"...When Srimati Radharani smiles, waves of joy overtake Her cheeks, and Her arched eyebrows dance like the bow of Cupid. Her glance is so enchanting that it is like a dancing bumblebee, moving unsteadily due to intoxication..."
(Vidagdha-madhava 2.51) Dear Srimati Radharani may you always smile upon us thus granting us always the darsana of your lotus face.
Fresh Mango Chutney This simple fresh uncooked chutney takes just minutes to prepare, and less time than that to eat. The lime juice brings out all that mango sweetness, with a little bite of chili. The curry leaves add an elusive savoury hint. Kaffir lime leaves and Vietnamese mint adds yet another intriguing flavour dimension. Serves 4 – 6 as a condiment. 2 ripe mangoes (about 600g) peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped, 2 tablespoons minced green cayenne chillies, or 3 minced Jalapeno chilies, 6 or 8 fresh curry leaves, ¼ teaspoon asafetida powder, ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste, 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves, 2 teaspoons chopped aromatic mint leaves (spearmint works well), 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste, 2 very finely-sliced kaffir lime leaves and a few sliced Vietnamese mint leaves, optional, for ‘Southeast Asian’ notes.Combine the mangoes and chilies in a medium bowl and stir to mix. Heat the oil in a small heavy pan. Add the curry leaves, and fry until aromaric, just momentarily. Sprinkle in the asafetida powder and fry for a second or two. Add the mangoes, stir to mix, and remove from the heat. If making a larger quantity, pour the flavoured oil into the mangoes. Stir-in the salt, coriander, optional sliced kaffir lime leaf, and the lime juice. Serve immediately, or set aside for the flavours to combine.
I like mangal aroti. The time, the place, the silence, the prayers, the chanting, waiting for the early morning sun…and today was no different. After so many years, its still such a sweet time. A cherished part in our spiritual day yet difficult at times to stay committed. For me, its been on and off. But looks like I got the hang of it. Atleast for now… From my experience, the key to making it to mangal aroti is light and early dinner, early to bed and a desire to wake up that early. If no desire, atleast a goal that you want to achieve. I suppose the true desire and enthusiasm will come in time. Latest 6pm dinner, 8pm bed and then 3:30am wake up should be easy. Few times, I kept telling myself on the way to bed, ” get up by 3:30, get up by 3:30! Get up! Don’t be lazy ! “. In the early stages, I would have my mobile alarm for 2 different times so that incase I turn off the first in my attempt to sleep more, the 2nd one would be irritating enough to get me up. Another time, I kept the mobile far away from the bed, so that I would have to step out of bed and walk a little to grab the device. Also, the days I have had a tough high pressure day at work means it gets difficult to fall asleep on time. In such days, I chant a few rounds to calm the mind or read Prabhupad lilamrita before retiring. Sometimes, I walk back home from work and this helps me to relax too. Diet plays a huge role. Having heavy dinner laden with rice, subji with extra ghee, daal,sweets or fried items etc seems to slow down waking up. Actually, I just feel tired at that time when I should be feeling fresh after a heavy dinner the night before. So now I have switched to nutritious soups, salad and perhaps a chapati or a bread. Sufficient iron in the body also helps. Plenty of green leafy vegetables and additional organic iron supplement has made a difference. Exercise. Yes..its important. I am not talking about a gym session. Just a simple walk squeezed into the day somewhere does wonders. Use stairs at work or home instead of elevators. Volunteer to carry things for people. Take breaks from the desktop instead of spending long hours at the computer. Besides health benefits, I find that such physical work gets the body wanting a rest by evening making it quickly possible to fall asleep. So, I think its absolutely critical to ensure that we apply whatever means possible to wake up by 4am, attend mangal aroti or do the same at home, finish all 16 rounds and read Prabhupad books for atleast 30 mins. All this before 7:30am leaving one enough time to get ready for the day’s work. When I read the bhagavatam and lilamrita, I can see how much Prabhupad stressed the need to wake up early. He wished and wanted all of us to be situated in such habits giving us all the much wanted strength to progress in our spiritual journey. Atleast, this desire of our beloved Prabhupad should keep me going to bed early and getting to temple early.
       
Last Saturday we held a bhajan session at the Trinity Manor, a well-established aged-care home in Balwyn.
We were invited by Asesa Sadhini Mataji on the occasion of her mum's birthday. Also, a key person towards the realisation of the bhajan session was Subha Laksmi Mataji, one of Srila Prabhupada's disciples who works as a coordinator there. Here's a slideshow of how we attempted to bring a smile to the faces and sometimes a good laugh to the hearts of the elderly residents of the Trinity Manor.
16. Strategy to get women to lose their “cool” “Strategize how to get women to lose their cool on COM while they themselves appeared as gentlemen.” There was no such strategy. Rather, as will be seen, our concern was to not degenerate to the same level of pettiness as our opponent matajis. It was suggested time and again to curtail debates with them, so as not to divert from our pursuit of more promising philosophical discussions with sober-minded devotees and GBCs. We were concerned also to avoid occasions for Vaisnava-aparadha, which is so easily done via e-mail. (This is discussed below in Article 22.) 17. Feminism: A form of atheism or Mayavada Yes. It is heretical and can be demonstrated as such. Such heretical philosophies as åtvikvad and stri sämyavad are examples of manasikatvena nimita viddhiù “a system concocted by the mind (without reference to sastra).” Feminism, in all its flavors, is mayavad philosophy (stri sämyavad = the theory that men & women are equal) it must be exposed and exorcised from Vaisnavism at all costs. Garden Conversation–June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban “Caitanya Mahäprabhu, He was so kind, but still there was distinction. When He was taking prasädam, personal associates, they were sitting with Him. Is it not? So this is called maryädä. Maryädä means honor. That must…Varieties must be there. Otherwise we become Mäyävädés-everything is equal, all one. This is Mäyäväda philosophy. No varieties. There must be variety. That is Vaiñëava philosophy. And as soon as you make it varietyless, all equal, that is Mäyäväda. Just see even in this flower, this is also flower and this is also flower. Does it mean they are of the same rank? This is understanding. Together they look very beautiful, but if you take separate value, then it is valuable than this flower. That distinction must be there. If somebody says “I am accepting even the leaf in this garland,” then what to speak of rose? It is like that. Kåñëa says that. That does not mean leaf and rose have the same value. One is making a beautiful garland, “I am accepting everything.” Mixed together it looks very nice, but individually the leaf has value, the rose has value, the flower has value. Not that because they are put together they have equal value. This is Vaiñëava philosophy.” 18. BSST and the brahmana-Vaisnava debate “One of the much-discussed strategies in the GHQ focused on how to pre-empt the legitimate concerns of ISKCON vaisnavis. The most popular strategy for accomplishing this is illustrated in the following quote from one of their texts: ‘as a tactic (following BSST in the brahmana and vaisnava debate) put their concern as our first concern. Then we put the second concern to show how to deal with the first concern in reality. What do you all think? Before they jump in and show fingers to us as if we are abusing the women, we point fingers at the men and deal with this. So now they have nothing to point fingers at.’” We will discuss in the next Article(19) “Ardhabuddhi Dasa’s” distortion of the truth with regard to “pre-empting the legitimate concerns of the women.” Here we will simply emphasize how one GHQ member suggests that we use a legitimate form of presentation as shown by our previous acarya, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. If because of adopting his method we are to be considered hypocrites, the further implication then is that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura himself is the leading hypocrite of us his followers. Of course, to conclude so would be a very serious offense to our predecessor acaryas. 19. These men are not genuinely interested in women’s concerns “This quote clearly shows that these men are not genuinely interested in women’s concerns but that they would simply use calls for the protection of women to advance their own cause, i.e. control of women.” Here we continue with the thread from Article 18. Why does “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” claim as above? What feeling does he want to evoke from the reader? First he labels followers of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja as hypocrites for employing a certain method of presentation. Now he concludes that the members of GHQ have no genuine interest in the welfare of ISKCON Vaisnavis. (We may note here that many Vaisnavis remain active supporters of GHQ and its goals.) “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” leads the hapless reader to believe that GHQ’s so-called concern for the protection of women was a mere pretense, the actual motivation being the malignant desire for “control of women.” It is understandable that feelings of revulsion, distrust, or disgust would enter the minds of those who believe “Ardhabuddhi Dasa’s” version. Even one GHQ member admitted that upon reading the “GHQ Conspiracy” account, he thought “Boy, those guys on GHQ are a real bunch of jerks,” until he remembered that he was one of those guys and that we were not at all as “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” had posed us to be. Words are very powerful, and when misused with malevolent intentions, they can cause great harm. By now it should be apparent that “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” is a master of disinformation. But what is the actual truth? To discover that truth, we would like to turn our gentle reader’s attention to Section 4, to which we will be referring often in this segment of the presentation. First, we should point out that “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” has apparently purposely misled the readers into thinking that GHQ members’ concern for women was duplicitous. This conclusion of his was apparently not simply an innocent mistake conveyed to the public, but rather a calculated strategy to create in devotees’ minds revulsion towards the members of GHQ and their agenda. Why do we say that? Let us consider the following: - ”Ardhabuddhi Dasa” misinterprets a statement of Vidvan Gauranga Dasa (VGd) and presents that misunderstanding as the mission of GHQ.
- However, “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” neglects to mention that VGd did not submit his first text to GHQ until October 26, 1998, nearly a month after the online inception of GHQ (September 28, 1998) and even longer away from the very first of these discussions held via personal e-mails between members. VGd had been travelling to Vrndavana for theparikrama and so was incommunicado via e-mail from September 19 to October 26. But up till that time, senior GHQ members had already logged considerable discussion.
- “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” excludes many exculpatory texts prior to October 26, 1998, as well as after this date–texts which show that GHQ’s concerns truly were for the benefit and protection of women of ISKCON and society in general.
- “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” presented texts out of their original context, thus creating confusion to his readers. The reader would thus be misled and drawn to a particular conclusion—-a conclusion far removed from the truth.
- “Ardhabuddhi Dasa’s” deceit, as mentioned above, suggests his personal desire to further the cause of feminism within ISKCON.
Let us now examine a few quotes from the exculpatory texts, which verify that certain ladies misled the general devotees about our intentions (Complete texts available in Section 4.): “I am also in full agreement with the proper cultural behavior in ISKCON. Women must be respected and protected but not allowed to act like men……So, although we didn’t allow women to lead kirtan in the temple, anyone misbehaving with women is dealt with heavy hand and offenders were publicly punished to create proper etiquette.” “Just as Husband as Swami and has authority over wife (woman) he also has responsibility towards her. Men can’t have only authority and no responsibility. In Mayapura to the extent possible we tried to make sure that along with strict behavioral standards for the ladies they are not ill treated or dishonored eg. when we found that some man made lewd calls to some ladies we track the guy down and then gave him good punishment and he had to fall at the feet of the ladies whom he offended and beg forgiveness. And many ladies appreciate that. Although some ladies have made it a point to flog Mayapura on the internet or publicly, many resident ladies support us.” On October 6,th twenty days before VGd joined GHQ, Ameyatma Prabhu wrote a very inspiring text called “Women Do Have Legitimate Issues.” His recently written long rebuttal of the “GHQ Conspiracy” file was an expansion of that text. He wrote: “…The real root source is that the men were not fully self-realized, were not fully qualified …The whole women’s issue has arisen because there are legitimate complaints that the women have not been protected properly…I say our effort must therefore deal with whole issue, we must also address the legitimate issues concerning the women… If the leadership, and men, in ISKCON had provided proper protection for the women, they would not complain. The fact that women are complaining like mad is due to the fact the men have not properly protected them.” “I will repeat myself from a previous post, if the men had been more qualified leaders then the women would be satisfied. It is because our leaders have failed us, all of us, the children who were beaten and molested, the women who were left without protection, the wives who were abused with no where to go, etc., that these women have felt so powerless and so much at the mercy of buffoons for so long, that out of frustration they are demanding to take matters into their own hands. We must earn the respect of leadership by becoming good leaders before most women will back off. So, somehow, I am thinking we should incorporate these ideas into our efforts and deal with these issues as a part of our plan.” In one text, VGd expresses his concern that nowadays early marriage for girls may not be safe, because the present social situation sorely lacks the necessary support to marriage partners that would otherwise naturally be provided per the extended family system. In another text he wrote: “I also thought the same thing. When I discussed with an IWC-sympathizer sometime back, I discovered that many of their concerns are indeed valid. Here’s a sample of what I have heard: - In general, women are not being protected. For eg. During public harinams, men lead kirtans, and women follow behind. One lady told me that sometimes some karmis would try to ‘attack’ her and other ladies but the men were absorbed in the bliss of harinama and they got fried!…
… I also remember that once when I was a child, I went on pilgrimage with my mother, aunt, grandmother, younger sister, and grandfather. There was no accommodation in the Guest House. Finally my grandfather argued with the guest house manager that there are ladies here and that he should at least provide a small room for the ladies to stay and that he and his grandson will sleep in the corridor or in the lounge. He got a small room and the ladies stayed there while I and my grandfather slept in the corridor that night (after getting some eatables for the ladies). It was always understood that giving physical protection and emotional support to ladies was a very high priority. Even when there were disagreements and fighting, the men always made sure that the ladies ate and were okay. I heard that from my aunt. We have to CARE for the ladies. I mean the Grhastha devotees have to take up that responsibility. It has to start somewhere and traditionally that meant the grhastha men…”(4.17) Jaya Tirtha Caran Dasa (JTCd) quoted many verses from Manu-samhita describing how women should be respected: “55. Women must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and brothers-in-law, who desire (their own) welfare. 56. Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards….” And then (JTCd) commented: “To me this suggests that the Vedic goals were to satisfy all walks of society. The results of not following the Vedic path results in what we often see and hear complained about.” Another devotee cited that within cultured families, if a man habitually mistreated his wife, he would be beaten by his own brothers: “Rather I had different experience. One of my uncles was a drunkard and it was a big shame on the family and the uncle knew it very well. So, as long as my grandfather was alive he never came to the house in drunken state and behaved well to his wife. But later on, after Grandfather’s death there was no one, who could control him. So, he would come to the house in drunken state and then started beating his wife. This was understood by other ladies who were at home and reported to the other male members of the society. So, all the other brothers got together and warned him very heavily. But he repeated one in their presence, and then all my other uncles and father got together and gave him a good beating.” Shyamasundara Prabhu said: “Ameyatma Prabhu has emphasized the need for training men and then the woman problem will be solved. He is correct. In the following lecture SP emphasizes that woman are mostly imbued with rajas and tamas. Men also, but only men can rise to sattva. Thus the husband must become a devotee to be able to lead his wife.” “In the following selection from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada he explains that in Vedic culture a woman doesn’t even go to a spiritual master for instruction and education what to speak of school or brahmacarini ashrama. Her instructor and teacher is her husband (father when young). BUT the husband must be of high quality and gentle, etc. So the onus is on the man.” Why did “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” exclude all the exculpatory texts which show GHQ’s real intentions? Why instead did he prefer to paint GHQ as a conspiracy of insincere rascals? 20. Mother Malati’s GBC appointment criticized “One of the most discussed texts involved a letter written by Jasomatinandana, in which he criticized Malati’s GBC appointment. Although no GHQ members appeared capable of realizing why mainstream devotees had been offended by Jasomatinandana’s text, they agreed that it might be best if they tone down future attacks for tactical reasons.” In Article 22, we will discuss the false charges by “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” as extrapolated from his insinuation that we decided to avoid “future attacks for tactical reasons.” But for now, we shall touch upon “Ardhabuddhi Dasa’s” use of the word “mainstream,” which appears to be his tactic for manipulating the reader’s emotions. For, once labeled as being outside the mainstream, a person is then easily marginalized as a misfit or fanatic. Notions of threat by so-called strangers who do not fit within the mainstream mold are thus easily conjured. Such antisocial characters then become the enemy because they do not follow the mainstream. However, to be within the mainstream is often not at all good: mainstream Americans are proud to be beef-eaters, overly fond of illicit sex, habituated to intoxicants of wide description, and given to so many other unhealthy mainstream activities. They sport in the mainstream current of nescience, while cascading down to hellish conditions of future life. Regarding the sentiments of various GHQ members towards Mother Malati dd, “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” (in his apparent strategy to misrepresent and malign the members of GHQ) excluded several exculpatory texts which showed that, despite certain differences, the GHQ members did maintain appropriate respect for Mother Malati dd. Please now see Section 5, wherein Mother Malati dd is the subject of several texts. HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami states: “From my experience, Malati Mataji is a very nice, humble and sincere devotee. Not an anti male chauvinist pig type. Could be entered into dialog with.” And HH Rasananda Swami said: “But I have to reveal that I do not like to read what is being told about Mother Malati. I consider her a good vaisnavi. I lived in New Vrndavana for some time as sankirtana leader (about two years ago) and I had some exchanges with her and due to circumstances I had to visited her ashram. I have to tell you that I was always pleased by visiting her ashram. I appreciated the training that she gave to her girls. They were relating with me in a chaste and polite way.” Again, we must ask why “Ardhabuddhi Dasa” has not presented these texts? It must be apparent to the reader by now that both the public and GHQ members are victims of a deliberate program of deception designed to incite the contempt and scorn of the general ISKCON population toward the members of GHQ. 
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Stockholm, June 2011) 
Srila Prabhupada didn’t care. He didn’t care about statistics. He was ready to go anywhere and everywhere! Of course, it’s true that when Prabhupada visited Mexico, that there was a special response, because the Mexicans came to the program in large numbers, and they realised that Prabhupada was a saint (they really didn’t care that he wasn’t Catholic or anything like that), they knew that he was a saint. So they wanted blessings, and so there was a riot.
After the lecture, Prabhupada went to his quarters and the people were just making a lot of noise, and Prabhupada said: “What is it? Why are they making so much noise?” Some devotees went down and finally came back and said: The people were still not quiet since they want blessings!” And Prabhupada said: “Okay, let them in”. There were two doors, in there. So he said: “They can come through the one door and go out from the other”. They all came in and Prabhupada put his hand on each and everyone of their heads, and gave them blessings. And they were so happy! That’s Mexico for you. So there is some piety there undoubtedly. So piety is undoubtedly an essence! 
 By Kaisori dasi
It is the mandate of the GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) to assist the Governing Body Commission in building a better future for ISKCON. In practice this requires solid visionary planning, the establishment of systems for the effective execution of those plans, and support of the GBC's desire to offer both better leadership and clearer global coordination based on sound organizational principles
 By Bhakti Vikasa Swami
Some recent lectures in which I expressed concern about ISKCON have caused considerable concern within ISKCON. Several devotees have stated that they empathize with many of my points, but not with the manner of presentation and the fact that not all my statements were entirely accurate
 By Kaisori dasi
The BBT is considering printing a third edition of Teachings of Lord Caitanya and we'd like to hear your thoughts. Two editions of Teachings of Lord Caitanya were published during Srila Prabhupada's lifetime. Both received his approval. For the first edition, published in 1969, Satsvarupa Maharaja was the transcriber and first editor, Rayarama Dasa the final editor
 By Kesava Krsna Dasa
How many of us wonder, “If I ever attain the level of raga-bhakti, who in Iskcon will be able to guide me? We are emphasising sadhana bhakti too much. Maybe I’ll have to seek someone elsewhere who can do so…” Will such doubt and uncertainty help us find someone capable, or does the answer lie somewhere much closer to home?
Hidden stories, of shame, untold, unknown
But who is the victim? It’s not as straight forward as you may think, it’s easy to say the person on the receiving end this is the most common perception, perpetrator is used for the one carrying out the crime – to see them as a victim is incomprehensible. As time moves on and deep wounds heal there is something of a reflective moment of pitifulness for the perpetrator of a crime done on another. Being seen as a victim all help and assistance is given, understanding a shoulder, platitudes. But for the perpetrator nothing but hatred, rejection, horror. Little realizing they are a victim. A victim of uncontrolled senses, a loss of self control. We incarcerate, ban; but never support or help to move from animalistic tendency to the human platform then on in the framework of spiritual progress. I recall with clear clarity that I wanted the man who made my early years one of suffering, who beat and humiliated me every day to suffer, I wanted God to send him to hell so he can suffer eternally; those around me agreed, Yes, Yes But as we grow in spiritual understanding the question is more internal the external, I wonder what I’ve done in my previous life’s that means that in this I have to suffer in this way. No one wants to ask this question, I am a victim I did nothing to deserve this. But as my understanding grows I have a fear, a fear not for self but for the perpetrator, he is suffering due to uncontrolled senses for in the human form of life we are meant to control our senses and make spiritual progress; but what about the next life? As we cannot recall or understand our previous life’s, our suffering in this life means we see without clear understanding, blaming others, seeking revenge, growing hatred and anger. How we deal with adversity marks us out
How we show compassion marks us out But with our understanding do we actually see and deal with both as a victim of uncontrolled senses and look at ways to elevate and instruct, giving both help and elevation. So both make spiritual progress. Being the victim of sexual abuse I was shocked that the community I was a part of rejected me, but as I research and look this in many cases is the case. Disbelief from some, social hierarchy or gender inequality. Being the perpetrator of abuse he suffered rejection from the wider society. We both suffered in one way or another. Over the years working on the children’s ward I’ve had to put in “cause for concern” forms or report abuse; the first being a young 3 month old Girl years later I still recall her face it was hard to show any emotion for the perpetrator truthfully I wanted to kill him but as nurse we deal follow the guidelines in a professional manor even if at times it is hard. But looking at and viewing both as victims and may be in the next life a future victim how do we then deal with the perpetrator? Yes restrictions, a judicial prison sentence But what about spiritually? Immediate ban, protect the society Just? Yes for sure. Does it help? No! Quantifiably No, and I find myself shocked by saying this given the years of resentment and wishing all ill on him the abuser. How are they going to learn how to control the senses without good instruction? There has to be some middle ground were both victim and perception are cared for as victims of material energy and desire, so we can break free from this bondage. Ok for the victim, they want retribution for the abuser to suffer, pushing for the biggest prison sentence and for the whole of society to reject them, well this is what I wanted personally, even begging God to persecute him for eternity. Now I pray that he one day becomes a devotee, may be not in this life but soon, he is suffering from the disease of uncontrolled senses; and if he turned up at the temple tomorrow I pray if they find out who he is they do not throw him out; for how is he going to learn and bring the senses under control? If the person rejects and refuses to even try to understand that the way they conduct themselves then there may be no option but to ban, most will agree. But if they are willing to listen, learn and change, then we as a society need to give them shelter also, so that they too can make progress But this will only happen once we realize that in some way both are victims in one way or another,
Part 2 of this amazing seminar by Sacinandana Swami.
The devotional quest rests on the ability to see the substance beyond the surface, the spiritual underlying the material. This ability comes from viveka or “discriminative vision”, which is the intellectual sharpness to cut through at right angles the surface of illusion and access the substance of reality. This metaphysical rationality is missing in worldly rationalists whose logic mistakes the surface of reality to be the whole of reality. Those with discrimination can cut through both the façade of material pleasure to see the misery latent in it and the façade of spiritual austerity to see the joy dormant in it. Unlike the cutting edge of technology that comes by innovation, the cutting edge of discrimination comes by rejuvenation, by refreshing our devotional convictions with daily spiritual practice, regular philosophical study and periodic devotional analysis.
SB 06.15.16 Different Editions Of Big Animals 2011-11-02 Lecture Srimad Bhagavatam 6.15.16 Different Editions Of Big Animals 11-2-2011 Los Angeles SB 06.15.16 Different Editions Of Big Animals 2011-11-02 Lecture Srimad Bhagavatam 6.15.16 Different Editions Of Big Animals 11-2-2011 Los Angeles
  
   
 
found here.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2011
Travel Journal#7.17: Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Radhastami, Berlin Harinamas, Ukraine FestivalDiary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 7, No. 17
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2011, part one)
Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Radhastami, Berlin Harinamas, Ukraine Festival
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on November 10, 2011) Prahladananda Swami: Maya makes our life seem very difficult, and we seem to have so many problems. Prahlada Maharaja says that there is only one problem, the uncontrolled mind. The mind is also very simple. It is either hankering or lamenting. If we stop focusing on this hankering and lamentation, we can absorb ourselves in the holy name and become happy. One who is aware that the only shelter is Krishna, can perfect his life. Kunti did not stay to Krishna, “Every day I chanted my rounds. Every day I followed the rules and regulations. Why are all these things happening to me?” Rather she prayed, “Please give me more troubles for in these troubles I am remembering You.” People can challenge, “You are crazy because you are depending on Krishna.” And we can challenge back, “You are crazy because you are depending on Maya.” If we pray to the Supreme Soul, please wake us up at 3:00 a.m., we will find the Supreme Soul is the greatest alarm clock. He can wake the sun up every morning, even if he is tired, and so he can certainly wake us up. Everything is an instrument of Krishna. If I understand I am a servant of Krishna, if I pray to Him, I will understand what to do. Lord Caitanya wanted us to preach to the conditioned souls. Most of our friends and relatives are conditioned souls, so we can have kirtana morning and evening together and discuss Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam with them, and in this way please the Lord. Giving Srila Prabhupada’s books is the best thing we can do for anyone’s spiritual life. It is easy to be a pure devotee when everything is going all right. But if someone kicks you in the chest while you are sleeping, it would be difficult not to get angry. By diksa one becomes gradually disinterested in material enjoyment and gradually attached to spiritual life. Satisfaction of the self-realized devotee is the secret of success in Krishna consciousness. By chanting we get the strength to follow the principles.
THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM, CANTO 3, CHAPTER 24, THE RENUNCIATION OF KARDAMA MUNI, TEXT 45, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CARU SWAMI IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA ON 19th SEPTEMPER 2010. Transcription : Her Grace Ranga Radhika Dasi Editing : Ramananda Raya Dasa Audio reference: click here Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate [...] 
I met a very young exchange student and initially was staying aloof not admitting any interest in the books. I asked him if he was the 'cool guy' not wanting to be seen with this stuff. He immediately backed off and said he was a simple guy not a cool guy and as we talked a little more - his expressions changed a little. I could see he was struggling with something so I inquired politely what the matter was. A few minutes later he told me he was struggling to keep up with the expectations people and friends have of him - the burden of keeping up with an image. It seemed to me like his eyes were teary so I handed him a Bhakti Yoga and showed a picture of Prabhupada encouraging him to read it. I explained that the body changes so no point trying to keep up, he should raise his consciousness. He then explained he was an exchange student and would leave in a few months. He took the book and I showed him the temple address for Mexico City in his home country. Praying he reads it.
I met a girl at University of Toronto and when I was showing her a book; she reminded me that she had already taken a Bhagavad Gita from me before. I was happy to hear that and inquired if she had read it. She explained that her elder sister had taken the book from her and was reading it as she herself wasn’t as religious. I told her I wasn’t religious either but it was a matter of genuine experience and handed her a Science of self realisation. I explained to her the topics in there and she agreed to take it. I asked her more about her life. She revealed she was more into Lord Ram and wanted the Ramayana. She said Krishna was her sister’s interest but she wanted to know about Ram. Just that morning I was reading in Chaitanya Caritamrita
“yei yei rüpe jäne, sei taha kahe
sakala sambhave krishna, kichu mithyä nahe
In whatever form one knows the Lord, one speaks of Him in that way. In this there is no falsity, since everything is possible in Krishna. Adi 5.132”
Remembering what I read and knowing that I did not have a Ramayana, I handed her a Krihsna book. I tried to explain to her that this was the last day of Kartik (she really did not know what it was) and that she should read it. So somehow she agreed to take it and we exchanged numbers so I could get her a Ramayana later. Later that day she texted me asking for Ramayana and another copy of the Bhagavad Gita. We now plan to meet on Thursday and I wonder Lord Caitanya has in store for this young girl.
I look in the turned sod
for an iron bolt that fell
from the plow frame
and find instead an arrowhead
with delicate, chipped edges,
still sharp, not much larger
than a woman’s long fingernail.
Pleased, I put the arrowhead
into my overalls pocket,
knowing that the man who shot
the arrow and lost his work
must have looked for it
much longer than I will
look for that bolt.
Filed under: Cows and Environment, Poetry        
A few days ago I met a student at University of Toronto who at first maintained his distance saying he was not really into yoga and related stuff. I asked him where his interests lay and said he was into Ice hockey. I knew nothing about Ice hockey so I showed him a Beyond birth and death trying to explain how rare the book is. He listened as I told him that the body changes, mind changes but something about us remains the same and yoga is not only the process of keeping a healthy body but realising we are more than the body. He agreed to take the book so I wanted to know him better and asked him about what he was studying at University. He started to explain that he was a PhD student of Astrophysics and instantly I thought Vedic Planetarium project in Mayapur and how it would be nice to have him serve. He started to explain about Supernova explosions he was researching and I asked if he had heard about Vedic Cosmology. I tried to describe briefly what Prabhupada explains in Bhagvatam and he described it as classical Astrophysics. I then asked him if he could explain why 99% of matter astrophysicists study is dark matter. He corrected me and said that actually “75% of the matter was dark matter while 25% was observable matter. This dark matter is expanding very rapidly and some force is propelling it out but that is a great mystery no one knows about.” I told him how Krishna explains material world is ekamsha and that there is so much more that cannot be observed by material body. I asked him to keep in touch and come sometime to see Srimad Bhagvatam. Speaking to him I was realising if we just studied Bhagvatam properly it gives us thorough information about everything without having to go through the grills of modern education.
The Brijabasi Spirit now has its own Fan page on Facebook for the convenience of our readers who prefer to have everything there. Gotta keep up with the times. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brijabasi-Spirit/228623307204522 We have an ongoing desire for anyone wanting to write for the Brijabasi Spirit. So much is going on in New Vrindaban and each person has an individual experience of that which we would like you to share. Professional writing ability not essential and we can help with ideas or light editing if you want. Regular reports from various departments, recipes, synopsis of classes, guests stories, unfolding natural events, festival reportage — these are just a few ideas. Current residency in New Vrindaban is not a requirement. We have a category called “The Old Days” and anyone can write their memories from a time spent living here or as a visitor. Or recount a story they heard from a current or previous resident. The Holy Dham has no geographical boundaries. The fact that mistakes were made in New Vrindaban in the past is well documented and widely disseminated — we don’t need to add to that body of work. So we do request that stories and articles be of the category of the swan, positive and enlivening. We don’t do straight up essays but will do discussions of philosophic nature if they actually happen in New Vrindaban. We don’t do controversy. The internet is rife with places for weighing in on controversial topics we want the Brijabasi Spirit to be a safe haven. Please contact Madhava Gosh if you feel moved to contribute.
 But our only guarantee at remaining Krsna conscious. Otherwise…
[The Won-Durr Boiz diary series is based on four ex-gurukuli brothers (surname: Durr) coming together for the first time to share Krsna consciousness with the outside world. Madhavendra Puri (the author and middle elder) has been waiting in Radhadesh (Belgium) for his brothers to arrive. Nitai Canda (the eldest) and Rupa Gosvami (the youngest) arrive first, and Bhisma Deva (the middle younger) is scheduled to come half way through. Their adventure takes them through Belgium, Germany and Poland, for rathayatras, festival tours and kirtana events. These diaries aim to bring inspiration and joy to the readers, and hopefully encourage others to entangle themselves in Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtana movement – whether for the spiritual benefits or simply for the fun.] 
Saturday 6th, August 2011. We were still at the Woodstock field, in the extra early hours of the morning, waiting for our buses back. We all arrived with just enough time to collapse in our beds so we could wake up again, on the same day. That day was our final day of Woodstock. I woke up feeling strangely fresh but at the same time exhausted. This year I managed to be more regulated and pace myself a lot better. I was keenly anticipating more kirtanas and the final night of Woodstock. 
I jumped into the VIP service yet again. It was typical of the final day that we finally sorted out our methods of operation, which would no longer be applicable beyond the expiration of the morning (perfect timing). The VIPs were talking about various prasadam pastimes they had experienced; it was talks of thievery and talks of adventure, all ending in a tasty, liberating experience. I had breakfast with my usual Aussie crew, expanding on talks of prasadam and touching on the Melbourne ice-cream party of early years. 
I caught a bus (for a change) to the Woodstock field. We stopped off at the Red school on the way, and stocked the bus full of tired but inspired devotees. I helped Nitai a little with his stage management, before chilling out with Bhisma in the shade. It felt like the last day was upon us, as we were all exhausted but jolly. 
I gathered the brothers and did some recorded messages for our parents. It was by their mercy and encouragement that we’d all made it to Woodstock so we wanted them to hear firsthand what we were experiencing. 
I found a couple friends from Berlin temple. I fondly remembered my time with them after last year’s Polish Tour. We reminisced a few things and then I made my way to the VIP table for my first lunch serving (which was supposed to be my service the whole Woodstock but I had run into many unforeseen obstacles on every other day). 
It was curiously fun learning everyone’s particular likes and dislikes, and it was nice having an opportunity to do such close service. I ended the lunch session speaking with HG Patita Pavana Prabhu. We were talking about astrology readings. I mentioned that I wanted to have a reading done for my little brother. We talked a little and finally he suggested I bring Rupa for a session with him. I asked him what a good time was and he responded with “right now is a good time.” I rushed off and found my little brother, beckoned him along with me and then shoved him down on the seat. It was a good adventure for the last day of Woodstock and had Rupa’s head spinning all over the planetary system. 
We made our way to the Mantra Rock tent. It was their last night and they’d be closing soon. It was so amazing how much kirtana had purged its way through Woodstock. People had come to the festival to hear grunge, punk and rock music but instead they were absorbing themselves in soul music; that is, music that really came from the soul. The Durr boys danced away their final Mantra Rock tent kirtana together, with nostalgic feelings mixed into the meditation. 
We assembled a small group, half of which were Durr brothers, and made our way to the main stage of Woodstock. None of our group had really ventured outside of Krsna’s Village of Peace for the whole Woodstock (despite on Rathayatra) but we decided to have our scheduled sneak peek. A famous band Prodigy had come this year, bringing the Woodstock crowd up to a record climbing seven hundred thousand people. We crawled through the surging masses and made our way towards the center of the crowds. It was two or three people for every square meter and before us lay a crowd which seemed to get even deeper. Prodigy was a band we all listened to in our teenage years, especially noting that they sang a song about Narayana. Now they stood before us, with a badly mixed audio signal and a fearful mentality due to the bone crushing crowds that lay before them. They cursed a lot and broke away from their songs to ask the crowds to move back. It was a little sad to see but it was what brought the masses to us. 
We parted from the crowds and made our way back to our village. It was time for the final kirtana, on our main stage. This was an event I had missed a couple of the years before but if you managed to catch it, it was the reward for the whole Woodstock experience. We had spent more than three days stumbling in the dust and the masses, and now we were finished on HH Indradyumna Swami’s signature “high note”. This entire endeavor culminated in the hearing and chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. It was a befitting end to one of the largest global yajnas of Krsna consciousness. Surely, the demigods were pleased. Surely the disciplic succession was pleased. Surely, Srila Prabhupada was smiling down on the dusty fields of Woodstock. Poland (19) . Poland (20) Read original post: [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com] Subscribe: [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/subscribe] 
For decades, electric companies have swung into emergency mode when demand soars on blistering hot days, appealing to households to use less power. But with the rise of wind energy, utilities in the Pacific Northwest are sometimes dealing with the opposite: moments when there is too much electricity for the grid to soak up. In June 2010, for example, a violent storm in the Northwest caused a simultaneous surge in wind power and in traditional hydropower, creating an oversupply that threatened to overwhelm the grid and cause a blackout. As a result, the Bonneville Power Administration, the wholesale supplier to a broad swath of the region, turned this year to a strategy common to regions with hot summers: adjusting volunteers’ home appliances by remote control to balance supply and demand. When excess supply threatens Bonneville’s grid, an operator in a control room hundreds of miles away will now dial up a volunteer’s water heater, raising the thermostat by 60 more degrees. Ceramic bricks in a nearby electric space heater can be warmed to hundreds of degrees.The devices then function as thermal batteries, capable of giving back the energy when it is needed. Microchips run both systems, ensuring that tap-water and room temperatures in the home hardly vary. “It’s a little bit of that Big Brother control, almost,” said Theresa Rothweiler, a teacher’s aide in the Port Angeles, Wash., school system who nonetheless signed up for the program with her husband, Bruce, a teacher. She said she had been intrigued by an ad that Bonneville placed in the local paper that asked consumers to help enable the grid to absorb more renewable energy, especially wind. “We’re always looking at ways to save energy, or be more efficient or green, however you want to put it,” said Ms. Rothweiler, who worries about leaving the planet a livable place for her 21-year-old daughter, Gretchen. Bonneville paid for the special technology, which runs around $1,000 per home. The initial goal of Bonneville’s pilot program is to gain experience in charging and “discharging” the water heaters and space heaters to see how much response operators can count on as the use of these thermal batteries expands. Mark K. Lauby, director of reliability assessment at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which enforces standards on the grid, said that such storage innovations would be “the holy grail” as the nation shifts to greater reliance on renewable energy.
Sacinandana Swami Holyname Seminar Part 3
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Sunday 13 November 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. For Transcendental Association Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Help Popularize Our Message By Liking Today's Thought on Facebook: Today's Thought: If You Are Not Twice-Born, You Are An Animal uploaded from New Delhi, India Our first birth is from our mother and father. Every animal gets such a birth. So if we only get first birth, we are in the category of the animals. What makes one a human being as distinguished from the animals is when he takes to the self-realization pathway seriously by accepting second birth from the bona fide spiritual master. This second-birth, which is called diksha or initiation, occurs when one surrenders to the bona fide spiritual master to learn from him the transcendental self-realization science. At the time of initiation the spiritual master gives the disciple a new name such as Krishna Das (servant of Krishna) to remind him of his new transcendental identity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Initiation Ceremony--New Delhi, India 12 November 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Fall/New.Delhi-Initiation.JPG Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Judge Sadhana Progress? Dear Gurudeva, Namaste. I would like to ask the following questions: What happens at the physical, mental and intellectual levels when one does rounds of japa mala and chants the Hare Krishna mahamantra? After monitoring these parameters how one should judge that his/her sadhana is on right track for achieving the transcendental destination? Yours in yoga Janardan Mali Answer: More Attraction to Krishna Less to Maya When one absorbs his consciousness in chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra his body, mind, and intelligence all become purified. If one is losing his attraction to all forms of material sense gratification, both subtle and gross, and is becoming more and more attracted to the transcendental name, form, pastimes, qualities, entourage, and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is definitely on the right track to the transcendental destination. Therefore you should take up this chanting process seriously and become spiritually perfect in this rare human form of life for achieving the transcendental destination of going back to home, back to Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at:http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address: {contact_address e
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