Overcoming Material Desires
Statement of the problem. What are we here for?
Madhya‑lila: Chapter Twelve, Text 135
ei‑mata puradvara‑age patha yata sakala sodhila taha ke varnibe kata
TRANSLATION
Outside the gateway of the temple, aIl the roads were also.cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.
In commenting on the cleansing of the Gundica temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was personally giving instructions on how one should recei
Srila Prabhupada: There may be so many impediments for a person who is chanting Hare Krishna. Nonetheless, tolerating all these impediments, one should continue to chant so that at the end of one’s life one can have the full benefit of Krishna consciousness. Bhagavad-Gita 8.5 Purport.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/OM4R2N
Sri Hanumatpresaka Swami: Many writers on yoga, mysticism describe this non-striving state of consciousness as the highest level of experience, but from this Vedic model we can see that it is high, but realistically it is not even spiritual.
I Am My Head
Next the Paramatma offers us the material nature agitated by the mode of passion. In the mode of goodness I’m aware of the football game but without desire. When the mode of passion comes in I accept it then I begin to have material desires. I
One of the most used books in our temple room is the songbook. Everyday it seems, I am flipping through the “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas”, singing one of the many songs or reciting some of the numerous pranams (prayers) as part of my daily sadhana. The following post is the first 13 pages of songbook, which in my mind is a nice way to start the day and is a good prelude to other devotional service.
Pranams
from the Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
SRI GURU PRANAMA
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananj
The farm conference brought together empowered citizens and communities to celebrate 50 years of spreading sustainable Krishna conscious community life. It was presented the knowledge acquired by many unseen heroes along these pioneering years and there was an effort to build a bridge with the vibrant youth which is so connected to sustainable solutions for the planet. There was offered a connection of friendship to enable sharing our experiences and solutions.
Together, we shared realistic gli
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu is always free from politics and institutional bashing or promotion. Just simply nectarean Krishna Katha!
Enjoy the complete Mahabharata narrated by Nirantara Das ACBSP available freely in audio mp3 files.
You can download them from his site: http://www.nirantara.com/maha.html
or listen to them online as a playlist or on demand here: https://goo.gl/N7HzxQ
What’s interesting about Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is that he is not boring. He is always part of some “lila”, or divine story, sometimes fixing a broken world or relationship, saving a devotee in peril, or removing a dangerous situation. His incarnations are said to be as numerous and unending as the waves of the ocean and although some of them are hard to understand, they never fail to charm and delight those who are directly involved in the lila or those of us hearing abou
"Chant4change", a musical extravaganza organised in Washington, USA, on October 8, by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to spread the message of peace and humanity, got off to a colourful start with Indian and global artists performing at the show.
The event, one of the global offerings of the 50th annniversary year of ISKCON, unfolded itself in a unique way of chanting God's names or sankirtan to an international audience in a manner related by them, anISKCON release sa
A Durga Puja Pandal in Howrah, West Bengal resembling Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
After Howrah now a Durga Puja Pandal in Durgapur, West Bengal resembling the architecture of Temple of the Vedic Planetarium can be seen below…
The emptiness of our life can be measured by the time we spend transfixed by the grip of Facebook and WhatsApp.
The mind's nature is to run behind the next thing that comes along, and the senses follow the mind. WhatsApp and Facebook provide an unending stream of things to run after, dragging the senses in all directions. How then will the mind get steady?
A serious student of yoga should use his senses - eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and touch - very deliberately and not engage them with anything
There is a common misconception that the absolute truth is impersonal energy because if it were a person it would have a form which by definition is limited. Since the absolute truth is unlimited, it must be impersonal formless energy.
Yes, a finite form is limited in space. But an impersonal all-pervading energy is limited in functions of intelligence, control, personality, and reciprocation. One cannot talk to energy, nor exchange affection with it. Energy in itself cannot control things, and
“Don’t feel yourself to be alone because Krishna is always with you. Krishna is always with every living entity as Supersoul, and to His devotee especially He talks and gives instructions how to attain the perfectional stage of meeting Him. So don’t feel alone. Always chant whenever possible, read our books, and there will be no great difficulty.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 3, 1969)
“Please don’t feel lonely. Krishna is always with you and I shall pray for you and to Krishna also that you
I have always liked the following verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. They remind me to slow down, chant nicely, and don’t be attached.
Since Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was omniscient, He could understand Raghunātha dāsa’s mind. The Lord therefore instructed him with the following reassuring words.
“Be patient and return home. Don’t be a crazy fellow. By and by you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence.
“You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renu
Learning from Srila Prabhupada how to see beyond the material coverings to perceive the real dhama
I bend down to get through the door and enter a small, sparsely furnished room. Suddenly, I’m face to face with Srila Prabhupada. He’s sitting on the floor behind a low desk piled with books and papers.
“Jai!” he says. “Our Hayagriva has arrived.”
I pay dandabat obeisances by prostrating myself and touching his feet with my right hand. Then I place my hand to my forehead. To remember the spiritual
I love how the days are now
Lingering between hot and cold
How the morning cool touches
And draws us together, pulling
Out sweaters and wraps
And tucking away summer
I love how autumn brings
A different kind of change
Its own time, yet only a time
Between summer and winter
Time to leave one and receive the other
Time to be ok with getting old
Time to be ok with death and dying
Time to see the colors of aging
The winding down of life
In leaves upon the ground
Autumn is different than spring
More
Expecting respect from others, even subtly, burdens our heart and complicates our lives. Giving all respects to others, no matter who it is, lightens our heart and simplifies our lives.
Source:http://thebandwagonofmoltengold.blogspot.in/2016/10/giving-respect.html
The Bhagavad Gita is the essential summary of all Vedic literature. To follow a message that is not supported by the Bhagavad Gita is like rejecting fundamental Vedic principles. Do that at your own risk.
Source:http://thebandwagonofmoltengold.blogspot.in/2016/10/the-bhagavad-gita-fundamental-vedic.html
Many times we do what we do, not because it's the best option, but only because our mind craves for it. What's more, choosing the sub-optimal option makes us feel independent - why should I follow someone else's opinion? I am free to choose my way of life. I will decide for myself - always. Thus, it's just egotism that controls our decisions, not timeless wisdom. And we are proud of it.
This false sense of ego and bloated sense of importance about one's own opinion makes us deaf to any principle
