Article sent by His Grace Ramkinkara Dasa Today’s youth, students, pupils and the people in general are bogged down with the huge challenge of managing their time and getting their jobs done in good time. Frustration sets in as not all the tasks that were planned for the day gets done. There is a need [...] Mr ME Mthimkhulu MPL, Deputy Speaker in the KwaZulu-Natal Legistlature, Qualified Teacher and holds a Bachelor of Administration Degree in Public Administration and Politics was desperatly looking for a Bhagavad Gita. He was pleased to receive a copy from HH Bhakti Vasudev Swami. Sent by His Grace Ramkinkara Dasa Too Bad Ben missed out on receiving one of Srila Prabhupada’s books or meeting with an Iskcon devotee. Since we have started deploying on the Internet, who wants to discuss with me creating a YouTube response to Ben Breedlove ? Sent by Ramananda Raya Dasa (Ramananda.Raya.BCS@pamho.net) Silence will be broken soon. Meanwhile, check out this beautiful video of Mayapur—with footage taken from a mechanized drone flying overhead, controlled on the ground by computer. Congratulate Prananath das of New Zealand for his devotional techno-artistry. http://vimeo.com/29039887 Srila Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Site sdgonline.org:
| | | 4:50 A.M. Poem for January 2 Evening Pastimes, 8:36-10:48 P.M. Krishna Goes to His Bedroom (Continued) Before Krishna goes to sleep He puts on His jewel-inlaid slippers and steps onto the veranda of His bedroom along with His entourage of servants. He stays there for some time appreciating the incredible sweetness of the atmosphere, and [...] |
Srila Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Site sdgonline.org:
| | | From My Autobiography The autobiography is a work-in-progress. I have written my pre-Kŗșņa conscious memories and memories of my career in ISKCON, and I am continuing to do so. Presently I am writing reviews of the books I have written over the last thirty-five years. Because writing is so important to me, it is a [...] |
I just have to share this with you.
I am in Manchester with an Indian devotee family.
These people are so kind to me that they made me a birthday prasadam (raw) cake and celebrated my birthday 8 months in advance.
They said I might not come back before my birthday so they want to make sure I get a cake and a candle.
And this was all orchestrated by their 14 year old daughter. She said they are celebrating my birthday, Christmas, New Year, and my departure from Manchester - all at the same time.
Their 10 year old son is very affectionate to me and wants to be with me all the time.
What can I say?
I know I do not deserve it. It is a pure mercy of the Lord and his devotees, and their children.
I pray that I can serve them for a long time to come and reciprocate in many, many ways. 
Vaiyasaki Das and the Kirtan Explosion Band will be playing at Kirtan fest Click here to check out the Facebook Page
Click here to get more info at Govindas.com.au
Click here to book your spot Some spiritual truths cannot be conveyed in words—but are carried instantly to the soul when experienced directly through music. Vaiyasaki Das, a tenor and international kirtaniya, travels the world transformig hearts by the chanting of the Divine Names of the Supreme. His kirtan music features inspirational sacred music gathered from many Kirtan traditions from India and Bangladesh. Vaiyasaki, an initiated disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, spent many years in India and Bangladesh since the 1970′s learning the ragas inherent to the various kirtan styles from master kirtan musicians, saints, and singers who inspire whole villages in Bangladesh to join in the ecstatic chanting of the spiritual celebration of kirtan. Since the 70′s he has toured introducing raga kirtan and devotional Bengali music in 5 continents, recorded 12 CDs, and written two books how the kirtan/yoga culture was transplanted to the West. His considerable knowledge of the vast repertoire of Indian bhajans has provided the foundation for a new generation of artists, in the flourishing genre of kirtan yoga and mantra meditation. Each of his musical recordings is intended as a heartfelt offering from the heart. His CDs include: The Way of Love, Charana Kamal, Kirtan Rasa, Hari-Nam-Ananda, Transcendence, Vrindavan Chandra, Chaitanya Chandra, Ratha-Yatra USA, Bhakti-ratna Mala, Best of Vaiyasaki, Sri Krishna Divya Nam -the beautiful divine name, & Kirtan Explosion -high energy kirtans. “Vaiyasaki Das’s kirtan music is imported from the spiritual world. His voice is a gift from the gods. When one hears his otherworldly vocals, the heart opens and the mind becomes soothed. He transports listeners to a divine realm, wherein every word is a song and every step is a dance. Making use of prodigious recording skills and his innate musical talents, his CDs reflect this spiritual phenomenon, enabling listeners to experience sonic bliss.”
-Steven J. Rosen, author, Yoga of Kirtan 
Share this story your way:  Print Facebook Twitter Google Bookmarks StumbleUpon Yahoo! Buzz del.icio.us Digg Live MySpace PDF (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Dec 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)
 Animals are different, since they are acting upon instinct and nature, and therefore there is no accountability. In the Vedic or the eastern context we speak of karma (the law of action and reaction) and that every action has a reaction. So it is explained that whatever is happening to us today is the result of previous karma (previous actions). So in this way nothing is exactly happening by chance, but things are happening due to what we have done in the past…. that is the idea of karma, and with our actions of today we are creating the future – we are influencing the future. So that is interesting – that our actions have reactions. Well, when I first heard that, I found it very interesting and you also see it in the west, and: ‘as you sow you shall reap’. It is coming back in the cross-cultural scriptures, and I noticed that the man is the architect of destiny. From there of course spirituality comes in. Understanding that the Supreme proprietor is everything and certainly not the human being. When you enter into a nature reserve, then you see some animals behind fences because human beings are in control, and they decide where some animals go and which one goes where. Maybe in previous times lions were also found here, but not anymore, since we decided that they don’t go well together with our picnic spot, and so therefore, there are no more lions. Mankind tends to control and take control. We are governing the entire planet, but it is said in the Bhagavad-Gita Gita that we cannot claim proprietorship, since if we do this then we are over stepping our boundaries. For instance, what if you found a piece of land and put a fence around it and claimed it as yours? We call that squatters and so on. So the point is that the land was here long before us. The land was here and different people came at different times and claimed this land as theirs…. and again and again people claimed: “This is my land…. it is mine!” But for how long? We have seen many big empires that so much power that is now faded away. It looks like that once the British were everywhere but these days they are less and less…. and that England is not doing so well. It is economically struggling…. quite a bit. When you visit there, then you see that. Especially outside of London, life is not at all economically as comfortable as it is in South Africa, where life in many ways is not bad at all…. if I look at it in my travels. So we are seeing that empires come up and disappear, and that history has shown many empires………………………………………Therefore in the thirteen chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Gita it is making the point that: ‘Man is not the proprietor of this world. Man is the caretaker.’ As human beings, we are the caretakers and not proprietors! That is the concept of the Vedic literature, and as human beings, one should be acting in this world on behalf of God and His interest, His values and be like an agent. A caretaker is like an agent. He is supposed to represent his proprietor…obviously, yes everyone has some independence and that is not a problem, but it cannot be excessive and it cannot go against the purposes of the proprietor!  (Kadamba Kanana Swami, Dec 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)
 It is said that according to the behaviour of people, nature will respond. So Vedic culture says that the behaviour of nature is directly relating to the behaviour of people on the planet, which is something that I have never thought of before. It had never occurred to me that there might be a co-relation. But yes, and the reason is of course is because nature has a divine origin, and behind it is the Supreme Lord, and everything in this world is going on under the control of the Supreme Lord. As the Bhagavad-Gita Gita explains:
‘Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord’. It is not that He is personally involved with every aspect of it, and that He has a super computer to control ‘R’ for rain and ‘S’ for sun…. or turn up the wind a little. No, these things are simply going on by His will, by His desire. He doesn’t need to sit in the control room and make sure that nature has it cause. But still nature is acting according to a divine plan. So in nature one can see a divine blue print…a kind of a divine plan behind nature, and in that way when I sit here in this little reserve, then naturally I am reminded of that spiritual aspect behind everything. One doesn’t exclude the other. We are very much here in this location. It’s not that we are not in this world…. we are! It’s not that spiritual life means that we do not deal with this world. Of course, we deal with this world – we live in this world, and we take care of it, but it’s not the all and everything…. it’s not that that’s all there is…. just working and every once in a while a holiday is taken…. we just have some leisure time, and enjoy having a picnic, or whatever people have…. and that there’s nothing more. Generally speaking it doesn’t really matter in what tradition of the world we are looking, but basically whether we are looking at the European tradition where Christianity became very prominent..or whether we look at a Middle Eastern tradition where Islam became predominant….or we are looking at a more Asian tradition where Hinduism became is predominant…. or even far Asia where Buddhist tradition are more prevalent…whatever it maybe, we are finding that in all these kinds of traditions the human form of life is recognised to be in a unique position amongst all other forms of life! The human form of life is standing out in that sense. In the human form of life one is held responsible for one’s actions, which is sort of a common understanding.  
It is interesting that most of my recent conversations have been surrounding relationships, break up, finding the right person or maintaining during turbulent times. Indeed as the soul is eternal we need to connect and feel this thing called love a deep connection with another living entity; indeed we see ourselves in relation to our loved ones and pit great emphasis on them; so when there is great difficulty or break up so much hurt that cuts deeper than any thing giving sways of uncontrolled emotions. We place so much trust, exert so much energy into the pursuit of entering into a relationship and the rejection if there is one is hard to bear; and if it is reciprocated then still problems as there is always difficulty in the material world. And if we over come all of this there is still hurt as death sneaks up and takes that special one away; grieving over such loss is the greatest of emotions felt in this material world. 
Some times we give up in the pursuit of a relationship, but this is impossible as we are forced by the laws of material nature; we have to connect for loneliness is the greatest fear everyone has. So we connect with a pet we shower them with the love and affection we once showed others, or move from one hurtful relationship to another. Fear of being alone
Fear of being unloved
Fear of not being able to give love Material nature simply means the pursuit of eating, fearing, mating and defending; indeed if our pursuit of a relationship or if the relationship we are in is under threat then great fear and anxiety and we defend our position with as much strength as we can muster. It has had me pondering, as we all have felt at some stage the pain of break up were we feel all consumed in a black hole were death seems the only way out of our misery; or were our love and affection or desire to be with a particular individual is not reciprocated, what’s wrong with me? Or we pursue it to the point were we become a nuisance and embarrassment. Resenting or looking at those who appear to have it all, Why o Why cannot that be me O deserve to be loved like that; but in the material world what appears to be the most perfect of relationship will end as time waits for and does not stop so eventually death forces us apart. It has had me thinking more and more about the spirit soul and our relationship with Krishna, what pain we have been inflicting on the spirit soul and how we ignore it in pursuit of what is fleeting happiness and an eternal love. This is true reality our eternal connection with Krishna, if we wish to experience real love then it is simply by our putting the same effort as we put trying to pursue a temporary love and happiness into something that is eternal, ever fresh, ever new. If we feel so much pain when we make even the most fleeting of connections then how much pain is the spirit soul in being separated from Krishna; isn’t and shouldn’t this be our pursuit? But this is easier said than done as we simply connect with and identify with this material body and pursue it’s happiness above all things; seeing it as the hear and now, the most important thing; and so time and time again we line ourself up for misery. Unless we see things in the terms of our relationship with Krishna, that our temporary material relationships help us develop our eternal relationship with Krishna; then strength. 
Vaishnavas from BRISBANE to NEW GOVARDHANA and everywhere inbetween! Surfers Paradise – Bhakti Yoga Centre, Suite 1c, Trust House Building (above Jasmine Restaurant), 3070 Gold Coast Highway When Tuesday
Time 4PM until 7PM As an extra addition to the NEW GOVARDHANA SUMMER FESTIVAL, We would like to invite you to attend a very special Harinama with His Holiness Jananada Swami! Maharaja enjoys Harinama everywhere he travels and is amazing to see dancing continuously for hours. He has requested that we gather as many devotees as possible from both Temples and the Surfers Paradise Preaching Centre to COME TOGETHER at SURFERS PARADISE as this location is right in the middle of the invited devotees and right in the heart of the Gold Coast City with plenty of patrons to benefit frm hearing the Holy name. We will meet outside the Bhakti Centre before and including 4pm on Wednesday the 4th of January 2012. For more info contact Nitai – 0422 724 920 We Hope to see you all there! http://www.bhakticentregoldcoast.com.au/ Share this story your way: PrintFacebookTwitterGoogle BookmarksStumbleUponYahoo! Buzzdel.icio.usDiggLiveMySpacePDF Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 17 August 2011 6:30:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: Poem for book distributors for Vyasa Puja day
>
> This is a poem by Dravida Prabhu to Srila Prabhupada about his most pleasing
> mission of book distribution in honor of his Vyasa Puja day.
>
> 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.
>
> As years go by and books go out,
> We see what life is all about:
> To serve your mission, and our Lord’s,
> By spreading wide your sacred words.
>
> As well you want us all to strive
> To let those words direct our lives.
> This safest path will lead us Home,
> No more in Maya’s realm to roam. Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 27 August 2011 3:26:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: Prabhupada nectar
> >
>
> Prabhupad was travelling to South America with his two
> servants, the temple where they’d been gave them a packed lunch for
> the plane, so in the air Srutakirti Prabhupad’s servant opened
> Prabhupad’s lunch pack and served him his prasadam of puffed rice and
> peanuts. Prabhupad had his fill and handed over the remnants to
> Srutakirti who’d just began eating when the lady air hostess comes
> over and in one motion says that looks tasty and grabs a handful
> throws it in her mouth. Prabhupad smiled, Srutakirti was somewhat
> shocked. She then asked why bring your own food. Srutakirti informed
> her that they are vegetarians etc etc. She immediately said is there
> anything else I can get you, fruit milk? Prabhupad said “Hot milk”.
> Five minutes later she returned with three cups of hot milk she got
> from First class. Prabhupad thanked her and the devotees discussed
> among themselves Prabhupad remarking that it is a natural nature of a
> pious woman to serve……. Anyway over the years this had become one
> of Srutakirti’s favourite Prabhupad pastime stories to tell.
>
> Anyway now part two, he was recently again in South America doing a
> preaching tour enlivening devotees there (and selling his book “What
> is the difficulty?”) and he told that story in Brazil. Afterward one
> devotee came up to him and asked would Srutakirti prabhu like to hear
> an amazing story? This devotee was out in some remote village going
> door to door selling books when he knocked on a door a lady opened the
> door wearing tilak. She then invited the devotee in and her house was
> like a little temple,an altar with Deities, pictures on the walls and
> all of Prabhupad’s books in Portuguese in her bookshelf. The devotee
> just had to ask her how she became a devotee……. She said she used
> to be an airline hostess some years ago and she met the author of
> these books, he was so saintly and gentle and kind that she looked up
> who he was and what he did from his boarding pass name. She then got
> some of his books and began to read, they said to chant so she chanted
> and offer her food to Krishna, so she did all that and became a devotee
> from that small contact…. Srutakirti was amazed, while at
> the same time understood the potency of Prasadam and even a moments
> association with a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupad. Now that has
> become one of Srutakirti’s favourite stories to tell also.
>
>  Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 31 August 2011 9:30:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: Nice pride
> >
>
> Jaya-gopala: If we are on the street and collecting money and we are
> thinking, “Oh, I am a very good collector; I am collecting so nicely.”
> Prabhupada: Yes, Yes. You are very good collector for Krsna.
> Jaya-gopala: But if we…
> Prabhupada: Yes, yes, you should be proud, you should feel proud: “I am
> working for Krsna very nicely.” (laughter) We don’t reject anything. Even
> this pride, yes. “I am greater servant of Krsna. Yes, I am proud.” That
> pride is nice.
>
»» Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.46-62 Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 4 September 2011 3:44:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: A questionable character, concert mayhem and a prayer in the morning
> >
>
> 1. You Never Know
>
> Prabhupada Marathon 2010: One night at about 8 o’clock a sketchy-looking
> fellow called me over into the shadows of the Miami street side. He
> opened up his heart and told me about the problems he was facing in his
> life. He seemed slightly crazy or intoxicated. I considered ending the
> conversation when I thought it was going nowhere, but I decided to give
> him a little more time and condolence. After a few more minutes I
> insisted he take a book, telling him it would really help him. He gave
> me quite a large donation 
Lord Nityananda's lotus feet are as cooling as a million moons...
and so is His darsana. May He mercifully relieve us from the inferno we have been boiling in over the past couple of days! Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 8 September 2011 4:12:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: Re: Paul
> >
>
> Haribol, Prabhus,
>
> Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
>
> I was distributing books at Santa Monica College in California recently
> when an elderly man (Paul) came walking by slowly, stopped, looked at my books,
> and said, “Krsna, Hare Krsna?”
>
> I said, “Yep, you got it right.”
>
> “I don’t see you guys anymore.”
>
> “We’re still around. You just have to look a little more.”
>
> Then he started looking at the Bhagavad-gita and I showed him the
> illustrations. When I showed Paul the changing bodies illustration, I
> said jokingly, “Where are you here, Paul?”
>
> He pointed to the old guy almost at the end.
>
> I said to him, “I’m not too far behind you. Nowadays when people get old
> they play checkers or cards and just try to pass the time tell they die.
> But this is when they should use their valuable time to understand who
> they are, what the goal of life is, and what’s going to happen at the
> time of death. Paul, don’t be like those old fools and waste these
> valuable last years of your life [he was about 75]. Read this
> Bhagavad-gita. And if you follow the instructions, you can go back to
> the spiritual world, the kingdom of God.”
>
> He looked at me and asked, “You’re sure there is such a place?”
>
> “Oh yes, as sure as you and I are talking right now. And if you don’t
> develop your love for God, then … Do you see how the soul is going
> into another body? [I was still showing him the changing bodies
> illustration.] You’ll have to do that again For the planet Iskcon readers Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 13 September 2011 3:16:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: Always Be Ready for a Lesson
> >
>
> One day during the 2010 fall semester at Louisiana State University, I
> learned from a person who had no prior experience the proper mood for
> distributing transcendental books.
>
> As I stood on campus late one afternoon, I prayed to Sri Gurudeva to be
> inspired to try harder to give Srila Prabhupada’s books to others.
> Suddenly I noticed a fellow approaching and quickly recognized him as
> the same student wearing a tie-dyed shirt who had just taken a soft Gita
> only a few minutes earlier. “Oh, great,” I thought, “he looks like he’s
> in the mood to chat. Can’t he see I’m busy and it’s getting late?”
>
> “Hey, any luck with those books?”
>
> “Yeah,” I replied. “Thanks again.” I turned away, hoping he would keep
> walking. Still, a voice in my heart beckoned me to remain open. Maybe he
> would sincerely want to know more about Krishna’s teachings.
>
> “Why do you sell these books?” he asked. I told him, in a nutshell, the
> story of how I came to Krishna consciousness.
>
> Listening closely and holding the Bhagavad-gita in his hand, he seemed
> confident and enlivened. I learned that his name was Derek and that he
> studied nuclear physics. He had recently been accepted into an elite
> program where he would be trained as a specialist for the Navy, a career
> which would take him to many places around the world.
>
> “Can I come along with you and help?” he proposed. By now I got it
> through my thick head that this was Krishna’s plan. Perhaps I should try
> not to get in the way.
>
> “Sure! Follow me and try to catch on.”
>
> We walked into the student union, where I presented a book to a boy who
> listened to my presentation but wasn’t interested. I assessed my attempt
> and told Derek my conclusion.
>
> “If you stop them purposefully,” I explained, “they become more receptive.”
>
> “Can I try that one?” Derek asked, smiling and pointing to the hardcover
> Bhagavad-gita in my hand. He took it and immediately approached the
> first person he saw standing by the cafeteria entrance.
>
> “Do you want to learn about Hare Krishna today?” he asked the young
> lady. She was quiet and stand-offish. He continued: “This is an
> important book because it teaches the real religion. Even the Catholic
> God comes from Hare Krishna, so this the most original scripture, not
> the Bible.”
>
> When she showed no interest and started to leave, he asked, “You have
> time to read the menu posted on the wall, but not this great book?”
>
> As she walked away, he didn’t seem at all disappointed, but rather more
> enthusiastic to try again.
>
> “Where did you learn to preach like that?” I asked Derek.
>
> He replied calmly, “Well, the Baptists are more in-your-face than that,
> right? Why not tell the people how it is?”
>
> As we continued touring the premises, it seemed that each person Derek
> approached would stop, at once become pleasant, and offer his or her
> attention. Stepping outside of the student union, Derek directed us
> toward a young lady sipping a coffee she held in one hand while reading
> a book she held in the other.
>
> “This is Shannon,” he said to me. “Shannon, do you want to learn about
> Hare Krishna today?” He quickly convinced her to hear my presentation
> and take a book. She gave a donation and decided to join our newly
> formed preaching yatra. The three of us ventured toward the student
> apartments, stopping students along the way.
>
> We met Derek’s roommate on his way to the gym and spoke to him about our
> books and the importance of spiritual education. Our real religion, we
> explained, is to live simply, without artificial “necessities,” to use
> our energy for God’s service, and to depend on God in all circumstances.
> He agreed that this is how one learns to become honest and tolerant, and
> tears of appreciation welled up in his eyes.
>
> Next Derek stopped a Christian girl who claimed she was very devoted to
> studying only the Bible. He told her that Hare Krishna is actually what
> she was searching for, and then he looked to me for further explanation.
> I thanked her for worshiping the Lord and told her that the
> Bhagavad-gita would enrich her understanding of God’s personality, which
> would be a great service to Christ. She agreed and gave a nice donation.
>
> In this way, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, the books quickly took
> their paths into the arms of so many different types of students. What
> brought us together was the urgent desire of Derek to wake up the
> sleeping souls at his school. We must have glimpsed the mood of
> Mahaprabhu’s nagar-sankirtana in Sri Navadvipa dhama: selfless, focused
> endeavor for spreading Krishna’s glories.
>
> After Derek sold more books than I did, emptying my bag, he, Shannon,
> and I walked back to the sankirtana bus and enjoyed some light prasadam
> and group chanting, and I taught them how to chant japa. At the end of
> the day, Derek and Shannon walked back to the campus in a blissful mood
> while we drove away to the next engagement.
>
> Your servant,
>
> Dwijamani Gaura das
>
> > >
>
> Kadamba Kanana Swami
>
> I was travelling to India, and there was a lady sitting next to me who was a
> yoga teacher. She was going to India for training with Iyengar. She was a
> serious yoga teacher, because Iyengar is serious yoga.
>
> So anyway, she was a serious person, wasn’t just in general but a thoughtful
> serious person. We had a nice discussion on spiritual topics, but I didn’t
> immediately tell her that I was from the Hare Krishna Movement, since I was
> just preaching.
>
> Then she said, “So, actually what are you?”
>
> So then I explained, “Well okay I’m a member of the Hare Krishna Movement.”
>
> “Oh,no! Hare Krishna? Oh no!”
>
> So I asked, “Well, what happened to you? Did you have a bad experience with the
> Hare Krishnas?”
>
> She replied, “I got so badly cheated. You know I have one problem. I cannot say
> no!”
>
> So you can just imagine, a sankirtan devotee found a lady who just couldn’t say
> no! So she got a full set, the whole set, the complete everything, all the
> small books and everything. I don’t know how much she paid but, she must have
> paid a lot for them. Then her husband came home, and there was a big drama!
> She spent so much money on these books, and they had been standing
> there and they are like the joke of the family. Whenever there was a family
> gathering, they have to make some jokes about her books:
>
> “Oh! Look at them! There they are!”
>
> She cannot throw them away, because she spent so much money on them. The books
> were just standing there to testify for her stupidity now she got cheated! So
> this is the story she had told me on the plane. Then I said, “Well, how do you
> know that you got cheated? Did you read them?”
>
> “No, actually no, I never read the books.”
>
> “Why don’t you read them? Maybe they’re really nice, if you read them and find
> them really nice, then you can tell your whole family, “Actually I didn’t get
> cheated they are good books, they’re really nice.”
>
> She said, “This is great! I’m going to read those books!”
>
> So sometimes just a conversation with someone can make a world of difference,
> that is also giving!
>
> Akruranatha Dasa says:
>
> This reminds me of the popular English fairy tale, “Jack and the
> Beanstalk.” Young Jack’s mother, driven by poverty, sends the boy to the market
> to sell the family’s only milk cow. However, a silver-tongued salesman
> convinces Jack to trade the cow for “magic beans” which he brings home. The
> mother, thinking Jack had been swindled, throws the beans out the window.
> Overnight they germinate and grow to a giant stalk that reaches beyond the
> clouds, to a magic castle where Jack finds his fortune.
>
> Perhaps the books this young woman who could not say “no” to will help her
> grow a giant bhakti stalk that pierces the sky and leads her to a world of
> magic and fulfillment beyond her family’s wildest dreams.
> (Text D:5483578) Mucukunda das Begin forwarded message: > From: “Vijaya (das) HDG (USA)”
> Date: 24 September 2011 1:59:00 AM AEST
> To: “BDN (Book Distribution Nectar)”
> Subject: The basic principle of missionary activities.
> >
>
> The pure devotees are not only satisfied by knowing everything about the Lord,
> but are also eager to broadcast the information to others, for they want to see
> that the glories of the Lord are known to everyone. Thus the devotee feels
> satisfied when such an opportunity is offered to him. This is the basic
> principle of missionary activities.
>
> SB 2.5.9 purport
>
> Mother Cow: Check out this video on YouTube:
Mucukunda das
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.34 - Three trees: the tree of material existence, the desire tree of the Vedas, and Mahaprabhu's tree of Love. 
The Yoga of Eating: A book by Paul Turner, Director of Food for Life Global. Food Yogi is a completely new approach to holistic living. Until now, books on healthy living and nutrition have focused on the mechanics of health and happiness, and in doing so, have promoted philosophies and plans that in one way or another have alienated vast numbers of people. As a result, despite volumes of literature and research there is no consensus on what diet or mode of living is best. What they have all failed to identify is one underlying truth that connects us all and from which all health plans can be reconciled and/or elevated to their ultimate stature. That truth is: our constitutional nature is spirit and we are all
spiritually equal. Any healthy living program therefore needs to
address the “nutritional” needs of body, mind and spirit. Utilizing
scientific facts and logical argument author Paul Turner introduces the reader to higher concepts of self worth, replacing the selfish ideals of impersonal consumerism with a philosophy of grateful, interdependent spirituality, where health and happiness, are not the exclusive domain of a chosen few, but are possible for everyone. This book aims to encourage the reader to start making food part of their daily spiritual ritual. The Yoga of Eating covers a wide range of topics related to food with the aim of making people think more deeply about their food choices and how important food is to their spiritual development. The book leads the reader along a path of becoming more aware of the divine nature of
food to the point where they are then introduced to The FOOD OFFERING MEDITATION, which summarizes the lessons learned along the way and serves to put them in the right frame of mind to transform their eating into a spiritual experience. Paul Turner has taught The Yoga of Eating at vegetarian conferences around the world for the last 15 years. Based on the positive responses from my seminars, He feels strongly that the public is fully ready to embrace the ideals of FOOD YOGA and this book will provide the unbiased guidance they need. Joel Salatin of PolyFace Farm, Fresh, and the academy award nominated Food Inc. speaks about the new food paradigm this way: “There is a certain sense of sacredness that can come from our connection with our food: Having a relationship with our farmers, seeing and knowing where our food comes from, being present while
preparing it, giving thanks or making an offering, and most importantly being present while eating. Generally, we would be lucky to have part of this equation going just some of the time. The ideal is having the full chain of events working in our lives on a regular sustained basis. This is what the new paradigm of food is striving for.” Click this link to find out more and to get your copy of “The Yoga of Eating” http://theyogaofeating.com/2012/the-yoga-of-eating-is-available/ Share this story your way: PrintFacebookTwitterGoogle BookmarksStumbleUponYahoo! Buzzdel.icio.usDiggLiveMySpacePDF  Vimanas- the flying machines of ancient India are recorded in the Vimanika Shastra, which is undoubtedly a modern version based on earlier texts. These crafts along with missiles (brahmastras) and nuclear warfare make the pages of the most ancient scriptures of India, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are thousands of years old. 
1970 January 2: "Forty years before when two of my eldest God-brothers came to London with this mission they simply devoted their time in lecturing in some renowned public place and inviting some leading politician to preside over the meeting." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 1970 January 2: "When I began my preaching work in New York I never followed this policy of lecturing amongst stereotyped politicians or society elites. If I had, I think I would have gone back to India without any success." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 1970 January 2: "By the grace of my Guru Maharaja and Krishna, this policy of Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam has become successful in the practical field. Please follow this transcendental policy with heart and soul." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 1972 January 2 : "In the spiritual world the center is one. If you draw innumerable circles they will not overlap. Similarly, whoever is rendering service, there is never competition or maliciousness." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 1972 January 2 : "Krishna Consciousness means practical living, not something utopian, idealistic or vague. We simply do the needful, whatever pleases Krishna most, that's all. That you will learn by studying our books." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 1973 January 2 : "Krsna Consciousness movement rests upon the words of Krsna, so if people can read for themselves what Krsna is saying, then they shall understand. Otherwise it will be very difficult to convince them." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973 1973 January 2 : "So many big big lawyers, doctors, government ministers, professional men are there. So make many, many life members amongst this class of men, that will be your great contribution." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973 1974 January 2 : "When I was alone in India I introduced my books in so many libraries and schools. The American Library of Congress took 18 copies. If you try you will get also an order for 18 copies of all our books." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 1974 January 2 : "An initiated disciple although he has respect for the Christian Bible, nevertheless must understand the Bhagavad-gita and must apply all study there and not spend time unnecessarily with other literatures." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 1975 January 2 : "We should have a little common sense in all activities. Deity worship or lecturing in the colleges is just as important as book distribution. Not that we should do one thing at the sacrifice of another." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 “Obviously, our life is dependent on supplies from the Lord. Even for our manufacturing enterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal, sulphur, mercury, manganese, and so many essentials — all of which are supplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should make proper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose of self-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberation from the material struggle for existence. “This aim of life is attained by performance of yajnas. If we forget the purpose of human life and simply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratification and become more and more entangled in material existence, which is not the purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore we are punished by the laws of material nature. A society of thieves can never be happy, because they have no aim in life.” Bhagavad Gita 3.12 “If I am to know the will of God, I must have the right attitude toward life. I must
first of all know what life is, and to know the purpose of my existence.” Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955: 63. Filed under: Thomas Merton         The Bhagavad-gita (14.10) states how the subtle forces of nature known as the modes exert competing psychological influences on us. Their contrary influences cause our feelings to change rapidly, unpredictably and inexplicably, for example, from introspection (goodness) to agitation (passion) to frustration (ignorance) Some of us may experience this downward spiral when we try to apply sensible principles from self-help books, principles that often align with the mode of goodness. However, our horserace-paced lifestyle catapults us into the mode of passion which creates priorities at variance with our principles. Further, passion eventually – and often inevitably – degenerates into ignorance; our unbalanced priorities create relentless stress that makes us seek relief in self-defeating practices, indulgences that offer fleeting pleasures and lasting troubles. Principles in goodness, priorities in passion, practices in ignorance: this aptly describes the fate of self-help. The Gita (14.26) points the way to real self-help: seek divine help. Devotional service connects us with a power greater than the power of the modes – the power of God – which empowers us to resist and reject the self-sabotaging influences of the modes. Then we can harmonize our principles, priorities and practices, and gradually experience fulfillment internally and achievement externally.  By Rayaramananda dasAn office of the ISKCON Daiva Varnashrama Ministry and Sahyadri Sri Krishna Balarama Kshetra promoting Rural development based on cow protection, Vedic agriculture and Rural technologies were inaugurated today 1-1-2012 in the town of Hebri, Syndicate Bank complex, Karkalla taluk, Udupi District with the blessings of His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami  By Mona MehtaSwami Bhakti Vigyan, head of the Russian chapter of the ISKCON spoke to Mona Mehta on the day a Russian court rejected the plea to ban the Gita Dear Brijabasis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Malati Prabhu is unable to lead the memorial service for her Grace Yamuna on Tuesday this week. The event takes place on: Thursday, January 5, 2012
6:00 pm
Temple room Please join us to glorify Yamuna’s service to Srila Prabhupada! Your servant,
Jaya Krsna das Kadamba Kanana Swami
(26 December 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)  Irreligion leads to materialism, selfishness and ultimately a world where man takes it that he is the proprietor. But unfortunately, disputes will arise between different proprietors that will create tension and war. Therefore irreligion, on the long-run, is not going to benefit society. There are many arguments for that, for example, the ecological issues. If you want to really improve the environmental issues, the difficulty is that you have to get people into the spirit of making sacrifice because there is profit to make.
Ok, maybe I cause some pollution but I make a lot of money. So, how could I let that go? And, you know, I don’t live so close to the factory that it bothers me personally. I make sure that I live in a nice area. That’s how it works in the world… what to do!? So in all these environmental conferences, generally speaking, the topic comes up that we have to change the mood of people to a different spirit and how can we create this kind of mood of sacrifice. Inevitably, someone raises the point that only spirituality can really motivate people to make such a sacrifice. So that’s an ecological argument in favour of religion.  Some years ago in Manila, in the HIV conference, the point made was that the condom campaign had not worked. It had not really stopped the spreading of HIV and abstinence was the only thing. So then again, how can you get to that abstinence? Unless there is some spirituality, it’s very difficult… otherwise how can people be motivated towards that.
We see that on many fronts where the world is facing serious difficulties, that actually a spiritual orientation is offering practical solutions. 
VICARU DAS [TKG]
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
UK Srila Parasar Muni explains the meaning of Bhagavan, which is the opulence in six ways:
THE MOST POWERFUL,
THE MOST FAMOUS,
THE MOST WEALTHY,
THE MOST KNOWLEDGEBLE,
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL,
THE MOST RENOUNCE
When all these opulence combine together and when it is found in any person in full that simply means that person is the supreme god. And sometimes people think that any person can be god; if you find in this world that some one may be very wealthy but he may be not so renounced or may be he is very renounced but may not be so knowledgeable or beautiful or powerful there is always something lacking, so not possessing these six qualities in full than how can he be a god? and the other side Krishna is so beautiful that he charms the whole universe by his beauty and and 33 million demigods work under his direction. So now lets see the description of how Krishna demonstrate each of those six qualities: No.1 the power; How when he descended on this bhaova vrndavana more than five thousand years ago he killed a 12 miles long she demon called PUTANA when he was only a baby. And than King Kamsa when he invited Krishna and Balarama to Mathura he prepared a giant elephant to kill Krishna but Krishna without any effort killed the elephant; than there were two ferocious wrestlers name Chanura and Mustika, Krishna and Balarama young boys at that time they killed these two wrestlers. Now if you go these days to Vrndavana you can visit this huge Gorvardhana mountain, which was when he came to Vrndavana first in Satyuga he was eight yojanas long [64 miles] five yojanas wide [40 miles] and 16 miles high (but now its disappearing due to certain curse and in ten thousand years it will be totally disappeared); Sri Krishna lifted this hill from its root on his little butter soft like weakest finger for seven days and seven nights without any hard labour. It is said that if some one is very powerful he may be very sickly but sickness never existed in Krishna. People generally due to lack of knowledge about God are more prone to worship any human being in this world if he has some mystic power, (which is in one sense received from the lord anyway) if he happen to produce some amount of gold, jewels or ashes or some material opulence people begin to worship him as god. So in Srimad Bhagavatam tenth canto chapter fifty the whole description about how in Mathura, Vasudeva and Devaki and other Yadu Vamsi were leaving so Krishna liberated King Kamsa and than how Kamsa’s father in law named Jarasandha he tried seventeen times to attack the residents of Mathura in order to destroy Yaduvamsa and kill Krishna. 17 times he brought millions of aksohini soldiers to attack the Mathura Vasis but each time Sri Krishna killed all of them accept Jarasandha, was survived and Jarasandha tried 18th time to kill Krishna; this is the madness of a demon they always think that somehow last time I missed it let me try another time to attack this time I can kill Krishna so he kept attempting to kill but was bewildered. So than when Jarasandha tried 18th times by this time another demon arrived there with 30 million soldiers in Mathura this great demon named Kalyavana arrived. So its double attack Krishna thought that today this Kalyavana arrived and tomorrow Jarasandha is attacking so he began to think what to do, how to destroy these two attacks. Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna a;ready knew what to do but to perform his pastimes he began like a ordinary person to think and plan how to counteract with them; Krishna thought its not easy to kill 30 million soldiers and on top that Jarasandha is arriving tomorrow to attack Mathura I have to do something about it, he thought if I attack Kalyavana than Jarasandha will kill Mathura Vasis. So Krishna and Balarama thought for a while and decided to create a 96 to 100 miles of gola inside the sea.. to create a Dwarka city in the middle of the sea.., Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna only decided for a moment and he created a Dwarka city just in overnight through the help of his architecture [visvakarma ji] to protect Mathura Vasis so that they can live peacefully and no soldiers can reach there and attack them. So now krishna created the city so far away from Mathura in the middle of the sea in Dwarka so now how to transfer all the residents of Mathura to Dwarka just in overnight; Krishna the supreme mystic by his yoga maya potency he transferred all the residents of Mathura just in overnight when in the night all the residents of Mathura went to sleep Krishna without any effort he transferred all the residents to Dwarka just in one night. And when all these people wake up in the morning they all found themselves sleeping in their bed in a golden palace situated in the middle of the sea surprise surprise only Krishna can do this kind of things who else can do? No one else full stop. Srila Prabhupada said []thats krsna] he can do things that no other nonscience god can do claiming to be god so let them do this. Hare Krishna
Thank you for reading
Sri Krishna Balarama ki jay Your Servant
Vicaru Dasa
It has been some time since I’ve been to Brighton so it was nice to be invited to the New Year Celebrations 12 hour Kirtana. Here is a small video
 A lot has changed since my last visit, the temple room has been complete and the small congregation has grown and the addition of beautiful deities: 
The prasadma is still something to behold, so sweet and it is so nice to see so many willing volunteers wanting to serve those who came to take part: 
The nearly 500 mile round journey from here in Wales, finishing work travelling down to returning to Wales back onto shift although tiring was well worth it just to have such lovely devotee association. Hope it gives you a small flavour of what you missed and how beautiful devotee association is Sent by His Grace Ramkinkara Dasa These are some of the wonderful realizations shared by HH Bhakti Charu Swami and HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami on the final 3-Day program held at the New Jagannath Puri Temple of Devotion held in Phoenix, Durban, South Africa. The 3-Day Festival formed part of the New Year celebrations [...] It's always a fun tradition to do YouTube searches after our annual New Year's Eve Harinama (jubilant outdoor chanting). Every year, as tens of thousands of people ring in the new year at City Hall, we bring our drums, cymbals and portable speakers to help usher in the new year with mantras beautiful bhakti-beats! This time around was no different and over 100 devotees joined in the harinama! A quick search on YouTube provides a few highlights as captured by the public! Check it out. This first video was captured by someone just as we arrived at our spot and began to chant (about 15 minutes before midnight). This YouTube user commented on their video, "See what we found in downtown Toronto on New Years eve !! :) ... everyone WAS grooving with this ONE !!!"  This second video certainly captures the craziness and fun of the kirtan!  A few amazing things happen in this third video. First of all, at the beginning of the video, you hear a man speaking into a microphone with his own portable speaker (similar to the one we use). As the kirtan group passes by him, this gentleman in a black jacket feels inspired and proceeds to hand his microphone to Bhaktimarga Swami (at around the 25 second mark). He even sings into the mic a little later on. Then, at the 1:47 mark of the video - an amazing swarm of bats began to dance and fly through the air above Yonge and Dundas! We thought they were birds, but the astute YouTuber indicates that it was a swarm of bats! Check it out!  BBT press release The BBT is pleased to announce the release of the annotated scans for chapter seven of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. They are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes. This is a historic chapter because here is where Srila Prabhupada switched from typing manuscripts himself to using a dictaphone. What sort of difference did that make? Included with the scans are twelve sample pages from the manuscript, including both typed and dictated portions. So you can see for yourself. read more I’d like to every day let y’all in on the “daily slide” of the temple that I live in.
How i will do that is upload the text we used for our daily transcendental discourse at least an 8 minute audio nectar segment of the discourse, a couple of photos of the deities in the temple and maybe some photos of other aspects of the temple environment like the meals and devotees going about their various devotional services, maybe a snippet of the Kirtan (more audio), a dairy entree about my days attempt at pure Bhakti or devotional life including realisations and a record of my success or failure in meeting my daily goals to please my guru and Radha krsna, maybe a recording of a conversation I had with a person on the street while attempting to distribute books or a recording of something else I wanted to say and share that’s relevant, true, pleasing and beneficial, a YouTube vid, some photos of other cool stuff to inspire us in Bhakti and
Mucukunda Tonight, January 1st, we celebrated our annual Srila Prabhupada Festival at Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre. In honour of our beloved spiritual master, check out this blissful video!  THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER 1, QUESTIONS BY VIDURA, TEXT 14, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI ON 25 MARCH 2008 IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA. Transcription : Her Grace Ranga Radhika Dasi Editing : Ramananda Raya Dasa Audio reference: click here Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om [...]  Skype conference with Russian devotees, May 3 (English)
 By Giriraj SwamiMost resolutions take the form of “do’s”—things I resolve to do—and “don’ts”—things I resolve to not do. And Vedic wisdom tells us that all do’s and don’ts should support one main do—always remember Krishna (God)—and one main don’t—never forget Him On Friday the 24th of December, a group of students and teachers from Sri Mayapur International School led by HH Bhakti Purusottama swami, went on a memorable trip to Sri Nityananda Ram’s birthplace: Ekachakra Dham. The bus left Sri Mayapur dham early in the morning and reached Ekachakra around noon. read more Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.33 - We need satisfying relationships with devotees to be satisfied in spiritual life. Festival of the Holy Name – Bada Haridas Prabhu – Hare Krishna
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Monday 2 January 2012 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: The Supreme Adventure Within uploaded from Melbourne, Australia Why be bored or waste your time pursuing goals that will never give you lasting satisfaction? Those who are wise focus their lives instead on achieving the ultimate goal, the awakening of pure love of God within their hearts. By seriously pursuing this pathway they experience the supreme adventure within as they deepen their loving relationship with Krishna more and more and more over the vast span of eternity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Revealing the Supreme Adventure Melbourne, Australia--31 December 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Melbourne-Lecture.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Overcome Anger? Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am bit short tempered. I easily get angry sometimes for no reason. How to overcome this anger? Manish B. Answer: Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude The way to overcome anger is to cultivate and attitude of gratitude seeing everything that happens to you as the special mercy of Krishna to help you come closer and closer to Him. 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 2011-2012 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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