The year is 1965. An elderly Indian swami arrives in New York City determined to start a worldwide spiritual movement. After a harrowing sea journey on a freighter, where he suffers two heart attacks, his only possessions are a few cases of books and eight dollars, he meets a few people willing to help him. From a small storefront on Second Avenue in New York’s East Village, a worldwide spiritual movement miraculously takes form.
In a vividly personal and up-close account of the beginning years of the Hare Krishna movement (1966-1969) in three cities: New York, San Francisco, and London, Mukunda Goswami, one of the first members of the religious group, describes the optimism and energy of those early followers of His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, whom they affectionately called “the swami.”
Mukunda Goswami takes us to the Bowery where he first helps the swami move from a dingy rented loft to a small Lower East Side storefront in Manhattan—thus founding the first Krishna temple in the West. Gradually the number of followers increases and includes many icons of the sixties such as Allen Ginsberg.
During the “Summer of Love” (1967), after opening a temple in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood (the center of the hippie movement), Mukunda and a handful of followers bring the swami from New York to join them. They host the Mantra Rock Dance concert, where the swami appears along with some of the biggest names in rock music. Thousands chant along with the swami, and cement the small movement’s importance to the American counter culture. In 1967 this same small group of spiritual pioneers heads to London. There they befriend George Harrison and John Lennon of the Beatles. George helps them open a temple and produces the Hare Krishna Mantra “45” single which quickly rises to the top of the charts, turning Hare Krishna into a household phrase. A few months later George produces the Radha Krishna Temple album. One of the recording’s tracks includes the Hare Krishna Mantra and another track is the hit single called Govinda.
Success in these three cities catapults the small spiritual movement into a worldwide phenomenon. Mukunda Goswami brings the reader along with him to those years and those times. One feels the intimacy the early followers had with Srila Prabhupada, and we experience the movement’s formative years in those unusual times. “Miracle on Second Avenue is the best description yet of those fine days of endless horizons, when everything was possible…”
— from the Introduction by Shyamasundar Das Adhikari
The Bhagavad-gita (16.7-20) describes the mentality of the godless materialists who ruin themselves and those around them by their inordinate infatuation with temporary things. Their tragic life-story can be summarized as cry, vie, lie, die, fie.
Cry: Being enslaved by their innumerable and insatiable self-centered desires, they live in a state of perpetual inner dissatisfaction, forever craving, worrying and crying for more. (16.11-12)
Lie: Their uncontrollable and irresistible desires drag them into ignoble and immoral actions (16.12)
Vie: Their moral blindness make them ruthlessly competitive and abusive against whoever comes in their way, and they delight in scheming violence and even murder (16.13-15).
Die: All their materialistic scheming is abruptly terminated when they run full speed into the dead end of death. (16.11)
Fie: Having let their untrammeled materialism torpedo their spiritual consciousness and devotional opportunity, they find themselves in post-mortem arenas with little, if any, spiritual or even material prospects.(16.16)
Tie: The Gita (16.24) concludes the chapter by urging us to tie our intelligence to scriptural directions and by the strength of that upward connection protect ourselves from being dragged down by our own self-defeating materialistic obsessions.
The title of Srila Prabhupada’s lecture in this issue—”Attaining Krishna’s Abode”—expresses what, according to Lord Krishna Himself, should be the goal of every human being. Krishna’s transcendental kingdom, as Prabhupada calls it in his lecture, is the only place where we can fulfill our innermost desires.
A few articles in this issue spotlight the challenges we souls meet in the material world. Chaitanya Charana Dasa helps us understand karma and its connection to our suffering. In “Face to Face with Frustration,” Murari Gupta Dasa explains some spiritual solutions he draws on when faced with inevitable setbacks. Yugavatara Dasa’s “The Crow Story that Changed My Life” teaches that the satisfaction eluding us in material life can be found only in Krishna consciousness. And in “An Appointment with Mr. Death,” Vraja Vihari Dasa tells how he witnessed that a devotee of Krishna can cheerfully face even the ultimate challenge.
To take our Krishna consciousness from theory to realization, pure chanting of Krishna’s names is required, as Sankarshana Dasa explains in “Revolutionize Your Heart and Revolutionize the World.” And in “Krishna on the Page,” Urmila Devi Dasi shows how a spiritual revolution could even begin in children’s reading class.
Hare Krishna.—Nagaraja Dasa, Editor
The Jan/Feb issue of the magazine is online and waiting for you. And if you’re already a subscriber, log in and set up your account with your subscriber number, and you can read the whole issue online. Bonus material will be posted for for subscribers and non-subscribers. And even better… give us your feedback by rating the articles you read so we know what you like:
4:26 A.M. Poem for January 4 Late-night Pastimes, 10:48 P.M.-3:36 A.M. Meeting Krishna Meanwhile, Krishna gets up after a short nap and starts playing His enchanting flute. The messenger of Krishna’s flute affectionately urges Radhika to hasten to Syama. With the help of that messenger Radha abandons Her pride and hurries toward Her destination. Radha [...]
This morning we read Shri Narada Muni's instructions on Shrimad-Bhagavatam: 'While performing duties according to the order of Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one constantly remembers Him, His names and His qualities.' (SB 1.5.36)
Shrila Prabhupada gives practical directions: 'An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can constantly remember the Lord's name, fame, qualities, etc...No one will disagree to partake in a function where good singing, dancing and refreshment are administered. Everyone will attend such a function, and everyone is sure to feel individually the transcendental presence of the Lord.'
So get ready to celebrate Nityananda Trayodasi, The Festival of the Chariots, Gaura Purnima, Rama Navami and Narasimha Chaturdasi!
The Gaura Purnima edition of FOLK news - which highlights these festivals - should be delivered next week. Meanwhile here is your online version. (Please note that this file may take some time to download.)
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Dec 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)
When we are taking up a spiritual path, then we also have a tendency to suffer. Spiritual people also go through so many things, but their aim is not to contribute towards that suffering, and not to cause suffering to any other living beings. Those are their objectives.
As I have explained earlier, that in this world, we are all experiencing some degrees of suffering, because the fundamental nature of life also has suffering within it – ageing, disease, death…just to name a few fundamental things, which have nothing to do with externally created things.
Nature also has a lot of cruelty intent. In the animal kingdom one animal attacks another and so on and they are not free from suffering. So suffering is there in this world. Spirituality means that we are not aiming to add to this suffering, because isn’t a word like ‘salvation’ found in all religious traditions? To relieve people from the suffering, is the objective and we are not going to contribute towards suffering. Then we say, that whatever suffering we are going through, then that is through previous choices and activities. So it is said that the living being came to this world in the first place, because he turned away from God!
From My Autobiography The autobiography is a work-in-prog]ess. I have written my memories of pre-Kŗșņa conscious experience and my career in ISKCON, and I continue to do so. Presently I am reviewing the books I have written over the last thirty-five years. Because writing is so important to me, it is a crucial part of [...]
"O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss..."
(Sri Iso Upanisad. Verse 16)
O Maintainer of the universe, thank You for Your darsana; thank You for allowing us to see Your form of bliss.
Somewhere round midnight, I could see the shadow of one man standing beside me. I don’t know from where he had suddenly popped up. I was shivering from within and tried to keep my poise as I continued to chant the mahamantra...
Have you thought about moving further into the techological fray and buying yourself an eReader? Even though it might seem daunting to face yet more new technology, there are reasons why you should – the most compelling being that you can easily store all of Srila Prabhupada’s books (and so many others!) on one handheld device (storage capacities vary)
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
As you might recall, some months ago the BBT announced a new discovery: a manuscript page for Bhagavad-gita As It Is, chapter 10, text 36, with a sentence handwritten by Srila Prabhupada but never published, in any edition
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Dec 2011, Sasolburg, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Although nowadays people see me and say: “Go get a job!”
In other words go and do something useful. Or some say:
“Go and get married. Be normal. Why can’t you be just normal and responsible……….and work…. be a productive citizen. A productive member of society”.
But the truth of the matter is that, I think that my talk makes it clear when I say that spirituality is not some sort of a little thing on the side, but actually it is the very basis of a peaceful, happy and progressive society! Naturally I have chosen for the Vedic tradition, which I am representing. I have tried to speak in an open way, and more towards the common principles that exists in all spiritual traditions, and I have emphasised the value of it. On another occasion, we can talk about the differences, big traditions and what the whole topic is about, because maybe these differences exists here on our level, but maybe not from a divine perspective.
From here there are big differences: ‘ This tradition, that view, that tradition’. But if you look at it from a bigger context than actually from a divine perspective, then we are basically dealing with the same principles that are simply expressed differently in different cultures!
"Miracle on Second Avenue is the best description yet of those fine days of endless horizons, where everything was possible, when Krishna consciousness would become a world wide religion" --Shyamasundar Prabhu
In a pre-industrial world, a young boy would learn a trade under his parents in a sort of familial apprenticeship. By the time he was a young man, he would be expert in a particular field, providing basic financial security. Such an early economic foundation would allow him the freedom to pursue higher learning, instead of being solely focused on mere survival throughout his adult life. This was one of many wonderful aspects of pre-industrial society.
But, times have changed. Many parents today, in our consumption-mad society, maintain a semblance of human virtues and values so entirely eroded by a corrupt educational system that mere sentimental affection combined with unnecessary plastic novelties become a sufficient gift for one’s progeny.
Many give kids a form of mindless entertainment, like a video game console, to keep them distracted long enough that the parents can contine to watch thier own adult brand of mindless entertainment, television, without interruption.
To witness millions of kids whose faces are glued to the screen of their pocket gamer, those precious human minds getting absorbed in complete non-reality, evokes mournful feelings for transcendentalists who seek the essential meaning of human life, as more intellectual causalities of consumerist industrial warfare take place.
You watch the kid just roll around on the floor, drooling to a video game screen totally distracted from learning anything meaningful what so ever, and uncomfortably squirming around awaiting personal attention as he is given his daily medicine in the form of complete intellectual distraction. The video game console is designed to suck up all their time, diverting them from the time they could be spending learning the beautiful truths of life and visiting great subjects such as art, philosophy, history, religion, and not to mention learning a practical work skill.
Parents in the other room are their watching “reality” TV as the brainwash program to segregate the members of the household beautifully and scientifically unfolds. The irony is that the parents actually feel a sense of accomplishment, that they were able to successfully able to divert their children’s minds. Because, the real world is actually scary and harsh, and to allow the children such reality denying comfort is actually considered laudable from their point of view.
And, how dare you tell such parents to introduce the kids to stark reality so early in life. The programmed parental response is, that “They are just kids, let them enjoy the fantasy. Later in life they will have plenty of time to learn about life in the real world and, thus they will go to school so they can get a job, and continue this bleak tradition. ”
Its as if they assume that kids don’t eventually grow up and become adults, and how the time spent as a child seriously affects thier outcome later in life. This is what this materialistic society is doing to people. It keeps people distracted in a under-developed child-like emotionally frozen state, killing their inner drive to seek knowledge and the truly thrilling quest of understanding our spiritual identity.
How many Batman movies and Spiderman movies are they going to make, that millions of child-like adults, line up, crowding the movie theatre to pay homage to a washed-up fictional hero?
Furthermore, are the video games that are coming out merely childish entertainment, or are they doubling for much more…
War Simulation Training
Actually there is a new shooter video game that is turning heads of Occupy activists. The game’s story line depicts a domestic terrorist attack staged by individuals who sound sympathetic to the 99 Percent movement. Sound like an interesting plot?
Here are a few quotes from a review in December issue of the magazine Game Informer about “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots,” a game that is due out in 2013 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
American’s Angry
“And why wouldn’t they be? With an exponentially expanding debt, crippling forclosures, corprate bailouts, degrading infrastructure, dwindling job market, and widening income gap between the have’s and have not’s, it’s getting harder to believe politicians when they speak of American exceptionalism as if it were a fundamental truth.”
“America’s volatile political climate serves as the jumping-off point for Rainbow Six 6 Patriots. The Latest game in the storied tactical shooter series eschews the exhausted Ruassian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern crises so common in contemporary shooters and challenges gamers’ perceptions by placing them in the roles of the elite tactical unit, the homegrown terrorists, and the civilians caught in the crossfire. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PULL THE TRIGGER ON A FELLOW CITIZEN?!”
An interesting comment I saw on Youtube:
“Hey Informed Gamers…we now have have the “smarter” “issue embracing” “game” you’ve been waiting for…shooting US civilians – constitutionalists and patriots no less. But let’s not be judgmental & make a ruling toward the obvious. We know you’re tired of shooting brown skinned foreigners, so kids, run out & buy Rainbow 6: Patriots, drink your fluoridated tap water & beverages, and start shooting fellow Americans. When you’re fully drugged & brainwashed, the fluoride providers will hand you the real weapons…”
I find it fascinating that people can be so programmed to not be able to tell the difference between entertainment and what obviously appears to be war simulation training. If the purpose in creating such games are purely for home “entertainment”, then why would the government invest $50M in making similar types of video games for combat training.
In GRAFENWÖHR, Germany, Cadets play DARWARS-Ambush during training at the Camp Normandy Noncommissioned Officers Academy in Grafenwöhr, Germany, on Jan. 20, 2006. The Army already uses a commercial first-person shooter video game — “DARWARS Ambush” — to train soldiers. Since 2006, PEO-STRI has fielded more than 3,000 copies of the game to the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Homeland Defense.
If you like playing video games such as these, go for it. It’s a free country, but don’t be fooled into thinking that such kinds of video games are simply for your personal entertainment. Television, movies, and video games have historically doubled as a form of social programming.
We have posted this video already before in May 2011, but that were 2 parts of 10 minutes each. So without further delay here is the fully featured video of 1 hour steaming Kirtan.
1971 January 4: "So I am glad that you are preaching in the outlands. That is very nice. The real life of a man is preaching. If one has got any life at all in him then he will preach." Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1972 January 4: "Have nice Deity program, always have lots of Kirtana, serve ample Prasadam very sumptuously and speak something from my books. If this is done in every center our movement will very soon become the world religion as has now been predicted." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1973 January 4: "My Dear George: Yes, if one simply comes to that platform of spontaneous love for the Spiritual Master, then very quickly he will get love of Krishna. It is not by accident that you are coming gradually to the right point, neither it is very common thing." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 January 4: "Not that they shall become your disciples, but you will be empowered by me to chant their beads and that is the same effect of binding Spiritual Master and disciple as if I were personally chanting. Is that all right?" Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 January 4: "Why you are asking these things? Who has given you such freedom? I have given you everything already, there is no need for you to add or change anything." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 January 4: "The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and create our own processes. Unless I order you to change, just follow to the exact standard as I have given you, that's all." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1974 January 4: "Yes, if we have too much money then unwise spending enters. You have just enough to get by and you are therefore having to spend wisely." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1975 January 4: "You have finished three chapters of Gita already. So they can be immediately printed and then as soon as you translate three chapters more they can be printed. In this way the whole book will be done in six volumes." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:
By His Holiness Danavir Goswami: If someone throws a ball, a dog will chase it very enthusiastically although there is actually no meaning to his catching the ball. Similarly, humans chase balls around in sports although such business is meaningless. In the next life such foolish humans lose their more intelligent human bodies and get the bodies of dogs to chase balls more expertly.
I have studied many alternative healing methods, yet I feel my healing power is also transmitted through the written or spoken word, through which I share my struggles, and successes on my spiritual journey. As important as hearing scriptural stories and spiritual philosophy are for helping awaken our sleeping spiritual self, I feel it is important to do so in a very personal way—to put a face on the path of devotion, not one with angel wings, but with warts, shortcomings, and injuries. Learning to be real, or honest with ourselves, and with others, is essential to call our spiritual progress. If we can’t uncover and face our darkness, how can we ask for help, or pray to overcome it? While socially we may feel pressure to look good, we have to actually be good. We may not be good in every way, but at least we can pray to gradually become better human beings, and better spiritual people. Divine life should always inform and guide our humanity, since the perfection of human life is to realize our nature as souls, and our loving relationship with God, who we Gaudiya Vaishnavas recognize as Krishna (in His original, most loving aspect).
Madhudvisha: Shrila Prabhupada, is there a jiva, is there a spirit soul in every sperm cell, or does that...? Does the spirit soul only come to a particular sperm cell, or is there one in every sperm cell, and the condition isn't right, so then it dies before, I mean, it leaves before it actually forms a body?
Prabhupada: Yes. The sperm, generally in every sperm there is spirit soul. But sometimes we put checks. The contraceptive method means putting check. Just like you pollute the milk. Then it loses his strength. So similarly, there are other circumstances which checks the sperm to inject soul.
Science - all sperms have the potential to form the embryo by uniting with the egg. Which sperm actually reaches the egg depends on which sperm has the soul with the consciousness that is compatible with the consciousness of the uniting couple.
Any activity that involves wastage of sperms - like masturbation or contraception - is considered wrong.
Why did God create a living being and then another living being to eat the former? For example, God created a deer and then a tiger to eat the deer. Why does he destroy his own creation? To simplify things, why did God create carnivorous animals (tigers, snakes etc) who live on the flesh of other animals?
THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER 1, QUESTIONS BY VIDURA, TEXT 15, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CHARU SWAMI ON 26 MARCH 2008 IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA. (Click on the pictures to discover the Treasure House Of India’s Spiritual Wisdom as presented by ISKCON Founder Acharya Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada) [...]
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other vedic texts there are descriptions of flying vehilces, vimana, that are described as having the propertie sof modern aircraft/. Altough written tousands of years ago the decriptions match and are consontent wth thise given by people who clain to have observed UFO visiting the earth.
It’s like teh wildest science fiction you will fnd today. People flying around in vehivles, blasting each oter and gaving areil flights, detroying whole cites grom the air.
This video from the History channel provides the detail
On Saturday January 14th there is going to be a Maha Go-Puja festival at New Gokula Farm on the day of Makara Sankranti. This day is considered as most auspicious for worshipping and offering services to Mother Cow and is a great traditional festival centred on recognizing the wonderful benefits that are offered by Mother Cow. The cow and the bull symbolize the pillars of religion, indeed Mother Cow is the abode of all the Devatas.
We would like to extend the opportunity to our entire congregation to participate in this festival which is the first in what we anticipate will grow to become a great annual event. The head Pujari (priest) of Sri Mandir in Auburn, Mr. Jatin Kumar, has kindly offered to direct the ceremonies for Go-Puja.
The schedule for the day will be as follows:
10:00 am Greetings and Bhajan 11:00 am Opening address by His Holiness ,Janananda Goswami. 11.30 am Go-Puja Ceremonies performed on behalf of sponsors 12:30 pm Temple Arati and Kirtan 1:30 pm Serving of Maha-Feast 2:30 pm Children’s activities e.g. cow milking, kite flying
(bear in mind that this program will run punctually in accordance with the Deity worship)
We have the following sponsorship opportunities available:
- Go Dhan (cow worship): $151 per family - Anna Dhan (serving Prasadam): 2 sponsorships $251 each - Full Day Deity worship: $251 - Flowers for festival: $108
Kindly RSVP your interest to Kaliya Krishna at newgokula@gmail.com so that we can arrange catering or organize your sponsorship.
Article Sent by Her Grace Chitralekha Dasa Picture sent by His Grace Dhanurdhara Das *nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale* *srimate bhakti charu svamin iti namine* *nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale* *srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine* *namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine* *nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine* *Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare* *Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, [...]
The pious and saintly Yudhisthira Maharaj asks the Lord, "Now please be merciful to me and explain to me the details of the Ekaadasi that occurs in the light fortnight of this month. What is its name, and what Deity is to be worshipped on that sacred day? Oh Purushottama, Oh Hrishikesha, please also tell me how You can be pleased on this day?
Lord Sri Krishna then replied, “Oh saintly king, for the benefit of all humanity I shall now tell you how to observe fasting on the Pausha-shukla Ekaadasi. As previously explained, everyone should observe the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi vrata, to the very best of their ability. This injunction also applies to the Ekadasi named Putradaa, which destroys all sins and elevates one to the spiritual abode. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Narayana, the original personality, is the worshippable Deity of the Ekadasi, and for His faithful devotees He happily fulfills all desires and awards full perfection. Thus among all the animate and inanimate beings in the three worlds, there is no better personality than Lord Narayana.
“Oh King, now I shall narrate to you the history of Putradaa Ekadasi, which removes all kinds of sins and makes one famous and learned. “There was once a kingdom named Bhadraavati, which was ruled by King Suketumaan. His queen was the famous Shaibyaa. Because he had no son, he spent a long time in anxiety, thinking, ‘If I have no son, who will carry on my dynasty?’ In this way the king meditated in a religious attitude for a very long time, thinking, ‘Where should I go? What should I do? How can I get a pious son? In this way King Suketumaan could find no happiness anywhere in his kingdom, even in his own palace, and soon he was spending more and more time inside his wife’s palace, gloomily thinking only of how he could get a son. “Thus both King Suketumaan and Queen Shaibyaa were in great distress. Even when they offered tarpana, their mutual misery made them think that it was as undrinkable as boiling water. They thus thought that they would have no descendants to offer tarpana to them when they died and thus become lost souls. The king and queen were especially upset to learn that their forefathers were worried that soon there would be no one to offer them tarpana also. “After learning of their forefathers unhappiness, the king and queen became more and more miserable, and neither ministers, nor friends, nor even loved ones could cheer them up. To the king, his elephants and horses and infantry were no solace, and at last he became practically inert and helpless.
“The king thought to himself, ‘It is said that without a son, marriage is wasted. Indeed, for a family man with no son, both his heart and his splendid house remain vacant and miserable. Bereft of a son, a man cannot liquidate the debts that he owes his forefathers, the demigods and to other human beings. Therefore every married man should endeavour to beget a son; thus he will become famous within this world and at last attain the auspicious celestial realms. A son is proof of the pious activities a man performed in his past one hundred lifetimes, and such a person achieve a long duration of life in this world, along with good health and great wealth. Possessing sons and grandsons in this lifetime proves that one has worshipped Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the past. The great blessing of sons, wealth, and sharp intelligence can be achieved only by worshipping the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna. That is my opinion.’ “Thinking thus, the king had no peace. He remained in anxiety day and night, from morning to evening, and from the time he lay down to sleep at night until the sun rose in the morning, his dreams were equally full of great anxiety. Suffering such constant anxiety and apprehension, King Suketumaan decided to end his misery by committing suicide. But he realized that suicide throws a person into hellish conditions of rebirth, and so he abandoned that idea.
Seeing that he was gradually destroying himself by his all consuming anxiety over the lack of a son, the king at last mounted his horse and left for the dense forest alone. No one, not even the priests and brahmins of the palace, knew where he had gone. “In that forest, which was filled with deer and birds and other animals, King Suketumaan wandered aimlessly, noting all the different kinds of trees and shrubs, such as the fig, bel fruit, date palm, jackfruit, bakula, saptaparnaa, tinduka, and tilaka, as well as the shala, taala, tamaala, saralaa, hingotaa, arjuna, labheraa, bahedaa, sallaki, karondaa, patala, khaira, shaka, and palaasha trees. All were beautifully decorated with fruits and flowers. He saw deer, tigers, wild boar, lions, monkeys, snakes, huge bull elephants in a rut, cow elephants with their calves, and four tusked elephants with their mates close by. There were cows, jackals, rabbits, leopards, and hippopotamuses. Beholding all these animals accompanied by their mates and offspring, the king remembered his own menagerie, especially his palace elephants, and became so sad that he absentmindedly wandered into their very midst.
“Suddenly the king heard a jackal howl in the distance. Startled, he began wandering about, looking around in all directions. Soon it was midday, and the king started to tire. He was tormented by hunger and thirst also. He thought, ‘What sinful deed could possibly have done so that I am now forced to suffer like this, with my throat parched and burning, and my stomach empty and rumbling? I have pleased the demigods with numerous fire sacrifices and abundant devotional worship. I have given many gifts and delicious sweets in charity to all the worthy brahmins too. And I have taken care of my subjects as though they were my very own children. Why then am I suffering so? What unknown sins have come to bear fruit and torment me in this dreadful way?’
“Absorbed in these thoughts, King Suketumaan struggled forward, and eventually, due to his pious credits, he came upon a beautiful lotus bearing pond that resembled the famous Lake Maanasarova. It was filled with aquatics, including crocodiles and many varieties of fish, and graced with varieties of lilies and lotuses. The beautiful lotuses had opened to the Sun, and swans, cranes and ducks swam happily in its waters. Nearby were many attractive ashramas, where there resided many saints and sages who could fulfill the desires of anyone. Indeed, they wished everyone well. When the king saw all this, his right arm and right eye began to quiver, a sakuna sign (for a male) that something auspicious was about to happen.
“As the king dismounted his horse and stood before the sages, who sat on the shore of the pond, he saw that they were chanting the holy names of God on japa beads. The king paid his obeisances and, joining his palms, addressed them with glorified praises. Observing the respect the king offered them, the sages said, ‘We are very pleased with you, Oh king. Kindly tell us why you have come here. What is on your mind? Please inform us what is your heart’s desire.’ “The king replied, ‘Oh great sages, who are you? What are your names, surely your presence reveals that you are auspicious saints? Why have you come to this beautiful place? Please tell me everything.’
“The sages replied, ‘Oh king, we are known as the ten Vishvadevas (the sons of Vishva; Vasu, Satya, Kratu, Daksha, Kaala, Kaama, Dhriti, Pururavaa, Maadrava, and Kuru). We have come here to this very lovely pond to bathe. The month of Magha (Madhava mase) will soon be here in five days, and today is the famous Putrada Ekadasi. One who desires a son should strictly observe this particular Ekadasi.’ “The king said, ‘I have tried so hard to have a son. If you great sages are pleased with me, kindly grant the boon of having a good son’
“ ‘The very meaning of Putradaa,’ the sages replied, ‘…is “giver of a putra, pious son.” So please observe a complete fast on this Ekadasi day. If you do so, then by our blessing – and by the mercy of Lord Sri Keshava invested in us – surely you will obtain a son.’ “On the advice of the Vishvadevas, the king observed the auspicious fast day of Putrada Ekadasi according to the established rules and regulations, and on the Dvaadasi, after breaking his fast, he paid obeisances again and again to all of them.
“Soon after Suketumaan returned to his palace and united with his queen. Queen Shaibya immediately became pregnant, and exactly as the Vishvadevas had predicted, a bright faced, beautiful son was born to them. In due course of time he became famous as an heroic prince, and the king gladly pleased his noble son by making him his successor. The son of Suketumaan took care of his subjects very conscientiously, just as if they were his own children.
“In conclusion, Oh Yudhisthira, one who wises to fulfill his desires should strictly observe Putrada Ekadasi. While on this planet, one who strictly observes this Ekadasi will surely obtain a son, and after death he will achieve liberation. Anyone who even reads or hears the glories of Putrada Ekaadasi obtains the merit earned by performing a sacrifice. It is to benefit all humanity that I have explained all this to you.” Thus ends the narration of the glories of Pausha-shukla Ekaadasii, or Putrada Ekadasi, from the Bhavishya Purana of Veda Vyaasadeva. This story has been summarized from the celebrated book, "Ekadasi: The Day of Lord Hari" 1986. HH Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute Press
From the camera of Indradyumna Swami (on Facebook)
Ujjain is called Avantipur in the ancient scriptures. It is where Krsna and Balarama attended the Gurukula of their teacher Sandipani-muni. The lake Krsna and Balarama bathed in is still there, as well as the kunda that Sandipani-muni bathed in daily. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati visited the sacred place he requested an asrama be established for his celibate students there. Many pilgrims visit daily to have darsan and remember the blissful pastimes of Krsna and Balarama.
“Ujjain is called Avantipur in the ancient scriptures. It is where Krsna and Balarama attended the Gurukula of their teacher Sandipani-muni. The lake Krsna and Balarama bathed in is still there, as well as the kunda that Sandipani-muni bathed in daily. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati visited the sacred place he requested an asrama be established for his celibate students there. Many pilgrims visit daily to have darsan and remember the blissful pastimes of Krsna and Balarama. “
I came across a great video depicting the bleak reality of modern society’s current economic model. This short film depicts the model of a careless and grossly materialistic American corporate culture which is nurtured by an ignorant, despondent, and highly-distracted-by-entertainment public.
In the simple and profound writings of the world renowned Vedic scholar, spiritual leader, and critic of America’s postmodern materialistic value system, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wrote:
The propensity to utilize nature’s own gifts is still there, even in the heart of modern civilized man. The leaders of modern civilization select their own residential quarters in a place where there are such naturally beautiful gardens and reservoirs of water, but they leave the common men to reside in congested areas without parks and gardens.
Advancement of civilization is estimated not on the growth of mills and factories to deteriorate the finer instincts of the human being, but on developing the potent spiritual instincts of human beings and giving them a chance to go back to Godhead. Development of factories and mills is called ugra-karma, or pungent activities, and such activities deteriorate the finer sentiments of the human being and thus turn society into a dungeon of demons.
“Human energy should be properly utilized in developing the finer senses for spiritual understanding, in which lies the solution of life. 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.
“As against this, the dungeons of mines, factories and workshops develop demoniac propensities in the working class. The vested interests flourish at the cost of the working class, and consequently there are severe clashes between them in so many ways.”
Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh is the ultimate video for exploring the sweatshop issue. Using Nike as a case study, the film documents first hand the widespread and oppressive and exploitative labor practices in the developing world.
he liked her so she arranged for him to have her by putting the parts he liked in pots namely the fat bile etc. for him to enjoy but he wasnt into that
“The individual is the passenger in the car of the material body, and intelligence is the driver. Mind is the driving instrument, and the senses are the horses
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Wednesday 4 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: A Good Coffin with Good Flowers is not Good Enough uploaded from Melbourne, Australia When I was a young man in college, even though I excelled academically, I was thinking, What is the use of working so hard to make good grades, to get a good degree, to get a good job, to get a good wife, to get a good house, and some good kids to simply at the end get a good coffin buried six feet under to have some good flowers put of my grave every year until my friends and family forget about me? I just couldn't believe that life could be so bleak. So I set out in my heart on a quest to discover the true meaning and purpose of my existence. After many long, hard years of struggle that quest finally bore fruit when I found my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He saved from this material repetition of birth and death and led me into the spiritual world, where life is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Distributing Krishna Prasadam Sweetballs Melbourne, Australia--31 December 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/Melbourne_Prasad.Dist.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Time for Family, But No Time for Krishna How do I adjust the time to chant? My work is late till 11:30pm, and in the morning I go to work at 9:00am. I do not get sufficient time, as I have to give time to my family and children. I get frustrated very soon. My work load is also more. I like to listen to the satsang, but cannot get time to go to the satsang. Please give me the solution for my problems. Give us blessings, Thanking you, Bharat Answer: Krishna is Family. Don't Neglect Him. I understand that you have to make time for your family. So why are you neglecting your father, Krishna? You must give part of your family time to Him. To do that you must go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up earlier in the morning and chant the Hare Krishna mantra on your japa beads before you take your breakfast. If you make this small step towards Krishna, He will take ten steps towards you, and your spiritual life will take root and expand eventually to the perfectional stage. 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. 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