Saturday, 2 April 2016

Jagannath Rath Yatra at Govindgarh

 




Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Mother Subhadra being brought to the "Rath" or Cart for "Rath Yatra".








 An address by Dayalu Nitai Prabhu, President, Hare Krishna Community to the guests and devotees regarding Rath Yatra




Sankirtan, Dance, Sankirtan..........




Some Special Clicks




Book Distribution.......






 Final Arati of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Mother Subhadra

Prasadam Time......

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Gaur Poornima Celebrations 2016

Program began with Tulasi Arati 


Special Darshan of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Abhishek of Shri Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu begins..




Floral Abhishekam......
Ecstatic dance by Gurukula Children 






Tuesday, 29 March 2016

It doesn't require A-B-C-D education



Education means Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is education. If simply we understand that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person. He is great, and we are all subordinate. So our duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa," these two lines, if we understand, then our life is perfect. If we simply learn how to worship Kṛṣṇa, how to please Him, how to dress Him nicely, how to give Him nice foodstuff, how to decorate Him with ornaments and flowers, how to offer our respectful obeisances unto Him, how to chant His name, in this way, if we simply think, without any so-called education we become the perfect person within the universe. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It doesn't require A-B-C-D education. It requires simply change of consciousness. So if these children are being taught from the very beginning of their life... We had the opportunity of being trained up by our parents like this. So some way or other, they have come to... [break] Many saintly persons used to visit my father's house. My father was Vaiṣṇava. He was Vaiṣṇava, and he wanted me to become a Vaiṣṇava. Whenever some saintly person would come, he would ask him, "Please bless my son that he can become a servant of Rādhārāṇī." That was his prayer. He never prayed for anything. And he gave me education how to play mṛdaṅga. My mother was against. There was two teachers-one for teaching me A-B-C-D, and one for teaching me mṛdaṅga. So the one teacher was waiting and the other teacher was teaching me how to play on mṛdaṅga. So my mother would be angry that "What is this nonsense? You are teaching mṛdaṅga? What he will do with this mṛdaṅga?" (chuckles) But perhaps my father wanted that I should be a great mṛdaṅga player in the future. (laughter) Therefore I am very much indebted to my father, and I have dedicated my book, Kṛṣṇa book, to him. He wanted this. He wanted me to be preacher of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and player of mṛdaṅga and to become servant of Rādhārāṇī. So every parent should think like that; otherwise one should not become father and mother. That is the injunction in the śāstra. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syād gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt. In this way, the conclusion is, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. If one is unable to rescue his disciple from the imminent danger of death, he should not become a guru. One should not become father or mother if he cannot do so. In this way, no friend, no relatives, no father, no..., if one cannot teach his other party how to save from the clutches of death.

So that education is wanting throughout the whole world. And simple thing is that one can avoid this entanglement of birth, death, old age and disease simply by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Arrival Lecture -- Dallas, March 3, 1975

Sunday, 27 March 2016

Promises by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā


1) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." (Bhagavad-gītā7.14)
2) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
mām anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ
"Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt."(Bhagavad-gītā 8.7)
3)  Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ
brahma
vyāharan mām
anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan
dehaṁ
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim
"After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinke of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets." (Bhagavad-gītā 8.13)
4) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham
"But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form-to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have." (Bhagavad-gītā 9.22) 
5) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā
śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi
na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
"He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes." (Bhagavad-gītā 9.31)
6) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ
"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bhagavad-gītā 9.34)
7) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." (Bhagavad-gītā 10.10)
8) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu
yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava
"My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me."
(Bhagavad-gītā 11.55)
9) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
mayy eva mana ādhatsva
mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva
ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ
"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt." (Bhagavad-gītā 12.8)
10) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi
mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi
atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān
na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi
"If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost." (Bhagavad-gītā 18.58)
11) Lord Kṛṣṇa promises
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo 'si me
"Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend." (Bhagavad-gītā18.65)

Saturday, 26 March 2016

There will be a change of heart


"We are confident that if the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties."

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.11

There are two kinds of impediments to devotional service


According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, there are two kinds of impediments to devotional service. The first is an offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava. This is called vaiṣṇava-aparādha. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned His devotees not to commit vaiṣṇava-aparādha, which He described as the mad elephant offense. When a mad elephant enters a beautiful garden, it destroys everything, leaving a barren field. Similarly, the power of vaiṣṇava-aparādha is so great that even an advanced devotee becomes almost devoid of his spiritual assets if he commits it. Since Kṛṣṇa consciousness is eternal, it cannot be destroyed altogether, but advancement may be checked for the time being. Thus vaiṣṇava-aparādha is one kind of impediment to devotional service. Sometimes, however, the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee desires to impede one's devotional service. For example, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were formerly Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers in Vaikuṇṭha, but by the desire of the Lord, they became His enemies for three lives. Thus the desire of the Lord is another kind of impediment. But in both cases, the pure devotee, once advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cannot be lost. Following the orders of his superiors (Svāyambhuva and Lord Brahmā), Priyavrata accepted family life, but this did not mean he lost his position in devotional service. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is perfect and eternal, and therefore it cannot be lost under any circumstances. Because the material world is full of obstructions to advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there may appear to be many impediments, yet Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declares in Bhagavad-gītā (9.31), kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: once one has taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, he cannot be lost.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.1.5

Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Gaura Purnima


Lord Caitanya's Birthdate is on the Phalguna Purnima between 15 of Feb. and 15th of March. The full moon day is Lord Caitanya's Birthday. I think you can send for Rayarama's calendar which he has published. The exact day is 14th March, Thursday, 1968. The procedure is that you should fast from morning to evening (about 7:00) after that there should be offering to Lord Caitanya and prasadam should be accepted just like on Ekadasi day, and next day, Friday, full love feasting may be provided to as many devotees as you can.

Srila Prabhupada's Letter to: Janardana — Los Angeles 21 January, 1968