Wednesday 29 May 2013

Ritvik initiations in four countries


 By: 
Damaghosha Das

The following are pictures of an initiation ceremony held recently (Narasimhadeva appearance day) in New Zealand. And below that, is a letter sent to us from another group of newly initiated Prabhupadanugas in Malaysia (also on Lord Narasimhadeva appearance day).
In Jaipur India, there is a Prabhupadanuga center where five new devotees this past week, got formal shelter under Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet through yet another ritvik ceremony.
 
And very soon in Canada another initiation ceremony will be held for many more devotees who will be formally taking shelter under Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet via the ritvik system he ordered, but which has never been followed by ISKCON.
 
And these are just the ones I am aware of, as there could be more elsewhere. Gradually as devotees catch on to what Srila Prabhupada ordered, they  reject the "living guru" fallacy propagated by ISKCON and accept the actual order given by Srila Prabhupada formally given in the famous July 9th 1977 letter.
 
As he used to say - "these things are going on....”
                                      
Dear Devotees,
 
By the mercy of Sri Sri Radha Krishna, Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaishnavas, we have formally connected ourselves to Srila Prabhupada and through His Divine Grace, to the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya.
 
In the presence of Sri Sri Radha Krishnachandra, Sri Sri Prahlada Narasimha, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, His Grace Stoka Krishna Prabhu from ISKCON Bangalore officiated at the initiation ceremony held in Masai, Johor, Malaysia on the auspicious day of Sri Narasimha Chaturdashi on 24th May 2013 (Fri). A Vaishnava homa was performed thereafter.
 
Our initiated names are:
Mine - Jagannivasa das
My wife's - Radhika devi dasi
 
We thank all of you for your association and guidance and beg to have more of the same in the future.
 
Your servants,
Jagannivasa das (Jai Simman)
Radhika devi dasi (Rekha)

Some principles of purity-Srila Prabhupada

1.) 770111tt.ida                                           
According to Vedic civilization, you are actually untouchable. Now we have come to touch
you
; therefore wash you must first.
You are untouchable. In Indian
civilization, dog is untouchable, and that is your best friend
. So you
are not touchable. Therefore we have to wash you. And unless your
brain is washed, you cannot understand Krsna
. So it is necessary. Is
that all right? Dog is your best friend. In India dog is untouchable.
So "Man is known by his company." If your best friend is dog, then
what you are?
We can understand your position because you sleep with
dog, you eat with dog, your best friend is dog, so what you are? You
must be washed. It is a fact. Every woman, every man, has some dog.
Jagadisa: Dog or cat.
Prabhupada: Mostly dog. So "Man is known by his company." Your
constant company is dog, so what you are? These are the way. Actually,
according to Vedic... Why they do not allow Europeans in the
Jagannatha temple? Because they are untouchable.
According to Vedic
civilization, Europeans are untouchable. Muslims and..., untouchable
.
Not only foreigners, even in their own country, those who are not very
cleansed, they are untouchable
.
 
 
2.) Antya 3.124      The Glories of Srila Haridasa Thakura  
is further said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.1.40):
 
                        asamskrtah kriya-hina
                          rajasa tamasavrtah
                       prajas te bhaksayisyanti
                       mleccha rajanya-rupinah
 
   "In the age of Kali, mlecchas, or lowborn people who have not
undergone the purifying process of samskara, who do not know how to
apply that process in actual life and who are covered by the modes of
passion and ignorance, will take the posts of administrators. They
will devour the citizens with their atheistic activities." A person
who is not purified by the prescribed process of samskara is called
asamskrta, but if one remains kriya-hina even after being purified by
initiation--
in other words, if one fails to actually apply the
principles of purity in his life--he remains an unpurified mleccha or
yavana
.
On the other hand, we find that Haridasa Thakura, although
born in a mleccha or yavana family, became Namacarya Haridasa Thakura
because he performed the nama-yajna a minimum of 300,000 times every
day.
 
3.)Antya 4.127      "The servants are always coming and going without interval. If I
touch them, I shall be ruined
."
 
                               PURPORT
 
   Herein it is very clearly indicated that priests performing Deity
worship should be careful to keep themselves completely pure and not
be touched by outsiders
. Sanatana Gosvami and Haridasa Thakura,
thinking themselves mlecchas and yavanas because of their past
association with Mohammedans, did not enter the temple nor even travel
on the path in front of the temple gate. It is customary for the
priests of temples in India not even to touch outsiders nor enter the
Deity room after having been touched. This is a very important item in
temple worship.
 
4.) Antya 4.129-130     "My dear Sanatana, although you are the deliverer of the entire
universe and although even the demigods and great saints are purified
by touching you, it is the characteristic of a devotee to observe and
protect the Vaisnava etiquette. Maintenance of the Vaisnava etiquette
is the ornament of a devotee.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Prabhupadanugas Ukraine: Sri Sri Prahlad Narsimha Temple , Nrisimha Chaturdashi Pictures 2013
















"All of you , you become guru"-SP

Hare Krsna
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
 
Last night before falling asleep I read this below in the conversation books.
It is very instructive for devotees wishing for the blessings of God and Guru.
 
Hare Krsna is not a sit down do nothing spiritual movement. It is meant
first of all for ourselves,individually, and then we give what we have  learned
and assimilated to others.It comes in, and then goes out, but we feel invigorated by passing on this
transcendental knowledge to all whom we meet.
 
If one reads with an impartial mind all of Srila Prabhupadas books, one will
find him stating this axiomatic truth countless times-everybody you meet,
tell him about Krsna, and in this way, you become a guru. And in all these instances
including this one below, he NEVER says one should initiate those persons to whom
we give this knowledge to. Some devotees seem to think that "guru" means only the
one who takes one's karma, gives a spiritual name and tosses the grains into
the sacrificial fire. That is ONE kind of guru-that kind is Srila Prabhupada, not us.
We have seen what happens when devotees try to imitate the power and purity of a Maha Bhagavat
by imitating his behavior in the manner of taking on disciples.They fall down and cause
all kinds of nasty problems to themselves and others.
 
So best solution is to do exactly what he tells us to do. Tell others about Krsna, starting with
our family members and friends, and in THIS way, simply by telling them about Krsna, one becomes
guru- a siksa guru, not an initiating guru. There is a huge difference between the two.
 
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das
---------------------------
 
750313r2.teh                Conversations                374625/530501
Therefore we don't say, "in my opinion," "our opinion." We say "Krsna
says this," that's all. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is... He says,
 
                 amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa
                yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa
 
   He says that "All of you, you become guru." Just like I am
requesting all Indians outside that I am alone trying to spread this
Indian culture, why not you also join? You also become guru. So how to
become guru?
Not that simply by advertising that one has become guru
all of a sudden, no. Guru means, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yare
dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. Whomever you meet, you just instruct
him in what Krsna says, that's all. You become guru. It is not very
difficult to become guru, provided we simply preach the instruction of
Krsna.
That we are doing. We do not say that we are perfect, we have
become God, or we have so many, so many magic jugglery. No, we have
nothing to do, that. No magic, no jugglery, no God. Simply to become
servant of God, and whomever we meet, we speak the words of God,
that's all. Then you become guru. This is our mission
. That we may be
imperfect, that doesn't matter. We are imperfect. Just like this
child, he is imperfect. Everyone knows. But if he says, "My father has
informed me that this is microphone," so this knowledge of "is
microphone" is perfect because he has received from the father,
experienced father. And before hearing from the father, he may not
know that this is microphone, but since he has heard from the father
that this is microphone, and if he says to others that "My father has
said, 'This is microphone,' " then people will accept this is perfect
knowledge. So we should follow this instruction of Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa. So you, every one
of you, can become guru. You may say that "I am not interested to
become a guru," but Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that if you are not
interested, that is not very good. You should be interested. You must
be guru. That is success of your life.
You can speak the instruction
of Krsna, even to your family. That also guru. You are actually guru.
The father or the head of the family is guru to the children, to the
wife. In India still, the wife addresses the husband as pati-guru. And
father is guru. That is natural. So why don't you become real guru to
your wife, to your children, and instruct Bhagavad-gita as it is? This
is our mission. You sit down in the evening, chant Hare Krsna mantra,
and teach little instruction from the Bhagavad-gita. See how the life
changes. Is that very difficult task? Boliye.Indian man (2): No, no.
Prabhupada: So do that. Don't approach the cheater guru, bluffer guru,
and be cheated. Stop this business. This has spoiled the whole
spiritual atmosphere of the world. Take guru, the supreme guru, Krsna.
Krsna, when in Mahabharata when Maharaja Yudhisthira performed
rajasuya yajna, in the rajasuya yajna one person is elected the chief
guest. So in that yajna many big, big demigods were present, and
Bhismadeva was present, Vyasadeva was present, and many, many other
saintly person, brahmana, from the whole universe were present. And
Krsna was decided to be accepted as the... Everyone agreed to accept
Him as the chief guest. And the Sisupala, he protested. Then everyone
was angry to kill him. So Krsna is accepted the guru by everyone. By
our acaryas, recent acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya... I am not
speaking of the loafer class, but those who are recognized acaryas,
Sankaracarya... They accepted Krsna as the supreme guru. Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. So accept Krsna as the supreme guru and follow His
instruction and try to convince others. "Others" means even your
family members. That is success of life. Samsiddhih hari-tosanam
. Why
should you lead your life blindly? This human life is meant for
enlightenment, supreme enlightenment, and this is supreme
enlightenment, to understand the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and preach
it as far as you can. If not, you can preach amongst your family
members. This is perfection of life
. What is that verse? Ya imam
paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati. That is the desire of Krsna.
 
                        ya idam paramam guhyam
                      mad-bhaktesu abhidhasyati
                       bhaktim mayi param krtva
                       mam evaisyaty asamsayah
 
   "For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees,
devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to
Me."

Sunday 26 May 2013

VEDIC VILLAGE REVIEW # 21 -- Prabhupadanuga Farm in Fiji






 May 26, 2013.  Prabhupadanuga Farm in Fiji
SOUNDS OF NEW JAYAPUR
One fine, sunny morning this last week, I was marking small junk trees along the edge of the forest to be cut in the making of the new hillside pasture, when I stopped to listen to the sounds of the project that were resounding clearly across our tropical rainforest valley next to the seacoast:
1.       There was the small chain saw, not far away, as Isaac cut the bush stumps at ground level for the new pasture,
2.       And the tractor, as Bill was moving some timber over to the equipment shed, reminding me of when Srila Prabhupada came to New Talavan, the Mississippi farm, in 1975. We were on a walk around the second ISKCON farm project, and I had lined up all our farm machinery to show off to Srila Prabhupada. The two 70 foot Harvestore silos loomed overhead, and Prabhupada stopped in front of the machinery, maybe 15 different implements such as hay crimper, manure slinger, silage blower and sickle mower. Looking at the equipment shed nearby, the roof of which had been blown off months ago by a hurricane, Srila Prabhupada coldly asked me, “Why these machines are out in the rain?” With a stammering mind, I could only say, “Oh, we are still finishing repairs to the roof of the shed there,” as I pointed to the half finished structure. Srila Prabhupada turned away from me, and wryly smiled at Brahmananda Swami, telling a short story about the lady who was preparing for the fair with her clothes, makeup, but when she was finally ready, the fair was over. Similarly, Prabhupada explained, by the time the shed is finished, all our machinery would be rusted and ruined. We should take good care of what Krishna had kindly provided us…
3.      Euston and Choni were nailing away on the shed roof, the sound of their hammers denoting progress in the construction of our Vedic village project. Just then,
4.       Dinesh came growling with the track dumper out from the rock cut under the edge of the hill to deliver fill material to the riverbank. We were building up a low area behind the shed, where we were adding a section for the timber milling operation. Our 18 K watt Perkins diesel generator would be located here to power our table saw, dressing planer, and the welder, as the solar power at the ashram could not handle these heavy loads. It felt good to see our mini-industrial area manifesting separately and away from the village residential area up on the ridge.
5.       Behind all this I picked up the dull, soft roar of the distant surf on the reef, perhaps 8 km out. Glancing over to the horizon, I could see a white line where the open ocean crashed upon the barrier reef, allowing for the ultra calm protected waters of Yanawai Bay in front. It was a soothing sound, but at the same time a reminder of the great forces of the ocean and Krishna’s material nature. Recently a yacht had been smashed up and over the reef's edge at night, leaving today only abouthalf the hull protruding at low tide.
6.       George’s grasscutter was also whirring and zipping away below, as he trimmed the grass around the small rice field.
7.       Fascinated at the various sounds of action, and standing motionless, I could hear as well the faint crackling of the burning vines and brush, piled in heaps, producing trails of white thin smoke, angling inland due to the mild sea breeze that was present.
8.       Any other sounds? Yes, the machetes (locally called saylays) were chopping the brush, with the occasional metallic twang, as Jordan, Samu, Marika, and Matai cut and fed materials to the smoldering fires. It was not slash and burn- this hillside had been cleared of forest long ago, and in 60 some years of neglect had become completely covered with “the bush”…
9.       And there was a hidden but nearby bird in the forest singing a pretty, simple tune. I looked around and above the forest canopy across the river, but did not see any swooping parrots with their characteristic blunt head profile and more of a soaring through the air than much quick flapping of their wings. However, the singing bird seemed absorbed in his own sound and probably did not notice all the other sounds- sort of like the karmis oblivious to all but their own fruitive goals...
Today we took the children to the garden. We picked the first French snap beans, mulched, weeded, transplanted some pak choy, replanted some more beans, and picked an eggplant. Later, near the ashram, we picked more eggplant, passion fruit, kumquats, and bele leaves. The kids wanted to swim in the river, so while they hooted and splashed, I did some citrus pruning with my hand cutters. The lower branches, dead branches, and branches that just were not proper in direction, causing internal congestion- had to go. Often, fruit trees need some help developing a good shape and structure- it is at least half art, the rest common sense. Also sometimes shoots will come up from below the graft line, and they usually have big thorns and need to be removed. A few citrus had been pushed over by a strong wind last year, and the roots had adjusted to this new position. These trees naturally began growing vertically again, and I reshaped them somewhat with pruning on one side.
NEW JAYAPUR’S PRABHUPADA MEMORABILIA
Last week we discussed in Bhagwatam class the the philosophy of “tadiya,” of Srila Prabhupada’s memorabilia- andwhy items connected to, touched by, or used by Srila Prabhupada have such great spiritual potency. The history of my Prabhupada memorabilia collection was reviewed, how I built up my collection, lost most of it, and then recovered it plus more. This collection is believed to be the largest on earth. Most was purchased from various devotees, such as Purudas who somehow privatized the New York temple Prabhupada Museum contents, and Sadhusangananda of Austria who served as Boston temple president. Through the years and the moves around the US mainland, to Hawaii, Panama, and finally Fiji, I never had the confidence of permanence of location to set up a museum room or preservation facility. Everything was packed up in plastic-wrapped boxes. But the Fiji ashram building design included what the workers called “the strong room,” a concrete space with a small window and one door, long bench type tables running down opposite walls.
After the swim, I brought the children into the museum for the practical field trip tour of Prabhupada’s memorabilia. They became absorbed for over an hour as we examined several hundred items, from old documents to clothing to mechanical and early version electronic book production machinery. There was the green rocking chair from Henry Street, Brooklyn temple used in 1972-4, and the aghan (knitted blankette) which draped the 1968 Montreal vyasasana (Prabhupada would sit on it). There was one of the early New York temple Panasonic reel-to-reel tape recorders with 20 or so of the 1966-7 tapes of lectures and kirtans. Hayagriva had sold these to Jitendriya, who transferred them to myself. There were two palm leaf scrolls (parts of Ramayana and Bhagwatam) in Telugu from South India, many centuries in age. Vinyl 45’s and 33’s of Prabhupada’s recordings were examined carefully, including several Happening albums (which I would listen to all day long as a new brahmachary devotee, Buffalo, NY, winter 1969-70), and which we decided to bring a copy upstairs to play later on our vinyl record player.
There was the framed 1951 letter from the Ford Foundation that declined Prabhupada’s solicitation to form an association of intelligent men who would guide the world in spiritual matters (…and 20 years later Alfred Ford became Prabhupada’s disciple). A framed ISKCON envelope bore two monetary figures and a doodled sketch of a toy top- in Prabhupada’s fountain pen handwriting. Mylar encased original Back to Godhead magazines, from the first through to No. 12 or so, were bound into protective books. An inexpensive small school notebook filled with Prabhupada’s 1950’s era handwritten notes and thoughts, expenses accounting and train tickets was very interesting (20 paisa for burfi!). The 1940’s sharesbook for Vimaltone Laboratories showed defaulted shares reverting back to Prabhupada due to non-payment of those shares…
The children studied Prabhupada’s tooth and its huge cavity. I told the story- Prabhupada was flying from LA to NYC in 1975, and mid-flight he simply took this tooth from his mouth and handed it to his guard Lalitanath das, who gave it to his brother Raksana das, and I acquired thereafter from Purudas. An actual part of the mahabhagawat, jagat guru’s spiritualized body- this would seem to be extra special, more so than the dhotis, sweaters, pillow cases, gloves, pillows, kurtas, and beadbags used by Srila Prabhupada (which were examined next). There was a pair of quite worn slippers from Prabhupada’s quarters in Los Angeles and a rather uncomfortable pair of beige canvas shoes acquired from Taruni dasi, Sruti Kirti Prabhu’s wife. But the 1950 Corona edition typewriter that Prabhupada used while living in Vrindaban was the highlight… testing the keys and trying to understand how it worked was extremely fascinating to the tour members!
Prabhupada’s last hairclippers are still in working condition. They were in Vrindaban since their last use in 1977 and until Hari Sauri sent them to Balavanta in 1998 for the investigative research into Prabhupada’s suspected poisoning. Hair was removed from between the clipper blades and tested for arsenic, which was unusually elevated and very suspicious. Balavanta never reclaimed the clippers from the laboratory. Years later I used the same laboratory for further testing on other hair samples by method of neutron activation analysis. At my request, the lab dismantled the hairclippers and found 2 or 3 pieces of Prabhupada’s hair, which was tested as well. Altogether, 4 or 5 differently sourced hair samples revealed substantial new evidence, but that’s another story for later too…. The lab sent me back my tested hair samples and they included the hairclippers too, as my good fortune would have it.
After we saw the small hair sample containers, we perused various paper documents, original edition Easy Journey to Other Planets, a Prabhupada autographed Gita, a handwritten essay titled “The Black Marketeers from Bhagavad Gita Point of View,” and other items of extreme transcendental significance. I detected that my audience was finally tiring and being children, after all, they were about done with their first tour of Srila Prabhupada’s Fiji Museum of Transcendental Memorabilia. We unpacked the little dehumidifier that I will soon set up- it removes excess humidity from the air in the room, protecting the items from the advancing effects of time, that unavoidable supreme force of the material world.
Next time I will relate the story of Prabhupada’s personal Los Angeles-based 1968 Mercedes SL250 which took him to morning walks at Venice Beach and in Cheviot Hills Park as well as to San Francisco Rathayatras and other preaching engagements, and how it recently came to Fiji.
Attached photos are of how the children decorated our Lord Nrsinghadeva deity, the new pasture clearing with burning brush, and our rice patch startuing to seed out (or up?)
Yours in Prabhupada’s service,
Nityananda das
New Jayapur, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands

Prabhupadanugas Mexico (Spanish language site)

Cheaters and the cheated

Srila Prabhupada describes the fate of disciples of false gurus


Going to hell without a doubt
As for your next question, can only a few pure devotees deliver others, anyone, if he is a pure devotee he can deliver others, he can become spiritual master. But unless he is on that platform he should not attempt it. Then both of them will to go to hell, like blind men leading the blind.”(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 14th, 1972)”Leaders who have fallen into ignorance and who mislead people by directing them to the path of destruction [as described in the previous verse] are, in effect, boarding a stone boat, and so too are those who blindly follow them. A stone boat would be unable to float and would sink in the water with its passengers. Similarly, those who mislead people go to hell, and their followers go with them.”(Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.7.14)”And the rascal, blind leaders are leading everyone to hell. They are simply misleaders. People do not like to accept any authority. Still, they have accepted these rascals as leaders and are being misled. In this way both the rascal leaders and their unfortunate followers remain bound up by the stringent laws of material nature.”(The Laws of Nature, chapter 1)”Generally a fashionable materialist engages a so-called spiritual master without any profit. The pseudo spiritual master flatters the so-called disciple, and thereby both the master and his ward go to hell without a doubt.”(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.37, purport)
God sends a cheater to the insincere
Srila Prabhupada: “If you simply want an ordinary education, you have to devote so much time, labor, and understanding to it. Similarly, if you are going to take to spiritual life, you must become serious.”
Reporter: “I wondered how many people you think might have been taken in by fake gurus.”
Srila Prabhupada: “Practically everyone. [Laughter.] There is no question of counting. Everyone.”
Reporter: “This would mean thousands of people, wouldn’t it?”
Srila Prabhupada: “Millions. Millions have been cheated, because they want to be cheated. God is omniscient. He can understand your desires. He is within your heart, and if you want to be cheated, God sends you a cheater.”
(The Science of Self-Realization, chapter 2)
“Guru is there, but unless you are actually serious, you cannot get real guru. If you want to be cheated or if you are a cheater, then you’ll get a cheater guru.”
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, January 8th, 1977)
Innocence is no excuse
“Innocence is no excuse of law. [...] So you have to become such intelligent person that you may not be misled by others. You have got the intelligence. Why should you be misled? Then what is the meaning of this human form of life? And you have to be educated. You have to take the opportunity of education so that you may not be misled. Why do you agree to be misled? Then you must agree to take the punishment also.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, June 23rd, 1968)
No benefit or happiness in accepting a false guru
“The misguided conditioned soul also approaches so-called sadhus and swamis who preach against the principles of the Vedas. He does not receive benefit from them, either in the present or in the future.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.14.13)
“One cannot become happy by accepting a false guru. A guru should be accepted as advised in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: One should approach a bona fide guru to inquire about the highest benefit of life. (…) If one is able to obtain the dust of the lotus feet of such a guru, his life becomes successful. Otherwise he is baffled both in this life and in the next.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.14.13, purport)
Not too late to accept Srila Prabhupada
“So if you are misled, if you are cheated, whose fault it is? But if you want to be cheated, who can check? Even though somebody by mistake has gone to a rascal, the book is there. As soon as you find out, “Here is a rascal who does not know anything about Krsna, and I have come to him,” reject him.”
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, January 31st, 1977)
“Here, accepting Krsna as the spiritual master means whatever Krsna will decide, he has to accept. One cannot deny the order of a spiritual master. Therefore one has to select a spiritual master whose order, carrying, you’ll not commit a mistake. You see? Now, suppose if you accept a wrong person as spiritual master, and if you, if he guides you wrongly, then your whole life is spoiled. So one has to accept a spiritual master whose guidance will make his life perfect. That is the relation between spiritual master and disciple. It is not a formality. It is a great responsibility both for the disciple and for the spiritual master.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, March 2, 1966)

Thursday 23 May 2013

New Prabhupadanugas centers in Russia




I do not advise any of my disciples to live alone | Letter to Sudama

Columbus, Ohio
20 May, 1969
My Dear Sudama,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 19, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I understand that Karatieya has left for San Francisco, and there is no grudge. I hope in the association of the devotees there, he will feel jolly, and his moroseness will be cleared off.
So far as you are concerned, I do not think living alone in Honolulu will be very good. If there is possibility of your living in the temple along with the other devotees, then live there. Otherwise you may also return, either in Los Angeles or San Francisco. You can work anywhere because you have got abilities, and from anywhere you can start for Tokyo.

So for going to Tokyo it is not very much necessary that you have to remain in Honolulu alone. I do not advise any of my disciples to live alone; that is not good. If Vamanadeva would have lived with you, that would also have been better.
So live in the temple, or with Vamanadeva, or else go to Los Angeles or San Francisco. When the time is mature, Krishna will help you to go to Tokyo with some other devotees. We shall see later on.
I hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Damaghosh Prabhu discusses on Srila Prabhupada and the Ritvik system in ISKCON - COMPLETE


"Nobody is free, everyone is under the grip of material laws"-SP

750615SB.HON                   Lectures                 
 Nobody is free.Everyone is under the grip of material laws. Even if I think, "I am
free," that is my foolishness. I will be forced to act. Even if I do
not want to become old man, I will be forced to become old man
. And if
I, after this giving up this body, if I... Suppose nature is offering
me a dog's body. If I say "No, no, I will not accept this," no, you
will be forced to accept it. That is nature's law
. But you can save
yourself if you follow conscientiously. That is Krsna consciousness
.
If you keep yourself in Krsna consciousness and act accordingly, then
you will be saved. Otherwise there is no saving
. Tatha
dehantara-praptih. You will have to accept another body. And what is
that body? That is not stated. That will be decided at the end of your
life, at the time of your death, at the condition of your mind and
intelligence at that time. If, at that time, you are thinking of your
pet dog, "What will happen to my pet dog? How he will live? Let me
leave some of my property in his name," (laughter) then you can leave
the dog with some property, but you are going to be dog
. This is laws
of nature.
You may love your dog very nicely and leave some property,
but where you are going, sir? That is under the nature's law. You
cannot say that "I given so much property to the dog. Why shall I
accept the...?" No. Because your mind is absorbed in the thought of
dog, therefore you must take the dog's body. This is nature's law
.
Therefore we have to train up our mind. Instead of dog, you must train
up your mind to think of God. Then you will be saved. Tyaktva deham
punar janma naiti mam.
(no more old mans body, what to speak of a dog's body)
 

How to discharge Devotional Service-NOD


Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila  Prabhupada
 
Today while I was digging in my gardens,and pulling out the seemingly unlimited amount of weeds, I was thinking about this subject-
It states in the Caitanya Caritamrta that after chanting the Lords holy names, the reactional signs of
tears in the eyes and hairs standing on end should become evident.
So I asked my self-
self--why isn't this happening? What immediately came to mind was the below purport in the
Nectar of Devotion book.
-----------------
 
 
NoD 6             How to Discharge Devotional Service   

   Srila Rupa Gosvami states that his elder brother (Sanatana Gosvami)
has compiled Hari-bhakti-vilasa for the guidance of the Vaisnavas and
therein has mentioned many rules and regulations to be followed by the
Vaisnavas. Some of them are very important and prominent, and Srila
Rupa Gosvami will now mention these very important items for our
benefit. The purport of this statement is that Srila Rupa Gosvami
proposes to mention only basic principles, not details. For example, a
basic principle is that one has to accept a spiritual master. Exactly
how one follows the instructions of his spiritual master is considered
a detail. For example, if one is following the instruction of his
spiritual master and that instruction is different from the
instructions of another spiritual master, this is called detailed
information. But the basic principle of acceptance of a spiritual
master is good everywhere, although the details may be different.
Srila Rupa Gosvami does not wish to enter into details here, but wants
to place before us only the principles.
   He mentions the basic principles as follows: (1) accepting the
shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, (2)
becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to
discharge devotional service from him, (3) obeying the orders of the
spiritual master with faith and devotion, (4) following in the
footsteps of great acaryas (teachers) under the direction of the
spiritual master, (5) inquiring from the spiritual master how to
advance in Krsna consciousness, (6) being prepared to give up anything
material for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Sri Krsna (this means that when we are engaged in the devotional
service of Krsna, we must be prepared to give up something which we
may not like to give up, and also we have to accept something which we
may not like to accept), (7) residing in a sacred place of pilgrimage
like Dvaraka or Vrndavana, (8) accepting only what is necessary, or
dealing with the material world only as far as necessary, (9)
observing the fasting day on Ekadasi and (10) worshiping sacred trees
like the banyan tree.
   These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the
discharge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the
beginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten
principles, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Krsna
consciousness.   The next set of instructions is listed as follows: (1) One should
rigidly give up the company of nondevotees. (2) One should not
instruct a person who is not desirous of accepting devotional service.
(3) One should not be very enthusiastic about constructing costly
temples or monasteries. (4) One should not try to read too many books,
nor should one develop the idea of earning his livelihood by lecturing
on or professionally reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita. (5)
One should not be neglectful in ordinary dealings. (6) One should not
be under the spell of lamentation in loss or jubilation in gain. (7)
One should not disrespect the demigods. (8) One should not give
unnecessary trouble to any living entity. (9) One should carefully
avoid the various offenses in chanting the holy name of the Lord or in
worshiping the Deity in the temple
. (10) One should be very intolerant
toward the blasphemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or
His devotees.
   Without following the above-mentioned ten principles, one cannot
properly elevate himself to the platform of sadhana-bhakti, or
devotional service in practice.
Altogether, Srila Rupa Gosvami
mentions twenty items, and all of them are very important. Out of the
twenty, the first three--namely accepting the shelter of a bona fide
spiritual master, taking initiation from him and serving him with
respect and reverence--are the most important.
---------------
 
So after reading the above, my limited brain substance allowed me to ask this question:
If I am not avoiding ALL 10 of the offenses to chanting the Holy Name, then I am not
really even at the platform of sadhana bhakti-devotional service in practice.
 
I may say I am avoiding all 10 of the nama aparadhas, but what is the actual proof that
I am?
 
Here is what Srila Prabhupada writes:
 SB 2.3.24 P   . If there is no such change, the heart must be
considered steel-framed, for it is not melted even when there is
chanting of the holy name of the Lord. We must always remember that
hearing and chanting are the basic principles of discharging
devotional duties, and if they are properly performed there will
follow the reactional ecstasy with signs of tears in the eyes and
standing of the hairs on the body. These are natural consequences and
are the preliminary symptoms of the bhava stage, which occurs before
one reaches the perfectional stage of prema, love of Godhead.
   If the reaction does not take place, even after continuous hearing
and chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it may be considered to be
due to offenses only. That is the opinion of the Sandarbha. In the
beginning of chanting of the holy name of the Lord, if the devotee has
not been very careful about evading the ten kinds of offenses at the
feet of the holy name, certainly the reaction of feelings of
separation will not be visible by tears in the eyes and standing of
the hair on end.
 
 
One Conclusion:
Back to the basics of having the mentality of a beginning bhakta who just moves into the temple, is
always a good place to begin  and continue bhakti yoga.
 
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das

Jayadvaita Swami on why he edited Bhagavad-gita

The following is a 2 ½ hour class given yesterday at the Manor by Jayadvaita Swami on why he edited Bhagavad-gita:
 
The main challenger throughout is Bhajahari. One interesting challenge that was brought to JAS was Bhaja asking when the editing process would stop, i.e. when would the “definitive edition” of Bg be available.  JAS said it would stop when both he and Dravida leave their bodies.  Bhaja asked why didn’t the editing stop when SP left his body?   Funnily enough, on the back cover of the original Macmillan Gita, it says in large type at the top: “The Definitive English Edition of Bhagavad-gita”!
 
Another interesting point was JAS admitting he made a mistake in editing one of the purports, which Parasurama said introduced Mayavada philosophy into the book!  Bhaja then said that since JAS had publicly apologised via BTG for the big mistake of the zonal acarya system, how do we know he didn’t make mistakes in his editing as well?
 
At the end, JAS profusely thanked Bhaja for being brave enough to challenge him in public, as he didn’t want an audience of “yes men”! I’m not sure if this is on the above audio though as I haven’t gone through it.
 
The quality is audible but not pristine since it was recorded “unofficially”, but the “official” high quality digital recording of the classes are usually available online about a week or so after the class.

They're ruining my books." -- Srila Prabhupada

 http://bookchanges.com/theyre-ruining-my-books-srila-prabhupada/

A very, very important document has just become public. It is a 300+ page transcript of a 1979 interview with Ramesvara Prabhu, the manager of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the person directly in charge of printing Srila Prabhupada’s books. Ramesvara had unlimited direct instructions from Srila Prabhupada in regard to printing his books. He also gives an eye-witness account of many other important events that occurred in ISKCON in the presence of Srila Prabhupada. The events were very fresh in his mind at that time as this interview took place only two years after Srila Prabhupada had disappeared from our material vision.
In this interview he is giving a completely honest account of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to him in regard to not changing his books and on many other points also.
This is perhaps the most important document that has come to light in ISKCON since 1977.
I request you to please read the whole 300+ pages of the interview transcript. You will find it uplifting, encouraging, inspiring and also very informative.
In today’s ISKCON almost everything has been changed and so many of Srila Prabhupada’s orders have been disobeyed. This document is truly a wake up call for the BBT and ISKCON, coming perhaps just at the right moment.
You can download and read the PDF file of the interview by clicking on:
Please read it…
A few short quotes from the interview (these are about book changes but the interview covers a very broad spectrum of interesting topics so please read the transcript for yourself):
“Prabhupada got involved in many of the facets related to his books. In 1974, for example, we had proposed to put a new picture on the cover of Isopanisad, Krsna playing the flute on the rock. We mailed a copy of the picture to Prabhupada and told him, “We’re planning to do this.” Prabhupada fired back a letter, “Don’t you dare change the picture on my book! I have deliberately chosen the picture of Visnu because I want this book to be attracting the Mayavadis and impersonalists.”
Prabhupada just explained how everyone’s a rascal for daring to touch anything in his books. The greatest anxiety he has is that after he’s gone we will add things to his books that are bogus, we will take things out that are bona fide, we will make changes in his books and the whole work for 10,000 years, his plan Prabhupada was working on, it will all be spoiled by us because of our tendency to change. And Prabhupada gave an example that the disease to do things differently is so inherent in the Americans that for the sake of doing things differently we would walk on our hands rather than our feet.”
“The artists were always writing letters to Prabhupada asking him to explain how he wants the transcendental lilas painted. How to paint the spirit soul, how to paint Krsna, how to paint the spiritual world, what it looks like, what the atmosphere is, what the ground should look like, all kinds of detailed questions. And Prabhupada would write hundreds of letters to his artists explaining to them the answers. Even though these questions bothered him sometimes, they were like teasing him, but still he took the time to always answer. He once had said that ISKCON Press is the heart of ISKCON and the art department is the heart of the Press. So to Prabhupada these paintings were windows to the spiritual sky.”
“Prabhupada actually wanted 50 paintings in every volume. That was Prabhupada’s vision. Genius! No philosopher ever thought of such a thing. And therefore their books never sell. These art paintings were the basis of all the book distribution. Of course, it was our sincerity and our drive and our desire to please Prabhupada. But the technique was showing people the paintings, attracting their senses, getting them curious and interested and attracted by the art. The more beautiful the art the more you could tell people that this describes the most beautiful, peaceful way of life, the most beautiful spiritual thing. You’d show the paintings and you’d say things like, “This explains how to experience the highest happiness. Just look at this painting. Wouldn’t you like to be there?” The paintings were the basis for the book selling. And Prabhupada is the genius who thought that up.”
“By 1974, Radhahallabha and I and the artists were talking about reprinting the Krsna Book, “Let’s update the paintings.” These paintings were done in 1969, 1968. The artists have gotten much better. Their expertise was much better. So the decision was made by myself and Radhaballabha, we were going to upgrade all the paintings. The artists would get together with Radhaballabha and pick out which ones they wanted and then we would work it out together which ones to take out and which ones to put in. So Prabhupada and Bali came to Los Angeles and I had a meeting with Prabhupada upstairs in his room and I started showing him all of the paintings that were corning out, page by page, and all the paintings that were going in. This was one of the most astonishing meetings I ever had with Prabhupada in my life.
Just before we started going over the Krsna Book paintings, we went  over these drawings that Pariksit had done for the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. He had worked for one year on about 24 or so black and white drawings which would be going on the title page for each chapter of the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. This was his first major work at the BBT art department. And they had sent them to me so I could show them to Prabhupada because we were getting ready to print the TLC in Dai Nippon. So we went through drawing after drawing after drawing and Prabhupada was becoming angrier and angrier and more and more livid, and it was becoming a frightening experience. He was condemning them, he was throwing them out, he was rejecting them, he was blasting them, he was describing how they were going to ruin his book, they’re off, they’re misrepresentative, they’re not clear, they’re bogus, and “If you put anything bogus in my book, this is my greatest fear that you will ruin my book and the whole book will be ruined because of you!” And on and on, it was devastating! And I wrote a letter to the artists with the description of Prabhupada’s comments like a blow by; blow because it was so impressed in my mind. As soon as I got out of the room I ran downstairs and typed out this letter, remembering all of the things Prabhupada said. So I’ll be able to find that letter and you can refer to it and you’ll see exactly how Prabhupada analyzed the drawings in relation to what they were supposed to be illustrating very carefully and rejected them and just with devastating critique. Prabhupada was so expert. So then after going through that scene, then I took out the Krsna Book and said “Now, these are the paintings they want to take out and these are the ones they want to put in, Srila Prabhupada.” And we started again going page by page, color plate by color plate. And Prabhupada was becoming more and more livid, and more and more angry. And it was just the most terrifying experience that I have ever gone through. He was screaming, “They’re ruining my books! They have no brain! They are hippies! They are rascals!” Screaming, pounding his fist on the desk. At one point they wanted to take out the old Putana, the dead Putana with Krsna sucking the breast of Putana or playing on her lap, whatever it was, and in the background you have the Vrndavana village. And they wanted to put the new one in from the 2.2 which Prabhupada considered to be an inferior painting because it did not show as much. “An ugly black lump,” he said. But the worst was when we came to the rasa-lila, this was one of Prabhupada’s favorite paintings, the original Devahuti painting of the rasa-lila which we’ve made the poster of, which is now in the Krsna Book and so on. They wanted to take it out and  they wanted to put this painting of Krsna dancing with the gopis from the first printing of the Third Canto, Volume 2. Now in the reprinting of the Third Canto, Volume 2 this rasa-lila has been taken out and the original Krsna Book rasa-lila has been put in. Because the rasa-lila that they wanted to put in the Krsna Book was the final straw. Prabhupada just turned white! He looked into his bedroom at the original painting which was hanging on his wall. From his sitting room in Los Angeles he could look into his bedroom. He turned white. He looked at that painting. Then he looked down at the painting that they were proposing was better. Krsna’s hair was wild and long, Radharani’s head was uncovered, the gopis‘ hair was uncovered. It was like a, Prabhupada said, “hippie dance, sex dance. Hippie seeds, hippie contamination, hippie mentality, hippie, hippie, dirty! Rascals!” On and on. Prabhupada was screaming, banging his fist on the desk. There was nothing you could say, it was just an explosion that “They’re ruining my books.”

With the BBT, the size of the books, the type of art in the books and so on, on principle Prabhupada would not allow changes even if the change was an improvement. Just to teach that principle of don’t change. When the Dallas Gurukula was collapsing, I begged Prabhupada, “Let us send money from the BBT.” He said, “No. It is not the business of the BBT to support children, it is the business of parents.” The parents didn’t have any money, how could they support the children? But on this principle, Prabhupada wouldn’t let the BBT bail out the Dallas Gurukula and it closed. I was ready to bail them out. I proposed it, I wanted to bail it out, but it just didn’t happen.
I’ve had many experiences with Prabhupada literally drilling me, pounding it into my head that you’re never allowed to change anything in his books. He trained me so intensely on this point. Even when the changes make sense he wouldn’t let me change. Just to train me.
You can download and read the PDF file of the interview by clicking on:


Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

Madhudvisa dasa
 http://bookchanges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Ramesvara-interview-1979.pdf

"Everyone is trying to become fortunate"--SP

■750716SB.SF                    Lectures                 
Everyone is trying to become fortunate. Now, Canakya Pandita gives
three things, formula, "If you want to be fortunate, then do these
three things." What is that?
Murkha yatra na pujyante: "Do not give
any credit to the rascal
." That is first qualification. Don't be
carried away by the rascal. Murkha yatra na pujyante. If you worship a
rascal, then your life is spoiled. You must worship a really learned
representative of God. That is very good. And dhanyam yatra
susancitam: "Food grains, they are properly stocked." Not that for
your foodstuff, getting your food grain or earning your livelihood,
you have to go hundred miles, fifty miles. No. At home, you produce
your food grain and stock it. In India still, they work for three
months
during this rainy season, and they get their food grains for
the whole year. You can save time so nicely
. So these things are
required for happy home. There must be food grains. You cannot be
happy without eating.
 
That is not possible. Annad bhavanti. Krsna also
says in the Bhagavad-gita, annad bhavanti bhutani. If you have got
sufficient anna, eatables, foodstuff, then you become happy.
 

   So three things: ... you have got big, big stock. That is required. There
may be scarcity at times, but if you keep stock, then there is no
trouble. This one, no foolish rascal should be worshiped, food grains
should be nicely stocked, and the third thing, most important,
dampatyoh kalaho nasti: "There is no disagreement between husband and
wife." If these three things are there, then you haven't got to pray
to the goddess of fortune, "Kindly be merciful." She will
automatically come. "Here is a very nice place. I shall stay here."
 
 
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE---
 
CHANT THIS MAHA MANTRA AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE SUBLIME !!

"this mango is more dangerous than dry meat"-SP

750627SB.LA                    Lectures                  227203/530501
Santosa: "The rare person who has completely adopted unalloyed
devotional service can uproot all the weeds of sinful activities
simply by discharging that service, and there is no possibility that
the weeds will grow again. His devotional service is just like the
sun, which can immediately dissipate fog simply by its rays."
Prabhupada:
                        kecit kevalaya bhaktya
                          vasudeva-parayanah
                      agham dhunvanti kartsnyena
                        niharam iva bhaskarah
So we have been discussing for the last few days how to become free
from the reaction of our sinful life. That is real problem. But
people, they have no knowledge what is life, what is sinful life, what
is pious life, why we are put into this condition that "We have to do
this; we haven't got to do that." This is real philosophy of life. The
asuras, as we were discussing in this morning walk, they do not know
it. Asuras... Pravrttim ca nivrttim ca na vidur asurah janah. We are
living... In the ordinary life also, we live a little carefully so
that we may not fall sick. For that purpose there is very vigilance in
the immigration department that in Australia we had some nice mangoes
brought from Bombay, and they did not allow to take it. They thought
this mango is more dangerous than the dry meat. They will allow
importation of dry meat, three hundred years old, (laughter) put into
the regrigerator, and that is imported. That is not infectious. But
mango, very nice mango, fresh mango--we started in Bombay at night,
and we came in the morning, it has become poisonous. So we are so much
precautious that not any germs, infectious disease, may enter. That is
there. But what is that infection which has caused me to accept this
material body again and again
? That they do not know. That they do not
know.
They do not believe in the next life, and therefore asurah
janah. This is, the symptom or characteristic of the asurah janah. You
should be precautious. That is natural. We become precautious, that
"We should not do this so that I may not fall sick." But we do not
know what is our real sickness. That we do not know.
   That is being presented by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita, that "This
is your sickness, real sickness." What is that?
Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. You are trying to be
unaffected by all kinds of sickness, but your real sickness is this
material disease: you take birth, you die, you become old, and you
suffer from diseases. This is your real sickness
. But who is caring
for this? ....
The solution is that the living entity has infected itself with the material disease. It has to be cured. That is
the whole purpose of Vedic civilization, how to cure your material disease.

Candan Yatra ki Jaya !!

Sri Nityananda Avadhuta
Sri Krsna Caitanya
 
Here They are all slathered up with sandlewood pulp-I was drying Them off by waving back
and forth the bathing towel why I chanted some rounds... then I could put Their clothes on