Lecture on Bhakti is joyful and fruitful by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu
(Bhagavad Gita Chapter - 10, Text - 17)
(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)
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Question: Do you have any nice words to remind us not to have doubt whenever we have fear or doubt?
There are two types of doubts. One type of doubt comes from sinful activity and attachment to sinful activity. The other type of doubt comes from intelligence because we are also investigating something and cannot just accept everything blindly. So, there is also a healthy doubt. In the third canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Kapiladev explains to his mother these two types of doubt. About the other do
Giriraj Swami spoke on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila,22.83:
krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya ‘sadhu-sanga’
krsna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga
“The root cause of devotional service to Lord Krishna is association with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Krishna awakens, association with devotees is still most essential.” (Cc Madhya 22.83)
“Sacinandana Swami made the point that if we are in a humble mood, we will see our godbrothers and godsisters—people similar to ourse
Even if one chants the holy name imperfectly, he still easily attains liberation:
[A disciple of Prakasananda Sarasvati to an assembly of disciples]: “In this age of Kali, one cannot attain liberation without taking to the devotional service of the Lord. In this age, even if one does not chant the holy name of Krsna perfectly, he still attains liberation very easily.”
– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya lila 25.30
Even imperfectly uttered, the holy name frees one from sin:
[Haridasa thakura to Lor
Raga-Dvesha, The Cause Of Bondage
Raga (attraction), Dvesha (repulsion) and Tatastha Vritti (indifference) are the three important Vrittis of the mind. Raga and Dvesha (like and dislike or love and hatred or attraction and repulsion) are the two currents in the mind which bind a man to the Samsaric wheel of birth and death. Raga and Dvesha are the two Doshas or faults in the mind that have brought you to this world. The Svarupa of Bandha (bondage) is Raga and Dvesha. The Svarupa of Ajnana is
Is there an absolute “best” way to eat? One that tastes great, makes us feel good, doesn’t destroy the Earth, doesn’t inflict unnecessary suffering on other living creatures, and isn’t harmful to our health?
How about vegetarianism? Veganism? Lacto-vegetarianism? Raw food-ism? Juice fasting? Should we just do whatever feels good? Modified ovo-cannibalism? Maybe total fasting is the way to go?
What makes one way of eating (or non-eating) “better” than another? And who decides what’s “best,” anyw
This Little boy is missing in my life since many lifetimes. Whoever finds Him please let me know His whereabouts!!!
Color: blackish blue
Dress: yellow silk
Identification marks: will have peacock feather over His head
Last known location: Groves of Vrindavan with cows
Other details: Moonlike face to charm anyone in the universe, uses flute to mesmerize people
When Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of ISKCON, was recorded in a morning japa practice with his disciples, at one point on the tape we can hear him admonish someone – “Sit properly!” His voice is strong and makes us all sit up. It’s a reminder that how we do our chanting practice is as important, if not more important, that just doing it.
When we chant we are inviting Krishna into our day, our moment. It’s a big deal, a big opportunity to connect with the source of all life and to allow h
Come in from the cold
And warm your hands
By the fire of Krishna’s
Love for you
A love so real and true
But we are so cold
It’s hard to feel it
Come in from the cold
Areas of your mind
That separate you from
Light and comfort
And make you think
-and sometimes do-
Unwanted things
Come in from the cold
And warm your heart
By the fire of the holy name
The Temple is warm
The music sweet
Accept the invitation
And be at peace
Source:http://iskconofdc.org/come-in-from-the-cold/
There seems to be a tension between comfort and aspiration in our lives. We seek to explore, to grow, to achieve, yet we also desire security, safety and certainty. It’s clear, however, that we often have to sacrifice one to get the other. If we opt to remain in the comfort-zone, we may have to live with the inevitable feelings of being humdrum, run-of-the-mill and unexciting. On the other hand, if we dive for our dreams we’ll have to ready ourselves to brave the rocky road of uncertainty and o
We live in the age of Kali, which is a difficult age. Here’s what is said about it: “O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men but have short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.”
With such a flattering background, it’s not surprising that early morning spiritual practices are hard for us. If it’s the choice between more sleep or getting up for meditation, it can be a battle between the mind and the mattress. We know getting up is good for us
Lord Caitanya, the 16th Spiritual Teacher in disciplic line from Lord Krishna, left only one prayer (eight verses) behind him. It contains the complete guide to the practice of devotional service. Here it is in short form with the complete prayer at the end.
. Clean the heart
. Transcend with names
. Humility, like grass
. Desire devotion
. Request a rescue
. Nurture longing
. Feel separation
. Love, no matter what
1. Clean the heart – the first prayer invites us to clean the dust accumulated
I have an iPhone.
They are everywhere. We talk on them, walk with them, search them, listen to them, laugh, cry, sleep, and die with them. The ubiquitous iPhone is a friend to all. If we forget it or lose it we feel pain. And today, I write my blog on one.
Studies are now showing that we should leave our phone aside more often. It distracts, interrupts, can cause ill health and certainly fatal accidents. “Don’t let the things we own, own us” we learned last week during the Sunday Open House. Wh
Dear devotees,
Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We just celebrated ISKCON’s 50th anniversary at the Sadhu Sanga Retreat last week. To thank all the sponsors and core volunteers who work for the retreat all-year, we have a tradition of gifting them a sweatshirt. This year, we wanted to do a very special design for the sweatshirt to commemorate ISKCON50.
The inspiration for the design came from His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja who had come up w
By Kavicandra Swami
My dear god brother H H Purna Candra Goswami went to his samadhi some time back and we heard many praises. HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami was lamenting that Purna Candra Prabhu was not so well known world wide since he had much to offer.
He did leave us a very beautiful book that I think should be studied by anyone who is serious about spiritual advancement while serving, in any position, within ISKCON.
The book is titled, UNSPOKEN OBSTACLES ON THE PATH TO BHAKTI. The title says
On Saturday 28th May, ISKCON-London had our first Open Day event of the year. Every year, we organise several Open Days during the summer months to welcome new and inquisitive souls to the Temple.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, and to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation of the movement, the theme for this year’s Open Days is “50 Years of Contribution to the Global Community”. Attendees start a journey of self-discovery and gain insight into topics including the s
Two Highlights From The Waikato (Waikato is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand).
Damodara Krsna Dasa: Recently, I went on a six-day stint in the Waikato.
I was in Hamilton East–in a small car park–and stopped an athletic lady. She happened to be Joelle King, the best women squash player for New Zealand.
After an injury, her ranking dropped from No. 4 in the world to 17th. Six months after her recovery, she is now up to 11th in the world. But she explained that s
Here are a few questions about Bhagavad Gita, with my replies.
The first questions I have are about chapter 10 – verse 7-8…
Why by comprehending krishna\god’s mystical nature, will we develop a devotional feeling towards him?
We may develop devotion to him after understanding his unique nature and position. It is not certain. Just like by hearing that someone is very amazing you may become more attracted to that person, or you may not. Most likely you will, but it is not certain.
why by underst
