, means all-attractive and thus contains all other names of God within it. Therefore the Hare Krishna mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—is especially purifying and can rapidly awaken our consciousness of God.</p>
<p>Of course, it is not possible to present even an adequate summary of the sublime process of bhakti-yoga in a few short pages. The inquisitive reader is referred to the works of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In his books, especially the Bhagavad-gita As It Is,the Srimad-Bhagavatam,and the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita,he has presented a crystal-clear picture of the bhakti-yoga process.</p>
<p>By reading these books and chanting the holy names of God, the people of the world can become spiritually strengthened and convinced of the need for genuine spiritual leadership. Then, when the time comes to choose their leaders, they will naturally select a person with the qualities necessary to guide human society on the path back to home, back to Godhead.</p>
<p>—————</p>
<p>Maharaja Pariksit</p>
<p>Maharaja PariksitEven armies of bodyguards can’t protect today’s political leaders, but King Pariksit was such an exalted personality that he was always perfectly protected by Lord Krishna Himself. Even as a child in his mother’s womb, Lord Krishna shielded him from the searing heat of a nuclear weapon hurled by his father’s enemy. Later Pariksit was trained and finally enthroned by his grandfather, King Yudhisthira.</p>
<p>King Pariksit followed the Vedic system of consulting a council of brahmanas (learned and saintly philosophers) on state affairs. While today’s “think tank” experts sell themselves to the highest bidder, the self-realized sages who advised Maharaja Pariksit gave their services freely, without salary. Thus they were above suspicion of any special interest, and they guided the king purely and flawlessly in his administration.</p>
<p>Maharaja Pariksit was very vigilant in protecting the citizens. When the four symptoms of sinful life so prominent in modern times—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling—began to appear, he undertook a tour of the world to vanquish them from his kingdom. He came across an abominable low-class man torturing a cow and severely chastised him with the following words: “Whoever causes offenseless living beings to suffer must fear me anywhere and everywhere in the world. Any upstart who tortures the innocent shall be immediately uprooted by me, no matter who he may be.” Foreseeing the future degradation of human society, Pariksit then said that if an unqualified, sinful man is allowed to act as an executive head, “certainly irreligious principles like greed, falsehood, robbery, incivility, treachery, misfortune, cheating, quarrel, and vanity will abound.”</p>
<p>Although King Pariksit was certainly famous for his impeccable administration, he is better known for his spiritual activity after leaving the post of king. Early in his reign he was cursed to die by a young brahmana boy due to a misunderstanding. Although he could have nullified the curse, King Pariksit accepted it as God’s will, and decided to fast until death. He seated himself on the bank of the Ganges River, and an assembly of the greatest personalities of the day soon gathered to witness the wonderful event. During the seven days of life remaining to him, King Pariksit neither ate nor slept nor moved from his seat. His only activity was to ask Srila Sukadeva Gosvami questions about transcendental subjects and to listen intently to his answers in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam, The Beautiful Story of the Personality of Godhead. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the culmination of all Vedic knowledge and simply by hearing it, the king achieved the highest goal of life—ecstatic love for Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.</p>
<p>Maharaja Prthu</p>
<p>Maharaja PrthuUnlike today’s leaders, Maharaja Prthu considered it his primary duty to enlighten the citizens with spiritual knowledge. He knew that any leader who simply exacts taxes from the people, but does not inform them of the mission of human life, is thoroughly condemned. Indeed, he is liable to suffer for the impious activities they perform out of ignorance. King Prthu advised the citizens: “Dedicate your minds, your words, your bodies, and the fruits of your labor for the service of the Supreme Lord. Then you will surely achieve the final objective of life [love of God].”</p>
<p>In addition, under the king’s firm hand all law-abiding citizens were perfectly protected from both internal and external dangers. Everyone was pleased by his practical activities, and all the citizens were very satisfied to have him as their ruler. When he traveled through the world on his victorious chariot, appearing as brilliant as the sun, all thieves and rogues hid themselves, and all other kings recognized his supremacy.</p>
<p>However, King Prthu did not present himself as a royal authority empowered to command everyone. In fact, he was renowned for his humility and impartiality. He ruled so impartially that if the son of his enemy was innocent, he would not punish him, but if his own son was punishable, he would not hesitate to punish him. Even though he was very opulent due to the prosperity of his entire empire, King Prthu was never inclined to utilize his opulences for the gratification of his senses. He remained unattached, exactly like the sun, which remains unaffected in all circumstances.</p>
<p>Like all saintly kings of the Vedic age, King Prthu voluntarily gave up his rule before death or infirmity overtook him, and he retired to the forest to completely immerse himself in God consciousness.</p>
<p>Maharaja Yudhisthira</p>
<p>Maharaja YudhisthiraKing Yudhisthira was famous as “the king whose enemy was never born” because he was so pious that no one hated him. Indeed, his qualifications were so glorious that his fame spread all over the universe and his pure devotional service induced the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself to become his intimate friend.</p>
<p>Another epithet for King Yudhisthira was “the personification of goodness,” for by continuous service to Lord Krishna, he was freed from all desire for sense gratification and personal wealth, fame, or power. This complete selflessness made him a worthy emperor of the world. “All good for the citizens!” was his motto, and he lived up to it by always seeing to the social, political, economic, and spiritual upliftment of the citizens of his kingdom. Due to his perfect administration and his pure devotion to God, even the rivers, oceans, hills, forests, etc., were all pleased with him, and they supplied their bounty profusely. Thus during the reign of King Yudhisthira the citizens of the world were never troubled by a lack of any necessity, or by mental agonies, diseases, excessive heat or cold, or any other disturbance.</p>
<p>Like all saintly kings of the Vedic age, Yudhisthira renounced his kingdom at the end of life to devote himself exclusively to spiritual practice. After enthroning Pariksit as emperor of the world, Yudhisthira gave up his regal dress and left for the North. His devotion to Lord Krishna was so pure that even before relinquishing his body he achieved the highest spiritual abode.</p>
<p>Source:<a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16900">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16900</a></p></div>The speech of the mayor of Gainesville Florida for the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s visit to Gainesvillehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-speech-of-the-mayor-of-gainesville-florida-for-the-50th-anniv2021-08-04T10:53:18.000Z2021-08-04T10:53:18.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:center;"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9379120280,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="9379120280?profile=RESIZE_400x" /><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Video: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hridayanandadasgoswami/videos/4298194560258335/" target="_blank">Click here</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Brahmatirtha: “…as mayor of Gainesville, there’s many challenges in this day of social media where the like button determines what is right and what is wrong. a little discretion. He has to deal with all of these contentions and he deals with it with grace, with dignity and patience that I do not understand. Just a dear person whose values are true and I say this in the core of my heart truly represent the very of the city of Gainesville. I’m very honored to have had him here when we had our science conference, two and a half years ago. The opening night at the Horn Museum, the consciousness and science conference, the intersection of science and spirituality. He was also we hope to many wonderful things for us and without further ado, I’ll give you Mayor Poe. Thank you.</p>
<p>Mayor Lauren Poe: Well, thank you, Bob. That was incredibly kind and generous. I’d like to you all honor and praise to my elders and my ancestors that came before me that allowed me to participate with you today. um and I’m just going to tell a couple quick anecdotes about um what the Krishna community has meant to me and what it’s meant to Gainesville. I think at large when I grew up in Gainesville. I moved here between my fifth and sixth-grade year and when I got to be a little bit older in high school, I attended Gainesville High School, one of our highlights so we could feel like a little bit older and a little bit wiser and more connected. We had days off at at at Gainesville High School. The thing that we always make sure we did was come down to the plaza, the Americas and have lunch with the Krishnas and that was that I thought it was such that we look forward to it. We celebrated it and we really felt like we were part of a much larger global community. I then ended up attending the University of Florida actually a couple times and I was down here being nourished both physically and spiritually. most days of the week. I can’t say I was here 5 days a week but I probably averaged two to 3 days a week um because we can’t nourish the soul and we can’t nourish the mind unless we first nourish the body and II always and all my friends and colleagues always enjoyed so much coming down here and sharing in the community. because it open this up to a much larger world and II. believe firmly with all my heart that if the Krishnas had not come to Gainesville and did not set up their outreach and their campaign about spiritual and physical nourishment right here. the Plaza would not have drawn the diversity of thought and of people from around the world and would not have exposed people like me to such broader concepts that I grew up with and little old Gainesville as we heard from one of your speakers earlier in the middle of nowhere. That you originally chose to come in and bring your grace um and so you have so much enriched our community this is the epicenter right here of where your love and your peace and your grace has radiated out into our larger community. it’s been 50 years. In fact, you started about 6 months after I was born and I and I look forward to the next 50 years and there’s going to be some poor fool that chose to run for mayor and going to be speaking on this spot. Another 50 years from now for the hundredth anniversary and that’s going to be a beautiful day Thank you very much.<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=96000">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=96000</a></p>
<div> </div>
<div> </div></div>Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly by Jagabandhu dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/open-your-eyes-you-can-fly2020-12-28T11:40:00.000Z2020-12-28T11:40:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515108933,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="450" alt="2515108933?profile=RESIZE_584x" />It’s been another one of those weeks wherein caring for our severely autistic/mentally daughter has very nearly eclipsed all other activities. Again. Same as every minute of every day. For years on end. In order that we might truly learn and grow deeper with sincere affection from the difficult experience which the Supreme Lord has sent as mercy to reform us from all selfish considerations. Or complaint (tat te nukumpam…) about the severe circumstance we must necessarily endure. As each endless day of severest ordeal crawls on it’s long journey into darkest night. Iron character is forged in the fire of ordeal. We are thusly compelled to continue anew each morning with our impossible life. As if the material energy had focused like a club specifically fashioned to brutally beat the spirit of mundane enjoyment completely from our consciousness. In order to cause all superficiality of being to be harshly scoured like a veneer from our souls.</p>
<p>Needless to say, we don’t worry much about threats of nuclear war, global famine or possible pandemics. Because universal devastation is continually revisited upon us as a constant daily occurrence within our household. As if this life were only training for the next hardship. And even the promise of eventual death is no guarantee that the next life will be any better (“Hello Mr. Sunshine!”) in our learning sojourn into Forever. And our journey to Love.</p>
<p>Much of our present difficulty is pertaining to our daughter’s full onset of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) with her becoming an adult. Apparently, with adulthood various symptoms of OCD manifest within childhood can often become intensified and more severe. This has certainly been the case with our daughter who now has become completely obsessed with endlessly repeating each and every ordinary everyday activity. As if she were trapped in a rut of endless repetition—while constantly looking to us to reassure and somehow facilitate her every movement. Like she had become a zombie who also takes a certain perverse glee in observing our frustrations as we have to repeatedly urge her to take each bite of food. And each sip of water.</p>
<p>After finally being toilet-trained at nine years old (we used to jokingly refer to this important day as Independence Day because it happened on the Fourth of July) her obsessive compulsions have nearly caused this to be lost as she requires constant prompting for every little thing. And I mean every little thing. After being able to dress herself since early childhood—she is now unable to do so. Or completely unwilling—at least. And gleefully resists attempts to help her do what she already knew how to do. Each moment only feels like a lifetime. Her OCD has caused her to often violently demand (for her mother especially) to be forced to fulfill her every little need. As we dance madly backwards on thin ice trying to avoid potentially dangerous emotional outbursts. While simultaneously worrying about the neighbors might “think” of the ongoing litany of accompanying primal screams (“The hurricane inside the house has just started WWIII again—would someone please shut the windows!”).</p>
<p>OCD can be treated in cognitive adults who wish to achieve some measure of rehabilitative therapy. Of their own volition. Our child is more like a chimpanzee. Wild. And almost without any language skills whatsover. There is absolutely no possibility of a medical professional trying to “communicate” or reason with her about getting help overcoming an disorder which she not only doesn’t see as a problem—but actually a cause of self-stimulation. This combined with the self-stimulating textbook SIB (Self-Injurious Behavior) which she exhibits in a severe way common to many autistics. Apparently many severely autistic people eventually have all their all their teeth removed after they’ve finally picked away at their gumlines to expose raw nerves at the root. Like camels who enjoy eating thorns because of the bloody taste and “pleasurable” pain which is thereby incurred.</p>
<p>Whew! Thank God for small slivers! Life stings. And how was your day?</p>
<p>In the past couple of years that I’ve been publishing articles for the worldwide Hare Krishna community, I have often wondered about other special needs children (and their brave-hearted loving parents), but have heard very little about them. In fact, almost nothing as if they were merely some unpleasantness to be marginalized, discounted and swept beneath the “carpet.” Some time ago, after reading “Futility is the Principle,” parents of a special needs child contacted me for advice. From what they told me of their impending ordeal they were handling it quite well in a Krishna Conscious way. But were nonetheless very dismayed by the apparent lack of compassion which they had experienced from “devotee” friends in their local temple community. And they were very surprised to discover that non-devotee “karmis” were actually more compassionate and sympathetic to their parenting ordeal. Although the name of their child has been changed in respect for their privacy and anonymity what follows is the parent-to-parent advice I gave them. May Sri Guru and the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna Chaitanyadev kindly bless them and other loving parents of special needs children with ever deeper spiritual understanding with which to embrace their difficulty and lovingly raise their children.</p>
<p>Parent-to Parent</p>
<p>It sounds like your long first two years with “Hari” is more physically severe than what we initially experienced with our daughter (who has become more difficult as she has grown older, larger and bigger). Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your pediatrician. This can be very helpful. When your son begins to walk pay special attention to toe-walking which can denote autism. Because our daughter cannot speak we haven’t been able to have her vision tested. But as your child’s speech hopefully develops it might be more possible for you to do so.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear of the obvious lack of real compassion which you have experienced with those local practitioners of Krishna Consciousness with whom you have contact. It is shocking to perceive firsthand that those who should be repositories of Mercy and Divine Grace can sometimes be so devoid of basic compassion. Unfortunately, this stonehearted mood appears to have permeated much of the world in a way that is almost too awkwardly painful to mention.</p>
<p>Our own experience is that by having a child which requires special attention and greater affection from the parents forces us to go to a much deeper place of real love which transcends philosophical theory. Those who make a mere catechism of philosophical theory (without actual realization and maturity of insight) cannot appreciate or understand the potentially positive transformation unconditional affection may have upon the heart. Please forgive them for what they obviously do not have the “eyes” to “see.” (All of us can only ” see” what we can “see.” And “be” what we can “be.”)</p>
<p>What advice I would give to good parents like yourselves with a very young child with special needs and developmental delay is to love them with all your heart in an extremely unconditional way. Such affection with the help of Supersoul (the Guru within) will teach you deep things which might not be possible to learn from the Scriptures alone (or from ceremonial religiosity alone).</p>
<p>Resist the natural temptation to compare your child with any other “normal” children. You are souls. You must see this child as a soul which might be helped greatly by the influence of transcendental sound vibration erupting from your own hearts and out into the ether which surrounds you in your own home. Make your child like a Deity by your devotions towards whom you are constantly singing the kirtan of Sri Hari! Formal considerations of official puja or temple worship may become less possible because of the natural constraints of your own situation. This makes it so as a soul you must make the vibration of Hari kirtan from your own heart, lungs and tongue a constant existential salient point until the Holy Name Itself becomes your Deity. Please know that this child who has appeared to you with the name “Hari” is a great Mercy upon you so that you will be completely consumed with the Holy Name “Hari” which you will be sure to hear, chant and r emember with great forebearance.</p>
<p>Depending on degree of severity in your child’s impairment, possibly some help might be derived from conventional medicine or alternative therapies. With affectionate discernment avail yourselves of what help you might be able to get, but don’t be disappointed if convention largely fails you in your noble sojourn to find help for your child. Be wary of alternative “therapies” which self-promote “cures” under the auspices of an expensive price tag (which often inadvertently exposes insipid profit motivations by charlatans). And if possible avoid conventional medicine’s standard approach to prescribe pharmaceutical ameliorations (as a last resort they wanted to prescribe respirdol for our daughter which is a powerful anti-psychotic with potentially fatal side effects like diabetes and an otherwise rare form of liver cancer).</p>
<p>At first our daughter was diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay) at the age of three. At age four we received the full-on diagnosis of autism. Nothing has helped us more than being literally forced to “fly our own planes” and become the souls we really were. Finally. After all. At last.</p>
<p>From such informal inspirational depth of being we can “see” that as loving parents we are indeed fully-equipped as jiva souls to deal with all adversity (‘adversiddhi?”) which comes our way by the Sweet Will of Providence. And that such external difficulty is not only not a “bad” thing but is actually our true inmost necessity and requirement come to help us become reformed within (tat te nukumpam…) and awakened with actual spiritual consciousness in a way that is completely transcendental to any external considerations whatsoever. If we can catch the gist of such a penetrating idea and embrace our apparent hardship with grace, courage and compassion it can transform our world in an extremely positive way.</p>
<p>Please know that I also suffered a great deal emotionally as my long sought after first born child was diagnosed as autistic and mentally retarded. They might as well have given me the news of her death, which is how it felt at first. I was emotionally devastated by this and it very nearly ruined my life at the time. I went from being a top Ford salesman to being virtually unable to sell anything (after a lifetime of sales work). I cried a lot with self-pity, “Why me, God?” This caused me to call out to Krishna as if I was at the time of my own death. Eventually, by His Grace I evolved from within to divest myself of all self-pity (as the most useless human emotion) by harmonizing spiritually from deep within until I could ask, “Why not me, God?”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we are also very shocked to see that some “devotees” have very little compassion towards each other or especially towards the “meat-eating, demon, karmis” who they often appear to like sneering down their noses at with impervious disdain. For many years I have not viewed other souls who do not know of Krishna consciousness with such hateful disregard. I see “non-devotees” as souls in forgetfulness of their true inner natures. Yet, I nonetheless feel compelled to share affectionate friendship with them. As I always seek the goodness within others as fragmental portions of the same Supreme Spirit which suffuses all beings and all things. And I hope that by my unconditional friendship with them t hey might eventually become positively influenced towards real spiritual awakenment in a very positive way.</p>
<p>Please forgive me for saying that those persons who demonstrate a manifest lack of genuine concern for the suffering of others are themselves suffering from want of compassion in their lives which are dried up by extreme tendencies towards philosophical theory and subsequent heartless renunciation. Please show them your unconditional compassion and affection also.</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7656">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7656</a></p></div>Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to the Far Corners of the World-With Amogha Dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-prabhupada-s-journey-to-the-far-corners-of-the-world-with-a2020-08-15T11:32:16.000Z2020-08-15T11:32:16.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="https://i.imgur.com/EdiqjG2.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="500" alt="EdiqjG2.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x" /> <br /> Let us meet and hear from one of Srila Prabhupada’s silent warrior who helped him spread Krishna consciousness fearlessly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Let us immerse in the mystery behind the untold history.</p>
<center>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;">Video: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gbcspt/videos/362794384711998/" target="_blank">Click here</a></span></h3>
</center>
<p>About Amogha Das<br /> He was born in California and attended UCLA ( University of California Los Angeles) where he met the Hare Krsna devotees in 1969. After listening to lectures and joining in on various street kirtans, he decided to leave university and commit his life to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.<br /> He took diksha initiation from Srila Prabhupada in 1970 and 1 year later received Brahman initiation from him in Malayasia.</p>
<p>The Temple President of L.A. at the time, Gargamuni das, asked him to join a fellow devotee going to Japan in a preaching mission. Srila Prabhupada came to Japan when he was there.<br /> After staying in Japan, he was asked to go to Singapore then Malaysia. He travelled extensively in Malayasia with a few other brahmacharis preaching and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books.<br /> He also travelled around Southeast Asia, Indonesia, then on to Australia.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada wrote in a letter to him he needed good men in India. So his next journey was to India.</p>
<p>He served as the guest house manager in Vrindavan and distributed books.<br /> After Vrindavan, he travelled to Mumbai and was asked by Prabhavishnu Swami to exchange services so he could travel and preach and he would take his place of temple Vice President.</p>
<p>His services took him back to Australia, and from early 2000’s, he spent a decade in Sri Mayapur dham. Now residing in the Gold Coast on the east coast of Australia.<br /> The book Prabhupada in Malaysia (BBT Malaysia) is based on his diary from 1971.<br /> He wrote the Preface for <a href="http://www.narasimhalila.com">www.narasimhalila.com</a> and made movies about Srila Prabhupada and Radha Gopinath in Sydney, and Mayapur Nrsimhadev. Search for “Amogha on Vimeo” to view them.<br /> <br /> <strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88346">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88346</a></p></div>Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to the Far Corners of the World-With Vegavan Dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-prabhupada-s-journey-to-the-far-corners-of-the-world-with-v2020-08-14T10:28:26.000Z2020-08-14T10:28:26.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;"><img class="align-center" src="https://i.imgur.com/C8a5nQC.jpeg?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="500" alt="C8a5nQC.jpeg?profile=RESIZE_584x" /><br /> Let us meet and hear from one of the rare gems of Srila Prabhupada’s army who marched fearlessly with him to establish Krishna consciousness in Every Town and Village.<br /> </p>
<center style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">
<h3 style="font-family:'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:40px;color:inherit;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:24px;">Click below to start the player<br /><iframe style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgbcspt%2Fvideos%2F297977374986821%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></h3>
</center>
<p><span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">About Vegavan das</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Born 1947</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Joined ISKCON in Mumbai in Jan/Feb 1971 and got initiated and married to Padmavati dd in March same year during the first Hare Krishna Festival in Cross Maidan, Mumbai</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Traveled with Srila Prabhupada as his personal assistant on his tour to Malaysia and Sydney Australia in May 1971.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">After Srila Prabhupada left Australia, he served in Sydney, helped start a temple in Melbourne and started the temple in Perth, Western Australia.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">In 1973 Srila Prabhupada suggested he help Ajit prabhu spread KC in his native country Sweden. So in the summer of 1973 he and his wife Padmavati dd, Ajit das and his wife Krishna Premi dd together with an English devotee, Narendra das, arrived in Sweden in June after having spent a few weeks in Germany to learn how our GBC wanted the preaching done.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Srila Prabhupada arrived in Sweden in the beginning of September that year and he gave a series of lectures at Stockholm and Uppsala universities as well as at the student union and the philosophical institution (where both Ajit and I had been students a few years earlier).</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">He served as temple president until Srila Prabhupada left this world in 1977 during which time he also assisted Ajit prabhu in translating Srila Prabhupadas books, most notably the Bhagavadgita, into Swedish. He also started the radio station Radio Krishna.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">He served as Regional Secretary under Harikesha (then Swami) until 1985</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">His family was growing and he felt that as a householder it was his duty to maintain its needs so he resigned from the Regional Council. But continued to serve as a member of the Swedish National Council for a few years still.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">After 1986 he mainly took care of the family and was trained in England as a hypnotherapist.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Now he is a semi-retired but still the director of the Swedish School of Ethical Hypnotherapy (SSEAH) which he started in 1997.</span><br style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;" /> <span style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">Presently, he lives in south Sweden in a picturesque village by a big lake around which live approximately 10 devotees.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;"><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88352">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88352</a></p>
<div> </div></div>Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to the Far Corners of the World-With Kurma Dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/srila-prabhupada-s-journey-to-the-far-corners-of-the-world-with-k2020-08-14T10:23:24.000Z2020-08-14T10:23:24.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;"><img class="align-center" src="https://i.imgur.com/DiuHWfY.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="550" alt="DiuHWfY.jpg?profile=RESIZE_584x" /> Let us meet and hear from one of the silent warriors of Srila Prabhupada’s army who marched fearlessly with him to spread Krishna consciousness in Every Town and Village.<br /><br /></p>
<center style="color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">
<h3 style="font-family:'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;line-height:40px;color:inherit;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:24px;">Click below to start the player<br /><iframe style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgbcspt%2Fvideos%2F720780998469221%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></h3>
</center>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">About Kurma Das<br /> Born in London, England in 1952, Kurma Dasa immigrated to Australia with his parents when he was 12 years old.<br /> Kurma Dasa became an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on 10 May 1971 in Sydney.<br /> He started his cooking career in the ISKCON Sydney kitchen by washing pots, cutting vegetables, grinding fresh herbs and spices, and assisting in the preparation of their famous Sunday Feasts.<br /> Since those humble beginnings, Kurma has gone on to teach his special brand of elegant and eclectic gourmet vegetarian cuisine throughout the world.<br /> Kurma was head chef at Melbourne’s most popular Vegetarian Restaurant, Gopal’s for many years, and is the author of Great Vegetarian Dishes (which is in its eighth print run), Cooking With Kurma, Quick Vegetarian Dishes, and most recently Vegetarian World Food. All books have received wide acclaim for their professional, clearly written and richly illustrated presentation of vegetarian cuisine.<br /> Kurma has hosted three internationally broadcast television cooking series seen in over 46 countries.<br /> For over 40 years, Kurma has personally shared his culinary arts in private homes, cookery schools, restaurants and colleges, temples, culinary institutes, in over 40 countries around the world.<br /> As well as his four cookbooks in English, Kurma’s books have been translated into Hungarian, Italian, German and Farsi.<br /> In 1993, after hosting a successful Prabhupada’s Disciples Reunions in Melbourne, Kurma was asked by the Australian devotees to write a book about Srila Prabhupada’s 6 visits to Australia.<br /> After 5 years of intense interviewing, travels and research, his 800-page historical memoir The Great Transcendental Adventure- Pastimes of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in Australia and New Zealand was published, to rave reviews.<br /> Throughout his career, Kurma has cooked huge feasts all over the planet. After keeping careful record of many of his early feasts, he is currently working on a major<br /> writing project: The Big Cook’s Cookbook, a feast-sized cookbook for bulk cooking.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 8px;color:#535353;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:#ffffff;">As well as sharing his delicious cooking everywhere he goes, Kurma, a meticulous organiser, also conducts seminars on Menu Planning and Recipe Development, to enable other cooks to prepare delicious prasadam feasts themselves.<br /> His seminars describe how to proceed through all the stages, from menu planning, manpower allocation, shopping, preparation of the place, storage of ingredients, through to the kitchen itself, to the penultimate cooking and finally the serving.<br /> Kurma conducts other seminars such as “Anna Yoga” – the Yoga of Food.<br /> Kurma loves to lead kirtans both on the street and in the temple, giving classes from The Great Transcendental Adventure, and especially relishes speaking on Srimad Bhagavatam. He currently resides in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland, with his wife Dhira Lalita devi dasi.<br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88357">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=88357</a></p></div>ISKCON and the USA by Samapriya devi dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/iskcon-and-the-usa-by-samapriya-devi-dasi2020-07-26T12:20:00.000Z2020-07-26T12:20:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515124816,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515124816,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515124816?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>As the United States of America was established by its founding fathers, Srila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krnsa Consciousness and therefore he is its Founder-Acharya. His goal was to establish a society by which to bring people of the world to Krsna.</p>
<p>In the beginning days of America the pioneers had to depend upon their own determination, strength and faith, to establish themselves in “the new world”. They saw this land as a place of opportunity where each person could pursue the goal of his life, freely worshiping the Lord and maintaining his own individuality. The high ideals which fueled this mentality attracted many people throughout the world. Thus America grew and grew and grew, until those upon whose hopes and struggles established this nation were long gone into the annals of history.</p>
<p>We remember the founding fathers and the principles of freedom and government, which is the foundation of America. But, no one remembers the thousands who gave their lives endeavoring to protect these fundamental laws and survive their application.</p>
<p>With humble beginnings and assisted by a population of discontented youths, who refused to accept a bleak future of narrow-mindedness and materialism, Srila Prabhupada established his society. Today we are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of ISKCON. As the pioneers struggled to preserve and establish the principles of The United States, so did Srila Prabhupada’s faithful disciples dedicate their lives to assisting him in every way possible, to spread the Sankirtan Movement, thus laying the foundation of Krsna consciousness around the world.</p>
<p>Many of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples have already left this planet, reaping the results of their selfless service, while others are in the last stages of life. The Hare Krsna Movement is now known world wide with hundred of centers situated on all continents. Lord Caitanya’s prediction that His holy name will be heard all over the world, has come to pass.</p>
<p>There are no barriers preventing those whose hearts have been melted by the holy name to serve the Supreme Lord of all material and spiritual worlds. Srila Prabhupada succeeded in his mission and his disciples leave this world witnessing the results of his miraculous work. We must keep the doors of this movement open, because it represents our eternal and natural condition. As we remember our own discontent and search for the Absolute Truth, there can be no compromise in following and preserving Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. ISKCON is much more that a few devotees ringing bells in temples far away from the sacred birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Continuing Srila Prabhupada’s mission is to remind all souls rotting in this material world of their true identity as the servants of Krsna. Once remembering this, innate love for all living entities awakens, and pride in one’s limited vision and partizan attachments, dissolves like fog when the sun appears to spread its magnanimous rays.</p>
<p>Now America has millions of people and everyone goes on with their personal lives. If someone dies or is born or gets sick or grows a garden or plays the french horn in a symphony orchestra – not everyone hears about it or even cares. There are communities, towns, cities and states, functioning within themselves. Due to the multitudes everything has changed. So too has this happened to the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. We grew to a few thousand while Srila Prabhupada was still present in his vapoo form. Yet somehow there was still intimacy. Though there was no Facebook and no internet it did not take long for the ISKCON grapevine to send news around the world. ISKCON has grown exponentially. Srila Prabhupada’s books are all over the world in many languages. And the Hare Krsna Mahamantra is sung by hundreds and thousands of conditioned souls on this earth planet. Whether they understand its depth of meaning and the great benefit they are incurring just by uttering the holy name, is another thing. The transcendental vibration of Hare Krsna is purifying the world and saving millions of souls by giving an opportunity for devotional service in this life and the next.</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada is one of the branches on the Lord Caitanya tree. He is the divine incarnation of the Servitor Godhead, who established the Yuga Dharma in the midst of this age of darkness. He will and must be remembered for the next 10,000 years. Let his glories be sung by all who enter within the realm of ISKCON. For if this stops and Srila Prabhupada is forgotten, the doors of his great house will surely close.</p>
<p>On the beach there are many sand plants. When one is pulled out by the roots, it makes a hole. This hole lasts only moments before it is filled by the surrounding sand. Finally there is no sign that a plant was ever there. We will leave this world unknown and forgotten by history, for this is the plight of all souls in this world. We are all fated for our place upon the list of names.</p>
<p>What should we do when we find that our place has been taken and the world has now moved on without us? We who walked with Srila Prabhupada are still being watched. How does one act who has causelessly been gifted with devotional service by the greatest of all masters? We are all individuals and inclined to perform different services for the Lord. The validity of this must be acknowledged. We all have a right to our intimate relationship with Sri Guru and Gauranga. Not only a right- an absolute duty to stand in the glory of our own selves, and with dignity take our individual places at Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet.</p>
<p>I pray the holy name of Krsna will always remain on my tongue and pure devotional service, as instructed by my spiritual master AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada will continue to bloom within my heart.</p>
<p><br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30098">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30098</a></p></div>Silent Tears of Remorse By Kesava Krsna Dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/silent-tears-of-remorse-by-kesava-krsna-dasa2020-07-18T11:15:00.000Z2020-07-18T11:15:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515151042,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515151042,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515151042?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" /></a></p>
<p>We sometimes think of ourselves as being good adjudicators of who is serious in Krishna consciousness, and who is not. Who is pure, or not. Expecting that “More people will leave Krishna consciousness than stay,” we easily become proud of being one of the “privileged few” to remain.</p>
<p>Being of the surprising few and rationalising this way is certainly premature, and signals immediate complacency. The adage, “It is how you finish that counts; not how you start,” usually escapes our attention when we think of how and why so many devotees leave Krishna consciousness. Are all of those who left insincere? Is sincerity easily measured?</p>
<p>Though many of us are active in service now, how many of us think of the combined sacrifices of the thousands of devotees in the past that somehow helped shape the Iskcon we know today, but who are presently inactive? Many fell from high positions, and others left through weakness, and yet more are presently experiencing Krishna’s testing kindness.</p>
<p>Do we think again about how many of those thousands who left, would sincerely love to come back, but are unable to, due to shame, embarrassment, inadequacy, and general anarthas. How many of them can redeem themselves to become pure devotees even in this lifetime? Is a fall from grace an impediment for pure devotion?</p>
<p>While so many devotees are being tested on the “outside,” the relatively advantaged few on the “inside,” can be less fortunate than they. For instance, when a devotee becomes senior, many preaching opportunities await him or her. Wherever they go they will be honoured and feted. This is a very comfortable situation to be in.</p>
<p>This comfort can be mistaken for devotional happiness. If this is the case, then one is remaining in Krishna consciousness, or giving the appearance of being happy for the wrong reasons. If ever we think we have reached a contented milestone in our devotional progress it is a sure sign we have stopped. Why? Because a sincere devotee knows that he or she can do better, always.</p>
<p>Sailing on this boat of miscalculated happiness can cause one to lose sense of reality on the subject of sincerity with all of its facets. A simple, “You are either in, or out of it,” might be the common denominator. With such a prevailing stance as this, think of how numerous service opportunities go amiss when those who would like to help our temples and festivals feel stigmatised by the “out of it” label. We are not discussing philosophical deviations here.</p>
<p>This is an area that requires expanded awareness. Why did Srila Prabhupada himself sometimes re-engage certain of his disciples after they left Iskcon, even though they appeared to be in a fallen state? Why does Lord Krishna say, “There is no loss or diminution…” on this path of devotion? Why does the Lord also say that His devotees “shall never perish?”</p>
<p>It means that in the vast expanse of material time and eternity, whatever may be preventing or helping our active progress in Krishna consciousness, they are mere tiny blips. Small minds magnify such temporary holdups as major topics for chatter and ridicule. Expansive minds see the same as a continuation of spiritual progress.</p>
<p>And how can we know? How many of those thousands silently and secretly cry tears of remorse, in the solitude of their own prayerful time with Krishna? How many of them pray to the Lord to help make them better devotees, or at least come up to acceptable standards? Aren’t these the sort of prayers that even advanced devotees do as well?</p>
<p>We could well ask, that what is the difference between the, “in” and “out” devotees in their shared desire to improve themselves? They both aspire for spiritual progress. It is fair to say that if devotees do not feel any contrition, and similar private moods, then one’s sincerity must be questioned, for these feelings are natural parts of always trying to do better.</p>
<p>If the “inactive out” devotees are praying like this, then they must also be sincere. We may not see it, but Lord Chaitanya does, from the vantage point of eternity. “But they are doing nonsense!” says our antagonistic side. This is exactly what Arjuna was saying to Krishna in the Gitamrta. “But if those devotees are doing nonsense, then how can they be considered sadhus?” he enquired.</p>
<p>Lord Krishna replied by saying that in spite of their “nonsense,” their sincerity can be shown in how remorseful they are. What does Srila Prabhupada say about repentance? Here is something about Maharaja Pariksit after he flung a dead snake around a sage who appeared to ignore him.</p>
<p>“Such repentance is natural for a good man like the King, and such repentance delivers a devotee from all kinds of sins accidently committed. The devotees are naturally faultless. Accidental sins committed by a devotee are sincerely regretted, and by the grace of the Lord all sins unwillingly committed by a devotee are burned in the fire of repentance.” (SB 1.9.1 purport)</p>
<p>What are accidental sins? These are usually sins committed, even out of habit, that bring strong feelings of remorse each time. The sins may be committed again and again, but repeatedly the burning effects of repentance, along with sincere prayer and mercy seeking, gradually cleanse the desire for sinfulness, and gives strength to overcome them more easily. This is different from committing sins without any contrition. In either case, sincere chanting of Hare Krishna will solve the problem.</p>
<p>Whether we are gleefully engaged in active service, or are confined to the womb of a mother awaiting birth, or persistently struggling with our lower natures, and irrespective of our present position within the community of devotees, our on-going aspiration is to become an earnest vaisnava or vaisnavi, as a servant of the servant of the servant, which by any standard is a rare thing worth praying for.</p>
<p>Your servant, Kesava Krsna Dasa</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=9081">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=9081</a></p></div>The illusion of enjoyment by Bhakti Charu Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-illusion-of-enjoyment-by-bhakti-charu-swami2020-05-21T10:50:00.000Z2020-05-21T10:50:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515122329,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515122329,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="2515122329?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></p>
<p>“How is our existence in the material nature? Very beautiful, very wonderful. [laughter] Full of promises and full of excitement, full of opportunities. But that is the influence of the Lord’s illusory potency. We are suffering, but we consider this suffering condition to be joyful. The reality is this material existence is full of suffering. And the thing is, the more we try to enjoy, the more we end up suffering. Therefore, saintly people in the past, they used to voluntarily accept austerities, difficulties. Enjoyment leads to suffering, so now you reverse the process: voluntary acceptance of suffering will lead to enjoyment. But that is not actually the cure for the suffering condition. The suffering condition is threefold. What are the threefold miseries? Adhyatmika, adhidaivika and adhibhautika. The sufferings caused by body and mind, they are known as adhyatmika. The suffering caused by other living entities is called adhibhautika and the suffering caused by the demigods or sufferings due to natural calamities [adhidaivika]. Now can anybody avoid these threefold miseries? [audience: no] Life itself is full of suffering. It is all designed for suffering. Janma-mrityu jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarshanam, this is duhkha, duhkha means suffering, sorrows. [Bg 13.9] So this is the materialistic way of life. We are suffering but we are actually thinking we’re enjoying. The little bit of enjoyment that comes is only a transient thing. We get some so-called enjoyment that comes out of sense gratification. When our senses are gratified, when our mind’s desires are fulfilled, we call it enjoyment. But the actual condition is a miserable suffering condition. Don’t you also sing every morning, samsara-davanala-lidha-loka? This material nature is like a forest fire. We are burning in a forest fire, samsara davanala. Generally we don’t really understand this suffering condition. We don’t understand what the reality is, until and unless we come across a saintly person, a person who is situated in knowledge, he actually gives us the real understanding. You see, simple considerations: a saintly person makes us aware how we are designed to suffer here, how we are meant to suffer here. Therefore, we must try to get out of this situation.”<br /> His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, Lord Krishna’s Pastimes Outside of Vrindavana, 29th May 2016, European Retreat, Island of Iz (Croatia), Morning Session</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29868">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29868</a></p></div>An unexpected encounter By Acintya Caitanya Dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/an-unexpected-encounter-by-acintya-caitanya-dasa2020-05-18T12:10:00.000Z2020-05-18T12:10:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515095925,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515095925,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515095925?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="400" /></a></p>
<p>Jananivas Prabhu’s service was to bring frankincense to Srila Prabhupada’s room in the evening. He mentioned that usually after you fill a room with frankincense, you open the doors and windows so that the mosquitos go out with the smoke. Srila Prabhupada however liked to keep the smoke within the room and stopped Jananivas Prabhu from opening the doors and windows. Since it was Srila Prabhupada’s darshan time, there would usually be many western devotees in the room and these western devotees would begin to cough and their eyes would water since they were not used to the smoke.</p>
<p>On a different occasion Srila Prabhupada with great appreciation said that the frankincense produced such a nice transcendental spiritual atmosphere.Jananivas Prabhu had until then thought that the frankincense was simply meant to drive away the mosquitoes. It was only after Srila Prabhupada said this that he understood that Srila Prabhupada had a deep spiritual appreciation for the frankincense smoke.</p>
<p>Once 4 Rigveda priests from Nepal came to visit Srila Prabhupada in Sri Mayapur. Srila Prabhupada liked them and one of them got initiated by Srila Prabhupada as Gangaram dasa. These priests asked Srila Prabhupada if they could teach devotees some prayers that conform to our vaisnava tradition. Srila Prabhupada agreed and that is how they introduced the Purusa-sukta prayers. One of the priests also taught Jananivas Prabhu different recipes for the frankincense. One recipe involved using a bay leaf and so on. In the evening they would recite the Purusa-sukta prayers as Jananivas Prabhu would bring the frankincense from the temple to Srila Prabhupada’s room. One of the priests knew how to blow a conshell without stopping and he would blow not one but two conchshells simultaneously and non-stop. He would first blow his cheeks and then inhale in such a manner that the conchshells would sound continously. It was quite a ceremony beacuse they would walk up all the way from the temple with prayers, conchshells and frankincense. Devotees would call it Bhooth puja, puja to drive away ghosts. Srila Prabhupada would be talking to his devotees and guests while the frankincense team would arrive on the corridor with all the loud sounds and then enter Srila Prabhupada’s room. Srila Prabhupada would stop and look up. The first time it happened, Srila Prabhupada was patiently looking up at the priest who blew the conchshells. After a while, he realised that the priest was expert at blowing nonstop and would not stop. He was amused and began to laugh.</p>
<p>One day Srila Prabhupada saw Pankajanghri Prabhu mopping the corridor on either side of Srila Prabhupada’s room. He came out and asked “Do you have to do this? Is there nobody else who can do this?” Pankhajanghri Prabhu replied “Srila Prabhupada, I am not Jananivas Prabhu. I am his younger brother, Pankhajanghri das” Srila Prabhupada said “Then it is all right”</p>
<p>One day Pankajanghri Prabhu was posted outside Srila Prabhupada’s room to guard the door. Pankhajanghri Prabhu had a cast on one of his legs. So when he folded his legs, the sole of one his feet was exposed. When Srila Prabhupada noticed this, he said “Don’t you know that it is disrespectful to expose the sole of your foot to the spiritual master?” Pakhajanghri Prabhu apologised and immediately began to re-position his leg when Srila Prabhupada noticed the cast on his leg and asked “Have you injured your leg?” Pankhajanghri Prabhu replied “Yes” and then Srila Prabhupada said “No, no then it is alright, keep your legs as they are”</p>
<p>Once Jananivas Prabhu had a desire to hear from Srila Prabhupada’s lotus lips about what he had written in the Krishna book specifically how everybody in Vrndavan loves Krishna, the birds, the creepers, the residents, the cows and all other inhabitants of Vrndavan. The next day when he entered Srila Prabhupada’s room he was speaking one to one with his different leaders about the preaching activities in their temples and zones. After a while Srila Prabhupada changed topic and instead of addressing anybody one to one, he began to address everybody and narrated how all the inhabitants of Vrindavan love Krishna, the cows, the birds, the creepers, the gopis and all the fortunate residents of Vrndavan. Jananivas Prabhu said that the whole room became illuminated as Srila Prabhupada narrated about the love of the residents of Vrndavan for Krishna. Not only him but some others in the room also told him that they too had the same experience that the whole room became illuminated when Srila Prabhupada began to speak about Vrindavan. Srila Prabhupada’s eyes were sparkling as he narrated those pastimes.</p>
<p>There was a devotee who would bring fresh dab every day in the evening at 4.00 pm for Srila Prabhupada. In 1977 Srila Prabhupada was in Sri Mayapur during Gaura Purnima. He began to thank this devotee who would bring him dab. Then he began to thank Jananivas Prabhu. Like this Srila Prabhupada individually thanked all devotees for the various services that they rendered to him. Jananivas Prabhu thinks that Srila Prabhupada knew that he was leaving the planet that year and wanted to express his appreciation individually to all the devotees who served him in Sri Mayapur.</p>
<p>Once Jananivas Prabhu was in Srila Prabhupada’s room along with Satsvarupa Maharaja. Srila Prabhupada was chanting on his beads softly and gravely while walking back and forth between his darshan room and resting room. At one point, Srila Prabhupada stopped, looked at Jananivas Prabhu and Satsvarupa Maharaja and said in a very deep, serious voice “This chanting of Hare Krishna is transcendental, spiritual sound vibration”. Then he continued chanting while walking.</p>
<p>I asked Jananivas Prabhu about the history of the beautiful Pancha Tattva Deities on the top of the shelf behind Srila Prabhupada. Jananivas Prabhu replied that those Deities were made by Srimati Mataji and gifted personally to Srila Prabhupada. They were never worshiped. He mentioned that these Deities however have a special significance and They are above Srila Prabhupada’s lotus head by transcendental arrangement.He explained how in Deity worship one is first supposed to meditate on the spiritual master sitting at the lotus feet of Pancha-tattva. So Srila Prabhupada is sitting right at the lotus feet of Pancha-tattva in his room. As far as second generation and future generations are concerned, he explained that they can meditate on their spiritual master sitting near Srila Prabhupada who is sitting at the lotus feet of Pancha-tattva in his room.</p>
<p>He went on to mention how Srila Prabhupada had brought different devotees from the west headed by Baradwaj Prabhu and Rukmini mataji so that these devotees could learn how to make diaromas, dolls and learn various other similar skills. They went back and established the FATE museum in Detroit. However they could not put the skills that they learned in India to much use in the west as the conditions there were very different. In the west only sophiticated kilns were available unlike the simple equipments in India. Some people in India criticised Srila Prabhupada that he was making devotees in the west and bringing them to India to teach sudra jobs. As usual Srila Prabhupada was unaffected by it.</p>
<p>Jananaivas Prabhu mentioned that most of the time Srila Prabhupada would be grave while in his room in Sri Mayapur but sometimes he would be in a light hearted mood. Once, pointing to the beautiful picture of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur in his room which was done by Pushkar Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada teased Bharadwaj Prabhu who was considered the leading artist in ISKCON at that time “Pushkar has done better than you” and then smiled mischieveously.</p>
<p>Once Jananivas Prabhu entered Srila Prabhupada’s room as usual in the evening with frankincense. There was noboby in the room. Srila Prabhupada was intensely absorbed in some writing work. Jananivas Prabhu offered his obeisances and as he began to fan the frankinsense, he noticed that the sole of one of Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet was uncovered. Jananivas Prabhu’s eyes began to drink the beauty of Srila Prabhupada’s pink lotus feet. He began to pray that may he be able to firmly fix his mind on this fortunate sight of Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet at the time of his death,. Just as he was praying like this, Srila Prabhupada abruptly paused his work, lifted his head and looked up straight into Jananivas Prabhu’s eyes. It was as if the suddenness of that gesture clearly indicated that he had heard Jananivas Prabhu’s prayer. Jananivas Prabhu began to feel shy, looked down immediately and moved on with his frankincense fanning duty. <br /> <br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85683">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85683</a></p></div>Global Village Talk By Nitaisundara dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/global-village-talk-by-nitaisundara-dasa2020-03-21T09:00:00.000Z2020-03-21T09:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515106337,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515106337,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515106337?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>In the 1960s, literary and media critic Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “global village” to describe the extension of people’s frames of reference and sense of responsibility beyond their immediate surroundings, or “village.” This growing sense of connectedness, McLuhan proposed, is the natural result of a world in which electronics enable our senses (at least the senses of sight and hearing—for now) to immediately experience that which is taking place across the globe, just as we would in our village.</p>
<p>McLuhan had high hopes for such a global community: “The aspiration of our time for wholeness, empathy, and depth of awareness is a natural adjunct of electric technology.”</p>
<p>Apparently not natural enough.</p>
<p>McLuhan passed away in 1980 as the precursors to the Internet were being formulated, implemented, and refined, but still nine years before the start-up of the first commercial Internet Service Provider. With the Internet now in full swing, it is apparent to all that the global village finds its most relevant discussion there. Indeed, in its most common usage, “global village” has come to refer to the Internet alone.</p>
<p>Everybody has found their way to the Internet; practically every belief, interest, desire, and product has some representation on the Web. It is therefore not surprising that Gaudiya Vaishnavas have also made their way into the online village. After all, with a spiritual aspiration culminating in a bucolic life, one would expect us to gravitate towards village settings, and in this case—for better or for worse—we have.</p>
<p>The prospect of Gaudiya Vedanta circulating throughout the global village and thereby reaching people of every background is wonderful. Such an opportunity would no doubt make Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s brhat-mrdunga reverberate with sounds of joy. But as with any medium one might employ in promoting spiritual life, the Internet is a double-edged sword, and unfortunately, many of those who have a hand on the hilt are swinging—and thinking—in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>Fortunately, within the Gaudiya tradition one need not look hard for examples of how to properly conduct him or herself in a village (even a global one). Perhaps the most relevant example is that which took place as Caitanya Mahaprabhu was putting Raghunatha dasa Goswami under the care of Svarupa Damodara, first leaving Raghunatha with a few practical instructions:</p>
<p>gramya-katha na sunibe, gramya-varta na kahibe<br /> bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe</p>
<p>Don’t indulge in village talk, don’t hear village talk. Try your best to avoid mundane matters. Don’t eat delicious dishes, but take whatever ordinary food may come of its own accord; and don’t dress luxuriously.</p>
<p>Such seemingly unexceptional instructions are not to be overlooked, and their significance is magnified when we consider the person of Raghunatha dasa Goswami. Dasa Goswami is considered the prayojana-tattva acarya of the entire Gaudiya tradition. That is to say, he is the foremost teacher (acarya) of the truths (tattva) regarding the ultimate goal (prayojana) of the prema-bhakti marga (the path of pure devotion). Furthermore, these instructions came as Raghunatha dasa was being handed into the care of Svarupa Damodara, who is Lalita-sakhi herself, and is therefore privy to the most esoteric aspects of Mahaprabhu and Radha-Krishna. Thus Raghunatha dasa was fully qualified for a life in which such instructions are irrelevant.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the very first directive Mahaprabhu gave to Raghunatha dasa Goswami was that one should not partake in village talk (gramya-katha) nor (one can safely assume), by extension, global village talk—and village type.</p>
<p>Obviously the Internet did not introduce gossip (nor is it reasonable to expect exclusively spiritual discussions), but what is alarming is that via the Internet, devotees seem far more likely to advance the malicious, spiritually detrimental variety of gossip. Just how spiritually dangerous such behavior is depends on a number of factors, one of which being the environment in which one makes the attack. For better or worse, the global village has a liberal publishing policy, and as such, every opinion, no matter how outlandish or downright tasteless, has the potential to reach everybody. The widespread dissemination of slanderous comments and malevolent attitudes, which are inevitably met with the support of some, is truly toxic, and the effects can be observed throughout the Internet community. A prime example is the overabundance of conjectured “siddhantas” appearing daily on the Web.</p>
<p>A digital community is largely reflective of its physical counterpart, for people’s natures manifest through whatever medium they use. Unfortunately, the present nature of the international Gaudiya community is that many are unable to interact with each other in a healthy, respectful manner, and as such there are many fractured factions. Much of the negative attitudes underlying these divisions are the direct results of years of one group or another espousing their exclusive validity and the simultaneous inferiority of people and groups who may actually be worthy of their adoration. This infighting has been notably amplified by the Internet, which instantly provides each user with a more public voice than was previously available to actual public figures.</p>
<p>The virtual nature of relationships on the Internet lends itself to an environment wherein criticism, rumors, personal attacks, and outright lies flourish. This is aided by the fact that the Internet provides the anonymity to both produce and digest these vitriolic discussions without being subject to any of the scrutiny which the participants themselves liberally employ in their assessment of everyone else. Such unaccountability and hypocrisy stands in the way of even basic morality, what to speak of the type of character by which one becomes attractive to those of spiritual substance.</p>
<p>It would be naive to think that fanatics and those with envious hearts will ever fall silent (especially on the Internet), but that fact merely underscores the responsibility of the rest of us to engage each other in thoughtful, substantial, humble, and generous dialogue. It is the generosity and user-friendly nature of the bhakti-marga that not only acknowledges the positive contributions of worldly progress, but enables us to actually use such contributions in the context of spiritual progress. Perhaps we should respond in kind.</p>
<p>Marshall McLuhan was able to see the potential of technology to function as a source of positive change in the world, while Bhaktisiddhanta and other acaryas take technology’s worth even further: acknowledging its potential to take one beyond the world. Just as McLuhan proposed, the internet can be a way to extend our frame of reference and sense of responsibility, both materially and spiritually. It is our duty to recognize the opportunity and responsibility sitting on our desks, and strive to act accordingly.<br /><br /> <strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7935">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7935</a></p></div>From Death to Immortality By Atmattatva dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/from-death-to-immortality-by-atmattatva-das2020-02-11T11:00:00.000Z2020-02-11T11:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><div id="article_image">
<div>
<p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515141705,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="2515141705?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></p>
<p>What will happen to me after death?</p>
<p>In the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna explains this subject to Arjuna in great detail. Arjuna was faced with a situation where, in order to uphold dharma, he had to fight and kill people who were very dear to him, his own relatives and friends. As one might expect, it caused great disturbance to Arjuna, and when he finally saw the people with whom he was going to fight, he lost all composure and began to cry.</p>
<p>Arjuna threw down his bow and told to Lord Krishna, “na yotsya“, I shall not fight.</p>
<p>His anxiety and grief was based on his false identification of the body as the self. He thought the self ceases to exist when the body dies. To correct this misconception and to establish Arjuna in full knowledge of the self, Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.</p>
<p>He began by first establishing the eternality of the soul:</p>
<p>na jayate mriyate va kadacin<br /> nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah<br /> ajo nityah sasvato ’yam purano<br /> na hanyate hanyamane sarire</p>
<p>“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”</p>
<p>The body is simply an external covering of the soul. Being material, the body is by nature temporary, and must at some point deteriorate and die. The soul on the other hand is spiritual in nature. For it there is no beginning nor end. Matter and spirit are qualitatively opposite. Whereas the matter’s natural quality is that it is temporary, full of ignorance and full of suffering, the qualities of the soul are that it is eternal (sat), full of knowledge (cit) and full of bliss (ananda).</p>
<p>Anything that has a beginning in time will also certainly have an end. Thus the body will inevitably come to an end, but the soul, which is beginningless, will continue its existence:</p>
<p>jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur<br /> dhruvam janma mrtasya ca<br /> tasmad apariharye ’rthe<br /> na tvam socitum arhasi</p>
<p>“One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.”</p>
<p>Krishna describes death in the Bhagavad Gita as being nothing more than a change of dress:</p>
<p>vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya<br /> navani grhnati naro ’parani<br /> tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany<br /> anyani samyati navani dehi</p>
<p>“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”</p>
<p>This body is nothing but a vehicle, and the soul is the passenger. When this vehicle is no longer suitable for the soul, due to old age and decay, the soul is given a new vehicle. Thus death is simply the transition from one vehicle to the next.</p>
<p>dehino ’smin yatha dehe<br /> kaumaram yauvanam jara<br /> tatha dehantara-praptir<br /> dhiras tatra na muhyati</p>
<p>“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”</p>
<p>The soul is actually covered by two bodies, one physical (sthula-sarira) and one subtle (sukshma sarira). The physical body is composed of the elements earth, water, fire, air and ether. This is what people generally think of as themselves – what they see in the mirror. The subtle body is composed of mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi) and false identification (ahankara). This subtle body stores all of the thoughts, desires, and experiences one has had, in every single life one has lived. As each new life comes, the experiences of the older lives are pushed deeper and deeper inside, thus they are forgotten. Sometimes these inner thoughts again resurface due to a dramatic occurrence or due to meditation and sadhana. In the case of a dramatic occurrence, the result is confusion, as the person cannot figure out which life is actually his. In the case of meditation, the yogi develops full conviction that he is not the body, and the lives he has experienced are not the reality.</p>
<p>It is the subtle body which carries the soul to his next destination at the time of death. From the time of the soul’s original embodiment in matter it has possessed the same subtle body, regardless of the external bodies it had. At death the physical body changes, but the subtle body continues with the soul. Only at the time of liberation is the subtle body finally cast off, diffused back into the cosmic elements.</p>
<p>What determines the body one will go to at the time of death? Krishna answers this question as follows:</p>
<p>yam yam vapi smaran bhavam<br /> tyajaty ante kalevaram<br /> tam tam evaiti kaunteya<br /> sada tad-bhava-bhavitah</p>
<p>“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.”</p>
<p>According to our consciousness at the time of death we receive a suitable body. What we remember at the time of death is not just a matter of the momentary thought that occurs. What we have done throughout our entire life will naturally come to our mind as we leave our body. Just prior to death, our entire life is flashed before our mind’s eye in a split second. One particular event will be very attractive to us, and we will focus on that. Based on that desire we will be given our next body, sometimes higher and sometimes lower.</p>
<p>If our mind focuses on an activity which is very ignorant (tamo-guna), we will receive a suitable body among the lower species of life – as a plant, a fish, a tree, or an animal.</p>
<p>If our mind focuses on an activity which is passionate (rajo-guna), we will be given a body within the human categories of life.</p>
<p>If our mind focuses on an activity which is primarily within the mode of goodness (sattva-guna), we will recieve a body on one of the higher planets – svarga-loka, etc.</p>
<p>Again I will mention that our mind will focus on an activity based on how we have lived our entire life. It is not possible to suddenly make our consciousness pure if we have spent our entire life engaging in improper activity.</p>
<p>The ultimate result of this transmigration from one body to the next is that we have tied one more knot in the rope of attachment which binds us to this material world. No matter what the destination, it is still not a victory. Which ever body we receive, we are still embodied – it is an artificial covering entrapping us.</p>
<p>Krishna describes this entire universe as duhkhalayam ashashvatam – temporary and full of suffering. No matter which body one has, these two qualities are there. But there is an alternative, a solution to this seemingly endless cycle. Krishna says:</p>
<p>anta-kale ca mam eva<br /> smaran muktva kalevaram<br /> yah prayati sa mad-bhavam<br /> yati nasty atra samshayah</p>
<p>“And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.”</p>
<p>If we are able to remember Lord Krishna at the time of death, we will become free from the external covering of the body and attain His eternal abode. This sounds very simple, but again it is not such an easy thing. Death is the ultimate test we must all face. What will be our consciousness at that moment? For those who are attached to the body due to identifying the body as the self, death is the most difficult occurrence. The soul is forced out of the body, despite his attempts to remain within it. I cannot describe the tremendous pain one who is attached to the body goes through at death. But I can say it is greater than anything else one can experience in life.</p>
<p>For the self-realized devotee the situation is completely different. He understands he is not the body. He knows the body is just a vehicle, a machine, and as such he has no attachment to the external body. For him death is as simple as opening a door and walking through it. Every day when we go outside our house we open the door and walk out. It is not a dramatic event. It is practically a non-event. This is what the devotee experiences at the time of death. Because of his realization of the self he has no attachment or false identification with the body.</p>
<p>And because his consciousness is always fixed on the Lord, his destination is complete freedom from the cycle of birth and death:</p>
<p>mam upetya punar janma<br /> duhkhalayam asasvatam<br /> napnuvanti mahatmanah<br /> samsiddhim paramam gatah</p>
<p>“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.”</p>
<p>The devotee is resituated in his constitutional spiritual position, free from all external material coverings. This is mukti, or liberation – attainment of the surpeme abode of Vaikuntha:</p>
<p>na tad bhashayate suryo<br /> na sashanko na pavakah<br /> yad gatva na nivartante<br /> tad dhama paramam mama</p>
<p>“That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.”</p>
<p>We are all part and parcel of God. Our true nature is spiritual, sacidananda svarupo ‘ham sivo ‘ham sivo ‘ham. Due to false identification with the body we are covered by illusion and forced to undergo birth and death. The soul is 10,000 times more effulgent than the sun, but the covering of ignorance is so strong that we appear to be like dead matter.</p>
<p>The Upanishads advise us to move from darkness to light, from the temporary to the eternal, from death to immortality.</p>
<p>vidyayamritam ashnute</p>
<p>“By cultivating spiritual knowledge one attains immortality.”</p>
<p>Death is not something to be feared, but something we must conquer. Excessive attachment for material things puts a man into a fearful condition of existence – bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. Because we are attached to the material body, due to ignorance of our spiritual self, we therefore fear death. By cultivating transcendental knowledge of the self, and by advancing spiritually through practice of sadhana, we can separate attachment to the body and become fearless.</p>
<p>This is actually the goal of life – to move from death to immortality. Not immortality of the body, for the body is not actually alive at any time, but the realization of the soul’s eternal, blissful nature.</p>
<p>Such a realization is possible only by sincere practice of sadhana and devotional service to Lord Krishna. This was Krishna’s message to Arjuna, and it is His message to each and everyone of us.</p>
<p>man-mana bhava mad-bhakto<br /> mad-yaji mam namaskuru<br /> mam evaisyasi satyam te<br /> pratijane priyo ’si me</p>
<p>“Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.”</p>
<p>Will I continue my current family</p>
<p>relationships even after death?</p>
<p>As two straws float in a river, and sometimes touch and sometimes separate, so in the same way our karma causes us to form temporary relationships with other living entities in this world. These relationships are not eternal. First we must understand that the identities which we are relating to are themselves not eternal. For example, my mother is an eternal spirit soul. At present her soul is situated within the body of a woman, and I am calling her as mother. In her previous life, or in her next life, she may have the body of a man. How can I continue to relate to her as mother? That relationship which depends on the body is as temporary as the body.</p>
<p>But there is an eternal relationship which we have with everyone. We are all part and parcel of God, and our constitutional position is in the spiritual realm. Since we are all spirit souls, part and parcel of God, we are all eternally related. At present due to the covering of illusion we do not know what our spiritual relationships are to each other. Only when we purify our own consciousness through sadhana can we know our own real identity and the identities of others. Based on those spiritual identities we will have spiritual relationships.</p>
<p>From time immemorial we have been passing through many, many species of life. Naturally we have had many mothers, sometimes a spider mother, sometimes a dog mother, sometimes a human mother. By the mercy of the Lord we are given forgetfulness at the time of birth so that the attachments of our previous life are buried deep within our consciousness. These countless relationships we have passed through are all reflections of our true relationships in the spiritual realm.</p>
<p>Knowing that we are all spirit souls, and not the external bodily covering, we should work for the spiritual upliftment of all our family members. By reestablishing someone’s eternal spiritual relationship we are truly helping our loved ones, not just their temporary body. This is actual compassion. No one knows where compassion should be applied. Compassion for the dress of a drowning man is senseless. A man fallen in the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his outward dress – the gross material body.</p>
<p>I always fear about what would happen to me<br /> after death. Kindly help me in making my fear go.</p>
<p>If you take up a daily practice of sadhana you will become free from fear. Study the Bhagavad gita to develop spiritual knowledge and take up nama-japa sadhana. By chanting the names of Krishna you will be able to cross over death:</p>
<p>hare krishna hare krishna</p>
<p>krishna krishna hare hare<br /> hare rama hare rama</p>
<p>rama rama hare hare</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=31845">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=31845</a></p>
</div>
</div></div>Any Colour You Like by Jagabandhu dashttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/any-colour-you-like-by-jagabandhu-das2020-01-11T11:45:00.000Z2020-01-11T11:45:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515096719,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515096719,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="400" alt="2515096719?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p>My earliest memories of religion in this life are of my father (my first guru) teaching me about the Great Spirit worshiped by American Indians (“Wakan-Tanka” Who also undergoes quadruple expansion just like the all pervading yet personal Vasudev). He also taught me that I should be respectful of other people’s beliefs irrespective of race and creed. And never look down upon anyone. Ever.</p>
<p>Even though his mother, my paternal grandmother was a devout Baptist (my maternal grandmother was a devout Jehovah’s Witness), he wasn’t much of a “church-goer” himself because he felt that the “Church” only wanted your money. Unfortunately, there’s a certain wisdom in this perspective. He nonetheless tolerated my wanting to go to Jesus’s “house”— which meant the local Presbyterian church near our home in 1960s suburban Minneapolis. As a very young child it was within easy unescorted walking distance from our house, right next to the elementary school I started attending as a kindergartner a couple of years later. My young heart drew much comfort and inspiration from the stories of Jesus. And I wonder if the Presbyterian Church of America has need for a Child “Protection” Office (before the Windle Turley lawsuit I never knew that “religious” people could do such horrible things to children).</p>
<p>Our family doctor was Jewish so I became aware of a difference in sacred holidays. Some of my classmates at school were Catholic (which also seemed like a different religion to me). I secretly wished we had such beautiful churches and songs along with wishing that we had little statues of Mother Mary for our car’s dashboard.</p>
<p>I spent summers as a child with relatives in Canada who were staunch Jehovah’s Witnesses (who took me out “witnessing” with them as a small child). And I’ve been impressed by their courage on behalf of God ever since.</p>
<p>From studying world history in school I learned that there were Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. It never occurred that others should be dishonored for practicing a spiritual tradition different than the one I felt most comfort with. Throughout this life I have had the good fortune of making their varied-Faith/multi-coloured acquaintances and friendships. And their diversified faithful sublime devotions are to me like different colours of a beautiful rainbow shining towards God.</p>
<p>This open-mindedness instilled within me by my father at an early age made it so I was amenable to hear the Supremely Gorgeous Teachings of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as a teenager. By His Divine Grace I would learn what true broadmindedness really was from the great heart of someone so transcendentally magnanimous that he could “build a house the whole world could leave in.” Without being intimidated by other’s beliefs or converting anyone to anything but pure God Consciousness Itself.</p>
<p>Years later from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur (especially the Bhagavat speech) I learned how to be truly unitarian in my perception of other spiritual traditions and to encourage all to sincerely practice whatever bona fide Faith process which brought them some measure of solace and divine inspiration. And I do not find it appropriate for me to discourage whatever acts of devotion they might subjectively prefer according to accrued internal merit. What to speak of finding fault with their particular belief system.</p>
<p>Although where I live is the bottom of the American “Bible belt” and the “Christian” residents who I mostly associate with are generally arch-conservative Southern Baptists; nonetheless, part of the local tradition of old-fashioned famous Southern hospitality is for the local people to be really friendly to one another and respectful too! Ladies are still politely referred to as “ma’am” and the gentleman are referred to as “sir,” in everyday life. Going into stores people regularly hold doors open for each other. Because of this when complete strangers pass each other going opposite directions on the local motorcar byways it’s common to offer each other a friendly wave from inside each other’s vehicle. To me there’s a certain antiquated (unfortunately) innate sweetness inherent within such affectionately respectful social exchanges. As if every wave is favourable:-) And everyone a friend. With my own petty mind the only enemy which plagues my all my existence. From the womb to the tomb.</p>
<p>Unconditional friendliness towards all jivas reaches it’s zenith and is perfectly exemplified by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his boundless affection which suffused all his dealings. My favorite story of His Divine Grace is how when a disciple happily remarked, “Srila Prabhupada, everyone likes you!”</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada beamed his great transcendentally beautiful smile before replying, “That’s because I like everyone.”</p>
<p>With the help of good guidance: if I can remember the immortal advice of Srila Saraswati Thakur that I must consider all others superior to myself and at last conquer the sole (soul?) enemy of my own wicked mind and false ego and be a kindly friend to all (maitrah), then I will encounter nothing but favourable/friendliness everywhere I turn as the whole environment rises up to assist my real inner development in an extremely friendly way which I may in turn reciprocate/reflect affectionately with any and all whom I might encounter. Regardless of temporal embodiment or varying expressions of unique subjective preference of Divine Faith. </p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7285">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7285</a></p></div>The Science of Association By Acyuta Dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/the-science-of-association-by-acyuta-dasa2019-12-28T05:45:00.000Z2019-12-28T05:45:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515120146,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="300" alt="2515120146?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></p>
<p><strong>From Back to Godhead</strong></p>
<p>Whether we are neophytes or advanced, association of pure devotees is crucial for our spiritual progress.</p>
<p>The pure devotees of the Lord carry the message of Godhead in order to deliver the fallen souls, and therefore the common man who is bewildered by the influence of the external energy of the Lord should avail himself of their association.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.5.4, purport)</p>
<p>The Science Behind Krishna Consciousness</p>
<p>Srila Prabhupada often referred to bhakti-yoga as “the science of Krishna consciousness.” This was not his attempt to falsely confer a sense of empirical cachet upon a spiritual process, an area of knowledge that is, in the West anyway, largely considered to be too nebulous to warrant such distinction. Prabhupada was well aware of the antagonism that scientific circles sometimes have for their spiritual counterparts, as well as the condescension with which western societies frequently treat religious pursuits. However, he appropriated the epithet not to make reference to these tensions, but rather to indicate those similarities that the practice of bhakti-yoga legitimately shares with the process of scientific inquiry.</p>
<p>It could be said that Srila Prabhupada presents in his books, and throughout his recorded lectures, a hypothesis of sorts: God exists, He is a person, and His name is Krishna. Prabhupada also provides a system of experimentation centered primarily on chanting Krishna’s holy names that, if followed diligently, allows the spiritual scientist the ability to personally confirm or deny that hypothesis based on observable evidence.</p>
<p>The scientific method is frequently lauded for being “democratic,” meaning that anyone, bar none, can perform a given experiment for him or herself, in the hopes of attaining similar quantifiable results. Due to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the “most munificent avatara,” and to the mercy of his sincere servant, Srila Prabhupada, the science of Krishna consciousness is also available to everyone, without discrimination.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the successful implementation of the scientific method depends upon the assumption that the universe is governed by certain natural laws that can be brought out and perceived by the rigorous process of experimentation. In other words, the material mechanisms by which our world operates are consistent, observable, and therefore able to be understood and, more importantly, communicated to others. While some in the scientific tradition may deny that similar mechanisms operate on the spiritual plane if they grant any credence to spirituality at all spiritual mechanisms do indeed exist, and they also conform, absolutely, to their own logical consistency. After all, both material and spiritual mechanisms are the work of the same Divine Engineer.</p>
<p>The Current of Devotion</p>
<p>It is for this reason that Srila Prabhupada compares bhakti selfless, loving devotion to God to an electrical current; in much the same way that electricity is conducted in accordance with certain natural laws, bhakti, as one of the varied energies of God, obeys natural principles all its own. In his book Madhurya Kadambini, Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura sets out to determine exactly what those natural principles are.</p>
<p>At first he asserts that like Krishna bhakti is “independent” and “without material cause,” but concedes that it may be bestowed upon one “by the Lord’s mercy.” The Thakura concludes, after an intriguing examination of the nature of Krishna’s causeless mercy, that bhakti actually has another source:</p>
<p>“The Lord, being subservient to His devotee, lets His mercy follow the mercy of His devotee. But even accepting the devotee’s mercy as the cause of bhakti, still the cause of that mercy is bhakti itself residing within his heart. Without the devotee having bhakti, there is no possibility of him giving mercy to others. Bhakti causes the devotee’s mercy, which causes bhakti in another person. Bhakti causes bhakti. The self-manifesting, independent nature of bhakti is thus concluded.”</p>
<p>Bhakta The Conduit of Bhakti</p>
<p>Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s judgment is that bhakti is “self-manifested” and “independent,” like the Lord, but that it flows through the mercy of the Lord’s devotees. The devotee is, therefore, like the copper wire that carries electricity from one place to another; he is a conduit for the delivery of selfless, loving devotion.</p>
<p>This is one of many reasons why the sadhaka one who earnestly desires to become increasingly Krishna consciousness must enthusiastically seek out the association of the Lord’s devotees if he or she wants to achieve success: because “one receives the Lord’s mercy through the mercy of the devotee who bestows it.” That is, in order to obtain that mercy, we must become objects of mercy. Because the Lord’s mercy “follows the mercy of His devotees,” we must somehow make ourselves recipients of the devotees’ loving compassion. We must endear ourselves to the devotees.</p>
<p>This is not manipulative; rather, this cannot be manipulative. We cannot simply curry favor with advanced devotees through flattery or sycophancy. The devotees, like the Lord, are naturally attracted to the humility and sincerity of those who approach them. This is what endears us to them, and this is what will win us their mercy. Moreover, by associating with those who are advanced in devotional service, we get faith which is, in fact, synonymous with bhakti because we see in those devotees the successful result of their own endeavors in devotional service. Seeing our own progress as insignificant in the light of their accomplishments makes us humble, while it simultaneously gives us faith in the efficacy of devotional service and inspires us to take up the process ourselves.</p>
<p>It is, however, not simply a question of proximity, not some form of (spiritual) osmosis. We must also see that we are suitable conductors of spiritual energy. Just as copper wire has properties that make it ideal for conducting electricity, there are properties in the sadhaka that will make him more favorable for the transmission of spiritual electricity. The acharyas have likened the spiritual spark of bhakti to the spark from a blazing fire. In this analogy, the sadhaka is compared to different types of grass, depending upon how he is influenced by the modes of material nature. The prevalence of passion and ignorance the lower material modes render one dull and unresponsive to spiritual stimuli; one affected by these modes is like wet grass that will never catch fire. But one who is primarily influenced by the mode of goodness is like dry grass; if he or she simply comes in contact with the spiritual spark of bhakti, that spark immediately ignites a flame.</p>
<p>It is therefore the project of all struggling sadhakas to secure the Lord’s mercy by bringing themselves under the influence of goodness and eagerly seeking out the company of the Lord’s pure devotees, the conduits of bhakti-Shakti. And, like electricity or fire, this process will work in accord with its own natural laws, regardless of the faith one does or does not have in its status as a genuine scientific phenomenon.</p>
<p>“Fire is always fire, and thus if someone touches the fire, knowingly or unknowingly, the fire will act in its own way without discrimination.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.36, purport)</p></div>Heavenly Match? By Visakha Dasihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/heavenly-match-by-visakha-dasi2019-12-18T11:40:00.000Z2019-12-18T11:40:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515164039,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515164039,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515164039?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p>
<p>Worse than being alone is to be with a person who doesn’t like you; too many people have experienced the anguish and chaos caused by an incompatible marriage. Such travesties are systematically avoided in Vaishnava culture because, besides training and restraint in behaviour prior to marriage, all care is taken in matchmaking: “Formerly, boys and girls of similar dispositions were married; the similar natures of the boy and girl were united in order to make them happy.” (SB 3.21.15) “The central idea is that if the boy and girl were on an equal level the marriage would be happy, whereas inequality would lead to unhappiness.” (SB 9.18.23) We want our life’s companion to be a true peer.</p>
<p>Compatibility also includes living with our spouse’s faults. It’s easy to live with another’s good qualities, but can you live with a person’s weaknesses? After the initial period of guarded good behaviour, the character flaws we brought with us into the marriage surface, and we face the pain of dealing with both our own and our spouse’s shortcomings and the conflicts those create. No two people are completely compatible and not all incompatibilities in marriage can be worked out. Sometimes inevitable differences can be laughed at, sometimes coped with, sometimes negotiated, sometimes accepted, and sometimes are c o m p l e m e n t a r y. Sometimes waiting and praying is the answer. It is rewarding when, after thousands of these tribulations have come and gone, you know and honour your spouse despite the differences between you. Focus on closeness and differences become manageable but if the focus is on differences, closeness disappears.</p>
<p>The more we advance in consciousness, the less affected we are by another’s shortcomings, and conversely, the less advanced in consciousness we are, the more the other’s shortcomings will irritate us. Not everyone can be like Mandodari, the chaste wife of Ravana, who was fully aware of her husband’s lowly nature and activities and yet tolerated him to the end.</p>
<p>Besides conscientiously matching a suitable young man with a suitable young woman, compatibility also includes the husband having like-minded male friends and the wife like-minded female friends. All our dialogue need not fall on just one pair of ears, but in confidence we reveal our mind to and have dedicated and loving ties with handpicked friends. Good friends smooth the bumps on this long journey. If at some point our marriage is rocky, qualified friends can help us learn from the difficulties and acquire skills to improve our relationship. Marriage is a process of changing and accepting change, of settling differences and living with differences that will never be settled, of drawing close and pulling apart and drawing close again.</p>
<p>Hare Krishna News – Published by ISKCON Durban. Used with permission</p>
<p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=34768">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=34768</a></p></div>IS God a Person or Energy?https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/is-god-a-person-or-energy2019-11-23T09:30:00.000Z2019-11-23T09:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515117954,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="380" alt="2515117954?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></p>
<p><strong>Excerpt from the Bhagavad-Gita As it Is 7.7:</strong></p>
<h4>Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute</h4>
<p>TEXT 7</p>
<p>mattah parataram nanyat<br /> kincid asti dhananjaya<br /> mayi sarvam idam protam<br /> sutre mani-gana iva</p>
<p>SYNONYMS<br /> mattah—beyond Myself; parataram—superior; na—not; anyat—anything else; kincit—something; asti—there is;dhananjaya—O conquerer of wealth;mayi—in Me; sarvam—all that be; idam—which we see; protam—strung; sutre—on a thread; mani-ganah—pearls; iva—likened.</p>
<p>TRANSLATION</p>
<p>O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.</p>
<p>PURPORT</p>
<p>There is a common controversy over whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is personal or impersonal. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the Absolute Truth is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and this is confirmed in every step. In this verse, in particular, it is stressed that the Absolute Truth is a person. That the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also the affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah; that is, the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, who is the primeval Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and the eternal form of complete bliss and knowledge. These authorities leave no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. The impersonalist, however, argues on the strength of the Vedic version given in the Svetasvatara Upanisad:</p>
<p>tato yad uttarataram tad arupam anamayam ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti athetare duhkham evapi yanti.</p>
<p>“In the material world Brahma, the primeval living entity within the universe, is understood to be the supreme amongst the demigods, human beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma there is the Transcendence who has no material form and is free from all material contaminations. Anyone who can know Him also becomes transcendental, but those who do not know Him suffer the miseries of the material world.”The impersonalist puts more stress on the word arupam. But this arupam is not impersonal. It indicates the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as described in the Brahma-samhita quoted above.</p>
<p>Other verses in the Svetasvatara Upanisad substantiate this as follows:</p>
<p>vedaham etam purusam mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat<br /> tam eva vidvan amrta iha bhavati nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya<br /> yasmat param naparam asti kincid yasmannaniyo na jyayo ‘sti kincit“</p>
<p>I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme Person.“There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies.”From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-pervading by His multi-energies, both material and spiritual.</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29440">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29440</a></p></div>Good Intentions By Sarvatma Dasahttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/good-intentions-by-sarvatma-dasa2019-11-18T12:40:00.000Z2019-11-18T12:40:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515156144,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515156144,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515156144?profile=original" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><strong>From Back to Godhead</strong></p>
<p>Though he sought enlightenment on an isolated beach through music, meditation, and marijuana, it came to him in a way he’d never expected.</p>
<p>Having had some mystical experiences as a teenager that convinced me of the existence of God, I left my native country, Argentina, for Salvador, capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia, famous for its mysticism and magic. I arrived in the area without plans, money, or acquaintances and moved into a straw hut by the beach a couple of miles from the nearest fishing village and fifty miles from civilization. It was an ideal setting of palm trees, a small lake, a river of crystalline water, and the turquoise Atlantic Ocean, in year-round eighty-degree weather.</p>
<p>I made a new friend there. He was reading the Bible and other books about God, playing music for God, and smoking marijuana to keep in touch with “the subtle world of God consciousness.” While I played saxophone and recorder, he would play guitar. We intended to satisfy God with our musical spontaneity.</p>
<p>I read a book by a Japanese doctor who claimed that everyone had inherent healing powers that could be awakened just by practicing austerities like fasting and chanting mantras. Since our eating depended on what God would send, fasting wasn’t unknown to us, although God would almost daily send someone with something to eat, or drop some green coconuts to the ground. To try to attain enlightenment, I was already planning to undergo a forty-day fast. So I followed the Japanese doctor’s program and, by the grace of God. I developed some healing powers. I could close wounds and heal minor afflictions.</p>
<p>My friend and hut-mate, David (as he wanted people to call him after the biblical character), made bamboo flutes, which we decided to try selling at the artisans’ market in Salvador. For the first time in months, I put on a shirt and sandals. I walked along the beach to the next village (there was no road) and caught a bus into the city.</p>
<p>Although the contrast between the city and the beach was shocking, my mind was peaceful because I was always thinking of finding the way to God. I walked around the market playing a flute. I sold a few and then went to the telephone company to make a long-distance call.</p>
<p>A young woman in a wheelchair waiting for her turn to use the phones attracted my attention. Here was a serious case I might be able to cure. Without hesitation. I went up to her and revealed my intentions.</p>
<p>“By the grace of God,” I said, “I have some healing powers that might enable you to walk. I’m not going to touch you or charge you anything, nor is it going to hurt you to try.” I waited for her answer,whichcame in a way I’d never expected.</p>
<p>“You are very kind in trying to help me,” she replied, “but you should also consider that I suffer no more pain than what your body gives you. I’ve been in a wheelchair since birth. I have never walked; nevertheless, I’ve always gotten where I wanted to go. This is the body God gave me after many past lives of sinful activities; therefore I deserve it. And more important than all this,” she added, “is that I, the person, live in this machine we call the body. I need spiritual, not material, help, and in spite of your good intentions, I don’t think you are ready to give that yet.” After saying this, she smiled and waited for my reaction.</p>
<p>I was dumbfounded. It took me a while to recuperate. Then I said, “What you just said sounds like the absolute truth, which I had not expected to hear from someone in your circumstances.”</p>
<p>My experience was that many persons confined to wheelchairs were easily irritated and seemingly resentful of their condition. I asked her not to go away. I wanted to make a call and return to talk at length. She promised to wait. When I returned I pushed the wheelchair outside and asked her where we should go.</p>
<p>“Let’s take a taxi to a restaurant,” she said.</p>
<p>“OK.” I said, thinking, Taxi? I never thought I’d ever ride in one again. I had the same feeling about going to a restaurant.</p>
<p>Once in the taxi she asked me if I was a vegetarian. I replied that where I lived there was no meat, so circumstantially I was. But why?</p>
<p>She explained that killing animals or eating them is sinful and should be avoided by all means. This made sense to me, and I promised her that I would become a total vegetarian. I could see that she was serious about spiritual life, so I asked. “Is there any other prohibition?”</p>
<p>“Yes. No gambling.”</p>
<p>“Fine with me.” I said. “What else?”</p>
<p>“No illicit sex.”</p>
<p>I had given up sex entirely some time before, understanding that it doesn’t help in the pursuit of spiritual life. So I had no problems with that either.</p>
<p>“What else?” I asked.</p>
<p>“No intoxication.” she replied shyly, knowing from my long hair and beard that I was probably rather involved in this particular area.</p>
<p>“What do you mean by ‘No intoxication’?” I asked her quickly.</p>
<p>“No alcohol, drugs,tobacco, coffee, tea …”</p>
<p>I then admitted to smoking marijuana to keep in constant touch with God, but at the same time I began to doubt this method of God realization.</p>
<p>“Where did you get the philosophy you were speaking back at the phone company?” I asked.</p>
<p>She calmly replied. “From the Hare Krsnas.”</p>
<p>I searched my mind for some information about the Hare Krsnas. I told her I’d read long ago in a popular magazine that their diet consisted of lettuce and walnuts and that George Harrison of the Beatles paid all the bills. I also saw them once selling books, incense, and oils at the Buenos Aires subway. She laughed at my poor description.</p>
<p>I then asked. “How do they get in touch with God if they don’t smoke marijuana?”</p>
<p>“They chant Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna , Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”she said.</p>
<p>Since I was already chanting some words to help with my healing powers, this made sense to me. I thought. These Hare Krsna people don’t look like anyone else, so they easily could have something that no one else has, and why not exactly what I am looking for: the Absolute Truth? What wouldn’t I give for that priceless gift!</p>
<p>I asked, “What should I do?”</p>
<p>“Go live with them,” she said.</p>
<p>I felt far too ignorant of their philosophy to just walk in and say, “Well, I’m one of you now.” So I proposed that we spend a few days together so I could learn the basics of Krsna consciousness. She agreed.</p>
<p>We took a boat across the bay from Salvador to an island where she lived with some friends. For the next few days she taught me the basic philosophy, answered my questions, and gave me a Krsna book and a volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam. She showed me japa (chanting) beads and explained many things about the devotees’ life. I was fascinated. I bid her farewell and took a boat back across the bay and a bus to the temple.</p>
<p>I met the temple president Hankara dasa, who asked, “How did you get to know about us?” I briefly related my story, and he started explaining different aspects of the philosophy in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish. I told him I wanted to become a pure devotee. Seated beside him was a young man with long hair (not as long as mine, but long enough to distinguish him from the shaven-headed devotees) who seemed absorbed in chanting on his beads, quite loudly, but also in listening to our conversation. I tried to appear unaffected by this strange sight.</p>
<p>Then came the prasadam (food that’s been offered to Krsna). To the girl, prasadam was a magic word. Yet despite her descriptions of celestial, divine, delicious prasadam. I thought it was terrible. But I silently ate every thing on my plate. Later I learned that the cook was new and that the food I’d eaten, except for the bread Hankara had made, was well below standard. Still, the philosophy was so satisfying that nothing was going to discourage me from living with devotees. They let me stay overnight not in the asrama but in the reception room. with no blanket or mat or pillow. My spontaneous attraction to the philosophy made them suspicious, and they were afraid I was just there to steal something or do something crazy.</p>
<p>They woke me for mangala-arati, the ceremony of worshiping the Deities that begins the day. That afternoon a devotee accompanied me to my hut. I wanted to pick up my belongings and tell my hut-mate the good news: finally I’d found the process of awakening the soul from the slumber of material illusion and the torture of mental speculation. But my friend had left</p>
<p>The next day, I rode the night bus to Recife, a city twelve hours north of Salvador, with the president of the Recife temple and a younger devotee. I was going there to join the program for newcomers. At about 9:15 P.M. the younger devotee asked me if I was chanting Hare Krsna. “Well, nobody told me to,” I said, “so I guess I’m not ready yet.” He laughed, gave me his own beads as a gift and taught me how to chant. By 10:00 P.M., after chanting three rounds, I fell asleep.</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33701">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33701</a></p></div>Judging Others & Jumping To Conclusions by Purnacandra das Goswamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/judging-others-jumping-to-conclusions-by-purnacandra-das-goswami2019-11-15T10:30:00.000Z2019-11-15T10:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p> </p>
<p><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515102363,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="2515102363?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" /></p>
<p>Westerners, in general, take too much for granted and are not careful enough in social dealings.<br /> Modern Western society conditions one to artificially come too close, too soon without respect for one another. <br /> Modern Western society respects nothing beyond fame, money and sexual prowess; it is the antithesis of Vaishnava culture.<br /> Prematurely judging others and jumping to conclusions are other negative traits found almost everywhere, which most of us must admit. These traits, born of the mode of passion, create dissension.<br /> We should seek to understand our fellow devotees and try to accommodate them. This principle is basic to all religious people and holds true even in mundane dealings.<br /> Here is a story that illustrates the point of prematurely judging others and jumping to conclusions.<br /> Once, a man was sitting on a park bench, quietly reading a newspaper. A moment later, another man with three children came along and also sat down on the bench.<br /> The man with the children looked morose and stared at the ground, but his children began to clamor for attention. The man ignored them and the children began to fight among themselves. The first man was trying to concentrate on his newspaper, but the children were making quite a disturbance. He thought, “Why doesn’t this man control his children?”<br /> Ten minutes passed. Finally the first man suddenly put down his newspaper and turned to the second man and said, “Why the hell don’t you control your children? Can’t you understand that they’re<br /> creating a nuisance? It’s so disturbing!”<br /> The second man slowly turned to the first, and with tears in his eyes, replied, “My wife has just died of cancer. I’ve come from the hospital. My children think that she’s gone to sleep. They don’t know that she’s dead, but they sense that something’s wrong. I don’t know how to explain it to them.” On hearing this, the first man realized that he had made a mistake. He acted too soon without properly understanding the situation.<br /> Nowadays, if a devotee is accused of something, many jump to a conclusion and consider him guilty without knowing the details. And if a devotee is factually guilty of a crime or misbehavior, many hold it against him even twenty years later, never considering the possibility that he could have repented and become purified through devotional service. This closed-mindedness indicates a lack of faith in the process of bhakti and a lack of proper culture.</p>
<p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28187">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=28187</a></p></div>How to be an Ideal Husband By H.H. Radhanath Swamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-be-an-ideal-husband-by-h-h-radhanath-swami2019-11-11T11:50:00.000Z2019-11-11T11:50:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515168512,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515168512,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515168512?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>Narada Muni the great acharya has previously explained to Maharaja Yudhisthira, the story of Prahlada Maharaja who is the perfect example of devotional service. Prahlada Maharaja remained faithful to the words of his spiritual master even in the face of the most impossible difficulties.</p>
<p>Depending on a power beyond his own, the mercy of Krsna, he crossed all obstacles. The Lord himself incarnated with a form that will attract all people’s hearts for all time just to show his love. At the conclusion of this pastime – it is said, “wherever devotees are gathered to discuss the subject matter of life, the matter of Prahalad Maharaja is discussed”. How can people apply these teachings practically in their lives? Narada Muni explains the varnasrama system – the four varnas and four ashramas and duties to be performed by devotees, “mahajano yena gatah sa pantha” so that we can follow in the footsteps of the Mahajanas.</p>
<p>So at the beginning we get a view of a pure devotee, what he speaks, how he walks etc. and then a practical explanation of how we can do it, irrespective of ashram, varna or sex etc. Daivi varnashrama means to follow in the footsteps of great souls. In this particular verse the essence of varnashrama is described: we live for the purpose to only please Krishna. Our success is to be categorized according to how we please Krsna and His devotees. If Krsna is pleased then our life is perfect. If Krsna is not pleased, irrespective of how popular we are, our lives are spoiled.</p>
<p>Catur varna – Krsna has personally created this varnashrama dharma, He has given everyone a chance based on quality, activities or nature, to become perfect and to follow in the footsteps of Prahlad Maharaja and become great souls. In this verse the grhastha ashram is described.</p>
<p>In the 5th canto Rsabhadeva says human life is meant for tapasya. Sense gratification is the purpose of animal life or the dharma of animals. To enjoy the temporary impulses of the senses is animal life, actually human life is meant for tapasya to be willing to have the determination to say no to the mind and senses for the purpose of doing the will of god.. The mind and senses are to be interacted but should say no to certain things. Srila Rupa Goswami said – accept what is favourable for devotional service and reject what is not, that is tapasya. Each ashram has a particular way of explaining this tapasya or duties. For a brahmachari or sannyasi it is to give up attachment for property, money etc., to tolerate sex life. Similary for grhasthas, a husband or wife must tolerate in the same way as a sannyasi has to tolerate sex desire. They have to tolerate each other, you cannot break that vow. We follow the vow according to principle of Krsna Consciousness and we only stop when we take a more difficult vow. How practically is this to be done?</p>
<p>The wife follows the vows of the husband but not the whims or restless nature or abusive nature of the husband. Instead it means the vow of Krsna Consciousness. We take vows to serve the spiritual master and the vaishnavas, these are the vows of the devotees and whatever way the husband is performing his vows, to follow that, is the duty of the wife. The duty of the husband is to be Krsna Conscious, to be a dedicated follower of the spiritual master. Not to go to the cinema house, rather it means the vow of Krsna Consciousness. Husbands in Krsna Consciousness are supposed to be first class men. There are many examples in the scriptures which illustrate that love is not about romance but about austerity. In the purest sense it is dancing with Krsna, but in material life it is about dedication, austerity and being willing to adjust in grhastha life with your partner, even if it is difficult.</p>
<p>Here is an example of a couple that went completely against their nature. Svayambhuva Manu’s daughter was Devahuti she was the princess of the world. Svayambhuva Manu describes the opulence of his palace. He didn’t wake up to an alarm clock he woke up to pure hearted vaishnavas chanting in person for him. Devahuti was his daughter, physically she never endured anything difficult. Then Svayambhuva Manu married her to Kardama Muni who is living in the jungle and wearing tree barks, eating fruits and roots of trees. How many of you would like to marry Kardama Muni and give all that you have and be ready to live in the jungle?<br /> What to speak of the princess of the planet doing so. Kardama Muni’s vow to Krsna’s service was very severe. There were no bazaars shops, Devahuti was wearing bark, living in the forest, no phones to chat with friends, nobody else to talk to and the husband would go into meditation for months at a time. When he came out of meditation her shapely form was going away, she was emaciated, pale almost blackish, just from living in that condition. Her hair was matted but she never complained because this was her husband’s service to Krsna. She endured all those difficulties for him and that was her unbelievable example of chastity for a higher purpose. Kardama Muni’s nature was that he hated sense gratification so his wife was willing to adjust her life for him, that is real love, service and it equals Krsna Consciuosness.</p>
<p>But how was Kardama Muni fulfilling the desires of his wife? He knew she wanted to have a child but he was an ascetic so he had to change his life around in order to properly protect and satisfy Devahuti. In the grhastha ashram to have children is a service, Krsna mentions in Gita – for men and women to perform sacrifice for the service of Krsna is devotional service. So Kardama Muni created a magnificent aerial mansion. He didn’t want it but he did it for his wife. He made major adjustments though it was difficult for him. He performed major austerities in order to accommodate the needs of his wife. Kardama Muni changed his own life around for his wife and Devahuti changed her life around for her husband. What was the result? Nine amazing daughters and they were far from ordinary daughters. They then had a son, not an ordinary son but the supreme personality of Godhead, Kapiladeva.</p>
<p>If husband and wife keep their vows the result is Krsna. Krsna is born of that relation. Prabhupada says Chanakya Pandit gives “valuable” instruction something that is “valuable” should be protected and what is that instruction? “When there are no fights between husband and wife the goddess of fortune automatically enters their house. Prabhupada gave many wedding lectures he said there is no question of divorce, you have to adjust, you can’t give up you have to keep Krsna in the centre.</p>
<p>You have to forgive each other and tolerate each other. Husband and wife are not meant for sense gratification that is for the hogs, husband and wife in Krsna Consciousness is meant for tapasya. Prabhupada said marriage is to facilitate happiness – sarva bhavante sukhino – so how do we understand marriage is for happiness and also for austerity?</p>
<p>Source:<a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=26">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=26</a></p></div>Ganesh, by Stephen Knapphttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/ganesh-by-stephen-knapp2019-09-01T03:00:00.000Z2019-09-01T03:00:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p>The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic texts that deal with Ganesha.</p>
<p>Lord Ganesh is known as the son of the Shiva and Parvati, and is the god of luck and of “opening the way.” That is why many people pray to Ganesh before starting a new project, in order to proceed with as few obstacles as possible.</p>
<p>Ganesha became the Lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Ganas) after winning a contest from his brother Kartikaya. When given the task to race around the universe, Ganesha did not start the race like Kartikeya did, but Ganesh simply walked around Shiva and Parvati, both his father and mother, as the source of all existence, and, thus, showed his intelligence.</p>
<p>The most prominent characteristic of Lord Ganesh is that he has the head of an elephant. How Lord Ganesh got an elephant’s head is related in several places in the Vedic texts. There may be a few different versions, but the general way in which it is accepted relates as follows: One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt. Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she told Nandi, her husband Shiva’s Bull carrier, to guard the door and let no one pass. Nandi faithfully took his post, intending to carry out Parvati’s wishes. But, when Shiva came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him pass, being loyal first to Shiva. Parvati was angry at this slight, but even more than this, at the fact that she had no one as loyal to Herself as Nandi was to Shiva. So, taking the turmeric paste (for bathing) from her body(some say it was sandalwood paste) and mixing it and fashioning it into her son, she breathed life into it and she created Ganesha who manifested from this form, declaring him to be her own loyal son.</p>
<p>Then when Lord Shiva’s wife, Parvati, was going to bathe in the forest, she wanted someone to guard the area. Some references say she was going to bathe in her house. So she ordered Ganesh to let no one into the area while she was bathing. However, Lord Shiva came after a long absence and wanted in, but was blocked by Ganesh. Lord Shiva did not recognize the boy as his son, nor did Ganesh realize Shiva was his father, and enraged, Shiva and Ganesh began to fight. Ganesh lost the battle with his head being cut off. When Parvati entered the scene and saw what had happened, she was so upset that she was thrown into despair and threatened to destroy the entire universe. Shiva, after understanding the situation, devised the means to revive his son. Desperate to pacify her, Shiva promised to take the head of the first creature he came upon in order to give their son a new head and bring him back to life, and that first being was an elephant. So Ganesh got the head of an elephant and with Lord Shiva’s power, came back to life.</p>
<p>Part of the meaning behind this symbolism of the man with an elephant’s head is to represent the unity between the small entity, or man, and the large universe, the elephant. In the word “gaja”, which means elephant, “ga” means the goal, and “ja” means the origin. In the form of Ganesh, the elephant-headed man represents the culmination of the man, the origin, on the path toward universal consciousness, the goal. Ganesh, therefore, is the representation of man who understands the foundation of the reality upon which the universe rests, as is summarized in the Vedic term, “Thou art That,” tat tvam asi. (Taittiriya Aranyaka 8.1.1)</p>
<p>THE SYMBOLOGY OF GANESH</p>
<p>Ganesh is also called Ganapati. This means lord of the Ganas who are the attendants who control the function of the sense organs. According to Karapatri’s Sri Bhagavat-tattva (p. 638), the word gana means a collection of something that can be counted or comprehended. In this way, Ganapati is also the lord or ruler of categories.</p>
<p>He is also known as the Lord of thresholds or entrances into new dimensions. He is the remover of obstacles or obstructions. That is why students pray to Ganesh before taking a major test, to remove the obstacles. That is also why it is not unusual, especially in India, that as we enter a new space or house we may see an image of Ganesh above the door or nearby to give blessings to those who enter. Thus, he is also the guardian of the doorways. This is the case in many Vedic temples. As we enter the temple, we first see a deity of Ganesh to whom we pray for blessings and the removal of obstacles in our devotion or the rituals that we do inside the temple. That way the obstacles to our worship and further spiritual progress can be removed, in which case our spiritual development can be made more rapidly and easily.</p>
<p>Ganesh is also considered the Lord of astrology. He is said to know the language of the stars and the destinies of every living being. Thus, astrologers also petition Ganesh to pen such knowledge to them.</p>
<p>Ganesh is also said to be the writer of the scriptures. (Mahabharata 1.1.77) He accepted the position of being Vyasadeva’s scribe and wrote the Mahabharata and Srimad-Bhagavatam as it was dictated by Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler of the major portions of the Vedic texts. You can see the cave where this is said to have happened at Mana, near the holy place of Badrinatha (Badarikashrama). For this reason the ancient Brahmana texts also describe him as the god of learning.</p>
<p>His other names include Ganesh (related to the word gana), Vinayaka (a name familiar in South India, meaning great leader), Vighneshvara (the remover of obstacles), Gajanana (elephant-faced), Gajadhipa (lord of elephants), and Jyeshtha-raja (King of the elders).</p>
<p>Ganesh is said to have two wives, Siddhi (success) and Riddhi (prosperity). Thus, if anyone pleases Lord Ganesh with nice prayers or worship, the person also attains the company or blessings of the wives of Lord Ganesh. However, if used improperly, success and prosperity can be distractions on the path toward the goal of spiritual wisdom.</p>
<p>Ganesh is also shown in particular ways with certain symbols, which is described in the Ganapati Upanishad (11-14). He is seen with one tusk and four hands, two of which hold a noose and a hook. The noose that he holds is to catch delusion, to free one from its affects. The noose also represents attachment that can lead to anger, which hurts us like the goad. The noose or rope is also used to pull his devotees nearer to the Truth and to tie them to the Highest God. The hook or goad indicates his power and helps motivate one towards the goal. Sometimes he is also shown holding an axe, which he uses to cut off the worldly attachments of His devotees, which can thus end the cause of their sorrow.</p>
<p>Of the other two hands, one is positioned in the gestures for giving blessings and assuring fearlessness, and the other is often holding a rice ball. Ganesh’s hand that gives blessings shows that he can grant one’s desires and assures freedom from fear, and that he is beyond the influence of time and space wherein fear exists. In this way, he blesses all and offers protection from all obstacles on their spiritual path in seeking the Supreme. The rice ball he is often seen holding indicates the reward of the sadhana or spiritual practice for his devotees. Ganesh also has a big stomach and large ears. The fat belly of Ganesh indicates that the influence of the material manifestation is within him. His big ears represent that he accepts the truthful and positive vibrations, while throwing out the false and non-virtuous words that men may present to him. On his flag is a mouse, which is also his carrier.</p>
<p>Deities of Ganesh are often covered with red vermillion. The significance of the vermillion is that it represents the reddened complexion of one who is absorbed in work, which causes the intensified circulation of blood to all parts of the body. This also produces the skin’s red glow. Ganesh is also the lord of action, so he is often seen smeared with red vermillion. He is also worshiped with red flowers. Since Ganesh works wholeheartedly, he has a strong appetite and is thus offered and enjoys a steady supply of sweets and delicacies.</p>
<p>As Vighneshvara, Lord Ganesh also gives us the gifts that destroy obstacles, restrictions, or hindrances. All obstacles exist in the arena of time and space. Through the access of immortality, or the realization of such, we can overcome the fear that is intrinsic in the arena of temporary time and matter. Thus, Lord Ganesh gives and takes away. He gives us what can take away the hindrances and obstacles that keep us from realizing our true potential. Because of this, Lord Ganesh is often worshiped before starting any new project, or before entering a house or building. This is why he is often placed above doorways through which people enter, or is recognized and afforded respect and worship before accepting a new position, starting a new undertaking, or before beginning a new challenge, like taking a difficult test, so we can reach its completion without hindrance.</p>
<p>In worshiping Ganesh, there are several different mantras from which one can choose that help invoke the energy or mercy of Ganesh. There is also a specific graphic design called a yantra that is also a symbol for Ganesh. The swastika is another graphic design that can be used in representing Ganesh and the good fortune that he can provide. This is also why the swastika is a sign for good fortune.</p>
<p>Locally, you often see Ganesh deities as either individual images or as a bas relief carved from stone or boulders. His trunk is also curved to the right and sometimes to the left. This indicates the ways to get around obstacles to reach the goal. This is an indicator of Ganesh’s ability to master adversities, and is also a symbol for the Om mantra. His trunk also often holds a modaka, a type of sweet. The single tusk he has represents the one Truth, while the broken tusk indicates the imperfections of the ever-changing material world. He lost the broken tusk when Parashurama once arrived at Mount Kailash to see Lord Shiva. However, Shiva was sleeping, so Ganesh did not allow Parashurama to get in. When they started fighting, Ganesh lost one tusk. (Padma Purana)</p>
<p>The broken piece of the tusk was later used as a pen to write the Mahabharata when it had been dictated by Srila Vyasadeva to Ganesh. How Ganesh wrote the Mahabharata from the dictates of Srila Vyasadeva is described as follows: Vyasadeva entered into a state of meditation after the death of the Kaurava and Pandava clans, and after the disappearance of Lord Krishna. While the great story of events between the tribes, along with the episodes of the Kuruksetra war, was still in his mind, he wanted to write the epic in the form of a great poem. He went to Brahma for advice regarding a qualified person who could accept his dictation to write the story, and Brahma mentioned Ganesh. When Vyasa thought about Ganesh, he appeared before the sage. However, Ganesh was not so receptive to the idea, so he stipulated that Vyasa dictate it in such a way that Ganesh would never have to put down his pen before it was completed. Vyasadeva countered with the requirement that Ganesh not write down anything before he completely understood the meaning of it. Ganesh was not meant to write anything he did not understand in order that he realize the depths of the meaning, and how to write it in a way that would make the meaning accessible to all humanity. This was agreed, and the Mahabharata was completed within three years. (Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter 1, verses 74-80)</p>
<p>Sometimes Ganesh is shown as Balaganapati in his child form, or Tarunaganapati as a young man. During the popular Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Ganesh is worshiped as Varasiddhi Vinayaka. At other times Ganesh is portrayed as Herambaganapati, with a third eye in between his eyebrows, along with five heads and ten arms. These show an extended view of his various powers, which are represented by what he holds in his hands, which include a lotus, pomegranate, water-pot, an axe, a lute, a sugarcane, ears of paddy, a bow and arrow, a thunderbolt, prayer beads, and a book.</p>
<p>The mouse that accompanies Ganesh is his carrier. The mouse is often seen in pictures eating or stealing the sweets that are piled near Ganesh. The mouse is the desire to enjoy material pleasures and the dangers of the ego. Though the mouse is small, this desire for material happiness, and the driver that motivates one into actions to acquire such pleasure, is like a thief that takes away all that people possess. It steals away one’s life that could be used to acquire the goal of spiritual perfection toward true happiness and liberation. The mouse also represents the mind, which is always active. It takes much weight to keep the mind from going astray. The weight of an elephant, Ganesh, on the mouse represents controlling the mind. Thus, Ganesh rides on this mouse as the controller of material desire and the effects of illusion.</p>
<p>GANESH MANTRAS</p>
<p>To Ganesh, for removing obstacles:</p>
<p>Aum Eikdantaya vidmahe</p>
<p>Vakratunaye Dhimahi</p>
<p>Tanno Buddhih Pracodayat</p>
<p>Translation: “Om. Let us meditate on Sri Ganesh, the lord with one tusk. May that great lord with curved elephant trunk inspire and illumine our mind and understanding.”</p>
<p>Invocation to Ganesh:</p>
<p>Gajananam Bhutganadisevitam</p>
<p>Kapittha Jamboo Phalcharu Bhakshanam</p>
<p>Umasutam Shokvinashkarakam</p>
<p>Namami Vighneshwar Padpankajam</p>
<p>Translation: “Oh Elephant-faced, worshiped by the existing beings, of all living beings, tasting the elephant apple (kaith) and jambolana (jamun), the Son of Uma, destroyer of grief, I bow to the lotus feet of Ganesh who is lord of all.”</p>
<p>Ganesh Gayatri Mantras for increasing intellect:</p>
<p>Om Lambhodaraya vidmahe</p>
<p>Mahodaraya deemahi</p>
<p>Tanno danthi prachodayath</p>
<p>Om. Let me meditate on that god with broad paunch. Oh, God with a big belly, give me higher intellect, And let the elephant faced one illuminate my mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Om Thatpurashaya vidhmahe</p>
<p>Vakrathundaya dheemahi</p>
<p>Tanno danthi prachodayath</p>
<p>“Om. Let me meditate on that great male, Oh, God with broken tusk, give me higher intellect, And let the elephant faced one illuminate my mind.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To Ganesh for removing obstacles, a good way to start any projects, studies or rituals:</p>
<p>Ganapati Bappa Morya</p>
<p>Pudhachya Varshi Lovkar Yaa</p>
<p>Use this to Ganesh prayer before beginning any new project so impediments may be removed and your endeavor may be crowned with success: Om gam ganapataye namaha.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Ganesh Mula Mantra:</p>
<p>Om srim hrim klim glaum gam ganapataye svaha</p>
<p>Om shanti shanti shantihi</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>Om gam-gau-ganapataye</p>
<p>Bighna-binashi ne-svaha</p>
<p>For one who wants wealth and prosperity, meditate on the golden color of Ganesh and say this prayer:</p>
<p>Om Lakshmi Ganapataye namaha</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another to Ganesh, Japa is 5,000 times a day for 25 days:</p>
<p>Om Gum Ganapataye Namaha, Om</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Also to Ganesh:</p>
<p>Om gam ganeshaya namaha</p>
<p>Om klim gam gam gam mahaganapataye namaha</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To Ganesh for blessings for spiritual success:</p>
<p>Om gananam tva ganapatigm havamahe kavim kavinamupamashravastamam</p>
<p>Jyeshtharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata snah shrinvanutibhissida sadanam</p>
<p>Mahaganapataye namaha</p>
<p>Translation: Om. Oh lord of speech, we worship you, the lord of the gods, the wisest among the wise, the one having incomparable fame, the best among the praiseworthy, and the lord of the Vedic hymns. While listening to our praises, come with your protecting powers and be rested in our yajnashala (temple). Obeisances to Mahaganapati.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Agajananapadmarkam gajananamaharnisham</p>
<p>Anekadantam bhaktanamekadantamupasmahe</p>
<p>Translation: We meditate, day and night, on the one-tusked one (Ganesh) who is the sun for the lotus in the form of the face of Parvati, the one with the elephant face and the one who is the giver of plenty to his devotees.</p>
<p>Source:<a href="https://stephenknapp.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/ganesh-by-stephen-knapp/">https://stephenknapp.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/ganesh-by-stephen-knapp/</a></p></div>Aspects of the Absolute Truth By Srila Jiva Goswamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/aspects-of-the-absolute-truth-by-srila-jiva-goswami2019-08-30T10:45:00.000Z2019-08-30T10:45:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515117466,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515117466,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515117466?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p><strong>From Back to Godhead</strong></p>
<p>Though conceived of in various ways, ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person who shares intimate loving exchanges with the best of His devotees.</p>
<p><strong>By Srila Jiva Goswami</strong></p>
<p>Here we present an excerpt from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust edition of Srila Jiva Goswami’s Sri Tattva-sandarbha. Jiva Goswami was one of the famed Six Goswamis, leading contemporary followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of six sandarbhas (treatises) explaining the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, or devotion to Krishna in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s line. The translator is Gopiparanadhana Dasa, whose commentary closely follows the early eighteenth-century commentary of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. The book includes a supplement called Sarva-samvadini, mentioned in this excerpt. We begin here with the last of the opening mangalacarana, or “prayers for auspiciousness.”</p>
<p>Text 8</p>
<p>yasya brahmeti samjnam kvacid api nigame yati cin-matra-sattapy amso yasya-<br /> msakaih svair vibhavati vasayann eva mayam pumams ca ekam yasyaiva rupam<br /> vilasati parama-vyomni narayanakhyam sa Sri-krsno vidhattam svayam iha<br /> bhagavan prema tat-pada-bhajam</p>
<p>Aspect of the Absolute Truth – Back To Godhead<br /> In the abstract feature of pure spiritual existence, the Supreme sometimes indeed goes in the Vedic texts by the name Brahman. In the partial expansion as the Lord of creation, that Supreme regulates the maya potency of material nature and exerts His control through further personal expansions. By the single manifestation of His personality called Narayana, that Supreme rules sovereign in the transcendental sky, beyond this universe. May that same Supreme,¸ Sri Krishna, the original Godhead, be pleased to grant pure love to those in the world who worship His feet.</p>
<p>Commentary : This verse concludes the mangalacarana. It praises Lord Krishna, wishes the blessing of love of God on His devotees, and also leads into the main discussion of Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha, since the revelation of Krishna and His energies constitutes the whole substance of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Everything alluded to in this verse will be elaborated in great detail throughout the six Sandarbhas, especially the fourth, Sri Krishna-sandarbha.</p>
<p>This verse, in its first three lines, mentions three different aspects of the same Absolute Truth, realized by various seekers, and in the fourth line it identifies them all as manifestations of the original Godhead, Sri Krishna.</p>
<p>The Absolute Truth, abstracted from His personality, is sometimes understood as the perfect source of all existence, one without a second. This view, taught in the Vedic Upanishads, appeals to philosophers who prefer the truth to remain impersonal. The same Supreme is conceived as nothing more than the creator of this world by those who cannot imagine God as having more important business of His own. And the same Supreme, as Lord Narayana (Vishnu) in the infinite spiritual world, is the object of worship for devotees in awe of His supremacy.</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person who shares intimate loving exchanges with the best of His devotees, accepting roles in which He is equal and even subordinate to them. Only devotees who have taken shelter of Him in His original, most confidential form can experience such pure love.</p>
<p>Technically, love of God in official reverence can also be called pure, but that quality of love is not of the same transcendental order of perfection. Fear of God as the creator and judge of this world is only peripherally spiritual. And when the personality of the Supreme is relativized altogether, His essence reduced to something nameless and formless, there can no longer be any real relationship with Him at all.</p>
<p>When one perceives the Absolute Truth vaguely, having approached Him too distantly to discern His distinctive qualities-His transcendental bodily form and His personal character and powers-one identifies Him impersonally as the perfect existence of pure consciousness. This level of realization is taught in the Upanishads, the special portion of the Vedas that are their philosophical culmination (Vedanta). In the Upanishads (Taittiriya 2.1, Katha 6.13) we find such statements as satyam jnanam anantam brahma (“The Absolute Truth is real existence and consciousness, unlimited”) and astaty evopalabdhavyah. (“One can know it only to the extent of saying ‘It exists.”‘). In this way the Vedas provide an impersonal understanding of the Supreme.</p>
<p>Those empowered with the vision of pure devotion, however, can also perceive in the statements of the Upanishads the personality of the Supreme. In fact the Upanishads enumerate many qualities of the Absolute Truth that it could not have if it were purely impersonal. The Taittiriya Upanisad, for example, follows the above utterance that Brahman is “real existence and consciousness, unlimited” with a detailed description of Brahman as ananda-maya (ecstatic) and as rasa (the taste of personal reciprocations). Rasa vai sah, rasam hy evayam labdhvananda bhavati:</p>
<p>“He is the reservoir of pleasure, and one who realizes Him as rasa also becomes ecstatic.” (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.7)</p>
<p>God as the creator of this world is called the Purusa or Puman. He appears as an expanded form of Krishna named Karanodakasayi Vishnu, the Personality of Godhead who sleeps on the snake-bed of Ananta Sesa in the spiritual Causal Ocean. This Vishnu is the Lord of maya, material nature, and He exerts His absolute control over her simply by glancing at her once. That glance agitates maya’s equilibrium and causes her to give birth to the millions of egg like material universes. Into each of these universal eggs, Lord Vishnu enters as His further expansion Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, who in as many forms as there are universes lies down in the water that fills the bottom half of the universe and who then directs the subsequent evolution of creation. In each universe, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu also exhibits various pastime incarnations-Lord Matsya, Lord Varaha, and many otherswho appear through Himself. And thus, as Srila Jiva Goswami says, the Lord “regulates the maya potency of material nature and exerts His control through further personal expansions” (amsakaih svair vibhavati vasayann eva mayam],</p>
<p>Lord Narayana is the principal expansion of Krishna who in the infinite realm of Vaikuntha rules with inconceivable splendor (vilasati). Because Lord Narayana, although in essence not less than completely God, does<br /> not display all of Krishna’s attributes, Lord Narayana is technically called a vilasa expansion of Krishna, the original Godhead. Sri Jiva Goswami hints at this by using the verb vilasati.</p>
<p>Vaikuntha lies beyond the boundaries of material creation; it is the transcendental sky, the perfect, eternal world inhabited by the Supreme Lord, His consorts, and His pure devotees. All the residents of Vaikunthae – both those who never fall to this world and those who have recovered their spiritual statusreceive the Lord’s mercy, enjoying opulence equal to His and full facility to serve Him in personal loving relationships.</p>
<p>God is one. And according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that one God is Krishna, the cowherd boy of Vrindavan, who chooses to expand Himself unlimitedly and still remain the same one Supreme Person, just to increase His own pleasure. Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.28) designates this original Godhead as svayam bhagavan:</p>
<p>ete camsa-kalah pumsah<br /> krsnas tu bhagavan svayam</p>
<p>“All the expanded incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead.” As Srila Jiva Goswami will demonstrate in Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha, Srimad- Bhagavatam recommends with great emphasis – repeatedly and unequivocally – that all success in human life is achieved by coming to Krishna consciousness, which is best cultivated by the easy process of hearing and chanting Krishna’s glories. Because the practice of Krishna consciousness pleases the Supreme Lord, He gradually frees His devotees from material entanglement and awakens within their hearts their dormant love for Him.</p>
<p>Srila Jiva Goswami further explains text 8 in the Sarva-sarhvadini, which can be found on page 254.</p>
<p>TEXT 9</p>
<p>athaivam sucitanam Sri-Krishna-<br /> tad-vacya-vacakata-laksana-<br /> sambandhatad-bhajana-laksana-<br /> vidheya-saparyayabhidheya-tat-<br /> prema-laksanaprayojanakhyanam<br /> arthanam nimayaya tavat<br /> pramanam nirnayate.tatra<br /> purusya bhramadi-dosa-catustaya<br /> dustatvat sutaram alaukikacintya-<br /> svabhava-vastu-sparsayogyatvac ca<br /> tat-pratyaksadany api sa-dosani.</p>
<p>This verse has alluded to various topics: Sri Krishna; and then sambandha, or the relation between Him and the words that describe Him; and then what we are enjoined to do, or in other words abhidheya, the recommended practice of worshiping Him; and finally prayojana, the goal, or love for Him. But before we can elucidate these topics we must first settle the question of pramana, the reliable means of ascertaining facts. In that regard, since an ordinary person is tainted by four faults, beginning with incorrect judgment, and especially because his faculties such as sensory perception are inadequate for establishing contact with a reality whose nature is supermundane and inconceivable, those faculties are faulty.</p>
<p>Commentary : After invoking auspiciousness in the mangala-carana, the author of a scholarly work in the brahminical tradition is next expected to justify his work by stating how it fulfills the “four prerequisites” (anub andha-catustayav. Vedanta philosophers formulate these requirements as visaya, sambandha, abhi-dheya, and prayojana. The author should first demonstrate that his book has a specific, well-defined topic (visaya). Then, to convince the readers that his book will deal with the subject adequately, he should show the connection (sambandha) between the topic that needs to be described (vacya) and the words he proposes will do this (vacaka). He should also indicate the practical method (abhidheya) that he will provide to enable the readers to realize the subject. And finally he should define the higher purpose (prayojana) to be achieved by this realization.</p>
<p>In Vedantic contexts the word sambandha is also used to indicate one’s relationship with God, but that is not how the word is used here. Here it indicates the connection between a description and that which is described.</p>
<p>In text 8 the visaya mentioned is Sri Krishna, in His original form and His selfsame expansions. The sambandha is hinted at by the statement that the Vedas reveal Him in His impersonal aspect. The abhidheya is indicated by the reference to “those who worship His feet.” And the prayojana is suggested by saying “May He be pleased to grant them pure love.”</p>
<p>Systematic thought in India is called darsana (vision), a word with different connotations than the Greek term philosophia (love of knowledge). Indian philosophy is generally intended for those who in one way or another are determined to achieve the full potential of life. Philosophy is meant to be practiced with the definite aim of self realization. Therefore a serious work in any school of darsana should not only describe its topic theoretically but also relate it to the reader’s self-realization under the headings of abhidheya and prayojana. This implies that an author claiming to be an authority on darsana should be fully realized himself, at least within the scope of his topic. After all, he is responsible for teaching his readers the effective means for achieving an important goal in life. And how can he be relied upon if he is only speculating about his subject?</p>
<p>In this first prose anuccheda (section) of Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami points out that the preceding verse has already stated the four prerequisites. Sri Krishna is the subject of the Bhagavatam and of the Sandarbhas. The Bhagavatam is fully capable of describing Krishna, His personality, and His expanded energies, and the Sandarbhas will be an exposition on the Bhagavatam by an experienced and authorized representative of a Bhagavata school whose eminent members include Madhva Muni and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.</p>
<p>In the preceding verse, Srila Jiva’s words “that same Krishna” (sa krishnah) and “the Supreme Personality of Godhead” (bhagavan iha svayam) concisely express that Krishna, as portrayed in Srimad-Bhagavatam, is Himself the Absolute Truth in all its aspects, personal and impersonal, complete and partial. In the same final line of the verse, the phrase “for those who worship His feet” (tat-pada-bhajami describes in essence the recommended means for realizing Sri Krishna: the standard method of bhakti-yoga, devotional service, which begins with hearing and chanting about Him. The word prema identifies the final goal achieved by bhakti-yoga: transcendental love for Krishna, in which a devotee enjoys his own personal relationship with the Lord, forever.</p>
<p>The overall plan of the Sandarbhas is as follows: The first, Sri Tattva-sandarbha, will establish the sambandha in general terms by proving Srila Jiva Goswami’s thesis that Srimad-Bhdgavatam is the most appropriate source of spiritual knowledge in Kali-yuga and that it thoroughly describes the Absolute Truth. The next three-the Bhagavata-, Paramatma-, and Krishnasandarbhas-will elaborate on the sambandha through explanations given in Srimad-Bhagavatam about the special character of the Personality of Godhead, His relations with His manifold energies, and His most essential identity as Sri Krishna. The fifth, Sri Bhakti-sandarbha, will present the methods of devotional practice through statements from Srimad-Bhagavatam. And the sixth, Sri Priti-sandarbha, will discuss pure love of God according to the Bhagavatam. But “before we can elucidate these topics we must first settle the question of pramana, the reliable means of ascertaining facts.” We need to determine how, in general, human beings can arrive at a correct understanding of things. Pramana, as defined in the epistemology of the Nyaya darsana, means prama-karana, “an instrumental cause of valid knowledge” (Nyaya-bhasa 5). “Valid knowledge” (prama) is further defined as yatharthanubhava, “perception that agrees with the reality” nyaya-bhasa 7). Vaishnava acaryas accept the Nyaya theory of pramana with some modifications, but the Nyaya theory is not the only one; each school of thought in India has its own conception of pramd and pramana-what true knowledge is, to what extent it can be achieved, and how. Buddhist logicians, for example, prefer to define true knowledge in ways other than by correspondence to real things because they deny that “things” exist at all; they do not accept any reality extending in time and space beyond the raw phenomena of each separate moment. Buddhists instead define truth in terms of capacity to inspire purposeful activity and in terms of consistency. Avisamvadakam jnanam samyag jnanam: “True knowledge is knowledge that creates no contradiction.” (Nyaya-bindu 1)</p>
<p>Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha aims at the highest kind of knowledge obtainable: personal realization of the Absolute Truth. In the present anuccheda Sri Jiva Goswami emphatically asserts that for this lofty purpose all pramanas are unreliable in the hands of imperfect humans. Every person in this world tends to make four kinds of mistakes in perceptive judgment: bhrarna, confusing one thing for another, as when one sees a tree at dusk and thinks it a man;pramada, inattentiveness due to a distracted mind, as when one fails to notice that someone close by is singing a song; vipralipsa, the desire to deceive others, as when a teacher conceals from his students something he knows; and karanapatava, weakness of the senses, as when a person, even with a focused mind, is unable to discern some object. Because of these natural faults, no mortal can be perfectly reasonable on his own strength, no matter how diligently he tries. To err is human.</p>
<p>Dharma, the eternal principles of human responsibility, stood originally like a mighty bull with four legs-mercy, cleanliness, truthfulness, and self-control. Each yuga in the cycle of four has seen a loss of one of these legs of dharma, with only one leg remaining in Kali-yuga: respect for truth.</p>
<p>In our materialistic age, science provides the predominant belief system. We tend to trust that the scientific community, by their collective endeavor, will progressively master nature and bring us enduring and ever improving happiness. And we often assume that truths given us by science are firm and beyond question. But such faith is naive, for the inductive scientific method, like every other human pramana, is prone to error.</p>
<p>The ordinary means of acquiring knowledge are especially inadequate for learning about the Absolute Truth, which is not a measurable thing of this world and which refuses to reveal itself to speculators and skeptics. Although physical scientists may claim to know the basic laws of nature, these laws, consisting of knowledge of how mechanical forces interact and how we can manipulate them for our own aims, provide only relative truth. This understanding of things is not complete; complete understanding requires that we know not only how to use things but also what their ultimate causes and purposes are. Though the laws of physics tell us how to measure and predict the physical forces among objects, they say nothing about what or who first brought these forces into being and why these forces and objects exist.</p>
<p>A basic premise of spiritual science is that underlying all existence is a unity, an Absolute Truth (tattva), and that everything thus has definite causes and purposes. Human intelligence that ignores this premise remains poor.</p>
<p>In the Sarva-samvadini (page 245) Srila Jiva Goswami discusses the ten means of knowing recognized in the various schools of Indian philosophy. In that discussion he demonstrates that knowledge derived from aural reception of revealed scripture is the most reliable.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29418">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=29418</a></p></div>64 Meditations for Janmastamihttps://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/64-meditations-for-janmastami2019-08-23T05:30:00.000Z2019-08-23T05:30:00.000ZISKCON Desire Treehttps://iskcondesiretree.com/members/iskcon_desire_tree<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}2515128950,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}2515128950,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="500" alt="2515128950?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p>Janmastami is Krishna’s day. More than any other day of the year we should make an effort to meditate on Him on this day. Meditation means to engage in contemplation or reflection. In Bhakti Yoga we contemplate upon Krishna through the use of all the senses – which makes it a most enjoyable practice. In sanskrit it’s called ‘kevala ananda-kanda’ – the path of happiness.<br /> The following list of the 64 qualities of Krishna is a delightful source of meditation. It is taken from the Nectar of Devotion by Rupa Goswami (a 15th Century devotee scholar) and translated by Srila Prabhupada. He describes that Krishna has all these qualities in ‘fullness as deep as the ocean” and goes into detail about each quality. A highly recommended read.<br /> Use this list as you are inspired to enhance your meditation on Krishna. I have divided it into 7 segments, so that we can reflect on 10 of these qualities everyday as we lead up to Janmastami. On the day itself focus on the final 4 as these qualities are unique to Krishna alone.<br /> Day 1: (1) beautiful features of the entire body; (2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; (3) extremely pleasing; (4) effulgent; (5) strong; (6) ever youthful; (7) wonderful linguist; (8) truthful; (9) talks pleasingly; (10) fluent;<br /> Day 2: (11) highly learned; (12) highly intelligent; (13) a genius; (14) artistic; (15) extremely clever; (16) expert; (17) grateful; (18) firmly determined; (19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; (20) see and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or scriptures;<br /> Day 3: (21) pure; (22) self-controlled; (23) steadfast; (24) forbearing; (25) forgiving; (26) grave; (27) self-satisfied; (28) possessing equilibrium; (29) magnanimous; (30) religious;<br /> Day 4: (31) heroic; (32) compassionate; (33) respectful; (34) gentle; (35) liberal; (36) shy; (37) the protector of surrendered souls; (38) happy; (39) the well-wisher of devotees; (40) controlled by love;<br /> Day 5: (41) all-auspicious; (42) most powerful; (43) all-famous; (44) popular; (45) partial to devotees; (46) very attractive to all women; (47) all-worshipable; (48) all-opulent; (49) all-honorable; (50) the supreme controller.<br /> Day 6: (51) changeless; (52) all-cognizant; (53) ever fresh; (54) sac-cid-änanda (possessing an eternal blissful body); (55) possessing all mystic perfections; (56) He has inconceivable potency. (57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. (58) He is the original source of all incarnations. (59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. (60) He is the attractor of liberated souls.<br /> Day 7: (61) He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). (62) He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. (63) He can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His flute. (64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation.</p>
<p><br /> Source:<a href="http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30546">http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30546</a></p></div>