"Planet ISKCON" - 55 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Tuesday 23 August 2011--Accept a Real Guru, Not a Charlatan--and--Should I Be Wary of Discussing My Beliefs?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Tuesday 23 August 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. Special Announcement: Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Today's Thought: Accept a Real Guru, Not a Charlatan Uploaded from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas USA The Vedic wisdom repeatedly informs us of the absolutely necessity of accepting a spiritual master. Unfortunately at the present moment the world is greatly overburdened with a profusion of cheaters who present themselves as spiritual masters for the sake of their personal sense gratification. If one takes shelter of a spiritual master who is going to hell, one goes to hell with him. Therefore when one seeks a spiritual master he must be careful to find a real spiritual master, not a bogus charlatan. It is better to have no guru at all than to accept someone who is fool number one as your spiritual master. The real guru will teach you how to perfect your life and go back to Godhead at the end of your present lifetime. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada, the Real Guru, Who Teache s Us How to Recognize a Real Guru http://www.backtohome.com/images/Prabhupada/sp_big_smiling.jpg Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Should I Be Wary of Discussing My Beliefs Hare Krishna Gurudeva, I am a neophyte to the spiritual path and Krishna consciousness, and I encountered a situation that left me bewildered. A colleague of mine at work seemed to share a very radical view about the path of God. She was of the opinion that if one is not following Christ then they are following Satan. I felt the need to express my opposition to that. I shared the latest lesson C17-Ever Expanding Love saying that the Bible preaches along the same lines. She agreed, but said that anything other than Christ is a deviation and it is Satan. Although I completely disagree with her, it scares me to think that there are many such people around. Should I be wary of who I discuss my beliefs with? Its very unsettling to hear such statements. Priyanka S. Answer: Don't Believe in Krishna. Know Krishna. When presenting the science of Krishna consciousness to others we must be very careful. As long as you are on the platform of taking Krishna consciousness as your belief, it will be difficult for you to effectively present it to those who are not familiar with it. To be effective in educating others in this knowledge you must understand it scientifically. In other words, you must master the art of establishing and defending the bhakti science as the highest truth. Such preaching that if you don't accept Jesus you are going to hell is meant for less intelligent persons who are not capable of understanding the subtleties of the science of God. Such emotionalism or fanaticism is meant to somehow or other get them to become God conscious at least on an elementary level. The foolish so-called Christians who claim that the path of Krishna bhakti is the path of Satan do not understand that Jesus Christ also follows the same path of pure bhakti as taught by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Your foolish colleague does not realize that the strict followers of Krishna bhakti are automatically 1st class followers of Lord Jesus Christ. The Krishna bhaktas are the best Christians because they strictly follow the Biblical commandments, which these so-called Christians are not even able to follow. 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:  • Email to a friend •  •H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Vyasapuja 2011 offering to Srila PrabhupadaThe following is H.H. Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s Vyasapuja offering to Srila Prabhupada. Full Vyasapuja book 2011 can be downloaded at Krishna.com Bhakti Charu Swami Dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my most humble obeisances at your lotus feet on this most auspicious day of your divine appearance. I do not know how everyone felt at the [...] • Email to a friend • •
Manoj, Melbourne, AU: 223. Irreplaceable : SP Vyasa puja offering today
One of our dearest devotees, Prabhu Prabhu read out some beautiful paragraphs from the book “Only he could lead them”. This one stood out the most for me : Mukunda: I was sitting alone with Swamiji in his room, and he was very grave and silent. His eyes were closed. Then, suddenly, tears began flowing from his eyes. And he said in a choked voice, “My spiritual master was no ordinary spiritual master.” Then he paused for some time, and wiping the tears from his cheeks, he said in an even more choked voice, “He saved me.” At that point I began to understand the meaning of “Spiritual Master” and dropped all consideration of ever replacing Swamiji. There were tears in his eyes as he read them out. We had too.         • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Janmastami Midnight Darsana
And here is the long-awaited midnight darsana and arati. Jaya Sri Sri Radha Ballabha! • Email to a friend • •Manoj, Melbourne, AU: 222. Ohe ! Vaishnava Thakura !
Just now the assembled devotees together sang the beautiful prayer, ” ohe! vaishnava Thakura”. As we sang, we all fixed our eyes every now and then on Srila Prabhupad. There are nice colorful flowers around him. On his lap is a copy of the Vyasa puja book this year. Once the prayers concluded, one of the bhramachari boys started to read out few paragraphs regarding the importance of Vyasa Puja and the role of Sri Nityananta Prabhu. We are understanding the importance of the mercy of guru before our direct worship of bhagavan. Namaha on a deeper level means to give up false vanity and ego. It basically means no to ego in front of one’s guru. We must give up the mentality that we are the doer and the enjoyer. Once we get this mentality, our true Vyasa puja starts.         • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Gangesvara PrabhuSrimad Bhagavatam 1.1.21-22 - Srila Prabhupada is like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and he can direct us to our destination (karnadhara ivapare bhagavan para-darsakah...). • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FOREWORD BY KEN SHELTON TO A LEADERSHIP BOOK BY BHAKTI-TIRTHA SWAMI Visit Bhaktio-tirtha Swami's website at: btswami.com It is full of audio seminars, photos, videos, etc. FOREWORD BY KEN SHELTON TO ANCIENT WISDOM FOR MODERN TIMES (LEADERSHIP FOR AN AGE OF HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS NO 2), A BOOK BY BHAKTI-TIRTHA SWAMI The Master As Servant Ken Shelton is the Editor-in-Chief of the Executive Excellence magazine (www.eep.com), and the author of Beyond Counterfeit Leadership One of the great "Spiritual Warriors" of our time, His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Krishnapada, has done it again! His new work on leadership—one of about 10,000 titles on leadership to be published in recent decades—sets a new standard, expressly because it explores the spiritual dimension in ways that popular gurus like Stephen R. Covey (Principle-Centered Leadership), Kevin Cashman (Leadership from the Inside Out), and Ken Blanchard, (Situational Leadership) have not done. While the topic of Servant Leadership has certainly been explored before, most notably by Peter Block in Servant Leadership and by Robert Spitzer in The Spirit of Leadership, Swami plumbs the spiritual depths and the spiritual roots. "The true servant leader," he writes, "assesses the primary needs of his followers and compassionately serves them, having a profound understanding of the highest good beyond material requirements and servicing the soul, the real identity, of each and every individual." His profound insights, largely based on ancient India's Vedic literature, will assist readers in their work life and their leadership of others. His principles have universal application. For example, by defining leadership in terms such as "actions that attract followers" and "standards set by exemplary acts" that others wish to pursue, Swami helps us see that leaders set examples and patterns for us to follow, whether those paths be in political, economic, academic or social realms. Indeed, in a world of tabloid heroes and skin-deep virtues, Swami provides us laser-accurate core values. He gets to the bedrock, the absolute essence of authentic leadership. This is a guidebook for personal and professional integrity, the most significant issue of the century. In his revealing work, Swami examines various forms of what I call "counterfeit leadership," and shows how to detect authentic leadership. "The ability to recognize good leadership," he writes, "is almost as important as good leadership itself." Since not everyone recognizes great messengers when they appear in human form, Swami advocates teaching how to recognize great teachers and leaders "to distinguish the bona fide from the deviant." Real leadership is often hard to detect because of the rules and biases built into social, academic, and professional systems. Hence, we are short on leadership, long on counterfeit. Our coffers are filled with pyrite, and our offices are filled with pirates. In his book, Swami explores the characteristics of authentic leadership. He reveals that true leaders share at least 10 common traits: 1. They love people and are sensitive to their emotions and needs 2. They help people feel happy and secure 3. They create lasting value at all times 4. They are philosophers—they seek to convey ultimate abiding truth 5. They lead from the inside out, knowing that character is power 6. They are principle centered 7. They are powerful visionaries 8. They keep everyone engaged according to their propensities 9. They are experts at delegation and empowerment 10. They are servant-leaders who leave behind a culture of enduring excellence. This is not the Tom Peters brand of here-today, gone-tomorrow excellence. Having been in search of excellence all his life, Swami has found more than a few secrets. He notes: "Improper leadership cause imbalances and crises in the lives of people. Under proper leadership, people are showered with adequate food, health and wealth." On the other hand, when leaders are weak, people are weak. "It is then a matter of the blind leading the blind. Society becomes a venture of tremendous speculation, frustration, and diminishing returns." Those of us who deposit time, trust, money, and other forms of investment in leaders and their organizations always like to see at least a modest return on our investment. For this reason, Swami also sees leadership from an accounting point of view, calculating ROI. He suggests that when people invest resources and energy in someone or something, they expect a proportionately valuable profit. The best leaders deliver. On the issue of power, Swami sees both the upside, "Power is wonderful when used properly," and the downside: "But, when used improperly, power is a tremendous deficit. When leaders try to gather opulence unto themselves we have an unhealthy situation. In a society of people who manipulate others to gain power, people lose their focus on the soul." Bottom line, says Swami, the leader of high conscience creates a culture that stimulates people to do the right thing in the right way and the right time. That's his idea of "visionary" servant leadership providing spiritual leadership to heal the ills of a material society. So, if you care about making a meaningful contribution with your life and work, I suggest you adopt Swami's principles of visionary servant leadership and apply them to your situation. Should you choose to do so, I suspect that your leadership will take on a whole new dimension. People will take you seriously and want to follow you. They will gladly sign up to help make your vision of great good a reality for the benefit and blessing of many, perhaps millions, of God's children on earth. Sounds like the real deal—the spiritual warrior rides again! Ken Shelton Editor-in-Chief of the Executive Excellence magazine (www.eep.com) The author of Beyond Counterfeit Leadership  • Email to a friend • •Manoj, Melbourne, AU: 221. Vyasa Puja day
Back at the temple again after yesterday’s grand night celebrating janmasthami. And this morning, there is buzz around the temple once more. Devotees getting really busy preparing for Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja day. An hour to go before the festivities start again.         • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: REFLECTIONS INTERVIEWClick the title for an interview with Akrura dasa for the Reflections online magazine. It is under "Devotee Spotlight".  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: SPIRITUAL WARRIOR CHECKLISTBy Bhakti-tirtha Swami Consider the following list to be your official spiritual warrior checklist, and do not leave home without it. This list supplies attributes you can aspire to, and a barometer to measure your progress. Use this checklist to see where you stand in your spiritual warriorship. Pay close attention to each item, and honestly evaluate your mastery of them. Vigilant application of spiritual warfare may prove to be our very lifeline as our planet is gradually overtaken by negative forces. Each item is critical to the success of your endeavors; so by all means, do not take this checklist too lightly, because as with any battle, the unarmed opponent is bound to meet with destruction. 1. Sense control and mastery of the mind 2. Humility 3. Fearlessness 4. Truthfulness 5. Compassion and pridelessness 6. Material exhaustion and disinterest in material rewards 7. No idle time 8. Patience and selflessness 9. Firm faith 10. Perseverance 11. Curiosity and enthusiasm to learn and grow 12. Surrender to divine will  • Email to a friend • •Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Happy Janmastami!Of course today is Krishna Janmastami and we want to wish everyone a very happy Janmastami. The presiding deities of ISKCON Toronto are Sri Sri Radha Ksirchor Gopinatha and They are also our first love... Radha Gopinatha are the first deities we served and They reeled us into Krishna bhakti. They are forever gorgeous and today on Jamastami in order to glorify Gopinatha, we are publishing "Gopinatha" by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Every year our family offers a flower dress to Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha at midnight with some hope that They will give us shelter and mercy even though we are undeserving. So with the "Gopintha" we have included pictures of some past dresses. Happy Janmastami! May it bring you more and more Krishna bhakti. Sri Sri Radha Ksirchor Gopinatha ki Jaya!  1 gopinath, mama nivedana suno visayi durjana, sada kama-rata, kichu nahi mora guna 2 gopinath, amara bharasa tumi tomara carane, loinu sarana, tomara kinkora ami 3 gopinath, kemone sodhibe more na jani bhakati, karme jada-mati, porechi somsara-ghore 4 gopinath, sakali tomara maya nahi mama bala, jnana sunirmala, swadhina nahe e kaya 5 gopinath, niyata carane sthana mage e pamara, kandiya kandiya korohe karuni dana 6 gopinath, tumi to' sakali paro durjane tarite, tomara sakati, ke ache papira aro 7 gopinath, tumi krpa-parabara jivera karane, asiya prapance, lila koile subistara 8 gopinath, ami ki dose dosi asura sakala, pailo carana, vinoda thakilo bosi' 1) O Gopinatha, Lord of the gopis, please hear my request. I am a wicked materialist, always addicted to worldly desires, and no good qualities do I possess. 2) 0 Gopinatha, You are my only hope, and therefore I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet. I am now Your eternal servant. 3) 0 Gopinatha, how will You purify me? I do not know what devotion is, and my materialistic mind is absorbed in fruitive work. I have fallen into this dark and perilous worldly existence. 4) 0 Gopinatha, everything here is Your illusory energy. I have no strength or transcendental knowledge, and this body of mine is not independent and free from the control of material nature. 5) 0 Gopinatha, this sinner, who is weeping and weeping, begs for an eternal place at Your divine feet. Please give him Your mercy. 6) 0 Gopinatha, You are able to do anything, and therefore You have the power to deliver all sinners. Who is there that is more of a sinner than myself? 7) 0 Gopinatha, You are the ocean of mercy. Having come into this phenomenal world, You expand Your divine pastimes for the sake of the fallen souls. 8) 0 Gopinatha, I am so sinful that although all the demons attained Your lotus feet, Bhaktivinoda has remained in worldly existence.  part two 1 gopinath, ghucao samsara-jwalaavidya-jatana, aro nahi sahe, janama-marana-mala 2 gopinath, ami to' kamera dasa visaya-bhasana, jagiche hrdoye, phadiche karama phase 3 gopinath, kabe va jagibo ami kama-rupa ari, dure teyagibo, hrdoye sphuribe tumi 4 gopinath, ami to' tomara jana tomare chariya, samsara bhajinu, bhuliya apana-dhana 5 gopinath, tumi to' sokali jano apanara jane, dandiya ekhano, sri-carane deho sthano 6 gopinath, ei ki vicara taba bimukha dekhiya, charo nija-jane, na koro' karuna-laba 7 gopinath, ami to murakha ati kise bhalo hoya, kabhu na bujhinu tai heno mama gati 8 gopinath, tumi to'pandita-bara mudhera mangala, tumi anvesibe e dase na bhavo' para 1) O Gopinatha, please remove the torment of worldly existence. I can no longer tolerate the pain of ignorance and the repeated succession of births and deaths. 2) 0 Gopinatha, indeed I am a servant of lust. Worldly desires are awakening in my heart, and thus the noose of fruitive work is beginning to tighten. 3) 0 Gopinatha, when will I wake up and abandon afar this enemy of lust, end when will You manifest Yourself in my heart? 4) 0 Gopinatha, I am Your devotee, but having abandoned You and thus having forgotten my real treasure, I have worshiped this mundane world. 5) O Gopinatha, You know everything. Now, having punished Your servant, please give him a place at Your lotus feet. 6) 0 Gopinatha, is this Your judgment, that seeing me averse to You, You abandon Your servant and don't bestow even a particle of mercy upon him? 7) 0 Gopinatha, I am certainly very foolish, and I have never known what is good for me. Therefore such is my condition. 8) 0 Gopinatha, You are indeed the wisest person. Please look for a way to bring about auspiciousness for this fool, and please do not consider this servant as an outsider.  part three1 Gopinath, amara upaya nai tumi krpa kori', amare loile, samsare uddhara pai 2 gopinath, porechi mayara phere dhana, dara, suta, ghireche amare, kamete rekheche jere 3 gopinath, mana je pagala mora na mane sasana, sada acetana, visaye ro'yeche ghora 4 gopinath, hara je menechi ami aneka jatana, hoilo bifala, ekhano bharasa tumi 5 gopinath, kemone hoibe gati prabala indriya, bosi-bhuta mana, na chare visaya-rati 6 gopinath, hrdoye bosiya mora manake samiya, laho nija pane, ghucibe vipada ghora 7 gopinath, anatha dekhiya more tumi hrsikesa, hrsika damiya, taro'he samsrti-ghore 8 gopinath, galaya legeche phase krpa-asi dhori', bandhana chediya, vinode koroho dasa 1) O Gopinatha, I have no means of success, but if You take me, having bestowed your mercy upon me, then I will obtain deliverance from this world. 2) 0 Gopinatha, I have fallen into the perils of material illusion. Wealth, wife, and sons have surrounded me, and lust has wasted me away. 3) 0 Gopinatha, my mind is crazy and does not care for any authority. It is always senseless and has remained in the dark pit of worldly affairs. 4) 0 Gopinatha, I have accepted my defeat. All of my various endeavors were useless. Now You are the only hope. 5) 0 Gopinatha, how shall I make any advancement when my mind has come under the control of the powerful senses and does not abandon its attachment to materialism? 6) 0 Gopinatha, after sitting down in the core of my heart and subduing my mind, please wake me to You. In this way the horrible dangers of this world will disappear. 7) 0 Gopinatha, You are Hrsikesa, the Lord of the senses. Seeing me so helpless, please control these senses of mine and deliver me from this dark and perilous worldly existence. 8) 0 Gopinatha, the noose of materialism has become fixed around my neck. Taking up the sword of Your mercy and cutting this bondage, make this Bhaktivinoda Your humble servant. • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: HE DOES NOT HESITATEHe who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions. - Bhagavad-gita As It Is A sincere devotee of the Lord avoids material sense enjoyment because he has a higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success on the spiritual path. The executive heads of all world states should arrange to spread the science of Krsna consciousness so that the people may take advantage of this great science and pursue a successful path, utilizing the opportunity of the human form of life. Everyone is dependent for success upon Krsna's mercy. Personal effort is not enough. A Krsna conscious person or a devotee of Krsna is above duality because he does not hesitate to act in any way for the satisfaction of Krsna. Therefore he is steady both in success and in failure.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: ALWAYS STEADYIf, somehow or other, we are able to understand the subject matter of the soul, then our life will be successful. One percent done in Krsna consciousness brings permanent results, so that the next beginning is from two percent, whereas in material activities without 100 percent success there is no profit. Krsna says to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita: Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Bg 2.48 Therefore, we should spend all energies working in Krsna consciousness, and that will make our life successful. When our life is dedicated in the service of the Lord, we don't need to become angry even when our attempts are unsuccessful. Success or no success, a Krsna conscious devotee is always steady in his determination.  • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
 • Email to a friend • •Bhakti Lata, Alachua, USA: Searching the Stars (I wrote this about a month ago, before I left for the Bus Tour.) Ever since I was a young teenager, I remember gazing up at the glittering stars in Hawaii and I would feel this empty space in my heart. Naturally, I dreamed of stargazing with my husband one day. I felt that if I could share the stars with someone, especially my husband, I would feel complete. Back in February, one evening I was driving home from school and I began to sob and sob because I felt such a deep pain and loneliness. I didn't know who I could talk to, I felt so alienated from everyone and everything. I had communicated this loneliness to my spiritual master a couple weeks before. He had looked into my eyes with such understanding and said, "Bhakti lata, that loneliness you feel? It is actually a great gift. Not everyone feels that loneliness. It is your heart searching for Krishna, the Lord." I began to look for Krishna when I gazed at the stars, but still I felt that loneliness. This evening I met up with my friend Mia at the temple, and she asked me, as many people are asking me lately, "So what are you up to in life?" Somehow when she asked me that question, it really struck through to my core, and it's even the seed of the reason I am writing this now. I smiled and replied as I've replied all summer, "Spending lots and lots of time with myself." "How are you keeping busy, though?" "Well, I teach writing classes, I dance, come to the temple, but mostly I'm spending time with myself and spending time with God. You know, I'm really enjoying my own company. For so much of my life I'm always running around, and now I'm just... being." We spoke for a bit more. When we walked out to our cars, I said, "I'll always remember your prayer when you offer obeisance when you come in to the templeroom... what are the exact words?" "God, please fill me with your presence," she said. "God, please fill me with your presence," I murmured. We bid goodnight and I headed out to the sandy temple road to chant the Lord's name. I began to meditate on how for this summer I feel such a deep stillness within, such an ocean of quiet. Realizations come to me in waves. I'll spend hours writing in my journal, or I'll listen to the same song 20 or 30 times in a row in meditation. On days when I'm not teaching, sometimes I don't speak with a single other person. I am not lethargic; I am active - I dance, write, interact with friends, sing, teach, etc., but I don't feel frantic. I feel quiet. This evening I meditated on one of the qualities of Krishna - that he is atmarama, or self-satisfied. He does not need anyone's love, but He wants our love. As Eric Fromm would say: "I need you because I love you." More than ever this summer I am reflecting on marriage, and the significance of sharing my life with someone. I want to be a whole person to share myself with another whole person. To be truly self-satisfied, I realize that I need the Lord. I walked for a long time under the stars, barefoot in the sand. The universe seemed to open up tonight in such breathtaking silence. Just as I was about to head home, I remembered Mia's prayer. I murmured it to myself in obeisance: "God, please fill me with your presence." I searched for that empty feeling in my heart, but I did not feel it. I only felt peace, and such deep gratitude to be chanting the Lord's holy name, barefoot, under the stars. And one day my husband will not fill that space in my heart, but share it with me. Subscribe  • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: ISKCON Seattle VP offering 1991, written by Sukadeva dasaMy Dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet, which are the only shelter in the three worlds from the blazing forest fire of material existence. I sincerely pray to be always working hard in your divine service, for that is the only pleasure of my life. Please give me the words to properly glorify you on this holiest of days, your Vyasa-puja. When I studied different philosophies of religion in college, it was never an accepted fact that a bona fide saintly person still walked the face of the earth. When I first saw you in Los Angeles, my speculative theories and false ideologies were smashed. I joined your movement in the summer of 1969 in Los Angeles. The devotees in L.A. were always talking about their spiritual leader. At that time I thought your name was Pra-buddha. I remember when you came to the temple in L.A. and paid your dandavats to Lord Jagannatha and Radha-Krsna. I was immediately impressed by your humility. I remember standing outside your door and peeking through the keyhole with Visnujana dasa. After services in the temple you would come outside, and all the devotees would be on their knees waiting for you to touch them on the head. I can still feel you placing your lotus hand on my head. I thought that I had never felt such ecstasy in my life. I had been praying to Lord Krsna that if it were possible, I wanted to render you some personal service. I had been in charge of temples in Phoenix, Tucson, Seattle, and Laguna Beach. In 1975 I was in charge of the Hawaii temple, and I longed to do more personal service for you. Your servant, Hari-sauri dasa, came to my office and told me you wanted a cook. I asked why. He said you said I was now going to cook your meals. Krsna had made a transcendental arrangement for me to take over the cooking duties for you, and I relish that month I was able to serve you personally. I prayed to Krsna for you to give me some personal words to live by, and Krsna made that arrangement also. I was driving you back to the temple one day and asked you, "Prabhupada, you said that when a tree has flowers it becomes beautiful, and when a woman has a child she becomes beautiful. When does the disciple become beautiful?" Because he knew how puffed up I was, Srila Prabhupada immediately chastised me: "Oh, you have not read our books? What is the meaning of this verse, ar na koriho mane asa?" "I don't know, Srila Prabhupada." "Hmm ... parrotlike chanting." I felt like jumping out of the car in embarrassment, but it would have been difficult because I was driving. Prabhupada, you were so merciful to me that you allowed me to save face. "What is the meaning of this: yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi?" Excitedly I said, "When we get the mercy of the spiritual master, we get the mercy of Krsna. Without your grace, Srila Prabhupada, I can't make any spiritual advancement." "Yes, when the disciple is strictly following the orders of the spiritual master, then he is beautiful. Otherwise, he is ugly." Prabhupada, your words burned my heart because I could instantaneously realize how contaminated my heart was. Your words and instructions are my life and soul, and I am again praying to Krsna to burn away any and all desires except one: to be continually engaged in working hard with body, mind, and soul in your transcendental loving service. Please use your transcendental feet to kick me in any way you wish so that I can stay strongly in your divine service, for that is the only pleasure, the only treasure, and that is the only beauty in this material world. • Email to a friend • •Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: Dear Srila Prabhupada...an offering
 • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: O PrabhupadaDravida dasa: O Prabhupada, on this great day When you appeared, just like a ray Of Krsna's vast effulgence bright, To give this blind world back its sight, We thank you from the bottom of Our heart, and pray with deepest love That we may serve your lotus feet In every circumstance we meet |
