Hare Krishna Society

Brahmi Devi Dasi
My first memory of our beloved Srila Prabhupada was my discovery of him in a book I found in a secondhand bookshop called Krishna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System. I also found Easy Journey to Other Planets. I was so intrigued by these titles that I bought them both. One paragraph made such an impression on me. It was, as I remember it, “Why are we sending all these young men to the war in Vietnam when there is a fighting class of men?” That is when I recognized my spiritual master, and I said aloud to myself, “This man is beautiful.” I looked at the back of one of the books, saw the number of the Toronto temple, and called and asked if I could visit. When I was told I could, I took my baby daughter, Visakha, and went to meet the devotees.

I have loved Srila Prabhupada from the moment I read that first one of his books. He has been my life and soul from that moment on. I am, by Krishna’s mercy, now in a 77-year-old body – in the dwindling stage, to be precise. When I think of how my life would have been without Srila Prabhupada’s loving guidance and teachings – well, I shudder to think about it.

I MUST BE HONEST

I MUST BE HONEST
I AM NO ONE AT ALL
BUT SINCE I HEARD FROM SHRILA PRABHUPADA
I MUST ANSWER SHRILA PRABHUPADA’S CALL.

I MUST ALWAYS PRAY TO PRABHUPADA
PLEASE KEEP FORCING OPEN MY EYES
YES I MUST PRAY TO SHRILA PRABHUPADA
TO ASSIST EVERYONE’S SPIRITUAL LIVES

WE MUST BECOME SHRILA PRABHUPADA’S TOOLS
TO DEEPLY CONQUER THE HEARTS OF ALL FOOLS
WE MUST BECOME SHRILA PRABHUPADA’S TOOLS
TO SHOW ALL THE FOOLS WHO PERFECTLY RULES. Continue reading →

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Dont be lazy to discuss siddhanta

Allahabad jan 15 1977–

And to pin our staunch faith in Viṣṇu, we should discuss about Viṣṇu-tattva . That is called siddhānta. Siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa: “Don’t be lazy to discuss about siddhānta.” Ihā haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa: “The more you discuss the thesis—not thesis; the factual presentation of Viṣṇu-tattva, māyā, and jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva—then it will be clear what is Kṛṣṇa.” Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. We should try to understand this fact, that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, and if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness… Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your all other duties automatically… The same example, as we have given: If you pour water on the root of the tree, then all other duties are automatically done. There is no question of separate attempt-philanthropy, philosophy and nationalism, this “ism,” that “ism.” We have discovered so many things and diversion of the real duty. That we shall have to concentrate. That is siddhānta.

siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa

iha haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa

We become more and more faithful to Kṛṣṇa by understanding the siddhānta.

One must taste the nectar of devotion by reason, argument and knowledge, and then he must pass it on to others. One should not think that Krishna consciousness is mere sentimentality. The dancing and singing are all scientific. There is science, and there is also loving reciprocation. – On the Way to Krishna 4: The Roads of the Foolish and the Wise

Hare Krsna-

There have been some writings circulating recently by devotees within and outside iskcon about how iskcon should adopt a dual guru system, namely new people should be allowed to accept Srila Prabhupada as their initiating guru or they can accept some gbc certified (accept at your own risk) spiritual master. This idea is not very intelligent and one who reads further and hears the advice given by Bhaktivinode Thakur will see why.

Hare Krsna

damaghosa das

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Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur--starting on pg 110 Sarvabhavana das translation

Note I have from the book, directly typed this text below, so please forgive any typos)

SB 11.2.46-Madhyamas—“isvare tad-adhinesu, balisesu dvbisatsu ca, prema maître krpopeksa, yah karoti sa madhyamah”

An intermediate or second class devotee called a madhyama offers his love to the Lord, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to the ignorant people who are innocent, and disregards those who are envious of the Lord and His devotees.

(I have skipped the first three items because they do not apply to this article at present)

…Now we come to the fourth quality, upeksa, indifference neglect and avoidance of those who are envious.Firstly an envious person has to be defined and the different types of envious persons have to be delineated. Dvesa, enmity is an unfortunate human trait also know as matsarata, envy and hate. This heinous propensity is the exact opposite of prema(love for Krsna).

Antipathy against the Lord is known as dvesa of which there are 5 kinds. 1.skepticism, not having faith in God. 2. the belief that the Lord is nothing more than a natural potency of the creation which automatically brings about results of ones karma. 3. Not believing in the transcendental form of the Lord. 4. not accepting the position of the jiva as eternal servant of the Lord and 5. absence of mercy.

How should devotees deals with such persons? It is recommended one should avoid their company. Upeksa means neither that one should put a stop to all the usual human exchanges nor that one should refuse help to such bewildered persons. On the contrary if an envious person is in danger or in distress, everything should be done to ameliorate his agony.

How then is it possible for a grhastha vaisnava with one final stroke to curtail all simple day to day interactions with this envious lot? This is not the meaning of upeksa. Upeksa is to terminate all spiritual exchanges with them, not social exchanges.

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Srila Sac-Cid-Ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakur avirbhava tithi [appearance day]

Monday, September4 , 2017 [Mayapura Time, West Bengal, Bharata Bhumi time]

Srila Prabhupafa glorifies Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

compiled by Padmapani dasa

(The Prabhupada Connection)

THE PRABHUPADA CONNECTION

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s Appearance

His Divine Grace Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

The pioneer of the program to benedict the entire world with Kṛṣṇa consciousness

So today is very auspicious day, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda’s birthday. Here is the picture of Ṭhākura Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda. He was one of the ācāryas of this disciplic succession from Kṛṣṇa. We have got a succession table from Kṛṣṇa, genealogical table. There are two kinds of genealogical tables: one by the semina—father, his son, his son, like that; that is material genealogical table—and there is one spiritual genealogical table, disciplic succession.

Just like Kṛṣṇa… Kṛṣṇa, the original father, Supreme Personality of Godhead, He spoke the Vedic knowledge to Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. He spoke to Nārada. Nārada spoke to Vyāsa. Vyāsa spoke to Madhvācārya. So, in this disciplic succession, Lord Caitanya, from Lord Caitanya, the six Gosvāmīs, and similarly, coming down, down, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, then Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, then my spiritual master, then we are, next generation, my disciples.

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Foundations of Knowledge: The Path of Reality

By Narasimha das

Many dishonest atheists pose as scholars or even brahmins and Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada indicated that these kinds of hypocrites are even more dangerous than avowed atheists who simply do not believe in God or religion in any shape or form. Poser atheists sometimes challenge faithful devotees, saying, “What is the use your sentiment and mythologies? Can you predict an eclipse or create a space shuttle? Better you worship scientists, who can make our lives free and easy.”

One infamous atheist posing as a sadhu (Vivekananda) advised devout Hindus to uproot their sacred Tulasi plants and grown eggplants instead. He proposed that growing eggplants would be of more consequence that growing Tulasi. Similarly, other atheists advise, “Go to the forest and practice vanaprastha so you don’t disturb others with your fanatical religious ideas. Join an assembly of sages in the jungle– because a festival of sages in the jungle will be of no consequence and thus will not disturb our advanced scientific society.”

Srila Prabhupada has often countered the assertion that devotees are “idiots” or “blind” followers. “The way of devotional service in neither sentimental nor mundane. It is the path of reality by which the living entity can attain the transcendental happiness of being freed from the three kinds of material miseries… The argument that unless one has proper knowledge one cannot be freed from material miseries is undoubtedly true. But because the lotus feet of the Lord are full of transcendental knowledge, acceptance of His lotus feet completes that necessity… There is no want of knowledge in the devotional service of Vasudeva, the personality of Godhead. He, the Lord, personally takes charge of dissipating the darkness of ignorance from the heart of a devotee. He confirms this in Bhagavad-gita (10.10)”: Continue reading →

In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekadashi day
is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life.
The basic principle is not just to fast, but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Krishna.
The real reason for observing fasting on Ekadashi is to minimize the demands of the body and
to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service.
The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.
– Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 7