Here are the latest updates for you - Bhakti Lounge, NZ: Summer Break
- Jahnavi, UK: Where Is Green Parrot?
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
- One ISKCON.com: A Response to “Vaisnava Moral Theology and Homosexuality” – Part Three
- Spiritual Scientist: Reclaiming Immortality: The Concern is the Lack of Concern
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Winner of Eco car design - harsha ravi
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- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: You are here: Home > World News > Dispute Exposes India-China Contest Over Buddhism Dispute...
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Need more evidence that the spirituality and awareness of the...
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: The changing of the canon logo. I like the original. Older stuff...
- Dandavats.com: Supreme Court of India orders in ISKCON vs Madhu case
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Guerilla marketing
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
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- Kurma dasa, AU: Pineapple Chutney
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Ignorance isn’t bliss
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Jesus in India - channel 4 (UK) broadcast
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Virabhadra Prabhu
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: News
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Ramai swami - Srimad Bhagavatam class 1.5.12 - Bad memory? Might...
- ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Please Help Bhagavad-Gita!
- H.H. Kadamba Kanana Swami: No mistake!
- Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: Save Bhagavad Gita in Russia!
- Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: Book distribution
- Japa Group: Association Is Important
- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Urgent Petition to Save the Bhagavad-gita from Being Banned in Russia
- Australian News: ISKCON Appeals To PM To Intervene in Russian Gita Ban Case
- Mucukunda das, AU/NZ: Abc krsna rAp
- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Urgent Petition to Save the Bhagavad-gita from Being Banned in Russia
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sometimes – like Govinda, Lord Caitanya’s servant – we are obliged to choose between two contrary, valid instructions
- Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Corn Fields
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: “Whatever Krishna Says, Do It”
- ISKCON Malaysia: New Temple President of Iskcon Malaysia HQ
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Photos Of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami On His First Day Of His Stay At Iskcon Ujjain (December 2011).
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: South Africa’s Rainbow Nation Gets Srila Prabhupada Books
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
- Gouranga TV: Krishna Rasa & Anapayini Kirtana
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Russian Bhagavad-Gita Court Case Update
- Australian News: Burning down the house ON VIDEO – Vaiyasaki Dasa
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: The Kirtan Mela In Sridham Mayapur, February 22nd To 25th 2012!
- Australian News: ISKCON Sydney – The newsletter
- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Sunday 18 December 2011--Don't Miss this Rarest of All Opportunities--and--Why Did Sankara Spread Impersonalism?
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Bhakti Lounge will be closed from Thursday 22 December 2011 and re-opening on Monday 16 January 2012
I’m getting ready to go up to Hudson to paint a mural at Sadhana Yoga. I’ve only done a few murals so I’m a little nervous, but excited too. Any large canvas is a freeing experience to create on, and walls are as good as any. Body parts even better! The theme of the mural is the sacred grafitti found in the holy town of Vrindavan. The divine names of Radha and Krishna are painted there on almost every wall, tree trunk, lamp post and rickshaw hood. For many renunciates that spend their days there, the main service that they perform is to paint and repaint these names with coarse brushes and a small steel tiffin of paint. Sometimes they are painted in English, more often in Sanskrit. In Hudson, I’ve been asked to paint them in Sanskrit, even though most people that see it won’t be able to read it. Sanskrit is written in a script called Devanagari, said to originate in the heavens. For this reason, the lines themselves are considered to be purifying to look at, even if they are nothing but pretty curves to the beholder. A sacred word, like ‘om’ is considered to be the same in quality, whether written, heard, spoken or just seen. Aside from divine names, I’m also planning to incorporate another touch of Vrindavan – green parrots! These beautiful birds used to be present everywhere there – screeching and twittering on every branch and phone line. I remember a book I used to read as a little girl – ‘But Where Is Green Parrot?’ These days they hide in real life too, but you can still see the telltale flashes of of electric lime in the trees in the less inhabited areas of Vrindavan. In the stories of Radha and Krishna, they often act as messengers, carrying secrets between friends and lovers or acting as confidantes. Parrots have the wonderful ability to remember language and repeat it, something that is both celebrated and looked down upon in bhakti yoga teachings. Sukadeva (literally, best of the parrots), the reciter of one of the most important bhakti texts, the Srimad Bhagavatam, is praised for his feat of speaking the text for seven days and nights continuously, imparting the wisdom just as he received it from his teachers. But the same teachings also warn us not to become parrot-like and repeat things that we hear without deeply understanding and internalising them.
"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogīs who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration..." (Sri Brahma Samhita 5.34) O Sri Radha Ballabha, we hold our breaths everyday while waiting for the darsana of Your lotus feet.
The core of ISKCON’s society is comprised of devotees who are concerned with devotion and philosophy. They are united on account of a common understanding of Krishna consciousness. The GBC’s authority therefore rests very much on maintaining that common understanding and meeting all challenges to it as they arise. Of course, at the level of details there is room for difference among devotees. But illicit sex is not a detail; up until now we have called the “no illicit sex” rule a regulative principle. If left alone to grow, differences in understanding our most fundamental principles will eventually split ISKCON’s members—deeply, bitterly, and irrevocably. 
The Bhagavad-gita (13.9) states that an essential characteristic of wisdom is sustained contemplation on the intrinsic mortality of our present existence. The Gita integrates this pessimistic-seeming contemplation into an optimistic worldview that explains how all of us being eternal spiritual beings have a right to immortality. We have lost that right due to being covered by materialistic passions and pursuits, just as people lose the right to see due to being covered by blindfolds. Just as blindfolded people find blindness unnatural, all of us find our vulnerability to death unnatural, even though death is natural to material existence. This conflict between our aspiration for immortality and our perception of mortality – like the conflict between the blindfolded people’s longing to see and inability to see – has the potential to spur us into spiritual action and thereby reclaim our immortality. However, when we neglect this conflict by subconsciously denying our perceptions and imagining that we won’t die – at least not soon, this lack of concern perpetuates our imprisonment in mortality. That’s why this lack of concern is a matter of concern: it is a sign of our self-imposed death sentence.
You are here: Home > World News > Dispute Exposes India-China Contest Over Buddhism Dispute Exposes India-China Contest Over Buddhism
By Simon Denyer and Suhasini Raj for The Washington Post on 4 Dec 2011 NEW DELHI — Buddhists from around the world chose India on Wednesday as the headquarters of a new international Buddhist organization and united in their criticism of the Chinese government for trying to prevent the Dalai Lama from speaking at their meeting here in New Delhi. It was something of a victory for India in what observers increasingly see as a contest with China to win the favor of Buddhists around the world. India is the land where Buddha gained enlightenment and taught, but China has the largest population of Buddhists today. The communist government in Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to split Tibet from China, and such is its distaste for the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism that it demanded that the Indian government prevent him from speaking at the Global Buddhist Congregation, held in New Delhi this week. When Indian authorities rejected the demand, Beijing called off talks between top diplomats from the two countries. “The Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure but one who has been engaged in separatist activities for a long time, under the pretext of religion,” Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Monday. “We oppose any country that provides a platform for his anti-China activities in any form.” In apparent deference to Chinese sensibilities, Indian President Pratibha Patil stayed away from the event’s opening ceremony. Other leading Indian politicians also chose not to show up, as did dozens of Chinese delegates who had initially confirmed their attendance. “There is some contest between India and China in this; even if it is not projected explicitly, it is implicit,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “The contest is ironic, because 40 percent of Chinese people believe in Buddhism and very few Indians do.” As the Dalai Lama ages, the question of his succession and where his reincarnation will emerge have become a key issue for Buddhism and the region today.
Need more evidence that the spirituality and awareness of the East has gone mainstream? Look no further than Santa Claus himself. An ISKCON News staff member spotted this humorous illustration in the Delta Airlines in-flight Sky magazine recently. We think that the yoga-practicing eco-friendly rendition of Jolly Old Saint Nick is a marked improvement over the traditional red-nosed and dangerously overweight version. And is that a sikha that yogi Santa is sporting? Now we’ve seen everything. (PS: If you still need to play last minute Santa to your loved ones, check out our list of spiritual stocking stuffers guaranteed to please.) Happy Holidays and Hare Krishna everybody!
The changing of the canon logo. I like the original. Older stuff is always better it seems
 By Basu Ghosh dasThe text here bears out that a "management" ("receivership") committee has been appointed by the Supreme Court to manage/oversee the affairs of ISKCON Bangalore until the SLP filed by Madhu is disposed of on Feb 15, 2012
1968 December 18: "You have got a nice temple by the grace of my Spiritual Master. You should always pray to His Divine Grace because generally one is more affectionate to the grandchildren so naturally He will be more affectionate to you than to me."
1970 December 18: "I am very encouraged to see your enthusiasm for preaching. Everyone is good, everyone is spirit soul but they have been mislead. Try to save them. That is our duty."
1970 December 18: "Our centers are meant to give relief to the dried up conditioned souls searching after the nectar of joyful life. So I request you all to flood the world with Krishna Conscious centers. The more we open branches, the more I feel encouraged."
1970 December 18: "As GBC member you must always keep yourself pure and in this way your preaching work will take effect. Others are also speaking but their speech has no effect because they are not following. Always maintain Sankirtana Party, prasadam, chant sixteen rounds and read all our literatures."
1974 December 18: "If there are Krsna Conscious leaders in government they will act as Krsna's representatives. At the present moment there is nothing but great calamity. By injecting Krsna Consciousness into the masses we can change this situation greatly."
1974 December 18: "In America there is very good system of democracy. They were able to get down this Nixon. So if we can simply convince a good majority of persons then automatically they will want a Krsna Conscious leader."
1974 December 18: "The United States is the most fertile preaching ground in the world. If somehow or other we can convince the majority of the American population to take to Krsna Consciousness then the whole world will become Krsna Conscious. This is a fact."
1975 December 18: "I do not know how you are selling so many books. There is no instance in history where religious books were sold with such enthusiasm and success. Is there any such history?"
I don't know about you, but I just love cooking chutneys and jams. Perhaps it's something I inherited from my mother, who always seemed to be preserving or making marmalade. Mrs Uma Balachandran from UK writes: "Dear Kurma Das, In this winter season the pineapples are sour to eat as raw. I like to make chutney. Kindly write me a pineapple chutney recipe." My reply: Here's a recipe from my first cookbook. However, I do find that ripe and sweet pineapples make a much better chutney than unripe. I guess it depends on your definition of chutney. This is definitely a spicy, jam-like chutney, as opposed to a raw, lightly seasoned one. 
I like to use the Bethonga or 'Roughie' variety of pineapple grown in Northern regions of Australia. They are smaller and have intensely golden flesh and are very very sweet and flavoursome. Avoid pale insipid pineapples. Pineapple Chutney Pineapple chutney should be "too hot to bear, but too sweet to resist". This recipe yields about 2 cups. 3 tablespoons ghee (or oil) 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 4 broken dried red chilies, sliced fresh chilies, or as desired 1 large, sweet and ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and diced 1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 2/3 cup - 1 cup (depending on the size of the pineapple) raw sugar 1/3 cup raisins Heat the ghee or oil in a 2-quart/litre heavy-based saucepan over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking. Saute the cumin seeds in the hot ghee until they slightly darken. Add the chilies and cook until golden brown, or aromatic using fresh chilies. Add the pineapple pieces, ground cinnamon, and cloves. Gently boil the chutney, stirring occasionally, over moderate heat until the pineapple becomes soft and the juice evaporates. Stir constantly as the preparation nears completion. This stage can take some time since pineapple does not easily break down. When the saucepan is dry and the pineapple starts to stick on the bottom, add the sugar and raisins and cook until thick and jam-like. Serve at room temperature.
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.21 - Live harmoniously with Krsna at the centre.
UK’s Channel 4 Broadcasts Krishna on Christmas Day
By Kripamoya Dasa on 31 Jan 2008 Image: channel4.com On Christmas Day, thousands of English people got a chance to see a little of Vrindavan Dhama in The Hidden Story of Jesus. Channel 4 (UK) broadcast this extended documentary about the life of Jesus and how it’s viewed by other faith traditions, including Vaishnavism. The program researchers visited ISKCON’s Radha Krishna temple in central London and were given lots of information and contact details for other expert sources to interview, both at the OCHS in Oxford and in Vrindavan, India. Personally, I think they treated Vaishnavism and devotion to Krishna with great sensitivity, and the scenes of Vrindavan, kirtans and temples certainly contributed a sparkle to the film’s first 15 minutes. For this to be shown on Christmas Day, in the evening, was definitely an exercise in adventurous and courageous programming. The narrator / interviewer of the film, Dr. Robert Beckford, is himself a Christian, so the film’s sub-text is that Jesus Christ is such a figure that all the world’s religions have some sort of an opinion on him. There is also an attempt to highlight the commonality between all the faith traditions. This, of course, is helpful in today’s climate, albeit somewhat counter-productive when it comes time to teach a specific tradition. All things considered, the film will have helped people to understand many important messages. And perhaps, for some, it will have been their very first exposure to kirtan and the Krishna tradition. At the very least, we must wonder at the phenomenon of Hare Krishna kirtan being broadcast to thousands of homes in England on Christmas Day! Missed this piece of thought-provoking television? Watch it above.
Ramai swami - Srimad Bhagavatam class 1.5.12 - Bad memory? Might be kali-yuga
In recent news, the Russian Government has deemed the Bhagavad-Gita As-It-Is, an ancient and revered text, "extremist literature" and is in the process of banning the book from the country. Devotees in Russia are rushing to stop this banning and are urging devotees and well-wishers around the world to sign a petition found here.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, December 2011, Durban, South Africa) Srimad Bhagavat  am 11.22.5 There was an interesting reference in Bhurijana’s biography on Srila Prabhupada. There is a morning walk on the beach and suddenly Prabhupada is pointing to ‘crap’ on the beach and he says, “Look, a scorpion!” All the devotees saw that it was ‘crap’… and everyone was like: Ohhhh! It was sort of like, the penny dropped… he made a mistake! And if he can make mistakes, then how many levels deep can these mistakes go…. and how do we know that his teachings are free from mistakes? So there are many conversations recorded of Srila Prabhupada with various persons and they have been transcribed in 37 volumes. Those who are fired-up can read them all and should read them all! I did read them all, several times. In there is a conversation with Jayadvaita Swami, then brahmacari, who is asking the bold questions to Prabhupada like: The scriptures say that the pure devotees’ sayings are free from any mistake but sometimes it appears that the pure devotee is making a mistake? Prabhupada said, “No, there are no mistakes.” But sometimes it appears like he mistakes one thing for another. For example, he mistakes one person for another person. Prabhupada said, “Oh, that is material! That is not important. But on the spiritual platform, on the matter of siddhanta, no mistake!”
Any of you reading this post, I request the reader to sign the online petition -
The online petition is garnering support to prevent Russia from banning the age old Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita. Below is official language from ISKCON requesting you to sign the petition. It is simple and takes 2 minutes. Please sign the petition to save Bhagavad Gita from being banned.
On Monday, December 19th, in Tomsk, Russia, a historic court case is taking place. Some of our movement’s detractors are making a major court case, attempting to establish that Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is is is “extremist literature” and on these grounds have it banned throughout the country. The implications for ISKCON in Russia and even in the former USSR are far reaching.
If the devotees lose this case all Srila Prabhupada’s books may be banned because they are full of quotations from the Gita. Seeing all of our activities are based on Bhagavad Gita it could conceivably lead to attempts to close our movement in some places.
The prosecutors are pushing this absurd case with great determination and vigor. There have already been three court hearings, in which the testimony of the so called “experts” gathered by the prosecutors was recognized as being inadequate. However, the prosecutor’s office has requested new testimony, not from well-known experts on Hinduism from Moscow, but from some unknown academics from a local Siberian university. This move clearly suggests that a particular court decision is being engineered. Their approach brings to mind the Inquisitions of the Middle Ages, witch hunts, and the burning of books and persecution of dissidents during the Soviet period of Russian history.
The GBC Executive committee
After 4 years pause, i decided to distribute books again going door to door. I am praying I have the patience and enthusiasm to continue. I will be honest, living in a place where there is absolutely no devotee or devotee association or for that matter remotely spiritual, I find it very difficult to motivate myself to knock on doors.
Another problem is at least 50% of the people here are conservative christians and it is practically difficult to get them to take a book. So I decided to go to a neighborhood which is partially affluent and less affluent. Initially I was skeptical if anyone would even open the door. But then I motivated myself by thinking I will simply do my duty and the leave the rest to Krishna. In other words, I would not be disturbed mentally.
I may have knocked on 30 to 35 doors in a span of 2 hours. Almost I would say 25 doors did not open although I could hear their tv playing. Some were genuinely not home. One house, I knocked and the dogs (two) started to bark loudly and I was praying the owners don't open the door! Foolish that I was, I got lost in the building layout and knocked again on the same door with the dogs. Thankfully, the owners were not there. I made a smooth exit.
I was happy to have met the people I did. I met an Imam (spiritual leader for Islamic religion), a catalina knight (a rare form of protestant christian), a californian woman open to new ideas, and a old poor woman who lived in a run-down neighborhood and who experienced psychotic and depressive behaviors. Of course I met many more who simply did not care and kept saying NO.
Of all the people I met, the Imam was the first person to invite me into his house, took a book, gave me water and was very sweet. He asked me to come to his mosque to pray which I said I will. I am planning to go tomorrow to his mosque. We exchanged pleasantries in arabic, actually I was showing off my arabic skills whatever little I remembered when I lived in Kuwait. To my surprise, he spoke in arabic when I said I know little arabic...thank God he asked me the one thing I know. So that was good.
Then I met the Catalina Knight. He I have to say was quite the character. He looked straight in my eye and asked "do you follow a particular religion?" and I gave a vague answer like yes and no. He invited me into his house and we must have discussed for at least 30 mins of his religion. He gave me the Bible and asked me to read it which I promptly did and he was talking about his belief etc. He was very proud of his army background from Scotland and that he does not watch tv, listen music and other mundane affairs. Yet there was a huge tv right in the middle of his house and to that he said he watches dvds. Anyways, however I could not help notice on his laptop screen, I saw porn windows flashing and other lewd pictures around the house. After about 30 mins, I decided to do my sales pitch. I was very nice to him that he decided to take a book and donat $1 for it. Happily taking the donation, I bid farewell. Just at that moment, funny enough, the Catalina Knight warned me against knocking on a door just above him and he said, that guy is an imam and that I should stay away from him. I have to say from the conversation with the Knight, there is lot of misconception about muslims and Islam. It is indeed unfortunate!! Anyways, I politely nodded my head not revealing that I already met him.
The best meeting and I would say worth my entire effort was the following two meetings. The californian mother was so open and happy to see me, she invited me into her house and we talked about for 20 mins. She gave her email and phone for us to meet again. Her husband was not home and she wanted to meet again as she said her husband has many questions. We talked about other stuff beyond Krishna and am hoping to meet her again. I gave her 3 books and she donated $2. She wished me luck in my door knocking and I moved from there.
Finally, as I was driving back, I decided to stop in an apartment building which housed society's derelicts such as the drunks, the drug addicts, mentally ill and other psychotic people of society. In fact, I have a friend (who also has mental issues) living in that building. Anyways, I could not get in as it was locked and as I was leaving, I met an older poor woman who was standing with her dog. The dog was totally out of control and was freaking me out. Somehow I maintained my wits and gave a book to the woman. She let me into the building and just as she was about to leave, I explained the nature of this book and its significance. She listened intently. Then I asked her that she should chant Hare Krishna. At first she could not grasp Krishna. I opened the book turned to a page with the mantra and asked her to repeat after me. She dutifully repeated and asked for the meaning. I briefly explained to her the philosophy and I assured her and promised her that this mantra is so powerful that all your desires will be fulfilled and that all your problems will be solved. I saw a sparkle in her eye when I said this. I insisted her to call me. I gave her my phone and email contact. I thought my trip was worth that this poor old woman was lucky to chant Krishna's holy names.
With that, I got into my car and back home. I was hungry and tired by the end of it. I am not sure how frequent I will continue book distribution but I pray Krishna gives me the desire to do so. I hope something more sustainable comes from book distribution. One thing, we never know who will take Krishna and who will not!!
Hare Krishna
Yesterday I had a nice message from a regular Japa Room devotee who mentioned he had visited the temple recently and was inspired by talking with a devotee about Japa.
It reminded me of the importance of good devotee association and how that can inspire us in our spiritual life. There is a very good analogy Srila Prabhupada uses to describe this - he told us that one twig alone is easy to break, but many twig together is very hard.
This urgent, urgent message is being resent because for some of you the link did not work. This time it will work. Dear Readers, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. This is an urgent request for you to sign a petition to save the Bhagavad-gita from being banned in Russia. Please sign this petition as soon as you can, time is short before the case comes up, and please feel free to share this link with your whole list of email contacts. http://www.petitions24.com/gita Once you sign the petition - you will receive e-mail asking you to confirm your vote. This is very important - otherwise it will be cancelled. Please find below the text of the petition. On the site it is both in Russian and English. Please scroll down for English. The court proceedings will resume in Siberian city Tomsk, Russia, on Monday 19th. The persecutors in Tomsk suggest that the widely distributed book translated and commented upon by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada should be included in the Justice MinistryÕs list of banned extremist literature. Bhagavad-gita As It Is is translated in more than 80 languages. Over 100 million copies of this book was distributed to date all over the world! Millions of people in the world today consider it as the main book in their life. The persecutors with great determination and vigor are pushing through this absurd case. During the first three court hearings, the testimony of the Tomsk experts upon which the persecutors built their case for the court was recognized as inadequate. However, the Persecutor's office ordered the new testimony. Noteworthy, that the testimony was requested not from the well-known experts of Hinduism from Moscow, but from some unknown experts from Kemerovo State University. This move clearly suggests that the court decision is already predestined. This practice brings to memory the Middle Age Inquisition, Witch hunting, burning of books and the persecution of the dissidents during Soviet period of Russian history. Tomsk Ombudsperson, eminent scholars of Hinduism, the members of the Public Chamber of Russian Federation, representatives of Indian community in Russia, and people belonging to different religious denominations in Russia have already expressed their perplexity and outrage caused by the activities of Tomsk persecutors. We demand to stop the court over the Holy Scripture! These initiatives of the Tomsk PersecutorÕs Office offend the religious sentiments of all the followers of Hinduism and bring disgrace to the country of Russia. Once you sign the petition - you will receive e-mail asking you to confirm yourvote. This is very important - otherwise it will be cancelled. And please share this link to your friends. Sincerely, Sankarshan Das Adhkari 
New Delhi, Dec 17: A Russian court in Tomsk is going to give a verdict on Monday banning Hinduism’s most revered book Bhagvad Gita, and ISKCON devotees across Russia and India have appealed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to raise the issue with the Russian leaders. Bhagvad Gita is facing a legal ban and the prospect of being branded as ‘an extremist’ literature across Russia, with the court in Siberia’s Tomsk city all set to deliver its final verdict on Monday in a case filed by state prosecutors. The case, which has been going on in Tomsk court since June this year, seeks to get a Russian translation of Bhagavad Gita As It Is written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), banned in Russia and declaring it as a literature spreading ‘social discord’, apart from rendering its distribution on Russian soil illegal. Nearly 15,000 Indians settled in Moscow, and followers of the ISKCON religious movement here have appealed to Manmohan Singh and his government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue in favour of Bhagvad Gita. “The case is coming up for a final verdict on Monday in Tomsk court. We want all efforts from Indian government to protect the religious right of Hindus in Russia,” Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON and a devotee of a 40-year-old Krishna temple in central Moscow, told the media. The court, which took up the case filed by the state prosecutors, had referred the book to the Tomsk State University for ‘an expert’ examination Oct 25 this year. But Hindu groups in Russia, particular followers of the ISKCON, say the university was not qualified, as it lacked Indologists. Click here to read the rest
Dear Readers, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. This is an urgent request for you to sign a petition to save the Bhagavad-gita from being banned in Russia. Please sign this petition as soon as you can, time is short before the case comes up, and please feel free to share this link with your whole list of email contacts. http://www.petitions24.com/gita Once you sign the petition - you will receive e-mail asking you to confirm your vote. This is very important - otherwise it will be cancelled. Please find below the text of the petition. On the site it is both in Russian and English. Please scroll down for English. The court proceedings will resume in Siberian city Tomsk, Russia, on Monday 19th. The persecutors in Tomsk suggest that the widely distributed book translated and commented upon by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada should be included in the Justice MinistryÕs list of banned extremist literature. Bhagavad-gita As It Is is translated in more than 80 languages. Over 100 million copies of this book was distributed to date all over the world! Millions of people in the world today consider it as the main book in their life. The persecutors with great determination and vigor are pushing through this absurd case. During the first three court hearings, the testimony of the Tomsk experts upon which the persecutors built their case for the court was recognized as inadequate. However, the Persecutor's office ordered the new testimony. Noteworthy, that the testimony was requested not from the well-known experts of Hinduism from Moscow, but from some unknown experts from Kemerovo State University. This move clearly suggests that the court decision is already predestined. This practice brings to memory the Middle Age Inquisition, Witch hunting, burning of books and the persecution of the dissidents during Soviet period of Russian history. Tomsk Ombudsperson, eminent scholars of Hinduism, the members of the Public Chamber of Russian Federation, representatives of Indian community in Russia, and people belonging to different religious denominations in Russia have already expressed their perplexity and outrage caused by the activities of Tomsk persecutors. We demand to stop the court over the Holy Scripture! These initiatives of the Tomsk PersecutorÕs Office offend the religious sentiments of all the followers of Hinduism and bring disgrace to the country of Russia. Once you sign the petition - you will receive e-mail asking you to confirm yourvote. This is very important - otherwise it will be cancelled. And please share this link to your friends. Sincerely, Sankarshan Das Adhkari
 How to do that?
Hungary has taken a bold stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy state secretary of the Minstry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM) seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also passed a 10 year ban on GM foods.
Planetsave reports: Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been ground with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary, deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.
Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seek traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.
During the invesigation, controllers have found Pioneer Monsanto products among the seeds planted.
The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary, but they will check where the goods can be found, Bognar said. Regional public radio reported that the two biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and GMO seeds could have been sown on up to the thousands of hectares in the country. Most of the local farmers have complained since they just discovered they were using GMO seeds.
With season already under way, it is too late to sow new seeds, so this years harvest has been lost.
And to make things even worse for the farmers, the company that distributed the seeds in Baranya county is under liquidation. Therefore, if any compensation is paid by the international seed producers, the money will be paid primarily to that company’s creditors, rather than the farmers. NaturalSociety Note: This article is from July 26, 2011, but had to be re-added. Explore More: - France Takes Stand Against GMOs, Monsanto Despite End of Ban
- Bill Gates Foundation Buys 500,000 Shares of Monsanto
- Study Proves Three Monsanto GM Corn Varieties Pose Health Hazard
- Merck vs Monsanto | Fighting for the Worst Company Award
- Monsanto GMO Sugarbeets to be Destroyed | Court Concludes USDA Illegally Approved Biotech Crop
THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER1, QUESTIONS BY VIDURA, TEXT 7-8, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI ON 19 MARCH 2008 IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA. (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.) Transcription : [...]
BY JAI SITA RANI DEVI DASI 
   KUALA LUMPUR - HH Prabhavisnu Swami, Co-GBC of Iskcon Malaysia today officially announced the appointment of Kripa Sindhu Krishna Dasa Brahmacari as the new Temple President of Iskcon Malaysia HQ also known as Sri Jagannatha Mandir, Kuala Lumpur.
Popularly known as the "Harinam Kirtanist" in Malaysia, he has captured many hearts simply by his melodious voice and humble attitude. We have seen Maharajs dancing to his kirtan ecstatically and filled with awe. Kripa Sindhu prabhu who literally grew up in Sri Jagannatha Mandir since the age of 17 said it would be a great challenge for him to handle the National Headquarters in Malaysia. But nevertherless he would serve and hoped every devotee will cooperate and work together to assist him. He has served 10 years in Iskcon Kuching, another center in Malaysia and was very comfortable there, but now he has taken up this new challenge at the request of his spiritual master and Co-GBC HH Jayapataka Swami. He requested everyone to put aside all differences and come together to serve in a happy environment in the temple. The Regional Secretary Simheswara dasa then announced the lease of a 20 acre land in Janda Baik, Pahang to be cultivated as farmland for about 26 cows. The property in on lease to Iskcon Malaysia on a yearly basis. They would probably get another 5 acres in the near future of the 70 acres allocated by the government of Malaysia for cow breeding in that area. They had been looking for purchasing a land for cows for sometime now and recently purchased it after the visit of HH Jayapataka Swami and his personal blessing to him just before going to look for this piece of land. Work has already started in the farmland as tractors moved in to level a small area to build a new the cowshed and cabin.   The National Council meeting is also scheduled to take place within the vicinity today to enable its members to view the area. The congregation members were also invited to visit this piece of land.
Sent By His Grace Mukunda Dasa See all pictures : Click here (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) During the meetings one point which struck me of how Guru Maharaj analysed the difference between the corporate [...]
“Please Distribute Books”- South Africa’s Rainbow Nation gets Srila Prabhupada Books – African Preaching, New ISKCON Umlazi Preaching Centre. Article sent by His Grace Ramkinkar Dasa (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) “These books and magazines are [...]
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth. (Sri Brahma Samhita 5.33) O Govinda, we pray: please always give us Your darsana as this person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.
Krishna Rasa & Anapayini Kirtana
Wikipedia Article Click here (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.) Bhagavad Gita faces ‘extremist’ branding, ban in RussiaIANS | Dec 17, 2011, 12.39PM IST Comments (2,111) MOSCOW: Bhagavad Gita, one of the holiest Hindu scriptures, is facing [...]
Article Sent By Her Grace By Amrita Vani Dasi (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.) Following the amazing success of the first International Kirtan Mela in Germany, we are happy to announce that the Kirtan Mela [...]
Welcome to ISKCON Sydney’s e-newsletter. Year 2011 has come to an end. The Christmas festivities are just round the corner. ISKCON Sydney wishes the congregation a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. May Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha shower their unlimited mercy on your family through out the coming year. The temple management would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the devotees for their wonderful service and cooperation to ensure the smooth running of the temple activities. This week we have a special guest in Sydney HG Krishna Kshetra Prabhu presenting his Srimad Bhagavatam overview.HG Krsna Ksetra Prabhu is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and an initiating Guru. He has dedicated his life to understanding teachings of Krishna Consciousness. The program details are as follows: Srimad Bhagavatam Overview by HG Krsna Ksetra Prabhu 12 Cantos in 12 Classes 7th – 18th of December 2011 ISKCON Temple North Sydney 12th December 16th December 7.30 PM to 9.00PM 17th of December 7:45am-9am 18th of December 7:30pm-9pm Regular Morning Srimad Bhagavatam Class 7:45am-9am 11th of December 18th of December His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, another disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and an initiating Guru is a practitioner and teacher of the science of Bhakti Yoga for over 36 years. His Grace is visiting Sydney from 22nd Dec to 28th December. Maharaja is hosting a retreat on 24th and 25th of december 2011 entitled “Unpacking the Secrets of Bhagavat Gita” at Govinda Valley Spiritual Retreat Centre, Otford. To register for the retreat contact Madhvacharya Das @0411762166. We recently celebrated Gita Jayanti on 11th December 2011 at the Krishna Temple North Sydney where all the 18 chapters of the Srimad Bhagwat Gita were recited by the devotees. This was followed by fire sacrifice ( Yadnya). Many Thanks to all the devotees who participated in the recitation of shlokas. We will begin the new year with enlivening kirtan on 31/12/2011, please watch the next news letter for the details. The Sunday School program in the temple runs during school term time every fortnight. Please see the details below how to register with organiser Vilasa-manjari/Prananatha Das and teach your children how to love Krishna and enjoy the fun filled activities each session. As usual the Sunday Program runs each week from 4.30pm with arati and kirtans, prasadam available from 5.30pm and discourse at 6.15pm. Anyone wishing to contribute money can click the PayPal logo to donate online. Bhakti Bazar–the temple shop has a new stock of exciting items ( gopi dresses, sarees, jewellery….) Please come and check out soon till the stock lasts. Please contact Sudarshan Das at 0425760909 for more details. Thank you for your support. Hope to see you all soon
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Sunday 18 December 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. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) 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. For Transcendental Association Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Help Popularize Our Message By Liking Today's Thought on Facebook: Today's Thought: Don't Miss this Rarest of All Opportunities uploaded from Mauritius To get a human birth is an opportunity that one only very rarely gets in the evolutionary cycle, which spans 8,400,000 different types of species. Rarer still is to be a human being who seriously pursues the pathway of spiritual emancipation to gain release from the cycle of birth and death. And even rarer than that is the spiritual seeker who gets the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and thus is able to successfully gain release from the material existence. So if you find yourself in the category of someone who has been able to get the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, kindly do not throw this opportunity away. Take advantage of this rarest of all opportunities and make your life truly and permanently successful. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching Krishna Bhakti at a Ma Kali Temple Solerino, Mauritius--16 December 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Mauritius_Kali.Tmpl.Lect.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Why Did Sankara Spread Impersonalism? Why did Sankara spread impersonalism? D.P. Answer: To Partially Re-Establish Vedic Culture Sankaracharya was an incarnation of Lord Siva, who was ordered by his master, Lord Krishna, to propagate Mayavadi philosophy, impersonalism, for the purpose of defeating Buddhism and re-establishing Vedic culture in India. The historical reason for this was that after Krishna departed from this planet 5,000 years ago India gradually degraded to such an extent that the people were killing cows and justifying it by a gross misinterpretation of the Vedic scriptures. Therefore, being kind upon the poor cows, Krishna appeared in the form of Lord Buddha to stop the cow killing by teaching the principles of karma and non-violence along with a voidistic philosophy which denied the Vedas. Such emergency action saved the cows, but Vedic culture was for the time being forgotten. Therefore to restore Vedic culture Lord Krishna ordered Lord Siva to appear as Sankaracharya, who presented a compromised version of Vedic philosophy that was similar to Buddhism. The Buddhist conception of the highest truth is zero. And the impersonal conception of the highest truth is impersonal oneness. Philosophically they are very similar. Through expert grammatical word jugglery Sankaracharya twisted the Vedic teachings to make them appear impersonal so that the Buddhists would find it acceptable to adopt the Vedic culture and teachings. In this way Sankaracharya was successful in defeating Buddhism and re-establishing Vedic culture. But before leaving this world he renounced his earlier impersonal Vedic misinterpretation and instructed his followers to accept the ultimate Vedic conception, the personal conception of God: bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mdha-mate samprpte sannihite kle na hi na hi raksati dukrñ-karane You intellectual fools, just worship Govinda, just worship Govinda, just worship Govinda. Your grammatical knowledge and word jugglery will not save you at the time of death. Unfortunately his followers did not follow his final instruction. Instead they tenaciously clung to impersonalism because they felt gratified by the false impersonal conception that the living being is God. 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 Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization 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: {contact_address More Recent Articles | |
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