September | 2020 | The Hare Krishna Movement

A Fool is not Revealed Until he Opens His Mouth

30 Sep 2020 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bill Murray, Donald Trump, Politics, Sociopath Tags: Bhagavad-gita, Bill Murray, Donald Trump, fool, Krsna conscious, Srila Prabhupada, symptoms of a fool

I must admit I watched the presidential debate last night. It was a travesty. Never before have I seen such rudeness and harshness on the presidential stage. Our President revealed what a low class character he truly is, with his interruptions, lies, false allegations, failure to denounce “white supremacy”, and rejecting the validity of mail in voting and our democratic process for free and fair elections. I was not surprised by behavior, rather I expected it, but was appalled by it nonetheless. Very unprecedented; not befitting a president of the United States.

…for speech is the most important quality of any man. It is said that a fool is undiscovered as long as he does not speak, and certainly a well-dressed fool cannot be identified unless he speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he reveals himself at once. (from purport to Bagavad-gita 2.54)

If One Offers Me with Love and Devotion a Leaf, a Flower, Fruit or Water, I will Accept It.

27 Sep 2020 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krsna Consciousness, Nine Processes of Devotional Service, Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home Tags: a flower, a leaf, A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, devotion, fruit or water, God, Krishna, sloka, Sri Krsna, Srimad Bhagavatam

One of the first slokas I ever memorized from the Bhagavad-gita was 9.26 patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ… “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Full text and purport follows). This was practically the beginning of my spiritual life. ‘Just try to love God by offering Him something, with devotion. A leaf, a flower, fruit or water.’

One does not need great wealth, education or opulence to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one is fully absorbed in love and ecstasy, he need offer only a flower and a little water. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower. fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26)

The Supreme Lord can be pleased only by devotional service: therefore it is said here that the Lord is surely satisfied by devotion and nothing else. Quoting from the Gautamīya-tantra, the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa states:

tulasī-dala-mātreṇa
jalasya culukena vā
vikrīṇīte svam ātmānaṁ
bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalaḥ

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is very affectionate toward His devotees, sells Himself to a devotee who offers merely a tulasī leaf and a palmful of water.” The Supreme Lord is causelessly merciful upon His devotee, so much so that even the poorest of men can offer Him a little water and a flower in devotion and thus please Him. This is due to His affectionate dealings with His devotees. (SB 5.3.6 purport)

Everyone is searching after peace of mind. This is obtainable only when one is completely freed from the desire for material sense gratification and is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (9.26). Worship of the Lord is not at all expensive. One can offer the Lord a leaf, a flower, a little fruit and some water. The Supreme Lord accepts these offerings when they are offered with love and devotion. In this way, one can become freed from material desires. As long as one maintains material desires, he cannot be happy. As soon as one engages in the devotional service of the Lord, his mind is purified of all material desires. Then one becomes fully satisfied. (SB 5.7.11, purport)

Full Text and Purport More

Astronomical Calculations

21 Sep 2020 1 Comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, agents of the Lord, astrologer, astronomical calculations, higher authorities, horoscope, laws of nature, science, state laws, stellar influences

I don’t know about any of you, but it seems to me this year 2020 has been full of inauspicious events; a pandemic, fires, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, civil unrest, shootings, political upheaval, etc. etc. I’m no expert on astrology or stellar influences, but this has been a very strange and foreboding year.

For some reason this Purport from the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam caught my attention this morning. I generally do not put much thought into the Zodiac, or stellar influences upon us, or how the laws of nature are controlling us at every moment. But in this purport by Srila Prabhupada, he mentions the importance of preforming pious acts to take advantage of good stellar influences. “Suitable arrangement of astral influences is never a creation of man’s will, but is the arrangement of the superior management of the agency of the Supreme Lord. Of course, the arrangement is made according to the good or bad deeds of the living being. Herein lies the importance of pious acts performed by the living being. Only by pious acts can one be allowed to get good wealth, good education and beautiful features.” (Purport Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.12.12)

Astronomical calculations of stellar influences upon a living being are not suppositions, but are factual, as confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Every living being is controlled by the laws of nature at every minute, just as a citizen is controlled by the influence of the state. The state laws are grossly observed, but the laws of material nature, being subtle to our gross understanding, cannot be experienced grossly. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), every action of life produces another reaction, which is binding upon us, and only those who are acting on behalf of Yajña (Viṣṇu) are not bound by reactions. Our actions are judged by the higher authorities, the agents of the Lord, and thus we are awarded bodies according to our activities. The law of nature is so subtle that every part of our body is influenced by the respective stars, and a living being obtains his working body to fulfill his terms of imprisonment by the manipulation of such astronomical influence. A man’s destiny is therefore ascertained by the birthtime constellation of stars, and a factual horoscope is made by a learned astrologer. It is a great science, and misuse of a science does not make it useless… (Purport Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.12.12)

Lest We Forget The Horrors: A Catalog Of Trump’s Worst Cruelties, Collusions, Corruptions, and Crimes

16 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Divine and Demoniac Natures, Donald Trump, Politics Tags: Amy Sumerton, Ben Parker, Bg 16.4, Bhagavad-gita, Divine and Demoniac Natures, DuRose, John McMurtrie, Kelsey Ronan, mcsweeneys.net, Rachel Villa, Sophia, Stephanie Steinbrecher, Trump

Black Plague

This is a very shocking list or catalog of our current President’s misdeeds that I recently ran across. Click on link below to veiw entire list.

Lest We Forget The Horrors: A Catalog Of Trump’s Worst Cruelties, Collusions, Corruptions, and Crimes

by Ben Parker, Stephanie Steinbrecher, Kelsey Ronan, John McMurtrie, Sophia, DuRose, Rachel Villa, and Amy Sumerton

Early in President Trump’s term, McSweeney’s editors began to catalog the head-spinning number of misdeeds coming from his administration. We called this list a collection of Trump’s cruelties, collusions, and crimes, and it felt urgent then to track them, to ensure these horrors — happening almost daily — would not be forgotten. This election year, amid a harrowing global health, civil rights, humanitarian, and economic crisis, we know it’s never been more critical to note these horrors, to remember them, and to do all in our power to reverse them. This list will be updated between now and the November 2020 Presidential election.

Various writers have compiled this list during the course of the Trump administration. Their work has been guided by invaluable journalistic resources, including WTFJHT, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other sources, to whom we are grateful.

The Complete Listing (so far)
ATROCITIES 1-889

Anti-Abortion Issue

16 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Kesihanta das, Krsna Consciousness, Letters by Srila Prabhupada Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, abortion, abortion issue, anti-abortion, evangelical christians, Kesihanta dasa, Srila Prabhupada, Trump

My wife shared this post with me that she ran across on Facebook. During this Election Year, I have noticed many devotees are becoming embroiled in the Presidential debate which seems to be dividing us yet again. Kesihanta Prabhu brings the words of Srila Prabhupada into the debate to remind us that abortion is only a side issue, our real mission is Krsna consciousness.

Anti-Abortion Issue
by Kesihanta Dasa

While doing some unrelated research in the Vedabase, I came across this in a letter from Srila Prabhupada. I’m posting it now since I find it odd that a number of devotees support Trump and other politicians simply on their anti-abortion stance regardless of their other positions and policies. What to speak of the fact that Trump says he’s against abortion only to woo his base of Evangelical Christians, while his character, life history, and policies are anything but Christian.

“Certainly we are opposed to abortion, and we can advise that it is not good, but do not take an active part in this political agitation against abortion. We are not much concerned in that way, so do not waste time approaching politicians or affiliating with others on the basis of the anti-abortion issue. We are Krsna Conscious and we are for Krsna Consciousness; that is our issue. Abortion is only a side issue. Whatever you have done that is all right, but concentrate now on our main business to make everyone Krsna Conscious.” — Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Tusta Krishna Maharaja, February 4, 1977

Forever Grateful to Srila Prabhupada

10 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Padmapani das, Prabhupada Connection, Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, chanting of Hare Krishna, Forever Grateful to Srila Prabhupada, George Harrison, Hair, Hare Krishna, Padmapani das, poet Allen Ginsberg, Prabhupada Connection, Srila Prabhupada

My good friend Padnapani Prabhu, who runs the web page “The Prabhupada Connection” has written many fine essays on Krishna Consciousness and the Glories of Srila Prabhupada. We share one of his Editorial Notes with you today.

Forever Grateful to Srila Prabhupada
by Padmapani dasa

Thinking back to the late sixties and early seventies, I fondly remember how the Hare Krsna mantra had already infiltrated contemporary culture due to Srila Prabhupada’s extraordinary efforts to spread the holy names throughout the world. A number of famous musicians and artists had begun to discover the chanting and were promoting it in their records and books.

For example, the Broadway musical “Hair” was a big hit and the accompanying record — which included the chanting of Hare Krsna — became a popular staple on the radio. George Harrison recorded the song “My Sweet Lord” with the melodious chanting of Krsna’s names in the background, and prior to that, the words “Hare Krsna” could be found on one of the Beatles’ albums. Poet Allen Ginsberg, a self-styled leader of the new counterculture, had visited India and picked up the mantra there. He subsequently wrote about the chanting in at least one or more of his poetry books. After meeting Prabhupada at 26 Second Avenue in the Lower East Side of New York, Ginsberg increased his dedication to the holy names and often chanted them during “be-ins” and poetry readings. When John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous “bed-in” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in 1969, the devotees were there singing Hare Krsna during the recording of “Give Peace a Chance.” The “Radha Krsna Temple” album produced by George Harrison in 1970 in co-operation with the London devotees could be found in record stores throughout Europe and North America. Such was the widespread influence of Srila Prabhupada’s dynamic preaching efforts even though he had only been in the western world for a short period of time. Srila Prabhupada was already expertly fulfilling the order of his spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaj.

The Beauty of the Lord

09 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krsna's Beauty, Radha Krishna Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, blackish cloud, clouds of the rainy season, Hare Krishna, Krishna consciousness, Krsna, Lords beauty, peacock feather, Radha and Krishna, SB 4.24, Srimad Bhagavatam

This morning I was just reflecting on how hot the weather has been, and how much all the plants are in need of water. Then, as I was reading the following verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam and I was thinking that we are all in need of Krsna, who is like the rain, and who’s beauty is compared to the dark clouds in the sky.

…After the scorching heat of the summer season, it is very pleasing to see dark clouds in the sky. The Lord wears a peacock feather in His hair, and His bodily complexion is just like a blackish cloud.

…The Lord’s beauty is compared to rainfall because when the rain falls in the rainy season, it becomes more and more pleasing to the people. After the scorching heat of the summer season, the people enjoy the rainy season very much. Indeed, they even come out of their doors in the villages and enjoy the rainfall directly. Thus the Lord’s bodily features are compared to the clouds of the rainy season.

…No one can say that the body of the Lord is wanting in beautiful parts. It is completely pūrṇam. Everything is complete: God’s creation, God’s beauty and God’s bodily features. All these are so complete that all one’s desires can become fully satisfied when one sees the beauty of the Lord. Both materialists and spiritualists can enjoy the beauty of the Lord. Because the Supreme Lord attracts everyone, including demons and devotees, materialists and spiritualists, He is called Kṛṣṇa. (from purport to SB 4.24.45-46)

Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls

05 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, books by Srila Prabhupada, Durga, gopis of vrndavana, Krsna Book, Siva, unmarried gopis, Vedic civilization

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 22

I love the KRSNA Book. It was the first book I ever received by Srila Prabhupada, and was handed to me by a very compassionate Hare Krishna devotee at the Chicago Ohara Airport way back in 1972. Love all the stories and especially like the following one we share with you today.

Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls

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