BY JSSS KL COMMITTEE
 KUALA LUMPUR - Yesterday (24/11) marked the arrival of HH Jayapataka Swami at KLIA. There were about approximately 50++ devotees waiting eagerly to receive Jayapataka Swami at KLIA. Amongst the devotees, we were most fortunate to have with us, HH Bhakti Vrajendrananda Swami and Simheswara prabhu, the Regional Secretary for ISKCON Malaysia. Most devotees arrived by 6.30pm at KLIA.
Soft kirtan was sung by Subadatri mataji attracting the looks of many passser-by who were at the airport. We could see that many were appreciative of the devotees presence at the airport Jayapataka Swami and His servants were spotted at the arrival hall at around 7.20pm. Jayapataka Swami was immediately greeted by our ISKCON Malaysia President, Bhakti Vrajendranandana, followed by other senior devotees. After a brief association at the Arrival Hall (Gate 6), devotees were then ushered to proceed to Gate 8. At Gate 8, we had a photography session, loving exchanges could be seen amongst the devotees present. After about 15 minutes there, we all proceeded out of the airport. Jayapataka Swami and Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami were then led to their respective vehicles. Jayapataka Swami was led into a Toyota Alphard, courtesy of Lokaswami prabhu. Then from the Petronas station onwards, Jayapataka Swami was escorted by the traffic police befititng a true royalty with several cars following suit in the convoy. It was a memorable event. The journey from KLIA to the PJ residence took only around 30 Minutes. At the PJ residence, many devotees were waiting eagerly to receive Jayapataka Swami. Several esteemed senior matajis conducted the traditional 'aarti' ceremony for Jayapataka Swami and Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami to remove all inauspisicousness. Many rounds of ulu-dwani were heard too. Jayapataka Swami then took darshan of Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladev , Subhadra Devi at the PJ residence, shortly after , he was led by his personal servant, Maha Varaha prabhu into his chambers for the night. We pray to Their Lordhsips, Sri Sri Jagannatha Baladev and Subhadra Devi and Lord Nrsimha Dev that Jayapataka Swami is always protected from all kinds of dangers and calamities. We look forward to the 41st Sannyasa Anniversary (Smaran) Celebration on the 26th November at SJMKL from 6pm onward. We humbly invite and request everyone to come for this important function celebrating the Sannyasa anniversary of our beloved Jayapataka Swami. We also appeal to everyone to come forward to help in the cooking and decoration services at temple starting from tonight. Devotees may gather at the temple 7pm onwards to help in the decoration. And more help is needed on the 26th morning onwards for the cooking the feast. aradhananam sarvesham vishnor aradhanam param tasmad parataram devi tadiyanam samarcanam "O Devi, the most exalted system of worship is the worship of Lord Vishnu. Greater than that is the worship of tadiya, or anything belonging to Vishnu." Srila Prabhupada comments on this verse, "Sri Vishnu is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Similarly the most confidential servant of Krishna, the spiritual master, and all devotees of Vishnu are tadiya. The sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, guru, Vaishnavas and things used by them must be considered tadiya, and without a doubt worshipable by all living beings." (Cc. Madhya 12.38 purport)
Join Ramai Swami for two nights of ecstatic chanting.
Saturday, 26 Nov 7:30-9pm
Sunday, 27 Nov 7:30-9pm Food available from 6pm
By donation Hare Krishna Temple In North Sydney
180 Falcon St
North Sydney When: Nov 26 7:30pm - Nov 27 9:00pm Where: Hare Krishna Temple In North Sydney 180 Falcon St » View map Join Ramai Swami for two nights of ecstatic chanting. Saturday, 26 Nov 7:30-9pm Sunday, 27 Nov 7:30-9pm Food available from 6pm By donation  Print Facebook Twitter Google Bookmarks StumbleUpon Yahoo! Buzz del.icio.us Digg Live MySpace PDF
http://www.alachuakirtan.com/ We’re very happy to announce the upcoming Festival of the Holy Name 2011!
Join us for two days of kirtan on November 25 and 26, 2011 at ISKCON New Raman Reti in Alachua, Florida. If you have a taste for kirtan, please come and immerse yourself in the transcendental sound vibration of the holy name of Krishna.
Singers and event schedule will be announced closer to the event. We will be live streaming the festival on www.alachuakirtan.com and www. krishna. com.
For more information, please visit our website www.alachuakirtan.com or our Facebook event page: When: Nov 25 9:00am - Nov 26 9:00pm Where: ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple 17306 NW 112th Blvd, Alachua, Florida, United States » View map We're very happy to announce the upcoming Festival of the Holy Name 2011! Join together in celebration and immerse yourself in transcendental sound vibration. Experience the maha-mantra. Chant and be happy! Two days of kirtan November 25 and 26, 2011 — 9 AM to 9 PM (Thanksgiving weekend) www.alachuakirtan.com Brought to you by the Kuli Mela Association and ISKCON of Alachua. Brought to you by Kulimela Association and ISKCON of Alachua Alachua, Florida presents The Festival of the Holyname
Friday, November 25th, 2011
9:00 AM – Rucira
9:30 AM – Adikarta
10:00 AM – Gauravani
11:00 AM – Amala Harinam
12:00 PM – Mrkanda, Jvala, Rasikananda, Krishnaa
1:00 PM – Keshava
1:30 PM – Nanda Priya
2:00 PM – Ramai
2:30 PM – Jagannath-Kirtan
3:15 PM – Kalindi (from Dallas)
3:45 PM – Amala Kirtan
4:30 PM – Kids’ Kirtan
5:00 PM – Radhika
6:00 PM – Madhava
7:30 PM – Mayapuris Saturday, November 26th, 2011
9:00 AM – Havi
9:30 AM – Bhakti-Lata
10:15 AM – Mitrasena
10:45 AM – Krishna Rasa & Anapayini
11:30 AM – Bhadra
12:00 PM – Gopinath (Bhakta Tim), Ananta & Subhadra
1:00 PM – Gadi
1:30 PM – Gaura Sakti
2:00 PM – Jahnavi Harrison
3:00 PM – Ananta Vrindavan
3:30 PM – Manorama & Jaya Sri Radhe
4:30 PM – Chaytanya Nitai
5:30 PM – Amala Harinam
6:30 PM – Gauravani
7:30 PM – Madhava Share this story your way:PrintFacebookTwitterGoogle BookmarksStumbleUponYahoo! Buzzdel.icio.usDiggLiveMySpacePDF
The new book about George Harrison: 
The world saw George Harrison as a reclusive rock star, the lead guitarist of the most famous band of all time. Yet George viewed himself as a "closet Yogi," an insignificant bit of Krishna on a karmic journey. His personal goal was—through daily meditation, chanting, and elevated consciousness—to end his earthly stay by reuniting with God.
Though he rejected the Catholicism of his youth, Harrison was subject to mystical experiences as a child. Then, one night in April 1965, he was transformed by an unexpected and electrifying trip on LSD.
His discovery, in the very same month, of Indian music, led him off on a quest to learn more about that country's rich culture, philosophy, and religion. Under the guidance of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Swami Prabhupada, and the writings of Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda, he became a devout Hindu. He left a creative record of his transformation in such works as "Within You without You," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "My Sweet Lord," and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)."
Working Class Mystic recounts the spiritual odyssey of "the quiet Beatle," from the exhilarating days in the "Fab Four" to the trailblazing Concert for Bangladesh, life as a disciple of Swami Prabhupada, his renaissance as a Traveling Wilbury, and his idyllic life as a gardener on his estate in the English countryside.
Through it all George retained a down-to-earth personality, never swayed by his success, always in touch with his working-class roots. Click on the link to read an excerpt from the book that describes George with Krishna devotees: http://www.garytillery.com/mystic-excerpt.html
Click on the video below to groove to the funk and hear the blissful instructions of this master of mrdanga, this Raja of rhythm, the might Madhava. 
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, UK, May 2011) Initiation Lecture
 The spiritual master is also our friend. So if we get an instruction from the spiritual master which is difficult to follow, then we should reveal our mind to the spiritual master. We should not go before the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master asks:
“How are you?” And you smile and say: “Yes, I’m very well”. And meanwhile we are struggling….no we should reveal our mind and take shelter, because the spiritual master can always change his instruction – he can adjust it. Some instructions cannot be changed, then he will explain all of this: “This cannot be changed….not three and a half principles but four! “ That must be there. There are no loopholes. It’s fixed and carved in stone, like a straight line – that is there. So there is an intimate relationship….the relationship of trust, and that is important! 
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, UK, May 2011) Initiation Lecture 
It is said that when a log of wood is burning in fire, then are you going to make a big thing about the quality of the wood? “No, I think there are cracks in this wood! And there’s a hole there, yes look at that!” Who cares about that! So the material desires are already burning in the fire, but if we make offenses against the holy name, then we are pouring water on the log, and then the burning of our material desires will be slowed down, and then the whole process will be slowed down. And ultimately we will not be able to approach Krishna. Krishna is merciful, but Krishna is the Supreme Pure, and if we want to go before Krishna, then we must be pure! 
Indradyumna Swami: Vallabhi Caitanya dasi, a 61 year-old disciple of Caitanya Candra Caran dasa, passed away in New Delhi just after participating in HH Bhakti Brnga Govinda Maharaja's recent parikramas in Vrindavan, Rsikesh and Jaipur. Today her body was cremated according to Vaisnava rites and her ashes spread in the sacred Yamuna River. It was a very sobering experience for all who participated. This video contains some very graphic images
I have been searching for pure asafetida for some time now, without the addition of rice flour or wheat flour. More specifically, I was looking for asafetida that can be used on the grain-fasting day of ekadasi. I was told to search for fariri hing. I went to google: no I didn't want a ferrari hinge, I wanted fariri hing! No luck there. 
Well, one thing led to another and finally I found a distributor for the stuff in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown and purchased a few jars - some for me and some for my friends. Buckwheat flour is the 'carrier' for the pure hing (asafetida) - and this stuff is strong! The closest I have ever come to the real hing aroma. You only need a pinch. 
While I was at the warehouse - Hari Australia - the proprietor named Devraj (adorned with vaisnava tilak) explained to me that fariri referred to fasting in Gujarati culture - specifically on the holy grain-free days of ekadasi. It seems the more common word is 'farali' - faral means fast - and I guess it all boils down to different dialects and regional languages. In a nutshell, if you do an internet search, you won't find fariri, but you will find farali. Are you still keeping up? 
Anyway, while there I also found another product that I hadn't been able to track down. The item in question was samo - a Gujarati favourite on ekadasi fasting days that approximates the use and mouthfeel of rice without breaking the fast. Also known as samo seeds, samo rice, moraiyo, varyache tandul, and bhagar in various Indian regional languages, it can be used for rice-like dishes, khichari, creamy milk puddings and anything that normally would use rice. 
That's it above, close up and larger than life-size - a bit smaller than sago - in fact pretty much the same size as millet. There's loads of recipes on the internet, but I thought I'd ask my readers if anyone has a favourite samo recipe. Anyone?
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.4.27 -The satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.
4:29 A.M. Poem for November 25 Suddenly a cowherd boy blew on his flute and immediately the Lord was struck with ecstatic love. He fell to the ground unconscious. He foamed about the mouth and His breathing stopped. Just then, ten cavalry soldiers belonging to the Muslim Pathan military order rode up and dismounted. Seeing [...] Poem for November 25 is a post from: EVERY DAY
From My Autobiography The autobiography is a work-in-progress. I have written already of my pre-Krishna conscious memories and my career in ISKCON, and I will continue to do so. Now I am writing on the books I have written over the thirty-five years. Because writing is so important to me it is a crucial part [...] Selected Writings is a post from: EVERY DAY
"Even if our japa is filled with distractions, Krishna is pleased with our repeated attempts to bring the mind back under the control of the holy name."
From Vandanam: A Krishna Conscious Handbook on Prayer
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Submitted by : Mahabhagvat Das
A lady hurried by, something about what she said in response to my call "Yoga and Meditation?" made me follow her a few steps. She stopped and asked me what was yoga and why people say different things about yoga. I started explaining, and showed her the books. She kept looking through one, then another one, then another then back to the first one, then another, flipping pages, trying to absorb something from them, frantically switching from one book to the next to the next.
During the conversation, She told me her name, Gladys, that she was from Nigeria, that she had seen and heard this "Hare Krishna" many times. Eventually it got so cold that I offered to step into the mall, she agreed. She looked through the Bhagavad Gita again and again, and kept flip-flopping whether to take it or not. She expressed concern, what if she doesn't get anything out of it. I said what did she have to lose then anyway, as at the moment it didn't seem that she had anything any way, no loss. She expressed she didn't have much money. I handed her the softcover and said she could give me whatever she had. She expressed concern that she was not able to understand anything of what she read. I said that's because she kept flipping back-and-forth... that if she sat down and read carefully, few pages every day, she would understand, because the book was written for people like us who had trouble understanding complex things
Somehow or the other she counted out little coins, holding on to one particular toonie, which looked shiny, identifying it as her "new coin" which she did not want to spend. Then she took the Bhagavad Gita softcover, and said that if she didn't understand it, she would bring it back. I said I'd give her something even simpler to read in that case, and that simply keeping the book in her home would bring her good luck, but reading would help her more.
She resisted chanting the Mahamantra for some reason, but kept the invite to the Sunday feast.
I wondered how it was that someone would be very much attached to a shiny coin that had the same value as a dull-looking coin, but had so much trouble beating down the mind which kept posing objections, that kept urging her to shop and shop, even in spiritual books. Then I wondered how long I had been in that very same situation before somehow being fortunate enough to accept some little bit of devotional service, and I felt great compassion for this poor soul.
Submitted by : Mahabhagvat Das
One scruffy young man stood about 10 feet from me, begging. A passerby gave him a cigarette. As I approached him, he lit the cigarette and began to inhale deeply that poison. I had asked him if he was interested in yoga and meditation, and he said without hesitation "yeah man, sure, I am interested". Having stood for a long time and heard different forms of negatives, I was pleasantly surprised. So I asked him if he'd practiced yoga, and he said no. I showed him the Bhagavad Gita which he appreciated. As I showed him the pictures, he said I was preaching to the choir. I asked him where he'd heard all this - he told me his friend had told him this when he was high on acid once. He said he didn't have any money, and I believed him. So I asked him if he had even some change, as little as one cent, for a smaller book that costs us less to print. He pulled out all the little coins, likely he'd begged them by standing on the street. It wasn't a lot, but he picked up Bhakti Yoga, the Art of Eternal Love, saying his girlfriend was really into this, that she would love that book. He chanted with me the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, told me he was a musician. Before he left, I gave him Chant and Be Happy, thinking he would really be attracted by George Harrison. I also gave him an invite to the Sunday feast, and he said he'd come with his girlfriend.
He took the book, shook hands, and left. In another 2 minutes, I saw him about 50 metres up the street, showing the book(s) to someone else. The people looked at the books but didn't take them. He moved on.
I don't know if the man will read the books, or will distribute them in exchange for some worthless pieces of sense gratification, but regardless, he has participated in the Sankirtan movement of Lord Chaitanya in his own way, now my prayer is that Lord Chaitanya should please pick up this scruffy young man from the stress and confusion of trying to get high by artificial means, and become a devotee of the Holy Names of God, and stay High up for ever.
Submitted by Mahabhagvat Das
I met this young boy who was rushing by but something (or Someone) made him stop and said "yeah man, yeah, actually, what am I doing, just walking around, yeah, I will hear what you have to say". I spoke a few sentences about the Bhagavad Gita, the people who read it and benefited from it, yoga, meditation, and I asked him for his name. He replied with his name - Sebastian. I then asked him what he did. He began to tell me how he was in a special school working off issues with anger. I told him I had issues with anger also, and it got me into a lot of trouble. He said he was getting out of those troubles now. He then spoke about how everyone should have an open mind, about how everyone should be free to speak, and there should be more patience and tolerance in this world. I gave him a mantra card and asked him to chant. Half-way through the mantra, he stopped and asked me if I was tricking him into glorifying Krishna. I said I will tell him what the mantra meant as soon as we finished chanting once without interruption, and we chanted together. Then I told him that the mantra would help him totally conquer anger, that it helped me a lot. he compared it to counting to 10, and said, that doesn't really work, but this was more majestic. I said it was magical, it always calmed one down, and I said I'd been practicing for many years and had personal experience of its power. I told him that reading the book will also help him conquer anger also, on a deeper level too. He said he'd surely read it. He gave me a donation, practically all he had at the time, wished he had more to give. I invited him to the sunday feast, asked him to come with friends and have a great experience with food, drumming, chanting, music and singing... he shook hands and departed.
I just reflected upon this bright spark, part-and-parcel of Krishna, and wondered if it was being out of touch with Krishna that was making him so angry, and what made him stop and chat with me, take the book, chant the Mahamantra. I pray he reads, I pray he chants. I pray he pursues devotional service wholeheartedly.
Click here to view the video on YouTube. After the class Prabhupada leads an arotik kirtan and you can see Radha Vrindaban Candra, Jagannath, and a sweep of the assembled devotees, including multiple sannyasis, of then and the future, and departed vaisnavas.
Cruising the net I found this picture of my daughter Manjari. See it in larger size here. Manjari is the one sitting on the ground. 
From the site: “A friend of mine was a Hare Krishna devotee back in the 80′s. I was intrigued with her lifestyle of devotion to Krishna, so when she invited me to spend some time with her at New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna community and temple in West Virginia, I jumped at the chance. “This image is one from my time at New Vrindaban. I got to know some of the devotee children, who were a wonderful mix of devotion and joy, as were all the devotees I got to know in the week I spent there. “On this Fine Arts Friday, I’m dusting off this favorite image. I love the way they are so unaware of my camera. Kids usually ham it up when they see a camera, but these kids just went about their business.”
Filed under: News, Ramblings or Whatever        
By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 25 Nov 2011  | ISKCON Food Relief Foundation’s Midday Meal program—which feeds over one million meals of sanctified, nutritious vegetarian food every day to underprivileged children in ten Indian states—was named the “Best Organization in Social Work” at the D.Y. Patil Annual Achiever’s Awards on Sunday November 13th.
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By Indradyumna Swami for www.travelingmonk.com on 25 Nov 2011  | Fruits, flowers, beautiful gardens, parks and reservoirs of water with ducks and swans playing in the midst of lotus flowers, and cows giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for developing the finer tissues of the human body.
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THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON LORD KRISHNA’S PASTIMES IN VRINDAVANA IS THE SIXth LECTURE IN A SERIES OF SEVEN, GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI. Transcription : Her Grace Madhuri Radhika Dasi / Her Grace Shyama Mohini Dasi / His Grace Vrajendrasuta Dasa Click here for www.naam.hat blog Vrajendrasuta Prabhu Editing : Her Grace Hemavati Radhika [...]
By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 25 Nov 2011  | Residents of Seattle are set to get a sneak preview of a new documentary film about spiritual activism, directed by Radha-Vallabha Dasa—a brahmachari monk at New York’s Bhaktivedanta Ashram—on the 12th anniversary of the famous Seattle WTO protests.
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By Eric Lipton and Clifford Krauss for The New York Times on 25 Nov 2011  | Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, on a former cattle ranch and gypsum mine, NRG Energy is building an engineering marvel: a compound of nearly a million solar panels that will produce enough electricity to power about 100,000 homes.
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By Contributor for www.kvoa.com on 25 Nov 2011  | The main course at most Thanksgiving dinners was the guest of honor at Govinda's restaurant - the vegetarian buffet had a turkey strolling the outdoor patio on US national holiday on 24th of November.
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(Click on the pictures to view them in big) An ecstatic article was sent by His Grace Ramkinkar Dasa from Queensburg, South-Africa on a Harinam-Sankirtan Party organized by the ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum. Chief Organizer Divesh Maharaja in the middle of the picture Lord Krishna blessed over 300 devotees with the most beautiful morning. He [...]
[The Won-Durr Boiz diary series is based on four ex-gurukuli brothers (surname: Durr) coming together for the first time to share Krsna consciousness with the outside world. Madhavendra Puri (the author and middle elder) has been waiting in Radhadesh (Belgium) for his brothers to arrive. Nitai Canda (the eldest) and Rupa Gosvami (the youngest) arrive first, and Bhisma Deva (the middle younger) is scheduled to come half way through. Their adventure takes them through Belgium, Germany and Poland, for rathayatras, festival tours and kirtana events. These diaries aim to bring inspiration and joy to the readers, and hopefully encourage others to entangle themselves in Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtana movement – whether for the spiritual benefits or simply for the fun.] 
[Boys are getting crazy.]
Sent by His Grace Chandrasekhara Dasa Click here to read the full version of the letter in a seperate window. An Open Letter from Bhakti Charu Swami BY: HH BHAKTI CHARU SWAMI Nov 23, 2011 — NEW DELHI, INDIA (SUN) — Letter of clarification – Bhakti Charu Swami, McPhar Geosurveys, Sudipto Mukerji. [...] Last month in Shri Vrindavana I stayed in a room at the Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust (also known as The Tamal Krishna Goswami Research Centre). The property, which is on Vrindavana's Parikrama Marg, is the former home of Tamala Krishna Maharaja. Maharaja was one of Shrila Prabhupada's senior-most disciples, and many of his own disciples still serve ISKCON here in Melbourne Yatra. Guru puja is offered daily in Maharaja's Vrindavana rooms, and devotees are welcome to visit and take darshan.
 Neeraj Prabhu, the manager at the property, also works for Food For Life Vrindavana (FFLV). I remember some years ago watching Food For Life distribute free lunch prasada to all comers from the foyer of Srila Prabhupada's Museum Building at Shri-Shri Krishna-Balarama Mandira. It was begun in 1990 when sweet rice was served to visiting pilgrims.
Since then FFLV has extended its service to the residents of Vrindavana Dhama. Four of the students from FFLV's Sandipani Muni School were portrait models for us at the BBT Painting Seminar. The bullock cart that carries students to school often passed me as I walked the Parikrama Marg. A troupe of the School's talented dancers amazed us at the Annual Youth Performance Night in Balarama Hall.
How sobering it is to have the children of Vrindavana beg you for money as you pass in the street. Not only Vrindavana's human residents, but her cows and dogs also approach you for prasada.
Shrila Prabhupada's response to such need was to establish regular prasadam distribution and goshalas. It is inspiring to see FFLV fulfilling his desire thatprasadam be distributed liberally in Vrindavana, and to help the devotees to serve the cows and bulls at the Bhaktivedanta Goshalla.
Please do take the opportunity to visit Shri Vrindavana Dhama yourself, if only with your mind's eye on the path of shastra:
'Today or tomorrow this worthless material body will leave me and all the material happiness connected with it will also leave. Because material happiness is temporary, it should be understood to be only a mirage of the real happiness. O my mind, please abandon this false happiness and enjoy the real, eternal happiness of devotional service within the land of Vrindavana.' (Shrila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Shri Vrindavana Mahimamrita: Sataka 1.24) This is my mantra when I broadcast the Japa Room but it's easier said than done...generally during our Japa we are listening to the ramblings of the mind and occasionally we hear the mantra, then back to the all-pervasive mind. This is a big test for most chanters, we have that choice for each bead, each mantra....the choice to listen to Krsna in His Holy names, or listen to what we have to buy at the shop, or something that happened yesterday or something that is coming up next week. When we feel ourselves listening to all these mental thoughts, then like a switch....we need to switch back to the sound of the mantra and keep doing this time and again until the mind gives up. At this point we will start to feel something from the chanting....we will feel the Lord's spiritual energy enter our hearts and our minds. This is all the Lord's mercy on us....when we make this effort to focus on Krsna through the sound, then the Lord sees our attempts and bestows upon us this eternal spiritual energy. Let us all try, for each and every bead....to bring our mind back to the sound of our chanting, and become absorbed in the Lord's nectarian blissful energy. The beginning stages of definition! Some time back, an idea of Gaura-Shakti & Friends cooking for a Sunday Feast at Toronto's famous Hare Krishna Centre was thrown out onto the table! Everyone loved the idea, arrangements were made and the date was booked for Sunday, November 13, 2011.
As the day began, a few of us started at around 11:30am. The Chinese-themed menu that we came up with was definitely ambitious and seemed almost impossible to cook for the 400 guests that come every Sunday for a spiritual experience at the Hare Krishna Centre. However, when you are inspired nothing can stop you and when you do service with others, there is no better feeling than getting things done in a sweet and caring mood. :)
For many of our volunteers, it was their first time in the temple's kitchen and so they got a chance to learn about the high standards of the temple kitchen. It was explained to them how cooking in the temple kitchen is a meditative experience and that the kitchen is looked upon as belonging to Srimati Radharani - Lord Krishna's divine feminine energy. So it was a fun learning experience for all.
It also was a wonderful bonding experience for both Gaura-Shakti members and our friends. We are already looking forward to cooking many more Sunday Feasts with different menus. Here's a fun little behind-the-scenes look at what was certainly a special experience!
 Chanting Hare Krishna on Puri Beach
"May the pastimes of Sri Krsna reduce the miseries existing in the material world and nullify all unwanted desires. The pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are like sikharini, a blend of yogurt and sugar candy..."
(Vidagdha Madhava) May the darsana of Sri Krsna have the same effect on us. ]]]]]]] A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Friday 25 November 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 Mix Sand in the Sweet Rice uploaded from London, United Kingdom One of the most delicious, tantalizing foodstuffs relished by devotees is sweet rice. But if sand is mixed in the sweet rice, it is ruined. In the same way, if you want to experience the unlimited bliss of Krishna consciousness at every moment, you have to keep it pure. You have to keep it as it is. Don't mix any kind of sense gratification or mental speculation into your Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is pure. We are not. But when you absorb yourself in Krishna consciousness, your consciousness becomes purified and you will gradually regain your original, natural, ever-increasingly nectarean consciousness. On the other side of the curtain of reality is an eternal, all blissful, all-luminous world, in which the all-beautiful, all-powerful, all knowing, all-renounced, all-wealthy, all-famous Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna is simply waiting for your return. He is your best friend. Do not disappoint Him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Unlimitedly Sweet Lord Krishna http://www.backtohome.com/images/Krishna/Gopal_Krishna2.jpg Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Why is the World Population Increasing? I am a student of the University of Mauritius. I attended one of your lectures in Mauritius and found it very inspiring. I have a question concerning the concept of reincarnation, and I would be grateful if you could enlighten me. We know that the rate of criminality is increasing everywhere across the world while the crimes perpetrated are absolutely horrible. This means that more and more people should be born as lower beings (animals, trees, etc.). But this is not the case. The world population is increasing all the time. How do we explain this? Praneet Answer: More Souls Coming from Animal Kingdom It is a fact that because of increased sinfulness more and more people are going down to the animal and plant kingdoms. But kindly note that the present increase of human population is not coming from these sinful people. The increase is coming from an increase of souls coming up from the animal kingdom to take human birth. This is a great good fortune for them because they now have the opportunity to take to Krishna consciousness and become delivered from the cycle of birth and death. This is why it is essential that we now try to enlighten the entire human society in the ultimate self realization science, Krishna consciousness, so that everyone who has reached the human form in the karmic evolutionary cycle can be delivered from the ocean of birth and death. We want that everyone should now understand and be able to practice the science of connecting the individual self with the Supreme Self through pure loving devotion. 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 1972 November 25: "If you preach sincerely, anyone will listen and become convinced. The potency of Krishna Consciousness movement does not come from some outward show, no - it is the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Krishna Mantra, Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, and Srimad Bhagavatam."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 More Recent Articles |  |
Chant Chant Chant Kirtan Weekend with Ramai Swami 
