Prabhupada Padma-vakya - June 26

June 26, KUALA LUMPUR (TUES)

Audio files with transcripts recorded on this day
June 26, 1972, Los Angeles
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.2
“So the more you develop your consciousness, the more you become a freedom lover. Just like in the human society, there is fight for freedom. But in the animal society, they do not know what is freedom.”

  

June 26, 1973, Mayapura
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.13
“I see some of the students, still they practice some yoga asana. That quality is not yet… He’s not yet free. But this is nonsense. This is nonsense. We should, by promise, we should not associate with any of their qualities.”
 

Progressive realizations during stages of chanting

BY ROMAPADA SWAMI
June 26, USA (TUES)

Question: Can you kindly explain what are the potential realizations in each stage of chanting i.e. nama-aparadha, nama-abhasa, and suddha-nama? Is there any positive realization (that which is favorable to Krishna consciousness) for a person in nama-aparadha stage? In other words, how can one know that one is progressing from one stage to another?

Answer: The Holy Name is like a touchstone, it can grant all desirable objects to the chanter. We know from Hari Nama Cintamani that even one who chants the Holy Name unintentionally, inattentively, jokingly or derisively, can get delivered from material existence. Such chanting is considered as “namabhasa” or a faint shadow of the Holy Name - even this shadow of the Holy Name is so powerful that it can grant all auspiciousness, up to liberation, if chanted without offense.

Villaggio Hare Krishna Welcomes You

BY TATTVAVIT DASA

June 26, MILAN, ITALY (TUES)

This spring I revisted the place where I edited the “Darsana” book for six months. You should visit it, too — Hare Krsna Village, near Milan — to see beautiful Deities.

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Sri Radharamana have jewelry decorating Their waists and wrists that is custom-made by devotees. Their outfits and the backdrops are first-class.

The new altar is especially attractive. The temple room was renovated in the past two or three years, and a new, carved wooden altar from India was painted off-white, with trim of blue and silver (Srila Prabhupada’s vyasanana matches it). Absolutely elegant!

The modern Deity kitchen is always producing wonderful offerings, and the pujaris are devoted and talented.

The old temple-room roof was raised. Large new windows near the ceiling and floor admit lots of light. The ceiling is finished in a professionally done pattern of silver stars.

Cameras on the ceiling broadcast the morning programs and darshans. On the wall — along with a few BBT paintings — is a large Sony TV screen. The temple-room floor was redone in wood, with some marble inlay. You can walk on the roof, where there are three (small) Vrindavan-style domes.

Hindu Prayer To Open US Senate

BY NEWSPOSTINDIA.COM

June 26, NEWSPOSTINDIA (TUES)

History will be created when a Hindu prayer will be recited at the opening of the US Senate in Washington DC on July 12.

Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain, told IANS that he had been officially asked to say the prayer. He said he believes this may be the first time any Hindu prayer is delivered in the Senate since its formation in 1789.

Bhaktivedanta College Awards First Bachelor’s Degrees

BY TATTVAVIT DASA

June 26, BELGIUM (TUES)

On Wednesday and Thursday, June 21 and 22, 2007, students of Bhaktivedanta College, at Radhadesh, Belgium, celebrated the end of the academic year. The first six students to complete the three-year Ministerial Programme were going to receive Bachelor of Theology degrees from the college, in partnership with the University of Wales Lampeter. This is a milestone in ISKCON history: Srila Prabhupada had recommended this sort of relationship between ISKCON and a university.

On Wednesday afternoon, the students and staff took a guided tour of the Hotton Caves, an outstanding natural heritage site, to associate with one another after the final days of exams and essays. Joining them was Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, a sannyasi from Russia and the guest of honor for the graduation ceremony. He’d flown in from California the day before to encourage the college project because his strong interests include leadership training. Also on hand were Janmastami Dasa, the director of the Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training, and his wife, Samkalpa Dasi (from Germany), and their two teenage sons.

Upgrade Your Life: Systematic Sastric Study in the Holy Dham

BY JANMASTAMI DASA

June 26, INDIA (TUES)

When I joined the movement in 1977, “Chant, dance and be happy” was the motto on all the devotees’ lips. It was like the implicit contract we signed when we joined: if we chanted and danced, we would be happy. As the years rolled by I found out about the fine print in the contract: to “chant, dance and be happy”, we had to go through a lot of hardships. So it wasn’t always easy to remain enthusiastic and determined in my service. The upheavals and changes in our movement sometimes bewildered me, but in 1989 I discovered something that makes chanting, dancing, and being happy a lot easier. I discovered the Vrindavana Institute of Higher Education (VIHE).

The reason is the healthy food served by Hare Krishnas

BY THE HERALD SUN

June 26, BANGALORE (TUES)

INMATES at a jail in southern India are eating so well many are reluctant to leave and other convicted criminals are trying to move in.

The Parappana Agrahara prison in Bangalore is crowded with 4700 inmates, more than twice its capacity, because petty criminals are refusing to apply for bail, the Bangalore Mirror says.

Juvenile offenders are also overstating their age to qualify as adults and get in.

The reason is the healthy food served by Hare Krishnas, who began serving pure vegetarian fare on May 21, under contract from the prisons department.

Famous rugby star Marc Ellis becomes Hare Krishna

BY AMRTA PANI DEVI DASI

June 12, KUMEU, NEW ZEALAND (TUES)

Shaving up, wearing a dhoti, chanting on the streets and attending mangala arati at 4.30 a.m. are some of the things experienced by new Krishna devotees, and Marc Ellis well known TV personality and former All Black rugby player, did just that from Friday, May 25 to Sunday, May 27 at the Radha Giridhari temple in Kumeu.

Kalasamvara, council member, said Ellis jumped into the role of a new devotee while filming How the Other Half Live, a TV One series on minority groups in New Zealand. Ellis was photographed by the New Zealand Sunday Herald while dressed as a devotee with the headline “Marc Ellis joins the Hare Krishnas”.

New Zealand Purushottam Report

BY SUHRIT KRISHNA DASA

June 26, AUCKLAND (TUES)

Hare Krishna Vaishnavas,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to Purushottam Masa.

With the mercy of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari and the blessings of all the Vaishnavas, the devotees in Auckland could perform a total of 114 home programmes during the just concluded Purushottam month.

Apart from spreading the glories of Purushottama Month this was a good occasion for distribution of books and beads and inviting the new host and guest to the temple and the Nama hatta programmes.

Pandava Nirjala Ekadasii

June 26, KUALA LUMPUR  (TUES) — During the hottest season (northern hemisphere), if one can perform upavasa without water one is performing a great feat. One may take only charanamrta and achamana water. Bhima the mighty warrior of the Pandava dynasty requested one vrata day by which he could obtain the fruits of all the other days of vrata that he was incapable of observing. Vyasadeva advised him to follow this difficult vrata. One should worship the Lord in the evening by bathing him in milk. On the dvadasi one should give full pots of water to brahmanas and feed them before breaking one’s fast.

Sri Ganga-puja

BY JAYA VIJAYA DASA

Jun 25, KUALA LUMPUR (MON) — June 25th will be the auspicious observance of Sri Ganga-puja. Sri Ganga-puja, also known as Sri Ganga-dushara (she who removes inauspiciousness), appears in the month of Jyestha (May/June) on the 10th day of Sukla-paksa, or the waxing fortnight of the full moon. On this day, Maharaja Bhagiratha’s desire of bringing Ganga to this mortal world was finally fulfilled as the sacred river descended from Lord Siva’s blessed head at Mount Kailasa. The River Ganga then flowed through the Himalayas behind Maharaja Bhagiratha’s chariot and entered Jahna Rsi’s asrama. Afterwards, he successfully let the Ganga to Rasatala, in the lower planetary system, to liberate the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. As stated in the Narada Purana (Uttara-bhaga 40.21): “It was on the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Jyestha, when the day of the week was Tuesday and the constellation was Hasta, Ganga descended to the mortal world.”

Public notice of incident

By Srestha das and Devamrita das (Co-Presidents, ISKCON,Vrindavan)

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We are writing to inform you about an incident of a very serious nature that took place in ISKCON Vrindavan on 31st May at Prabhupada Vani Ashram (formerly Prthu Prabhu’s ashram). The place is now called the “ISKCON Youth Forum Ashram” and is only a two to three minute walk from Krishna Balarama Mandir.

The ashram currently houses our new bhaktas and some other brahmacaris. In total about 50 devotees live on the property.

At about 4.15 pm, in broad daylight, on 31st May, about 40 to 50 armed men stormed into the ashram with obvious aggressive intent. They were led in and supervised by LAKSHMAN DAS, a former pujari at Krishna Balarama Mandir,Vrindavan.

This is the same Lakshman who designs and sells Deities’ outfits to various ISKCON Temples, and who has also in recent years sold apartments to ISKCON devotees on land very near our ISKCON temple.

Kazakhstani online petition

By Radha Mohan Dasa

Please visit www.krishnatemple.com NOW and click the link to the new petition, or go straight to the petition webpage:

http://harekrishna.epetitions.net

Please sign it soon as you can, and please tell as many people as you can about it.

Is bhakti predestined?

Answers by HH Romapada Swami

Question: Was it destined when I was born that I would one day become associated with ISKCON and do all these spiritual activities? If yes, then why do we preach? Won’t people destined to join ISKCON join it, and those not destined to join ISKCON not join it? If no, then does it mean that joining ISKCON is outside the influence of destiny?

Answer: Bhakti is supreme, causeless and fully independent - no material cause can either induce or impede bhakti from appearing in one’s heart. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarthi Thakura analyses this as follows: if material pious deeds, suffering, blind fortune or any such material condition could guarantee or give rise to bhakti, then that material cause would be considered more powerful than bhakti - this is contradictory and cannot be true.

It’s Complete Ecstasy, Bliss

BY HH JANANANDA GOSWAMI

“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.” - Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Caitanya Caritamrita Ädi 3.19

September 1971.

I am sitting in the prasadam room surrounded by buzzing devotees in Bury place, London - My first time ever in a Hare Krishna temple.

Enthralled and astonished by what’s going on around me. Filled to the brim with prasadam – all my conceptualizations that yogis don’t eat have been smashed to pieces. Suddenly someone talks to me.

“Would you like to come on sankirtan?”
“What’s that?” I reply.
“Its complete ecstasy, bliss, just try it.” He replies.
I’m out the door into the tsunami waves of people on Oxford Street –the busiest shopping street on earth.
Wow what an experience. Oh what am I doing here with hair down to my waist, a mrdanga in my hands?
What an experience. The not to praiseworthy comments from the passersby. The strange behaviour of some of the devotees, the screaming kid in the pram in front of me, having to beat a mrdanga for 2 hours which sounded like a “funeral beat” according to the Sankirtan leader. I managed to escape the party halfway and make a quick retreat back to the temple.

Fears for Hare Krishna Believers in Kazakhstan

BY MATT CRESSWELL
 

Jun 16, UK, RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE, LTD. (SAT) — More homes at a Hare Krishna commune have been destroyed in Kazakhstan. Workers and police arrived at a village near Almaty this morning and crushed the houses “into dust”, reported Forum 18 News Service. So far the beloved temple has not yet been bulldozed, but the community feels it could be the next target.

Human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis, head of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, said he was outraged at the continuing destruction. “The authorities are showing that they will do what they want, despite the international outrage at the earlier demolitions of Hare Krishna-owned homes.”

The local administration, he believes, “doesn’t care about the political damage to Kazakhstan’s reputation — or to its desire to chair the OSCE.”

Explaining why the communes were destroyed he told Forum 18: “Here in Kazakhstan the Hare Krishnas are considered to be non-traditional.”

There was some confusion over certain ‘inaccuracies’ in the community’s ownership documents submitted to the authorities but Zhovtis said he considered this to be of little significance.

Help Needed for Devotees in Kazakhstan

BY PAYONIDHI DASA

Jun 16, MARYLAND, USA (SAT) — Yesterday at Potomac temple HH BB Govinda Maharaja got a call from Kazakhstan in the middle of the kirtan, saying that the government in Kazakhstan are sending police cars, etc. to organize destruction of ISKCON properties in Kazakhstan and that of individual devotees homes.

Basically it is one big corrupt government, with officials trying to steal the land of the devotees there. I suggest devotees daily chant Narasimha and Narayana Kavachas in prayer for the devotees there. You could even do longer Narasimha prayers daily in prayer for the devotees there in Kazakhstan, as it is really getting serious.

Himalayan Fest Wrap Up

BY CARU DASA

Jun 8, SPANISH FORK, UTAH (FRI) — The Himalayan Fest, now in its sixth year, commemorates the Grand Opening of the Spanish Fork temple in June of 2001.

Judging from the proceeds at the gate ($ 2.00 adults $ 1.00 children), 800 guests attended the event. Considering it was graduation weekend, that was a good turnout. Colleges are on reduced enrollment from now until Labor Day. That is the biggest reservoir effectively dried up for three months. The monsoon of students will return in time for September’s India Fest.

It was a bigger crowd than last year, made to appear even more so by the new stage next to the temple and lake. Food, gifts, temple building, animals, were all compacted closer together than last year, which better connected the artists and audience. There was a lot more intimacy for a festival of this medium size than can be achieved using the main amphitheater stage. We’ll save that big stage for Llama Fest (July 14) and India Fest (Sept. 15) both of which attract 3,000-4,000 people.

GBC Gathering in New Vrndavana - June 2007

By Praghosa Dasa

Day 1

As part of their ongoing effort to develop a strategic blueprint for ISKCON’s future, the full GBC body gathered at the New Vrndavana community surrounded by the beautiful Appalachian hills of West Virginia.

The first session of the first day commenced with a reconfirmation from the body that notwithstanding their other duties and services, they recommit to the task of completing the above mentioned blueprint. While the body did confirm its dedication to this process, they also clearly recognized the need to include other ISKCON members in this important work.

GBC Resolutions 2007

BY CHAIRMAN HH BHANU SWAMI

Dear Members of ISKCON,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Below you will find the resolutions from our recently completed GBC meetings help in Sri Dhama Mayapura. Please excuse us for the delay. We will try to avoid it for next year.

For the second year in a row, we are including the “Whereas” section of the resolutions for you to read. The Whereas’s are meant to give the reasons for the resolutions. Hopefully they will give you a better idea of some of the rationale behind the decisions.