Every Town and Village
23 Jan 2014 Leave a comment
in Chanting Hare Krishna, Harinama Sankirtan, Krishna Consciousness, Locanananda das, Sankirtan, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, chanting Hare Krishna, enthusiastic devotees, Fifth Ave., Hare Krishna, Hari Nama Sankirtan, Locanananda dasa, Lord Jagannatha's Rathayatra parade, mantra meditation, Near Death while Out Chanting, sankirtan, sankirtana cleanses the heart, Sri Krsna sankirtana, Yajna Purusa dasa
The following is a very nice story which appeared as a Back to Godhead Magazine Article back in 1998. It was written by Locanananda dasa and he recounts the true events that occurred while out chanting on a hot summers day, in the streets of New York City.
21 Jan 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotee Books, Guru das, Roger Siegel, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada Conversations, Srila Prabhupada vani Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, book by gurudas, By His Example, By His Example 2nd Edition, Guru das, Gurudas, Roger Siegel, Srila Prabhupada, the wit and wisdom of his divine grace a. c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada
My dear friend and Godbrother, Sriman Gurudas Prabhu, has just sent me a box of his new ‘2nd Edition printing’ of the renowned classic “By His Example”, with new stories never before published. I am pleased to offer it for sale, from our web site http://www.theharekrishnamovement.com and hope it will be recieved by the vaisnava community. It is filled with wonderful stories and memories, as well as accounts of Prabhupada’s glories. In his own words…
“This book is not meant to be a biography, but rather a transcendental medium that allows both those who knew him and those who never had a chance to meet Prabhupada to experience his humor and compassion, to come into closer contact with his vani and vapu. Prabhupada once said, “Krishna consciousness means happiness.” I hope that you may derive some happiness, inspiration, encouragement, and transcendental ecstasy from this rendering.” (Gurudas)
By His Example
The Wit and Wisdom of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
by Gurudas
Excerpt from Preface; “Radha and Krishna have guided this book, a glorification of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the kindest, wisest, most determined, noncompromising, open-minded personality I have ever come in contact with. This book is also for and in glorification of all the devotees who have embarked on the path of Krishna consciousness. My heart goes out to all devotees, you who have become tender-hearted by hearing ancient, transcendental sounds and by accepting Sri Sri Radha Krishna’s benediction and effulgence” -Gurudas
30 Dec 2013 1 Comment
in Acyutanananda das, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Gopinatha Tags: Acyutanananda das, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Gopinatha, Lord of the Gopis, please hear my prayer, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
Gopinatha
by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
translated from Bengali by Acyutananda Svami
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is one of the most important spiritual masters in the Krsna consciousness line of disciplic succession. His devotional songs and poems express the perfectional emotions of a pure devotee of Lord Krsna (Gopinatha).
O Gopinatha, Lord of the gopis, please hear my prayer. I am a materialistic rascal, always full of lust. I have no good qualifications.
O Gopinatha! You are my only resort. As Your eternal servant, I take shelter of Your lotus feet.
O Gopinatha! How can I uplift myself? I don’t know anything regarding devotional service. I am weak-minded and have fallen into a pit of illusion.
O Gopinatha! Everything here is but Your illusory energy. I have no power or pure knowledge, and and I am bound by a material body.
O Gopinatha! I desire to remain always at Your lotus feet. Please take this sinner, weeping and weeping, and show me Your mercy.
O Gopinatha! You can do anything. You have purified the most wicked by Your power, but who is more wicked than me?
O Gopinatha! You are the vessel of kindness. You enter into this mundane world and display Your sublime pastimes for the sake of the fallen souls.
O Gopinatha! I am the sinner of sinners. Yet I sit waiting for You to take me, for many demons have attained Your lotus feet.
O Gopinatha! Destroy the miseries of this world! I am strung on a necklace of births and deaths and cannot bear the kicking of maya.
O Gopinatha! I am a servant of lust, entangled in the net of material desire which has sprung up in my heart.
O Gopinatha! When will I wake up and cast this enemy of lust far from me? Then only will You be revealed to me in my heart.
O Gopinatha! I am Your own. By leaving Your lotus feet, forgetting Your treasures, I have served only maya.
O Gopinatha! You know everything. Take me to Your lotus feet and punish Your servant.
O Gopinatha! Is it to Your liking to reject me and not show me Your kindness?
O Gopinatha! I am the greatest fool. I don’t at all know what is good for me. I cannot understand anything. This is my fate.
O Gopinatha! You are the greatest intellect. Not considering that I am Your servant, judge me without bias.
O Gopinatha! I have no means of benefiting myself. By Your mercy and kindness, please pick me up from this miserable world and take me to You.
O Gopinatha! I have fallen into this dark world. Bound by wealth, wife and sons, I am feeling the pain of lust.
O Gopinatha! I am going mad! Never caring for spiritual practices, I am always unconscious and deeply sunk in the muck of sense gratification.
O Gopinatha! I surrender unto You. All my endeavors are a useless waste of time. Now I surrender unto You.
O Gopinatha! How shall I reach the goal? My mind is overwhelmed by the powerful senses. I cannot shake off attachment to worldly pleasures.
O Gopinatha! Please reside in my heart. Destroy these dangerous obstacles, correct my mind and guide me to Your own true path.
O Gopinatha! Please let Your glance fall on me. I am helpless, but You are Hrsikesa, the Lord of the senses. Please control my senses and pull me out of this world of dangers.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura prays: O Gopinatha! My voice is faltering. I must throw off these shackles and catch hold of Your mercy.
15 Dec 2013 1 Comment
in Deena Bandhu das, Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Vibhu Chaitanya das
I was at my Facebook page this morning and there was this nice remembrance of Vibhu Chaitanya Prabhu that was written by Deena Bandhu Prabhu with the above beautiful picture. I couldn’t resist making it a permanent post.
Sriman Vibhu Chaitanya Prabhu
by Deena Bandhu dasa
Our very dear Godbrother Vibhu Chaitanya Prabhu’s 6th Disappearance anniversary was celebrated today. One of the sweetest devotees I’ve ever known. Prabhupada told him he didn’t have to chant rounds, just cook for Krishna Balaram and sing! So from 3am to 10pm with a break for lunch and rest, you could find him in the Deity kitchen singing the most relishable melodies of Hare Krishna and cooking for his Lords! Even up to old age (90+)! Sadly came the day he couldn’t do it anymore, so he served caranamrita for a few years! When he firmly grasped your arm to put it in your palm, it was like transcendental electricity! Finally he couldn’t even walk so here you see him sitting in his wonderful bhajan kutir, that he made look just like Goloka! Vibhu Chaitanya Prabhu ki jaya!
14 Dec 2013 1 Comment
in Diksha, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Hencefoward, Krsnacandra das, Ritvik Representative of the Acharya Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, disciple, gayatri, guru, hencefoward, initiated disciple of srila prabhupada, initiated disciples book, Initiation, ISKCON Bangalore, July 9th Letter, Krishna consciousness, Madhu Pandit Das, ritvik, rtvik representative of the acharya, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement
The following is an article, I have wanted to include for some time now, which was written by Krsnacandra Prabhu and posted on his page Prabhupadvision.com. In light of our recent post entitled Sri Madhu Pandit’s Official Reply to the EC we feel it is timely, and of utmost importance to our society that we understand the issues. Although our page is not intended as a political forum, it is a tool in the mission of our spiritual master, for the propagation of The Hare Krishna Movement or Krishna Consciousness.
Now that Śrīla Prabhupāda has named these representatives Temple Presidents may henceforward send recommendations for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven representatives are nearest their Temple.
After considering the recommendation, these representatives many accept the devotee as an initiated disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of a second initiation, by chanting on the Gāyatrī thread just as Śrīla Prabhupāda had done.
The name of a newly initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or her to Śrīla Prabhupāda, to be included in Divine Grace’s “Initiated Disciples” book. (from July 9th letter)
The Rtvik Representative Of The Acharya
by Kṛṣṇacandra Dāsa – Vṛndāvan:
Shortly after His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda entered into his Samādhi līlā in 1977; 11 of his senior disciples and members of the GBC who held the official position of representatives of His Divine Grace in 1st and 2nd spiritual initiations [as per July 9th Document], without authority and without an order by His Divine Grace announced themselves to be pure devotees of the Lord and forcibly seized the titles, roles and functions of acharyas and Initiating Spiritual Masters of ISKCON.
07 Dec 2013 1 Comment
in guru-tattva, ISKCON, Iskcon Bangalore, ISKCON History, Madhu Pandit das Tags: Anuttama dasa, bangalore case, Bhanu Swami, Dayarama dasa, guru issues, guru ritvik, Hare Krishna Movement, Iskcon, ISKCON Bangalore, ISKCON EC, ISKCON Mumbai, Jayapataka Swami, Madhu Pandit dasa, mission of srila Prabhupada, Praghosa dasa, Srila Prabhupada, Tamohara dasa
This is the ongoing dispute between ISKCON Bangalore and ISKCON Mumbai with Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa’s official reply to EC, followed by the EC Letter to Madhu Pandit Dasa. Hopefully all this will be settleded up someday, and devotees can go back to serving the mission of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya, and work together again in the spirit of cooperation.
Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa’s official reply to EC
By: Madhu Pandit Dasa, Bangalore.
Dear Tamohara prabhu, Anuttama prabhu, and Praghosa prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We beg to acknowledge your letter dated 27th Oct 2013 addressed to three of us. I had immediately replied to your above letter on 28th October stating that we will respond to it soon. I noticed several discrepancies vis-a-vis what transpired in the meeting as you have stated. There were many things in the your letter which did not represent accurately and completely what transpired in our discussion in Chennai with HH Jayapataka Swami, HH Bhanu Swami and Dayaram Das. Probably it is due to miscommunication and partial communication from the source where you got the information (from one of the bureau members). It is understandable considering that it is second hand information and those who presented it also probably wanted to dilute it hoping against hope for some serious reforms in ISKCON and was shooting off our shoulders to achieve the same.
02 Dec 2013 1 Comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arsha Prayoga, BBT, Bhagavad-gita, Book Changes, Rupanuga das Tags: 1983 second edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BBT, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, book changes, Rupanuga das, Srila Prabhupada
Here is another nice article by Sriman Rupanuga Prabhu. This deals with the book changes issue, particularly, the revised 1983 Bhagavad-gita. This book change issue is very important for the spiritual welfare of all future generations of devotees and interested persons. It is worth a careful read.
Taking Credit Where Credit’s Due
by Rupanuga das (ACBSP)
The revised and enlarged edition of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is (BGAII), as published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) 1983, disregards the academic community’s protocols or standards governing the revised editions of the books. According to the guidelines now widely accepted and practiced by publishers and academicians, the names of editors and co-authors of such newly revised editions are to be included along with dates. This distinguishes such a 2nd edition from a publication which is only a second printing of an author’s original first edition.
25 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Sita devi
Remembering Srila Prabhupada
by Sita devi-dasi
Excerpted from ‘Back To Godhead’ magazine
I had the good fortune to be in Srila Prabhupada’s room when he was visiting the Mexico City temple in 1974. At that time a disciple who had strayed away had returned and was asking Srila Prabhupada to forgive him. He said he was afraid that Srila Prabhupada might have rejected him forever. The entire room fell silent. Srila Prabhupada lowered his head thoughtfully for a moment. Then he looked up and said, “Krsna is God, and if He likes He can spread Krsna consciousness all over the world in a second, without the help of anyone. But I am not God. I am simply a servant of God, so I require assistance. If someone helps me even a little, I am eternally indebted to him. You have helped me very much, so how can I reject you?” We were all moved by Srila Prabhupada’s humility and forgiveness.
20 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in Back to Godhead, Brahmananda das, Spiritual Life, Spiritual World, Vrndavana Tags: Back to Godhead Magizine, Brahmananda Swami, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, Kusum Sarvara, Spiritual Life, spiritual qualification, Spiritual world, Srila Prabhupada, Vrndavan
Kusum Sarvara
Please click on image to enlarge
Vrndavana – Land of No Return
by Brahmananda Swami
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine 1975 Vol.10, No. 11
I once visited Vrndavana, India with His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. As I accompanied him on his daily walk one morning we suddenly came upon a particularly beautiful spot. The cool sands were thick with foliage; the tall trees full of singing birds. As the sun brightened the clear morning sky, peacocks filled the air with their peculiar call.
Srila Prabhupada looked over his shoulder and said to me, “So, Brahmananda, this is Vrndavana. How do you like it?”
“It’s wonderful, Srila Prabhupada,” was all I could reply. I felt that he was actually revealing the glories of Vrndavana to me even though I had no particular spiritual qualification.
Vrndavana is the place where the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna appeared five thousand years ago. Lord Krsna descended there from His own spiritual planet, Goloka Vrndavana to attract us by displaying His supernatural pastimes. Srila Prabhupada has explained that when Krsna descends to the material world, this same Vrndavana descends with Him just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when Krsna comes His land also comes, Vrndavana is not considered to exist in the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vrndavana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Goloka Vrndavana.
01 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Jayadvaita Swami, Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG Vol. 13, disappearance of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jayadvaita Swami, ocean of mercy, Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's gifts
The following is an older Back to Godhead article that that I fondly remember, which was published in 1978, shortly after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. We reprint it here to honor the memory of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
The Gifts of His Divine Grace
by Jayadvaita dasa [Swami]
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine 1978 Vol. 13, No. 1-2
In just a dozen years, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave the world a legacy that will last forever.
25 Oct 2013 2 Comments
in Cow Protection, Kurma Rupa das Tags: abandoned cows, Care For Cows, care for cows international, cow protection, cow volunteers, India, kurma rupa, Kurma Rupa das, orphaned calves, retired oxen, Vrindavan
Care for Cows Kartika Festivals
The following Links will take you to one of our favorite sites: “Care for Cows”. Sriman Kurma Rupa Prabhu has devoted his life to the care and protection of the cows in Vrndavan, and has helped advanced the cause for cow protection Internationally. You can click on following images to visit the sites (Web, Facebook, Newsletter, Contact). Our obeisances to this fine organization.
23 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Damodara, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Vishnujana Swami Tags: eternal form of blissful knowledge, namanisvaram sac-citananda-rupan, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Sri Damordastaka, Sri Satyavrata Muni, Supreme Controller, Visnujana Swami
04 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Krsna Consciousness, Visakha devi dasi Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magazine, Book Distribution, BTG, His Divine Grace, hot off the press, preaching Krishna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada, transcontinental jet, traveling emissary, Visakha devi dasi
As a young devotee/book distributor, we were always anxious to see the new Back to Godhead Magazines “Hot off the Press”, and distribute them to the public. This was one article written by Visakha devi dasi that I fondly remember. Whenever I got tired out on book distribution, I would think of Srila Prabhupada’s rigorous schedule, and it would inspire me to continue on. Srila Prabhupada was tireless in his preaching and generous in giving others his divine association.
Summer Sessions With Srila Prabhupada
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine 1975, Vol. 10, No 10
Article by Visakha devi dasi
In five cities and on a transcontinental jet, His Divine Grace spends a typical month at his favorite pastime—teaching Krsna Consciousness.
He’s probably logged as much flight time in the past ten years as any other traveling emissary. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has gone around the world twelve times visiting his ISKCON centers, lecturing and insuring a high standard of spiritual life among his disciples. The author traveled with him this past summer as he shuttled from West to East coast and back again, holding informal meetings and having dialogues with those who came to ask questions no one else could answer.
14 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Dhira Govinda das, Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Siksa, Srila Prabhupada, The Prominent Link Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Dhira Govinda das, disciplic succession, guru disciple relationship, guru tattva, guru-disciple, Iskcon, knowledge, murti, Parampara, self realization, spiritual knowledge, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement, transcendental knowledge
Srila Prabhupada: The Prominent Link
by Dhira Govinda dasa
Recently I had the good fortune to meet one of my God brothers, Dhira Govinda Prabhu. It was on the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. I had heard of him and had posted the following article some time back and had read some of his book “Srila Prabhupada; The Prominent Link”, but had not meet him yet. But I found him to be a very nice devotee of good character. Just to give his voice a broader rang we decided to post his book Srila Prabhupada The Prominent Link as well as the Prominent Link Supplementary Articles Click on either of the above links to read or save the pdf files.
Many members of Srila Prabhupada’s movement who did not receive formal initiation from him experience Srila Prabhupada as the primary giver of direct transcendental knowledge. This empirical reality forms the basis of recognizing Srila Prabhupada as the prominent link to the parampara. Such a conception is supported by sastric descriptions of the essence of the initiation process, and by the delineation of the parampara described by Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
Introduction
This paper presents a framework for understanding Srila Prabhupada’s position that is derived from a comprehension of Srila Prabhupada’s direct and personal relationship with the members of his movement. The central idea is that Srila Prabhupada is the prominent link to the parampara by virtue of being the prime deliverer of transcendental knowledge. We present these ideas in a mood of open-minded discussion and ask that the reader approach the material with a fresh perspective and a willingness to reexamine the issues.
12 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in Acyutanananda das, Devotee Books Tags: Achyutananda das, blazing, Blazing Sadhus, Charles M Barnett, CMB Books, never trust a holy man who can't dance, sadhus, Srila Prabhupada, swami
click on image to purchase
Blazing Sadhus
or
Never Trust A Holy Man Who Can’t Dance
by Achyutananda Das
We are now offering this extraordinary book for sale on our web page www.theharekrishnamovement.com. We liked it so much we are offering Free Shipping. Highly Recomended!
Excerpt from back cover;
“Do you know what just happened in there? Do you know what he just did? He gave me the answers to the most cosmic, theological, universal, eternal questions ever asked! And like it was just matter-of-fact! Then he thanks me for asking! I gotta tell people about this.” (-from Chapter Two)
30 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Founder-Acarya, Padmapani das, Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, disciple, disciples of Srila Prabhupada, disciplic succession, Founder Acarya, guru, Padmapani das, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada
From time to time I like to visit the web site The Prabhupada Connection just to drink in the nectar. If you haven’t visited this site yet, I recommend that you visit the underlined link above and bookmark it to your favorites.
The site was created by Padmapani Prabhu who is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, and is well loved by the devotee community. The following is some nectar I found in the Editorial Notes category.
Respecting Srila Prabhupada
by Padmapani dasa
As disciples and followers of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, we all have an eternal debt to Srila Prabhupada for his unprecedented sacrifice in freely distributing the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world.
28 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Ecstasy, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Separation, Sriman George Harrison Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, adi 9.51, be with you, George Harrison, gopis, gopis feelings of separation, Krsna Book, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, My Sweet Lord, o govinda, see you, show you lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada
click on image to enlarge
We were discussing the other night with some friends, that the mood of Lord Caitanya was love in separation, and that this should also be our mood as devotees. George Harrison understood this mood, and in his song “My Sweet Lord” we find in his lyrics:
My sweet Lord
Hmm, my Lord
Hmm, my Lord
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you, Lord, but it takes so long, my Lord …
I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you, Lord, that it won’t take long, my Lord …
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Srila Prabhupada has described this very nicely throughout all his writings, and in the Caitanya-caritmrta we find:
“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” This is the perfectional stage of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and eating the fruit of love of Godhead, as exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. One should not artificially imitate this stage, but if one is serious and sincerely follows the regulative principles and chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the time will come when these symptoms will appear. Tears will fill his eyes, he will be unable to chant distinctly the mahā-mantra, and his heart will throb in ecstasy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that one should not imitate this, but a devotee should long for the day to come when such symptoms of trance will automatically appear in his body. (Purport Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 9.51)
This is all but and introduction to one of the very best, sweetest, chapters in the KRSNA Book “The Gopīs’ Feelings of Separation” which we have posted here in its entirety.
20 Jul 2013 1 Comment
in Krishna, Kusakratha das, Rupa Goswami, Sri Hamsadutta, Srimati Radharani Tags: Akrura, ashoka flowers, Autumn, Autumn cloud, autumn evening pastimes, Balarama, bandhuka flower, bimba-fruit lips, bliss, buddha, cuckoo, dadamba flowers, Damodara, garments splendid as gold, Garuda, girimalli gflowers, gokulas's eyes, gopas, gopis, Govinda, jasmine vines, kadamba tree, kaliya lake, Kalki, Kamadeva, kaustubha jewel, king of the swans, Krishna, krishna's feet, kubja, Kurma, lalita, lord hari, Lord Krishna, lotus-faced one, lover of the gopis, madhuvana, manasa-sarovara, Matsya, Mount Kailasa, Mukunda, Nrisimha, peacock feather crown, peacock feathers, pillar arms, Radha, Radharani, Radhika, Ramacandra, rasa dance, rasa-lila, Sakara Mallika, shaphari fishes, shark earrings, silk garments, Srila Rupa Gosvami, swans, tamala tree, tilaka, Tulasi devi, tulasi leaves, Uddhava, Vamana, Varaha, vijayate, Vrindavana, Yamuna
This very beautiful translation of “Sri Hamsadutta” by Srila Rupa Goswami, is the work of His Grace Kusakratha prabhu (ACBSP).
Some of the literature, that Kuskratha Prabhu has translated, is so confidentially elevated that many devotees are not yet ready to grasp it. Nevertheless, these immortal works now stand as a vast body of reference material for the Vaisnava community to consult. Aside from accurately transmitting the words of the acaryas, Kusakratha has also rendered thousands of pages of glorification of Krishna through his personal English poetic composition. Some of these compositions have been published though many have not, as of yet.
More on Kuskratha Prabhu at bottom of post…but this is just a sampling of the Sri Hamsadutta before we post it here in its entirety.
May a certain blissful person in splendid yellow silk garments, the soles of His lotus feet glorious as a host of red roses, His form dark as a tamala tree, and His mouth playfully curved in a gentle smile, appear in my heart. (Text One)
19 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Diksha, Disciplic succession, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Parampara System, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Rakshana das, Siksa, Vidura das Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bona fide spiritual master, Guru Issue, Initiation, Iskcon, prabhupada, prabhupadanugas, Rakshana das, Sampradaya sun, spiritual master, transparent medium, Vidhura das, Vraja Vilasa
As always in our ISKCON Society, since the departure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, there is an ongoing discussion, debate, and, or, argument on the guru issue. No doubt finding a qualified spiritual master is of utmost importance as is outlined in Easy Journey to Other Planets:
1. The serious candidate must accept a bona fide spiritual master in order to be trained scientifically. Because the senses are material, it is not at all possible to realize the Transcendence by them. Therefore the senses have to be spiritualized by the prescribed method under the direction of the spiritual master.
2. When the student has chosen a bona fide spiritual master, he must take the proper initiation from him. This marks the beginning of spiritual training.
3. The candidate must be prepared to satisfy the spiritual master in every way. A bona fide spiritual master who is fully cognizant of the methods of spiritual science, learned in the spiritual scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gītā, Vedānta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Upaniṣads, and who is also a realized soul who has made a tangible connection with the Supreme Lord, is the transparent medium by which the willing candidate is led to the path of the Vaikuṇṭhas. The spiritual master must be satisfied in all respects, because simply by his good wishes a candidate can make wonderful progress along the path.
Recently I have been following on the Sampradaya Sun a slew of posts by Vraja Vilasa Prabhu:
Which were in response to the article by Rakshana Prabhu (which we also posted here):
The Transmission of Transcendental Sound
Followed by his reply:
Surround Sound and the Big Mrdanga
Then of course there was a rebuttal post by Vidura Prabhu in response to Vraja Vilasa Prabhu’s; “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right”, which was not posted on the Sampradaya Sun, but rather by the Prabhupanuga pages and which we (for the sake of disclosure) will post here. This is a very nice assortment of quotes, for instance…
“Krishna and his representative are the same. Similarly, the spiritual master can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body.” (Letter to Malati, 28/5/68)
11 Jul 2013 Leave a comment
in Festivals, Jagajivana das, Ratha-yatra Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, chariots, Jagajivana das, Ratha-yatra, Srila Prabhupada, The Festival of the Chariots, yoga
The Festival of the Chariots
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 13, No. 6, 1978
by Jagajivana dasa
Intimations of a Festive World
This Krsna culture,” His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to say, “has so many festivals. We could have one every day. In the spiritual world, every day is a festival.” And when you first see the chariots, you wonder whether that’s just where they’ve come from. Three soaring, silk-covered peaks rumbling along on ten-foot wheels—you have a feeling they’ve come from somewhere you’ve been before, but haven’t been back to for a long while.
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