Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Investigating the Health and Science of Meditation

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"Planet ISKCON" - 52 new articles H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Saturday 5 March 2011--Unbelievably Stimulating Happiness--and--Is Jesus the Only Way? Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Investigating the Health and Science of Meditation Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Inception, Dreams, and the Mind Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Plantain subji Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Plantain subji Bhakta Chuck, CT, USA: Friday Night Oxen #46 H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 239 H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Vanished Scenes? H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Human at Best H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Brahma-muhurta ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana H.H. Sivarama Swami Kurma dasa, AU: Here's One I Blogged Earlier Japa Group: Main Thing Is To Fix Your Mind Akrura das, Gita Coaching: THIS IS A SYSTEM OF RECREATION Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji lila H.H. Sivarama Swami: Last day in Mayapura, the difference between false ego and self confidence David Haslam, UK: Dreaming about my Guru Maharaja Kripamoya dasa, UK: ISKCON 2011 #2 Is ISKCON growing or shrinking? How do we measure it anyway? Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters Srila Prabhupada's Letters ISKCON News.com: Is Modern Medicine More Science Or Religion? ISKCON News.com: Pope Says Jews Not to Blame for Jesus' Death Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: The ABC's of Life ISKCON News.com: Pakistan's Only Christian Cabinet Member Assassinated ISKCON News.com: Krishna Worship and Rathayatra Festival in Ancient Egypt? H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 238 H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Dear Holy Name ISKCON News.com: Synergy at the GBC Strategic Planning Meetings H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Saint or Sinner? H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Living with the Scriptures H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): A Devotee Is A Gentleman Mayapur Online: Srimad Bhagavatam Class- Live from Mayapur Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Ashalata devi dasi chanting at Ashtaprahar Toronto 2011 - 24 Hours of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra Deva Gaura Hari, AU: Sankirtana - it's all about the 'congregation' ISKCON News.com: GBC Meeting Report- February 25-27th, 2011 Dandavats.com: Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir! HG Urmila Mataji Dandavats.com: Gaura Purnima festival 2011 in Sri Vrindavan Dham Dandavats.com: New temple opening iskcon mombasa Kenya Dandavats.com: Prayers, Mantras and Gayatris, New Book by Stephen Knapp Dandavats.com: Miami Herald article Festival of India & Ratha Yatra parade in Miami! Dandavats.com: Employment Opportunity in San Diego - Warehouse Management Position Available Gouranga TV: Sacinandana Swami part 1,ecstatic kirtan Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Sincerity and book-selling Japa Group: Chanting Workshop Sambhanda Pt.3 Book Distribution News: Sincerity and book-selling More Recent Articles Search Planet ISKCON Prior Mailing Archive H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Saturday 5 March 2011--Unbelievably Stimulating Happiness--and--Is Jesus the Only Way? A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course(TM) Saturday 5 March 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. Today's Thought: Unbelievably Stimulating Happiness Uploaded from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA This material world is a place of bad association. This is why you need the association of Krishna's devotees as much as possible. And this is why it is imperative that you take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master for being expertly guided along the pathway of self-realization. In other words, your consciousness is a mirror of those with whom you associate. By associating with materialists you become a materialist. And by associating with spiritualists you become a spiritualist. Since earning a livelihood means associating with materialists for many hours a day, your life should not be centered around earning your livelihood. It must be centered instead on awakening the dormant Krishna consciousness, which is currently sound asleep within your heart. This will give you a life of unbelievably stimulating happiness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Great Saint's Association Gives Unlimited Benefit Srila Prabhupada Walks With His Disciple http://www.backtohome.com/images/Prabhupada/sp_street.jpg Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is Jesus the Only Way? Dear Gurudeva, Please guide me out from the confusion that I have in my mind. At the moment I am in a relationship with a girl who accepts Lord Jesus Christ as her savior and her only Lord. I really wish to get married and have a Krishna conscious family with her in the future. But anytime we talk about it she always argues that only by accepting Lord Jesus can we save our lives and be together. I try to explain all I know about Lord Sri Krishna and teach her to chant the mahamantra. But when she is chanting the mahamantra she always remembers the words of Lord Jesus and she becomes sad and feels that she is making a big sin. Gurudeva, please enlighten me about this matter. Is there any information about Lord Jesus in the Vedas? W. Answer: The Way of Jesus is the Only Way Since Jesus is teaching the path of exclusive devotion to the Supreme Lord, we accept that his way is the only way. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita in which Krishna states that we should abandon all other duties and simply surrender to Him. Therefore we have no problem or disagreement with the teachings of Jesus. The only problem is that the so-called Christians do not understand the teachings of Jesus. It does not make any sense for this girl to be so disturbed. Nicely explain to her that since, according to the revealed scriptures, Jesus is the son of God and Krishna is God the Father, there cannot be any disagreement between them. Therefore whether we chant Christ or Krishna, in either case we awaken the feelings of love of God within our hearts. If we accept the son, we cannot reject the father. And if we accept the father, we cannot reject the son. So, those who are learned in the science of devotion accept with loving gratitude both Lord Jesus and Lord Krishna. Christ was predicted 3,000 years before his appearance by Srila Vyasadeva in the Bhavisya Purana, as Jesus--the Messiah, who would establish religious principles among the mlecchas. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at:http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed:http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address:   • Email to a friend • • Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Investigating the Health and Science of Meditation For thousands of years, spiritual traditions from around the world have emphasized the need for a balanced practice of contemplation and mediation in our individual lives. Now, science and biology and increasingly telling us the same thing. Check out a recent article from the New York Times that investigates this idea. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/mind-and-body-investigating-the-health-and-science-of-meditation/?scp=2&sq=meditation&st=cse   • Email to a friend • •   Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Inception, Dreams, and the Mind This past week we continued our study of the working of our mind, and what the wisdom of the Bhagavad-Gita has to say about it, by exploring one of the most fascinating aspects of our mental reality, the dream. We viewed a scene from the recent hit film Inception as an initial way to frame our discussion, and in this scene, we saw how the main character, Cobb, a master of mental espionage, revealed the workings of the dream state to his young and impressionable architect friends, Ariadne. This is a dream state one is aware of being a part of, and one that can be actively controlled and created, like the phenomenon of the lucid dream. As we watched, we saw that Ariadne learned that the power of the mind and the contents of the subconscious that arise in a dream can be both wondrous to control and too overpowering and dangerous to handle. Dreams reveal to us so many different things within us that make up the contents of what we have taken into our consciousness in this life, and perhaps in previous lives. We discussed how certain dream experiences could be echoes, or actual memories, of previous lives, and how this connection may further our own consideration of the phenomenon of reincarnation. We considered again the ABC News video of a young boy who remembered, through vivid dreams, his previous life as a WWII fighter pilot, and whose parents actually researched and corroborated much of the info he was relating from his dreams as being historically accurate. The mystery of the dream may never be something that can be fully captured, and to a greater extent this also applies to the mystery of our mind. The Bhagavad-Gita has plenty of thought-compelling wisdom to present, which can challenge our own conceptions of our mental and overall reality, if we have an open mind to it.   • Email to a friend • •   Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Plantain subji • PREPARATION & COOKING TIME: 1 hour • YIELD: Enough for 4 or 5 persons • vegetable oil for baking • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) cubes • 2 large eggplants, cut into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) cubes • 1 block firm tofu, cut into cubes - 2 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch spears • 1 tablespoon (20 ml) vegetable oil • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) crushed dried red chilies • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground coriander • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) salt 1. Place moderate oil in a wok or frying pan. When hot, add the potatoes and stir fry for about 10 minutes. Then add the eggplant and continue to stir-fry for another 10 minutes until both potatoes and eggplant are sufficiently cooked. Remove and repeat with the plantains. 4. Heat 1 tablespoon (20 ml) oil over moderate heat in a heavy 3-litre/quart saucepan. Saute the cumin seeds until golden brown. Add the chilies, asafoetida, and turmeric. Stir momentarily; then add the, salt, and ground coriander. 5. Add the potatoes, eggplant cubes, plantains and pieces of tofu (feel free to cook the tofu in the same way you did the vegetables). Take care not to crush the eggplant. . The eggplant should be soft but not mushy. Stir sufficiently until well mixed. Serve hot.   • Email to a friend • •   Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Plantain subji • PREPARATION & COOKING TIME: 1 hour • YIELD: Enough for 4 or 5 persons • vegetable oil for baking • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) cubes • 2 large eggplants, cut into 2 1/2 cm (1-inch) cubes • 1 block firm tofu, cut into cubes - 2 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1-inch spears • 1 tablespoon (20 ml) vegetable oil • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) crushed dried red chilies • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) turmeric • 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground coriander • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) salt 1. Place moderate oil in a wok or frying pan. When hot, add the potatoes and stir fry for about 10 minutes. Then add the eggplant and continue to stir-fry for another 10 minutes until both potatoes and eggplant are sufficiently cooked. Remove and repeat with the plantains. 4. Heat 1 tablespoon (20 ml) oil over moderate heat in a heavy 3-litre/quart saucepan. Saute the cumin seeds until golden brown. Add the chilies, asafoetida, and turmeric. Stir momentarily; then add the, salt, and ground coriander. 5. Add the potatoes, eggplant cubes, plantains and pieces of tofu (feel free to cook the tofu in the same way you did the vegetables). Take care not to crush the eggplant. . The eggplant should be soft but not mushy. Stir sufficiently until well mixed. Serve hot.   • Email to a friend • •   Bhakta Chuck, CT, USA: Friday Night Oxen #46 Hello Everyone, plows Click to view slideshow. In just about every post of FNO, we have seen Oxen pulling the plow. Plowing is one of the most common tasks for oxen to perform; preparing the soil for planting. Plows have been used since ancient times and can be found in the artwork of many civilizations. Plow designs change in accordance with time, place and technology, but they, like their purpose, has remained mostly the same down through time. In the present-day US, these rather odd-looking devises often become objects of curiosity, reminders of days-gone-by and mostly find themselves far from home and their intended purpose.  Often, you will see them end up as landscape or restaurant decor. Yet, there are many that still employ this humble tool, gathering each Spring with their teams and implements in the time-honored tradition of preparing the soil for planting.  In many countries where a plow would be considered a possession of great value, often beyond the means of any one family to own, communities come together in shared ownership and hard work to labor for the common good. The most interesting thing I find about plows is that they serve very little need really, unless you see them tightly knit into the fabric of their unique purpose.  What need would there for the plow if there were no Oxen to pull it, no warm earth to be turned, no seed to be planted, no sun and no rains to nurture it, no grain to be harvested and no mercy from the Lord to make it all happen with such exquisite and wonderful care?  For me, in this context, the plow makes perfect sense. Watch is a nice video of community plowing. Lastly for tonight, my friend Bill sent me this information on a project in Zimbabwe that his son Silas and others have launched that I would like to share.  Please take a moment to browse the website here. They have wonderful plans, among them; “We would like to offer Ox Training where people can bring their own young bulls and learn to train them, resulting not only with a capable Ox, but job opportunities as well.” Very inspirational, it would be wonderful if you found yourself at the “donate’ page. Have a nice weekend, in service to the Oxen ys, Chuck Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 239 www.sdgonline.org. A Writer of Pieces New format–I will begin with a poem written on the day of its printing. Then I will print random excerpts of books I have printed over the last 30 years. I hope this variety will be pleasing. Poem for March 4th I woke up with a double headache and took my meds but it didn’t go down. I wrote my assignment and cheated by putting the clock back ten minutes. The boss said, “What have you done?” I said it was just an accident. But it was late, so I did it again and turned the alarm off so he couldn’t tell. I stayed in bed and tried to remember what I wanted to write. Then I got up and wrote it and went back to bed. I was getting anxious about the time, and the boss in my head. I couldn’t remember what I wanted to write. But I bluffed it and wrote a poem about Krishna even though I wasn’t prepared. I hope they won’t fire me. I don’t want to be fired. Krishna is the Supreme Person so I can’t go wrong if I write that. I put in a few more phrases of praise and went back to bed but I couldn’t remember well. But I hoped it would pass and they wouldn’t look to clouds. “Krishna is beautiful, I love Him every day.” I chant Hare Krishna sixteen rounds and my head will go down if I just get some more sleep.   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Vanished Scenes? www.sdgonline.org. From Prabhupada Meditations II (200 copies published) “Sometimes when we remember Prabhupada-lila, a nagging little voice inside says, ‘The places and people you are describing have vanished with time. Are you remembering a reality, or was it a fantasy? Is it all gone with the wind, like a Beatles craze?’ “Sometimes when we remember Prabhupada-lila, a nagging little voice inside says, ‘The places and people you are describing have vanished with time. Are you remembering a reality or was it a fantasy? Is it all gone with the wind like a Beatles craze?’ “I remember the first time I heard Prabhupada express the idea that ISKCON might deteriorate. He had just given a lecture at the Bombay temple and was riding in the jeep that was taking him to his apartment. He said that time was very powerful and that ISKCON might also break down with time. I was startled to hear him say this because in my naivete I had thought, “That’s what happens to material things and to bogus movements in this world, but it could never happen to ISKCON.” I had heard devotees and scholars express such opinions, but I had never heard Prabhupada say anything like that. From then on, I understood that such a thing could possibly happen, although Prabhupada did not like it, and he hoped it wouldn’t happen. “On other occasions he warned devotees that they should not change what he was doing. He said if devotees quarreled, they could ‘dismantle the whole institution.’ He said he feared they might change the Deity worship after he left, and that they might lose enthusiasm or return to hippie ways. These statements were given as warnings. “When conducting kirtana in the midst of many devotees, Prabhupada would look very pleased, and sometimes he would look inward in a blissful way. But sometimes, at least from my perception, he would look at us with a compassionate anxiety for our well-being. It was as if he was seeing how some things would go wrong in the future, and how devotees would leave. “It does seem, in one sense, that Prabhupada has vanished, and that many devotees who were present in the 1970s have also vanished, and also the scenes of some of his pastimes are gone. “One explanation is that Prabhupada held everything together in a special way during his presence. The Supreme Lord holds all the planets of the universe together in His fist like dust, and similarly, Srila Prabhupada held together all persons, activities, and places of ISKCON when he was present. As Prabhupada wrote, “The acarya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes religious principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered.” (Bhag. 4.28.48, purport) But Prabhupada writes further: “The perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master.” No one can stop the movements of time, including the deterioration of all material bodies and material elements, but sincere disciples will never abandon the lessons and orders given to them by their spiritual master. “We may admit that some of the scenes Prabhupada participated in are gone. But whatever he did was glorious and was done against greatest odds in Kali-yuga. We can’t expect everyone and everything to remain exactly in place as it was when Prabhupada was here, but the evolution that has occurred still carries the impression of his presence. Prabhupada’s association is imprinted on the lives of those who served him, although some treasure it more than others. “Those who were not present for Prabhupada’s personal pastimes are able to hear about them, and they can connect with him even many years later. This is another good reason to remember things as they were, even though they may be vanished now. In the future, sincere seekers will read Prabhupada’s books and hear about Prabhupada, and will want to bring him into their lives. They will say, “When Prabhupada was here, he said he wanted this. Here is a lecture that he gave at that time, and he said that we should do this.’ “Some will say, “No, this is no longer possible. We tried that, but it didn’t work.” “But others will reply, “All right, we can change some of the externals from those days. But let us do it as Prabhupada wanted when he was here.” “We should not think that because things have changed we were deceived by believing in the lilas of Prabhupada. Obviously Prabhupada was not deceiving anyone. But neither were we mistaken when we thought Prabhupada’s activities were permanent. The fact that Prabhupada came and spoke is not lost in time. This point is also stated in the Bible: ‘All things will pass away, but My words will not.’ Srila Prabhupada acknowledged that time wears away all things. Even Krsna’s places of pastimes in this world have become covered over, leaving little trace of His presence. Rupa Goswami expressed this in a cryptic message to his brother Sanatana in jail. Rupa Gosvami’s note stated, “Where is the Ayodhya of Raghupati? Where is the Mathura of Krishna?” His meaning was that everything in this world changes, but if you keep your mind fixed on that which is eternal, you will be steady. This is good advice to anyone in anxiety, over the terrible but temporary situation of material prison life. According to Rupa Gosvami, even the dhamas within this world undergo change; therefore we should always meditate on the eternal essence of life. Lord Krsna’s dhamas are eternal, but it is a fact that the temples and holy places have been plundered or neglected. Devotees lament to see how quickly this deterioration is taking place in Vrndavana-dhama, even on a yearly basis. However, in a higher spiritual sense, the dhamas are eternal. Prabhupada’s pastimes have a similar quality; we should not be alarmed or doubt their validity. We may ask, ‘Where are all those men who were the leaders in ISKCON? Where are the buildings?’ And similarly you may ask, ‘Where is Ayodhya? Where is Dvaraka, the city by the sea? Where is the Yadu dynasty? Where is the pious humankind whom Krishna came to restore? Where are the Pandavas or their descendants?’ Although the spiritual pastimes of the Lord may disappear from our vision, they continue to exist for those who have perfect vision. Time is not greater than Krishna or Krishna’s pastimes. But because the material world is the kingdom of Maya, even spiritual edi-fices will crumble. The inner spirit is carried on by the parampara of living devotees. Even in terms of perceivable objects, Prabhupada’s most important legacies are still flourishing. His books continue to be printed in new editions, and the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra goes on just as it was during his time. His vani, and therefore his spirit, his presence, is alive as long as there are sincere devotees. The vyasasana he sat on may not be there anymore. Its upholstery has corroded, or it is in somebody’s basement or in a museum. But the chair is not as important as what he spoke from the vyasasana. “The recitation of Prabhupada’s pastimes, in words and books, is not subjected to destruction as long as it is carried on from generation to generation. We want to see and remember Prabhupada just as he was in the 1970s. We want to think of that chair he sat on, and the ring he wore on his finger, and how he moved his left hand when he walked, and how the gurukula children appeared like little angels and also like little rascals, and how he gave them all sandesa while their mothers watched. Prabhupada came to teach that gurukula education is important, and we want to remember it as he spoke it. “Viewed against the powerful forces of time, the devotees may seem like pathetic creatures vanquished by Kala. In fact we are very tiny, and we have a very limited conception of time. The time of the universe is beyond our calculation, and yet even the universe is created again and again. We say, ‘We want Prabhupada in the period of 1966-77, and we do not want it taken away.’ In reply, Time laughs, ‘The period of 1966-77 is just a speck, it is almost nothing at all!’ On that material level we may seem foolish, but we know that Srila Prabhupada’s appearance had an eternal reality we can preserve. ‘True Vaisnavas never die, but live in sound…’”   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Human at Best www.sdgonline.org. From Human at Best (2008) “Thinking I won’t hold a Vyasa-puja ceremony on my birthday this year. Our society is disturbed over the falldown of a prominent guru, and resolutions are being proposed to the GBC to curb the gurus’ ‘excesses.’ Included in those resolutions is that gurus should not hold a yearly Vyasa-puja function. I don’t feel like bucking that current and gathering the devotees around me to hear their praises, but I doubt I would cancel if I hadn’t heard that that was one of the proposed resolutions. Anyway, I can tell my disciples to observe it on their own. Maybe in the future I will resume that function. Let’s see what the GBC does this year…. I wanted Madhu to help me decide whether or not I should hold a Vyasa-puja program this year. Madhu suggested I think it over. He thought I could do something on that day because yajna, tapa, and dana should not be given up…. At the end of the conversation Madhu added that I could attend a bhakti-vriksha meeting in Dublin if I wanted. Anyway, who needs a caterpillar atop a mushroom sucking a hookah? ‘He asked, “Who are you?”’ What did Alice reply? “I am not the person who fits the description of praise you offer to me. I am an otter in the cold waters of the woods. “Where am I, sitting on a fence? Got something to say about self-honesty to everyone, no matter what their position. “No cheap gopi-bhava club. I work at the other end of the spectrum, trying to unmask pretensions. “Little lad, little lad, did you go to school? Elder dad, fellow mad, were you able to pass stool? Mimic-maker, no salt shaker, were you going strong? Tell me how it feels to be wrong, wrong, wrong.”   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Brahma-muhurta www.sdgonline.org. From The Worshipable Deity and Other Poems (1984) Brahma-muhurta 1. “Get up, friends, disciples! Get up, you who are in the clutches of bad dreams! Get away from the atheists. (Do not say you cannot.) Rise from the bones, rise from the flesh. Assert the spirit-soul. You can. You must. In pre-dawn, eternal love awaits– if you will rise. If you don’t, how much you will regret it! ‘He called, but I did not get up!’ 2. “The next demand is to chant But first, where is your shoe? Grab it and beat the mind a hundred times, Then chant and hear (tongue and ear) The Hare Krishna japa– Oh, if the mind would listen to God’s name The dodging, bucking, swerving mind Try again to return to the names. 3. “Then join with others as a cheer goes up before the opening doors. Brightshining are the multiforms of God: Mother Hara and graceful Krishna, Triumphant, upraised Gaura-Nitai, Smiling, sturdy Jagannathas. Bow and rise. Here is the yearned for: his lotus feet.”   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana Thumbs-up really high to the pujaris today; they did an excellent job on Their Lordships. Lord Balarama especially is absolutely gorgeous!!! Well done Bhakti Mataji. Chota Radha Krishna look regal and very much pleased with Jaya Radhe Mataji's dressing. Sri Sri Radha Ballabha's joy knows no bound it seems. And Sri Sri Gaura Nitai in Their epic turbans; such contentment on Their glowing faces! It blows us away every single day to contemplate on our unlimited good fortune to relish such a 'beyond-this-world' darsana. Will we ever thank you enough Srila Prabhupada for allowing us to participate in the ever-sweet pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Ballabha and The presiding Deities of Melbourne.   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Sivarama Swami Our only motive is how to interest people in Krsna consciousness. That’s all. - Srila Prabhupada   • Email to a friend • •   Kurma dasa, AU: Here's One I Blogged Earlier Here's a recipe for Lemon Curd from Maharani Dasi. Thank you!! Lemon Curd Maharani writes: "I have had good success making lemon "curd" filling for lemon bars (the kind with shortbread crust, lemon curd, and streusel topping) with confectioner's (icing) sugar and a little extra cornstarch to thicken it. I'm not sure how it would hold up in a full-sized pie, but it is very good in mini-tarts, cookies, and that sort of thing. The recipe I use is this one: 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, 1/2 cup fresh strained lemon juice, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (icing sugar with cornstarch/cornflour added), 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water. In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil the lemon juice, zest, and butter. Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, and reduce to a simmer, whisking and watching for it to thicken. If it doesn't seem to be reaching the desired consistency, this is when you add the cornstarch in water. With a little more cooking, it should thicken up. If not, add a few more spoons of confectioner's sugar. It will thicken more on standing, so don't add any more cornstarch than absolutely necessary, because otherwise it will taste starchy. When the lemon curd is thickened (clings to the whisk) transfer to a bowl. If you're not using it right away, you should cover it with a piece of plastic wrap touching the surface of the curd to prevent it getting a skin on top as it cools." Give it a try, readers, and let me know how it worked out.   • Email to a friend • •   Japa Group: Main Thing Is To Fix Your Mind The main thing is to fix your mind on the sound of the chanting. As you strain and yearn to keep your attention fixed, this naturally brings a mood of devotion. This is the way you serve the holy name. Just as when cooking, if you try very hard not to burn the preparation, to spice it nicely, and to keep it cooking nicely, then you express your devotion in this way. From Japa Reform Notebook by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami   • Email to a friend • •   Akrura das, Gita Coaching: THIS IS A SYSTEM OF RECREATION Devotee: What is recreation for a Krsna conscious person? Prabhupada: Recreation? Dancing. (laughter) Come on, dance with us. Is it not recreation? And when you get tired take prasadam. Do you want more recreation than this? What is your answer. Is it not recreation? Devotee: Yes. I think it is difficult for someone who comes from... Prabhupada: Why difficult? Dancing is difficult? Chant and dance? Devotee: It's easier for a devotee who lives in the temple. Prabhupada: Oh, but as you come, anyone can come. Everyone is welcome. We don't charge anything for this dancing. You go to ball dance and so many other dances, you pay for it. But we don't charge. We simply, our, these students simply beg something because we have to maintain. We don't charge anything. So if you simply come and chant for recreation, it is very nice. Everything is there in Krsna consciousness. We want music, there is music. We want dancing, there is dancing. You can bring nice musical instruments, you can join. We distribute nice palatable dishes. So practically this is a system of recreation only. (laughter) Yes. If you seriously think, you'll find, this system, there is no labor at all. Simply recreation. Su-sukham [Bg. 9.2]. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita in the Ninth Chapter you'll find, su-sukham . Everything is pleasing and happy. Find out anything in our system, that this is troublesome. Tell me practically, anyone. "This point is very troublesome." Just put your counterargument. Simply pleasing. It is simply recreation. That's all.   • Email to a friend • •   Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji lila One time, Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaja gave an order to Krpasindhu Babaji, who thought he was under Jagannatha's shelter, to water the eggplants. That was in 1886. When Bhaktivinode came, the babjis in the bhajan kuti complained against Jagannatha das Babaji. Their objection was "We have come to chant the holy name. Why should we water the eggplants?" Bhaktivinode Thakur, seeing his offense, said, "If you imitate, you will not be chanting the holy name." Bhaktivinode Thakur, in order to purify the three babajis made three types of arrangements. First, they should go the four holy Dhamas. Secondly, they should go to the twelve holy places. Thirdly, they should water the eggplants. Told by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Sivarama Swami: Last day in Mayapura, the difference between false ego and self confidence   • Email to a friend • •   David Haslam, UK: Dreaming about my Guru Maharaja I’m going to relate a dream, something I would not normally do and would generally recommend not doing. However this dream was very vivid and has been occupying my mind since as it for me poses the question of the connection with the spiritual master and Krishna. In a followup blog posting I will give [...]   • Email to a friend • •   Kripamoya dasa, UK: ISKCON 2011 #2 Is ISKCON growing or shrinking? How do we measure it anyway?   ISKCON is a missionary organisation whose business it is to broadcast information of spiritual practises and devotional service to Krishna. We share information via books, conversations, periodicals, correspondence and the internet; and we do it for whoever is interested (and many who are not.) But the aim of ISKCON is to work in such a way that the organisation itself grows, enabling it to do more for others, ISKCON must grow if it is to regard itself successful as a missionary organisation. Growth can be estimated by the annual increase in ‘membership’. How do we define membership? One definition is that it is when a person decides that they agree with the teachings and makes a commitment to practise. Practise is sometimes explained as ‘ABCD’ when a person chooses regular vaishnava Association, studies Srila Prabhupada’s Books, takes up the daily Chanting of the maha-mantra and adjusts the Diet to vegetarian food, offered to Krishna. Growth of ISKCON is very much often a corollary of successful outreach activities such as book distribution, hari nam sankirtan, hall festivals, home gatherings, educational courses and personal cultivation; and spiritually dynamic temple programmes and leadership. In themselves, these activities are the pre-requisites of growth but may not necessarily lead to growth in membership unless they are done consistently and in co0ordination with each other. For instance, hari nam sankirtan may attract interest in Krishna consciousness but may not easily lead to direct growth in membership, unless there is literature distributed and a local temple where the enquirer can ask questions. If the temple itself is not spiritually dynamic then the enquirer may not return. If the temple is dynamic but does not promote its existence locally, no one may know of the existence of the Krishna devotees in that locality. Therefore our outreach activities work best at attracting – and retaining – new members when they are done simultaneously and cooperatively. We may measure increases in our preaching activities and that is a measure of success. It means that devotees are enlivened to go out and preach. But measurement of the increase in pre-requisites of growth is not the same as measuring growth. Book distribution may be increasing year on year, but, if very few are coming to the point of ‘ABCD’ then the book distribution figures only indicate growth potential, not the actual growth of the movement. If ISKCON was a movement for book distribution only, such as the Gideon Bible Society, then measuring the number of books distributed would be a direct measurement of its growth. We really do need to measure what’s most important to us, not simply what we do to broadcast the teachings and the Holy Name, but how many people join us as a result. That doesn’t mean how many choose to live in our centers, but how many choose to invite Krishna to live with them.   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1967 March 4: "The money and society is yours. You can spend in any way but it is my duty to give you guidance as your ever well wisher. Pray to Krishna for your successful transaction." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1968 March 4: "I am very glad that Krishna is already dictating to you how to make perfect the SANKIRTANA party. I am glad that our friend, Allen Ginsberg, is helping you. There is no doubt about our success if we can make this Kirtana party successful." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1970 March 4: "This Krsna Consciousness movement has such vast potency that by its philosophy the whole human race can be united politically, socially, religiously, and culturally. If important personalities like you will kindly join with my activities, I am sure it will come out successful." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 March 4: "I am glad that you are trying for city commissioner. Take advantage, preach widely and sell our literatures. But our platform must be very simple - there is no other sacrifice necessary for the well-being of the citizens save and except this Sankirtana yajna." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 March 4: "Krishna says one should surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. He also says that one should “Surrender unto Me.” So there is no difference between surrendering to God and surrendering to God’s representative." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1973 March 4: "Just yesterday I have arrived here in Calcutta and by the end of the week I expect to visit our new construction at Mayapur. Arrangements are being made for a very grand celebration on the Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1974 March 4: "We have not gone an inch forward. The application is still lying there and they do not say yes or no. Our position is not clear. I require your help very much. Things are standing in the same position as when you left." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974   • Email to a friend • •   Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1974 March 4: "Always follow our principles and actively preach. Krishna will protect you. Establish something substantial there and develop it. This is just according to the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu so He must be very pleased upon you for assisting me." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: Is Modern Medicine More Science Or Religion? By Larry Malerba for Natural News on 4 Mar 2011 Modern medicine projects the image of scientific rigor but has all the hallmarks of a system of religious belief. The practical consequence of its insular perspective is the dead-end system of Western medical materialism that we have today.   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: Pope Says Jews Not to Blame for Jesus' Death By Francis X. Rocca for Religion News Service on 2 Feb 2011 The Jewish people as a whole were not responsible for Jesus' crucifixion, and their descendants have not inherited blame for his death, Pope Benedict XVI writes in a new book to be published on March 10.   • Email to a friend • •   Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: The ABC's of Life I got these originally from my workplace. I have modified it to fit a spiritual paradigm. Accept Differences Be kind to all living beings including humans, animals, aquatics and plants Chant Hare Krishna Dream about Krishna Express thanks to Krishna Forgive others Give freely the Holy Names of God Harm No one in body, mind and words Imbibe saintly qualities Jettison anger Keep Krishna within your heart Love everyone selflessly Master something for Krishna Nurture faith in the Holy Names of God Open your heart to Krishna Plant seeds of bhakti Quest for transcendental truths Reciprocate Seek spiritual wisdom Touch hearts with your love Understand Value spiritual truths Win graciously Xtol pure devotees Yearn for Krishna’s service Zealously spread the message of God Hare Krishna   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: Pakistan's Only Christian Cabinet Member Assassinated By Alex Rodriguez for The Los Angeles Times on 3 Mar 2011 Shahbaz Bhatti, the minority affairs minister, is the second top Pakistani official to be killed over his opposition to a blasphemy law that critics say is often misused to persecute minorities.   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: Krishna Worship and Rathayatra Festival in Ancient Egypt? By Bibhu Dev Misra for ISKCON News on 4 Mar 2011 In the typical depiction of Vishnu in Hindu iconography, the sacred river Ganges is always shown emerging from the toe of the Vishnu, while in Egypt, we find a very similar imagery associated with Amun. But who was this Amun?   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 238 www.sdgonline.org. A Writer of Pieces New format–I will begin with a poem writ­ten on the day of its print­ing. Then I will print ran­dom excerpts of books I have printed over the last 30 years. I hope this vari­ety will be pleasing. Poem for March 3 11:11 A.M. I dreamt of boys opening an art gallery, one was an old sankirtana devotee from Philadelphia, not so bright, but in the dream he was suddenly very learned, and I was dull. I woke not knowing what this was all about, but it was cold and time for breakfast. Mukta came and served it, coughing disturbingly, but the words were sublime about Lord Caitanya dancing in Advaitacarya’s home. He felt “Mathura-viraha,” the sensation Radha knows when Krishna returns and He fainted on the floor. Nityananda revives Him and walked beside Him and behind Him Advaita, Mukunda and Haridasa danced. Mother Saci was in Nadiya and when she received word all the boys and men of the town went with her. She could not see Nimai’s face for the tears in her eyes but said, “Please do not be cruel to me like Your brother Visvarupa; once he took sannyasa I never saw him again.” Caitanya said, “I am your child and will go where you say and do what you want Me to do.” Sacimata considered and told the Lord to reside in Jagannatha Puri because it is close to Nadiya, and she could hear of Him, and sometimes He could visit. The Lord agreed, “Your will is My command.” And He went to Nilacala and led His life of ecstasies in that holy place, feeling the pains of Radha pining for Her lover.   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Dear Holy Name www.sdgonline.org. From Dear Sky: Letters From A Sannyasi (1992) Dear Holy Name, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to the pure devotees of Lord Chaitanya, who bring the names of Radha and Krishna into this world. I dare to address myself to You, Nama Prabhu, only because I am under the direction of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. As stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, krishna shakti vina nahi tara pravartana–unless a person is directly empowered by Krishna he cannot spread the holy names all over the world. Srila Prabhupada has spread the holy name to every town and village, so I’m sure that Srila Prabhupada is very dear to You. I am writing as one of his disciples. Srila Prabhupada brought the holy name into my heart and mind and put it on my tongue so that it might be my constant companion. He did this in the summer of 1966 when he became the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City. I was among the sorry-looking persons who came there out of the New York Lower East Side scene. I wasn’t looking for the Swami or the Hare Krishna mantra, but I am happy beyond any dream I might have had for happiness with what I received from Srila Prabhupada. Therefore I want to thank You, Holy Name, for appearing in my life. And I make it the aim of my life to try to please Srila Prabhupada by chanting and distributing this precious commodity of harinama, either by encouraging people to chant privately (japa), or to take part in congregational chanting (kirtana). Srila Rupa Goswami writes, The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Krishna are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidya (ignorance) cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.” (Nectar of Instruction, Text Seven) “Lord Caitanya has described in His Siksastakam verse that when we begin to chant we do not find the innate sweet taste which resides in the syllables of the Hare Krishna mantra. He says we cannot taste the sweetness of the holy names because we commit offenses. “I am bereft of the sweet taste of the holy names. I don’t like to speak of this before You because it may seem like I am implying that You are not sweet or that You are not merciful. I don’t mean that. I have faith in the purity and absolute nature of the holy name.  But my faith is theoretical. I accept the injunction of the scriptures that the holy name is nondifferent from Krishna, and therefore if we carefully and devotedly chant, that realization will arise in our hearts like the waxing moon. I also have faith that even the offensive or ‘shadow’ chanting I am doing now will liberate me from the reactions of sins I have committed. But I am hankering for the realization of the holy name which leads to love of Krishna. “When I thought of writing You, Holy Name, my initial motive was to ask forgiveness for each of the ten offenses. I am perhaps afflicted with each of the ten offenses against the holy name, even though I don’t always perceive that fact due to complacency. But the offense that I do perceive most clearly is the offense known as inattention. Although each morning I chant as early as possible and although I chant in a quiet place, my mind soon races away from the prize of attentive chanting and gives me instead a consciousness filled with plans, worries, and so many other distractions. Therefore I don’t chant the pure names of Krishna (suddha-nama). It is my desire that within this lifetime I may obtain Your mercy so that I can chant with love. “I have heard from the reliable sources of guru, sastra and sadhu that the first stage in chanting is to feel regret. I am not able to do this, but I hope the day will come when I realize with humility my fallen state and regret all the offenses I have committed to the holy name, to the devotees, and to all other living entities. The state of sincere regret is a purifying stage, I know, and I have treasured the statements to this effect made by Bhaktivinoda, Narottama dasa Thakura and other Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas. And so I recite the words of Bhaktivinoda Thakura: When, oh, when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing,  taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will Your mercy shine? When, oh when will that day be mine?”   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: Synergy at the GBC Strategic Planning Meetings By Kaisori Dasi for ISKCON News on 4 Mar 2011 During my own attendance as a member of the Strategic Planning Team facilitating the meeting, I moved between the various committees, initiatives, and breakout sessions and was left with an overwhelming impression of synergy.   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Saint or Sinner? www.sdgonline.org. From Memories (1997) Saint or Sinner? We pare from our lives anything that is not Krishna conscious. Therefore, it is natural to remember those things that we did during our Krishna conscious practices and to forget the rest. Yet some of those other memories must remain because we want to make a truthful testament. We don’t want to be guilty of self-hagiography, or turning ourselves into ideal saints. We have seen a few such treatments written by Srila Prabhupada’s grand-disciples about their initiating gurus. Although it is true that Prabhupada’s disciples were all fortunate objects of his mercy, it is also true that most of them underwent conversion between the ages of sixteen and thirty. When we read that their guru showed spiritual tendencies since childhood and that his childhood was like no other childhood, we begin to wonder if it’s true. Aren’t they idealizing their spiritual master, trying to present him as a picture of perfection? Rather, their spiritual master might have been “rascal number one,” as Prabhupada puts it. He might have been more like Valmiki before he met his spiritual master. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I would like to tell you frankly how I feel about capturing the examples in my own life of less than perfection. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can take a piece of the mosaic of my life and place it in the context of my present. I feel that sense of accomplishment especially when I take a shattered piece, a painful piece, a piece that had no connection to Krishna consciousness. Of course, there is no shortage of such memories, and by letting them out one by one and then leaving them behind, I almost feel as if I am paving the way to the more pleasant memory that Prabhupada saved me and that my life now is real. (Preface to Memories)   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): Living with the Scriptures www.sdgonline.org. From Living With The Scriptures Preface “This is book of essays based on selected verses of Vedic literature. I have chosen verses that have special meaning in my life, with the hope that discussing them will make for interesting and instructive reading. “In the life of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, there also appeared to be particular verses which especially guided him. For example, there is the following sloka from the Srimad-Bhagavatam: yasyaham anugrihnami . . . When I feel especially mercifully disposed towards someone, I gradually take away all his material possessions. His friends and relatives then reject this poverty-stricken and most wretched fellow. “When Srila Prabhupada was attempting to develop his business and family and yet found frustration it these affairs, this verse from the Bhagavatam was particularly applicable to him, and he could find solace and joy in it. “Sometimes life in the material world forces us to see the truth of particular verses and purports, such as the yasyaham verse as it was revealed to Srila Prabhupada. And sometimes our spiritual master recommends a particular verse for us, just as Isvara Puri recommended the harer nama verse to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Or sometimes one keeps meeting certain verses like special, providential friends and guides. “The meaning of a certain verse may elude one for years and disturb or follow one in an unanswered way, until gradually Krishna reveals Himself to His sincere devotee. Srila Prabhupada informs us how, after years of consideration, a certain verse spoken by Prahlada Maharaja came to him as a solution to a dilemma. The dilemma occurred when Srila Prabhupada saw his spiritual master order a snake to be killed. Srila Prabhupada said he had a kind of doubt or puzzlement about why a sadhu, who is always nonviolent, would order the snake to be killed. Years later, Prabhupada encountered a verse by Prahlada Maharaja in which Prahlada states, modeta sadhur api vrscika-sarpa-hatya (Bhag. 7.9.14), that even a sadhu is glad when a snake of snake-like demon such as Hiranyakasipu is killed. Prabhupada felt much relieved, and his understanding was clear about his Guru Maharaja’s action. “Special attention was given by Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, to the first verse of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, janmady asya yatah. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta lecture on this verse daily for three straight months. Prabhupada also informs us that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s commentary to Bhagavad-gita 2.41 played a very important part in the life of Srila Prabhupada. “Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti emphasizes that the order of the spiritual master is as important to the disciple as the life air is to the living body. Only after reading this verse and commentary did Srila Prabhupada fully realize the import of the guru-disciple relationship. “Lord Caitanya placed special importance on the atmarama verse of the Srimad-Bhagavatam: atmaramas ca munayo . . .  (Bhag. 1.7.10). Lord Caitanya explained this verse at great length on two occasions—once to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and again to Sanatana Gosvami, to whom Lord Caitanya explained the verse in sixty-one different ways. “Another highly valuable verse from the Srimad-Bhagavatam was recited and appreciated by Madhavendra Puri with intense ecstasy: ayi dina-dayardra natha he . . . O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathura! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now? (Cc. Madhya 4.197) “It is said that this verse was so rare that only three individuals in the whole world could understand it, namely Lord Caitanya, Madhavendra Puri, and Srimati Radharani. “Certain verses composed by Rupa Gosvami moved Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to ecstasy and caused transcendental transformations of His mind and body. And certain verses from the Tenth Canto caused Lord Caitanya to enter into trances of separation from Krishna. “My own experience with the scriptures does not consist of accounts of great ecstasies or sudden, earth-shattering revelations. Nevertheless, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada, I have been living with the scriptures for almost twenty-five years, and somehow certain particular verses and purports have remained with me as special guides. “As devotees, we live not only by the sastra (in the sense that they govern us), but also with the sastra, and we may grow with them just as we grow and serve in the personal association of guru and sadhu.”   • Email to a friend • •   H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): A Devotee Is A Gentleman www.sdgonline.org. From Vaisnava Behavior “When a television interviewer asked Srila Prabhupada by what behavior one could recognize a true follower of Krishna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada replied, ‘He’d be a perfect gentleman, that’s all.’ And in translation the Bhagavad-gita verses listing eighteen items of knowledge (Bg. 13.8–12), Srila Prabhupada translates the word amanitvam as, “one should himself become a perfect gentleman and learn to give proper respect to others.” Although in ordinary usage the word gentleman may refer to a man of wealth and aristocracy, we use it here to describe a devotee’s high standard of honorable and considerate behavior. The polite and humble behavior of a devotee can be appreciated even by the nondevotee. A devotee is not arrogant, boorish, or inconsiderate of others. “In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.29), Narada Muni explains that he was favored by the Vaisnavas because, ‘I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins were eradicated in their service.’ Commenting on this verse, Prabhupada remarks, ‘One should not be misled by a pseudo-devotee. He himself must be plain and gentle to receive the instruction of such a pure devotee.’ In His own preaching Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu displayed cool-headed, polite behavior, even when engaged in debate. On one occasion He demonstrated extraordinary humility and tolerance by sitting silently for seven days while Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya lectured to Him on Vedanta-sutra. Only when the Bhattacarya inquired of His silence did the Lord begin his opposition to the Mayavadi interpretation of Vedanta. When Lord Caitanya came into the company of Mayavadi sannyasis at Benares, He sat down humbly at the doorway until the chief sannyasi, Prakasananda Sarasvati, personally came to invite Him inside. And on subsequent visits to Benares, Lord Caitanya displayed similar gentleness and humility. “As a youth Lord Caitanya soundly defeated a Kashmiri pandita in debate. But when Lord Caitanya’s students began to laugh at the pandita, Lord Caitanya silenced them and treated His opponent with honor. When Lord Caitanya started a civil disobedience kirtana against the Kazi’s order in Navadvipa, and when He did so He certainly defied the law, but nonviolently. “If we became violent in every case,” comments Srila Prabhupada, “it will be difficult for us to manage our affairs. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, who disobeyed the order of Chand Kazi but subdued him with reason and argument.” (Cc. Adi 17.130, purport). “In pushing on our sankirtana movement of Krishna consciousness, we might have to face difficult days, but we should always follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and do the needful according to the time and circumstances” (Cc. Adi 17.144).   • Email to a friend • •   Mayapur Online: Srimad Bhagavatam Class- Live from Mayapur Date: February 27th, 2011 Topic: Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back To Godhead [SB 4.12.22] Speaker: HH Loknath Swami tam krsna-padabhinivista-cetasam baddhanjalim prasraya-namra-kandharam sunanda-nandav upasrtya sasmitam pratyucatuh puskaranabha-sammatau read more   • Email to a friend • •   Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Ashalata devi dasi chanting at Ashtaprahar Toronto 2011 - 24 Hours of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra Ashalata Devi Dasi (ACBSP) (wife of Subhavilasa das) chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra in the Ashtaprahar 2011 24 hour kirtan held in Toronto (Brampton), featuring the Mayapuris, Chakrini dasi, Bada Hari das, Gaura Mani dasi, Ajamil das, Vrndavan das, Hari Bhakti Dey, Ayush Sharma, Amala Kirtan das and many many more. harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā   • Email to a friend • •   Deva Gaura Hari, AU: Sankirtana - it's all about the 'congregation' This morning's kirtan in the Mayapur temple was incredible. Niranjan Swami leading, and a rousing chorus from all the devotees. We didn't even notice the drums and karatals, the chant overtook all and the vibration was wonderful. The tune was classic and charming, and the devotees were in ecstacy. I was thinking back to a few weeks ago when we had a abhishek in the Mayapur temple room, and I remember looking around and noticing not so many devotees chanting. There may be many reasons why this is the case - the potency and spiritual purity of the chanter obviously have a great effect on whether others are inspired to call out to the Lord. And there are certainly other inconceivable reasons that we can never fathom; how can we understand the causeless mercy of the Lord? But I want to bring up a few, if you like, external reasons that may have an impact on whether or not the other devotees are inspired to chant. Firstly, I'd like to point out the seemingly obvious fact that the success of the sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name, is dependant on the chanting of the congregation, not on the leader. So if we are leading the kirtana we should first be asking ourselves, "How are the other devotees singing?" We should not be so concerned with how we are singing. Of course we must concentrate on singing nicely for the pleasure of the Lord, but ultimately, as a kirtan leader, we are a "servant-leader". Our service is to inspire the other devotees to chant and dance in ecstacy. If the other devotees are not inspired to chant, then we are not doing our service properly, even if we are singing - to our ears - very nicely. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, when leaving this world, asked for an expert bhajan singer to be replaced by another disciple who was not so expert, but who was singing as a service. Another consideration is the loudness of the amplification and musical accompaniment of the kirtan. When the accompaniment is done nicely, it makes the kirtan much more relishable, but the accompaniment is just that, it is meant to support the chanting of the holy name. Mere musical performance that does not enhance the chanting has no eternal value. On the day that I remember noticing that very few devotees were chanting, the lead singer was amplified very, very loudly through the microphone, and the mrdanga was miked at the top end, and was very loud, and cut through everything else. It is interesting that other religious groups that perform congregational chanting, also discuss the important of balancing the volume of the leader with the congregation. Curt Taipale, a sound engineer who specializes in installations in Christian Churches writes: One thing you’ll find when the sound system gets too loud is that the congregation starts to lose a sense of corporate worship.  That corporate worship feel is one powerful difference that makes music in your church unique from other types of live music.  It brings a tremendous life to the worship experience. In other words, congregational singing is a very different form of music than performance music. It requires a fine balancing of the volume of amplified sound with the level of the congregation singing. If the sound system is too loud, the congregation is robbed of the sense of "corporate worship", or the feeling of being one small part of a larger entity. As fragmental portions of the Supreme, we can understand why we have such a wonderful experience in kirtana when we are singing as just one voice among hundreds, but creating something much bigger than ourselves. So the level of the sound system is very important is setting the scene for devotees to be inspired to chant loudly. If they feel the leader is too powerful throught the mic, then subtly but surely, the congregation will be uninspired to sing. This morning the mic level of Niranjana Maharaja's voice was only just above the level of the congregation responding. Another external factor that can influence how people respond is the tune sung. Of course it is always nice if the leader is singing an inspiring and tuneful melody, but if the tune is too difficult to catch, then the congregation will also have difficulty responding. Last week we were fortunate enough to attend a few of the home programs that Indradyumna Swami was doing in Mayapur. Maharaja was singing the same tune he sung 11 years ago when we did the sound for his Polish tour. Although the tune had not changed, the devotees were chanting in absolute bliss as the kirtana rose to a wild crescendo. It was as if the "easyness" of the tune allowed us all to focus very clearly on the actual chanting of the holy name, and not have to expend any energy at all in trying to follow the tune. Of course, I am not suggesting that devotees should stop singing interesting tunes: that is one of the beautiful things about kirtana, it is constantly changing and evolving as different tunes come out over the years. But certainly the ability of the audience to respond to a tune is also an imoportant factor. There may be other factors in inflencing how we can encourage devotees to sing enthusiastically in the kirtana. But, at heart, our meditation when leading kirtana should not be, "How nicely am I singing?" but rather, "How well am I faciliting the other devotees to enthusiastically chant the Holy Names of the Lord?"   • Email to a friend • •   ISKCON News.com: GBC Meeting Report- February 25-27th, 2011 By Shraddhadevi Dasi for ISKCON News on 4 Mar 2011 Friday, February 25th was entirely dedicated to reviewing proposals submitted to the GBC by various ISKCON members and committees. The next two days there were committee discussions on specific topics, such as Guru Services, GBC-BBT Relations, Parallel Lines of Authority, and the Sannyasa Committee.   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: Live From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir! HG Urmila Mataji By Urmila dasi I want to thank you very much. I was requested to say something by one of the members of the community so I just want to say that I am very happy that I was invited to speak. There is one letter where Prabhupada is very much, many but one particular where he is very much encouraging the women to be preachers   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: Gaura Purnima festival 2011 in Sri Vrindavan Dham Krishnabalaram Das: It is with great pleasure that we invite you to our post Gaura Purnima festival 2011 in Sri Vrindavan Dham. The festival includes parikramas to the pastime places of Krsna and the most loved boat festival ever   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: New temple opening iskcon mombasa Kenya Govinda Prem: Hare Krishna,all world wide vaishnavas are invited for the opening of this grand temple opening for programe.other details below   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: Prayers, Mantras and Gayatris, New Book by Stephen Knapp Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp): A Collection for Insights, Protection, Spiritual Growth, and Many Other Blessings   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: Miami Herald article Festival of India & Ratha Yatra parade in Miami! Nartaka Gopala: Miami Ratha Yatra Parade & Festival of India will offer its visitors a taste of India’s music, classical dance, books, astrology, live theatre, face and hand painting, vegetarian food and more   • Email to a friend • •   Dandavats.com: Employment Opportunity in San Diego - Warehouse Management Position Available Vaikunthadeva das: Established non-profit organization with 25 year track record is looking for a stable, well organized, utterly reliable, as well as flexible individual to supervise a t-shirt distribution warehouse operation in located 10 minutes from the temple in San Diego, California   • Email to a friend • •   Gouranga TV: Sacinandana Swami part 1,ecstatic kirtan Sacinandana Swami part 1,ecstatic kirtan   • Email to a friend • •   Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Sincerity and book-selling I am very pleased to hear that you are putting your full energy into distributing books and magazines very widely all over Canada. It is not so much the numbers of books sold, it is the sincerity which Krishna appreciates, and I am encouraged by your determined enthusiasm to increase in every respect. The travelling SKP and teaching in the schools and colleges which you are organizing is excellent proposal, and I think that this is the best program for pushing on this Lord Caitanya's Movement: simply travelling and preaching, and infiltrating the schools where young boys and girls are interested to learn something which will satisfy them. In both activities you may distribute many of our literatures, and that will please me very much. Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Jagadisa, Bombay 5 February, 1972   • Email to a friend • •   Japa Group: Chanting Workshop Sambhanda Pt.3 In this final part of the workshop, Sacinandana Swami dives more deeply into our relationship with the Holy names.   • Email to a friend • •   Book Distribution News: Sincerity and book-selling I am very pleased to hear that you are putting your full energy into distributing books and magazines very widely all over Canada. It is not so much the numbers of books sold, it is the sincerity which Krishna appreciates, and I am encouraged by your determined enthusiasm to increase in every respect. The travelling SKP and teaching in the schools and colleges which you are organizing is excellent proposal, and I think that this is the best program for pushing on this Lord Caitanya's Movement: simply travelling and preaching, and infiltrating the schools where young boys and girls are interested to learn something which will satisfy them. In both activities you may distribute many of our literatures, and that will please me very much. Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Jagadisa, Bombay 5 February, 1972   • Email to a friend • • More Recent Articles Vraja Kishor, JP: Gita 9.21 – What’s the point of trying to be good? H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Friday 4 March 2011--If You Want to Taste the Real Nectar--and--Suicide and Abortion? Vraja Kishor, JP: What is “Vedic”? Is Krsna/Vishnu in the Veda? H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, March 1, 2011 ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Bhakta Prabhu

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