"Planet ISKCON" - 39 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Saturday 24 September 2011--The More Hopeless It Gets, the More Hopeful It Is--and--Self-Confidence for a Devotee?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Saturday 24 September 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 Today's Thought: The More Hopeless It Gets, the More Hopeful It Is Uploaded from Copenhagen, Denmark The world civilization is in a downward spiral, increasingly becoming more chaotic and problematic as its foundations continue disintegrating and unraveling. Because it is based on the false conception of I am this body. it cannot continue perpetually. Sooner or later it must wind down. Foreseeing the impending collapse of the global economy people all over the world are becoming fearful about their economic future and doubting more and more the ability of the present socioeconomic system to give them a happy, prosperous future. This situation is a great boon for the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement. For decades this movement has been trying to alert the leaders and the people in general of this planet that the present world civilization has been operating on an unsustainable artificial platform. The Krishna consciousness movement is not only giving a warning; it also has the solution. It can give peace, happiness, and prosperity to all living beings on this planet. The problem is that the world population has been lulled into a false dream that simply by economic development and sense gratification everyone can be happy. Therefore the deluded masses have not been willing to take guidance from the Krishna consciousness movement. But now as it becomes increasingly obvious to everyone that our present socioeconomic system cannot continue to meet our needs, more and more people will come to their senses and agree to take guidance, instruction, and direction from the Krishna consciousness movement. This will bring a new enlightened age of great hope and happiness for this ever more hopeless world. Therefore, the more hopeless, the more hopeful it is. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Self-Confidence for a Devotee? Dear Guru Maharaja: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Can you give me some guidance on self-confidence? What's the relation between Krishna consciousness and self-confidence, and how to be self-confident in Krishna consciousness? Once you told me the main thing in business is my self-confidence, not what I eat. After I graduate, I find that self-confidence is important in both spreading Krishna consciousness and in sales job or any type of job, because only if I manifest self-confidence in my dealings and speaks, people will put trust in me. Your humble servant Jeffrey Answer: A Devotee Enjoys Unlimited Self-Confidence As long as one tries to be self-confident on the false material platform of I am this body. his self-confidence will always be defective and imperfect. But when one becomes self-confident on the eternal spiritual platform of I am the eternal spirit-soul, servant of Krishna. he enjoys unlimited self-confidence that can never be destroyed by anything. Because the devotee has complete trust in himself, that he is living his life perfectly in accordance with the orders of the Lord, he is naturally greatly trusted by others and can win the trust of the entire world. 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. 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Japa Group: The Temple of the HeartHere is a nice chanting seminar from Sacinandana Swami entitled "The Temple of the Heart".
 • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WAIT FOR THE NECTARThe following is an excerpt from Cleveland Couples: 40 Inspiring Stories of Love and Commitment, written by Kathy Dawson, published by Gray & Company, Cleveland, reprinted with permission. The book may be purchased from the Store at www.dzfi.org Krsnanandini Devi Dasi & Tariq Saleem Ziyad "On paper, we have every reason for getting divorced," says Tariq. His wife, Krsnanandini, chuckles and nods her head in agreement. "God must have a really good sense of humor." Married 13 years—a second marriage for both of them—this couple started life together with extraordinary challenges. Blending two families from previous marriages is not an unusual scenario upon beginning a second marriage. Blending two families to create one with 16 children, however, is unusual, especially when you have 3 more children together, bringing the tally up to a grand total of 19. And this couple has had not only to raise a large family, but to do so in a household where two very different religions are practiced. Tariq is Muslim, and Krsnanandini is a devotee of the Hare Krishna movement. "People couldn't understand how with two such different religions, we would be able to make our relationship work," says Tariq. "It really doesn't matter that in the Islamic religion there are no images of God, for example, but that in the Hare Krishna religion, divine personalities are depicted in scriptures," asserts Krsnanandini. "What matters is that we both worship the same God." Their dedication to living a spiritual life is the axis around which their marriage turns. "It is so important to have some spiritual principle you subscribe to in your marriage," says Krsnanandini. "Because when the storm comes, and storms are going to come, you need to be committed to more than physical and material needs." Tariq agrees. "If couples have a sense that there's a spiritual value in all that they are struggling to do, and if they are patient, have faith, and wait for the nectar, the nectar will come." The nectar that Tariq speaks of is a state of grace in which two people build a life together based on trust, respect, and the knowledge that there is a divine purpose to their lives and their marriage. The state of grace that Tariq and Krsnanandini so often find themselves in was not always present in their marriage, however. During their first two years of matrimony, this couple came very close to separating. In fact, Krsnanandini went so far as to pack up Tariq's belongings and put them in his mother's backyard. "Tariq had a lot of issues from his past relationship that haunted us," remembers Krsnanandini. "We tried to work through the issues but couldn't do it alone." In a final effort to make the marriage work, Krsnanandini contacted a friend who was a minister and asked him to meet with both of them. Unbeknownst to her, Tariq had made the exact same phone call to the exact same friend, a coincidence they now look upon as divine intervention. "I remember driving to the meeting," says Krsnanandini. "I was crying and praying, 'Lord, I think you're asking too much of me.' Suddenly, I felt a sense of deep peace and I heard a voice say to me, 'You can go ahead and leave Tariq and it will be justified but better than that would be to work with your husband.' I knew then that Tariq needed me and that we were going to work out our problems." "Don't think that just because negative things happened in your marriage that that's enough to give up," says Tariq. "You've got to wait and keep stirring the pot until you get the nectar. It takes faith and trust. Even if you're not real good at being a spiritual person, if you keep trying, you're going to get to that sweet stuff." On top of their commitment to their own marriage, Tariq and Krsnanandini are also on a mission to help other couples drink this marital mead. This couple, both of whom have degrees in psychology, education, and business, founded the Dasi-Ziyad Family Institute in 1997 in Cleveland. The dedicated this organization to the utilization of spiritual principles, techniques and skills to support the healthy development of marriage, family, and community. Whether they are conducting marriage-enrichment workshops, writing a curriculum for a school youth project, or counseling couples in their home, Tariq and Krsnanandini recognize that their marriage is part of a divine arrangement designed to help keep communities and families healthy. The inspiration to do the work they do as a couple came to Krsnanandinini at an early age. "I was 19 when I was initiated into the Hare Krishna movement," explains Krsnanandini. "My spiritual teacher, my swami, inspired me for the rest of my life. After he passed in 1977, I had a dream in which he gave me an instruction to show people how to have God conscious marriages. Because of the respect I had for my spiritual teacher, I would never have questioned his guidance, even though I wasn't married at the time." Krsnanandini held on to that dream and waited for the right time and for the right person to help realize her vision. The right time was 12 years later. The right person was Tariq. "I was actually reintroduced to Tariq by my ex-husband," says Krsnanandini. "Tariq's father had been a mentor to him." Years later, after her divorce, Krsnanandini read a book that mentioned how important it was for single mothers to find someone they respected to mentor their sons. Krsnanandini had spent enough time with Tariq to know that he was the one she wanted as a mentor for her boys. "Up until that point, we were just seeing each other occasionally," recalls Tariq. "But when Krsnanandini asked me to be a mentor to her sons, I knew that meant I would be seeing her more often." Shortly after that, Tariq invited Krsnanandini to a Christmas party, which she went to even though, at the time, she rarely socialized because of her busy school schedule. Attending a social gathering together led them to perceive each other in a different light, and consider their relationship as potentially more than purely platonic. After the party, Tariq and Krsnanandini started seeing more of each other. One of the outings was a trip to Detroit to see and inspirational speaker. While there, Krsnanandini stayed with her brother, who put her through an exercise that changed her life. "My brother and I sat up all night talking," recalls Krsnanandini. "He asked me to make a list of qualities that I would want in a husband. I made that list and we prayed over it. As I looked over the list of qualities, I realized that Tariq had every one of them." Although Tariq was quick to come up with reasons not to commit himself to Krsnanandini, one fact was undeniable. They were kindred spirits. Their devotion to their own spirituality and to encouraging spirituality in others has made them realize they meant to be a couple.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FREE BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS AUDIOListen to the ultimate success book- complete: http://www.krishna.com/bhagavad-gita-audiobook Listen to verse translations only: http://bhagavad-gita.ws/listen_bhagavad_gita_english.html  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WHERE DEVOTEES ARE STUCK?This evening I gave a Bhagavad-gita lecture at ISKCON Manchester and one devotee asked me when people I coach are stuck, how they are stuck. I gave some examples, to which I add here a few more: - They blame Krsna (God) or someone else for their situation - They cannot forgive someone that hurt them in the past - They don't understand the deeper meaning of their experiences, past and present - They have a habit of making excuses instead of making progress - They are lazy to move forward - They are not clear what they want - They are afraid to admit what they want - They use our Krsna conscious philosophy to limit themselves  • Email to a friend • •ISKCON News.com: Russia's First Ever Radha-Krishna Deities Installed in Omsk
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• Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama SwamiOutside of loving God there is no possibility of loving. Rather, there is lusty desire only. Within this atmosphere of matter, the entire range of human activities — and not only every activity of human beings but all living entities — is based upon, given impetus and thus polluted by sex desire, the attraction between male and female. For that sex life, the whole universe is spinning around — and suffering! That is the harsh truth. So-called love here means that “you gratify my senses, I’ll gratify your senses,” and as soon as that gratification stops, immediately there is divorce, separation, quarrel, and hatred. So many things are going on under this false conception of love. Actual love means love of God, Krsna. - Srila Prabhupada • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Srila Prabhupada's happiness: gorgeous Deity worshipI must express my obligation that you are worshiping the Deity so nicely. That is my great happiness, and that is your happiness also. The more gloriously you worship the Deity, decorate the Deity as gorgeously as possible, the more gorgeous you will be. That is the secret. The materialistic, they are trying to dress themselves very gorgeously, and gradually their dress is being taken away by maya, and voluntarily they are becoming hippies. Because they did not try to dress Krsna, therefore maya is taking their dresses... So if we do not decorate Krsna, if we decorate our personal body, then gradually it will be finished. You'll be forced to become naked, what to speak of decoration. This is the way of nature. But if you try to decorate Krsna, then without decoration you'll be worshiped; you'll be beloved. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Arrival Lecture -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976 BVS comment: still today ISKCON Melbourne is famous for gorgeous Deity worship. • Email to a friend • •ISKCON News.com: India & Beyond: Plane Reading for Part-time Babajis – a book by Braja Sorensen
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• Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: Gopiparanadhana Prabhu's departure: a shock to ISKCON's central nervous system
When I think of Gopipara - nadhana Prabhu, I think of the one devotee in ISKCON upon whom all future Sanskrit translations would be resting upon. Gopiparanadhana Prabhu was singlehandedly training future Sanskritists who would carry on the tradition of producing scholarly translations and commentary. He was a jewel among Vaisnava scholars and was deeply committed to carrying on the tradition of translating and commenting in the same mood as Srila Prabhupada. |
By Niranjana Swami
