On Speaking Strongly In Srila Prabhupada’s Service – No Compromise

From the “My Memories of Srila Prabhupada” by His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami

 

Those who compromise in preaching grant themselves a license to compromise their practices. For maya is such that if we give her a little room, we will adjust more and more until we end up becoming totally mundane. Better stick to our principles and be proud of them. Even if initially devotees are somewhat fanatical and immature, if they are sincere Krsna will bless them with transcendental intelligence, and they will gradually gain experience in how to preach effectively.

SRILA PRABHUPADA WITH ALLEN GINSBERG OHIO UNIVERSITY PROGRAM

What is this? Oh my, Srila Prabhupada appearing with Allen Ginsburg? On the same stage? How is it possible?

It was true. We put these posters all over the Ohio State University campus. I was in the room when Srila Prabhupada was talking to Sriman Allen Ginsberg before the event. I was shocked, quite honestly, at how humble Srila Prabhupada was, how he was asking Ginsberg's opinion on the venue. It was amazing. Anyway, about 2,000 Midwest teenagers from the "All American City" of Columbus, Ohio showed up, mostly to hear from the bohemian Allen. At this time he was a famous poet. At the event he gave a talk, and I only remember one thing he said. It certainly wasn't exactly parampara.

KRISHNA AVATARS

KRISHNA  AVATARS  

UK VEGANS ARE UP AGAIN

OUR HOME IN THE UNIVERSE, ACCORDING TO THE PURANAS

Our Home in the Universe, According to the Puranas

BY: ABHAYA MUDRA DASI

Apr 19, 2013 — BLAGOEVGRAD, BULGARIA (SUN) — Feature article from the Astrological Newsletter.

Although a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes an illustration requires clarification. The drawing above represents my graphic understanding of the Shrimad Bhagavatam's concept of the Bhu-Mandala, upon which we reside.

Mount Sumeru: In the middle we see Mount Sumeru. This great mountain is wider at the top, yet it is also flat. Mount Sumeru stands as the center (or stigma, a flower's reproductive organ) of the lotus that is Bhu-Mandala. Further, the petals of the lotus can be seen dividing the different regions into the seven islands of Bhu-Mandala. Mount Sumeru is surrounded by other mountains that have very sharp peaks. As the Bhagavatam explains:

"There are other mountains beautifully arranged around the foot of Mount Meru like the filaments around the whorl of a lotus flower. Their names are Kuranga, Kurara, Kusumbha, Vaikanka, Trikuta, Shishira, Patanga, Ruchaka, Nishadha, Sinivasa, Kapila, Shankha, Vaidurya, Jarudhi, Hamsa, Rishabha, Naga, Kalanjara and Narada." (5.16.26)

The flat peak of Mount Sumeru is the sitting place of Lord Brahma, the creator of this Universe. Nearby are also the sitting places for each one of the dig-palas or deities of the eight directions, namely:

Indra (east)
Varuna (west)
Kuber (north)
Yamaraja (south)
Ishana (northeast)
Agni (southeast)
Alakshmi (southwest)
Vayu (northwest)

Each one of these demi-godly dig-palas are masters of opulent cities that lie in the eight directions. The directions of each of their cities are the basis of the kalachakra or the adjunct horoscope called the "Wheel of Time" in jyotish shastra. Additionally, each one of these eight directions, like the eight petals of the lotus, underscores the principles of vastu-shastra or Vedic architecture based upon knowledge of directions. In this way we can understand how the demi-gods who control the directions influence our lives. Jyotish is therefore a means of living in harmony with the elements that surround us. Mount Sumeru is golden in color and reflects everything around it—and for this reason it is not easily seen. Traveling there is impossible for us because of the severe winds blowing on all sides.

The description of Mount Meru is given in many Puranas including the Devi Purana (8.7.1-12) wherein the cities atop the golden mountain are identified by name:

                   Kamada Ekadashi

Event:

Kamada Ekadashi

Date:

April 21, 2013  Miami Florida

Category:

Ekadasi

The untold glories of Kamada Ekadasi are described in the Varaha Purana in a delightful conversation between Maharaj Yudhistira and Sri Krsna.

The king asked: "My dear Lord, crowning jewel of the yadu dynasty.Please enlighten me about the nature of this most auspicious dayKamada Ekadasi. Please advise me how one should observe this Ekadasi that falls during the month of Chaitra while the moon is waxing. Please also describe what the benefits of such observance are and advise me how to reap the result."

RAM NAVAMI THE FESTIVAL OF LORD RAMACHANDRA

                       Major Festivals

Lord Sri Ramacandra is a powerful incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as an ideal king. He appeared in the Treta-yuga, more than two million years ago.

This is a verse from Brahma-samhita in which the incarnation of Lord Ramacandra is described. Ramadi. Not only Rama, but there are many other, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of them, the principal names are mentioned in the sastras. Therefore it is said ramadi. Ramadi means Rama and also other, many incarnations. And they are existing. Not that one incarnation appeared and it is finished. No. Not like that. Just like Lord Ramacandra appeared on this planet, say millions of years before. He appeared in the Treta-yuga. Treta-yuga means… We have passed only five thousand years of this age, Kali-yuga. Before that, there was Dvapara-yuga. Dvapara-yuga means 800,000 years. And before that, there was Treta-yuga, which continued for twelve hundred thousands of years. That means at least two million years before Lord Ramacandra appeared on this planet.

ramadi murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan

nanavataram akarod bhuvaneshu kintu

krishnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

ISKCON Argentina Reaches A Mainstream Audience

ISKCON Argentina Reaches A Mainstream Audience

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 12 Apr 2013

Gunagrahi Das Goswami on the cover of popular new age magazine Unomismo

After many years of hard work and struggle, devotees in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, are seeing their efforts pay off as Krishna consciousness reaches a mainstream audience.

Just one example of this is the December issue of the very popular New Age/religious magazine Uno Mismo. Featured on its cover, in saffron robes and bright Vaishnava tilak, is spiritual leader Gunagrahi Das Goswami, who came to assist ISKCON Argentina in 1996.

Roughly translated from the Spanish, the tag line reads: “An interview with Gunagrahi Das Goswami – ‘True happiness is a spiritual state of being.’”

Starting on page eight of the magazine is the five page interview, which was originally spoken when Gunagrahi appeared as a guest on the radio show Liliana en Del Plata, during the lead-up to Christmas 2011.

Deeply inspired by the interview, Maria Laura Ferro, the editor of Uno Mismo (which means “one self”), transcribed it in its entirety and published it in the Christmas 2012 issue of her magazine.

MAYAVADA IMPERSONALIST PHILOSOPHIES

"The Mayavadi philosophy is veiled Buddhism." In other words, the voidist philosophy of Buddha is more or less repeated in the Mayavadi philosophy of impersonalism, although the Mayavadi philosophy claims to be directed by the Vedic conclusions. Lord Siva, however, admits that this philosophy is manufactured by him in the age of Kali in order to mislead the atheists."

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 19

"....Sankaracarya taught that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and thus he indirectly denied the existence of God. Sankaracarya's mission was special; he appeared to reestablish the Vedic influence after the influence of Buddhism. Because Buddhism was patronized by Emperor Asoka, twenty-six hundred years ago the Buddhist religion practically pervaded all of India. 

According to the Vedic literature, Buddha was an incarnation of Krsna who had a special power and who appeared for a special purpose. His system of thought, or faith, was accepted widely, but Buddha rejected the authority of the Vedas. While Buddhism was spreading, the Vedic culture was stopped both in India and in other places. 

Therefore, since Sankaracarya's only aim was to drive away Buddha's system of philosophy, he introduced a system called Mayavada.

Strictly speaking, Mayavada philosophy is atheism, for it is a process in which one imagines that there is God. This Mayavada system of philosophy has been existing since time immemorial. The present Indian system of religion or culture is based on the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracarya, which is a compromise with Buddhist philosophy. According to Mayavada philosophy there actually is no God, or if God exists, He is impersonal and all-pervading and can therefore be imagined in any form. This conclusion is not in accord with the Vedic literature. That literature names many demigods, who are worshiped for different purposes, but in every case the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is accepted as the supreme controller. That is real Vedic culture.

DO BAD THING HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE BY RAVINDRA SWARUPA DAS

by Ravindra Swarupa Dasa A rabbi’s best-selling book proposes a radical solution to the problem of evil. Does it work?

About five years ago, when we were having an altar installed in our new temple, the overseer from the marble company would regularly bring his seven-year-old son along to watch. The boy was very handsome, with jet-black hair and pale skin and long, dark eyelashes. He was well-behaved and always seemed in a good humor even though he could hardly walk at all. I never saw him take more than a few steps, leaning on a wall and straining his torso with an awkward twisting motion and then swinging forward a leg clamped into a large, clumsy brace.

160 USES OF COCONUT OIL

160 USES FOR COCONUT OIL

* Coconut Oil for Personal Hygiene/Body *

1. Age Spots (also known as liver spots) – applying coconut oil directly to the age spot will help it fade.

2. After Shave – coconut oil will help heal your skin after shaving without clogging pores. Great for razor burn!

3. Baldness – apply three times a day to affected area of hair loss. Coconut oil supports cell regeneration.

4. Birth Marks – can be used after a laser removal treatment to aid in healing. Can also be applied after an apple cider vinegar treatment to help support and aid the fading process.

PAPAMOCHANI EKADASI

Papamochani Ekadashi

Event:

Papamochani Ekadashi

Date:

April 6, 2013 (Mayapur)

Category:

Ekadasi

The venerable glories of Papamochani Ekadasi are given in the Bhavisya  Purana, during a conversation between Sri Krsna and Maharaja Yudhistira. The eldest of the pandavas, Yudhistira, asked Lord Krsna.

"O Lord, You have kindly narrated the glories of Amalaki Ekadasi. Now please describe unto me the details of the Ekadasi which occurs during the waning Moon in the Chaitra month (March/April) What is this Ekadasi called, and what is the procedure for observing it?"

FESTIVAL OF COLORS ISKCON UTAH TV SHOW

PRASADAM DISTRIBUTION IN THE HOLY LAND

ISKCON LEICESTER ENGLAND FROM A MIRACLE TO A DREAM

KRISHNA LUNCH COMES TO CHICAGO

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 3 Jan 2013

Krishna Lunch set-up at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)

After seeing the success of the Krishna Lunch program at the University of Florida in Gainesville—which serves hot vegetarian meals to around 1,000 students daily—ISKCON devotees in Chicago have followed its example to create their own.

Krishna Lunch ISKCON Chicago is run by Rasika Manjari Dasi, who traveled to Gainesville to study its program in July.

Formerly Director of Professional Services at a treasury solutions software company, Rasika Manjari quit her job to work on Krishna Lunch and other outreach projects full-time.

She launched the program on October 2nd, 2012, and has been its only full-time cook and manager since, although a second full-time volunteer will join her this month.

APPEARANCE OF SRI SRIVASA PANDIT

Sri Srivasa Pandit Appearance Day 

Srivas Pandit Is one Of our Foremeost Acharyas ANd He is COnsidered to be The Avatara Of Narada Muni ,The bhataakhya (pure devotee) is Srinivasa in Pachatatva. Srivasa Pandit appeared in Srihatta, West Bengal, about 30 years before Lord Gauranga. Srivasa Pandit, fifth member of the Panca-tattva— Sri Krishna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasadi, Gaura Bhakta Vrnda— lived in Navadvipa before the advent of Lord Caitanya.

He led his younger brothers— Srinidhi, Sripati, and Srirama— in worshipping Lord Krsna, performing devotional service, and bathing thrice daily in the Ganges. On his order, they moved to Navadvipa and began to associate with the senior respected Sri Advaita Prabhu. Meeting with Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, they studied Bhagavatam, performed Hari-nama sankirtana, and prayed for an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. What did they pray? Because only an avatara of Krishna could re-establish Vaisnavism among the staunch atheists, logicians, and proud pandits harassing Nadia at that time.
Srivasa Pandit and his wife, Malini Devi, became intimate friends of Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata. When Lord Visvambhara appeared, the hearts of all the devotees were filled with parental affection (vatsalya bhava). After the birth of Lord Caitanya, Malini would regularly visit and give advice to the younger Sacimata on how to raise her wonderful child. She served Nimai as a nurse. Malini's mood was always friendly, and she tried to satisfy Saci Devi in every possible way. Nimai looked upon Srivasa and Malini just like His parents. Gaurachandra loved Malini and Srivasa as a second mother and father
Srivasa 's house was located 200 hundred yards north of Nimai's house. Srivasa Pandit's palatial home had large comfortable rooms, a high protective boundary wall, and lush densely foliated gardens and groves. Every night Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and His dearest friends would enjoy ecstatic kirtans here and taste the mellows of Vrndavana. It was here that the angry Muslim kazi broke the sacred mrdanga in his foolish attempt to stop Sri Krishna's sankirtana movement. Henceforward, Srivasa's house was known as Khol Banga Danga (the place where the mrdanga was broken).

The kazi passed an ordinance prohibiting sankirtana. Violators would be converted to the Muslim faith and lose their property. Although most Nadia vasis panicked over this, Srivasa Pandit laughed at the fanatical law.

VEGETARIANISM IN THE BIBLE

Vegetarianism in the Bible

By Denis Giron   29 Mar 2013

Image: myspace.com

Was he vegetarian?

Introduction

When I first began to study the bible, the people I studied with told me that it was wrong for me to be a vegetarian. I have found a common attack by Christians, and even Muslims on vegetarianism goes along the lines of "God said we could eat meat. Are you trying to say you are more merciful than God?" The answer to that question is "surely not", God should be the most merciful being. To help faith-based vegetarians, this article will discuss how vegetarianism relates to the bible, animals, and God. I will be quoting from the NIV translation of the bible, unless otherwise noted.

In The Beginning

According to the bible, the first people were vegetarians. The first two chapters of Genesis tell a story of man and animal being companions, and trees being the source of food. In Genesis chapter 1, verse 29, God commands man to only eat fruits and vegetables.....

Genesis 1:29 "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."

Florida’s Bhaktivedanta Academy to Launch Middle School

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 29 Mar 2013

Jaya Sri Radhe Dasi, head of Bhaktivedanta Academy's new Krishna Sharanam Middle School

Bhaktivedanta Academy, the largest ISKCON school in North America, is now accepting applications for the 2013-14 school year for all grades, including its brand new middle school, Krishna Sharanam.

The Academy, which sits on a five-acre plot at ISKCON’s New Raman Reti farm in Alachua, Florida, has been offering an innovative Montessori-based learning program for pre-k through 6th grade since director Visvambhar Das introduced it in 2007.

But this year will mark a major milestone for the school, as it launches its first ever middle years program.

Fifty-three students are currently spread throughout Bhakti Bhavan (Pre-K to Kindergarten), Audarya Bhavan (first to third grade), and Madhurya Bhavan (fourth to sixth grade).

But this August, twelve of them will move on to the brand new middle school program, along with twelve new students for a total of twenty-four. Krishna Sharanam will start with only seventh grade, but each year it will add another grade until, in four years, it covers grades seven through ten.

WHY VEGANISM DOES NOT WORK IN ISKCON

Why Veganism Does Not Work in ISKCON

BY: DUSYANTA DASA

Mar 06, 2013 — WALES, UK (SUN) —

The concept of Veganism in the secular world is based on two foundational issues:

            Non-violence.

Desire to not exploit animals in any way.

There may be some other mitigating individual circumstances that can be genuinely overlooked related to dietary needs and reactions to dairy food, especially cows milk. Of course, those considerations are no problem. Some people can't even consider the idea of putting a commodity like cows milk into their body from a cow's body, it makes them shudder. So the mitigating circumstances are a minority of cases in the world. But for devotees of Lord Krishna who follow Srila Prabhupada, we find there are much bigger concepts in play than these individual needs.