Click here to read this mailing online.
"Planet ISKCON" - 21 new articles
H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 194 — Krishna, Memory and Forgetfulness12:13 A.M. John Steinbeck writes in his book Once There Was a War as follows: “During the years between the last war and this one, I was always puzzled by the reticence of ex-soldiers about their experiences in battle. If they had been reticent men, it would have been different. But some of them were talkers and som e were even boasters. They would discuss their experiences right up to the time of battle, and then suddenly they wouldn’t talk anymore. This was considered heroic in them. It was as though that what they had seen or done was so horrible that they didn’t want to bring it back to haunt them or their listeners. But many of these men had no such consideration in any other field. “Only recently have I found what seems to be a reasonable explanation, and the answer is simple: they did not and do not remember—and the worse the battle was, the less they remember.” I know that my own father saw combat in World War II in the Navy. He even mentioned that he received a commendation for fighting a fire on his ship. But he told us no details of it, nor did he mention any other exploits. He was very reticent about his fighting. Steinbeck gives the explanation that the soldier actually forgets the battle. He writes: “In all kinds of combat, the whole body is battered by emotion. The ductless glands pour their fluids into the system to make it able to stand up to the great demand on it. Fear and ferocity are products of the same fluid. Fatigue toxins poison the system. Hunger, followed by wolfed food, distorts the metabolic pattern already distorted by the adrenaline and fatigue. The body and the mind are so disturbed that they are really ill and fevered. But in addition to these ills, which come from the inside of a man and are given him so that he can temporarily withstand pressures beyond his ordinary ability, there is the further stress of explosion. “Under extended bombardment or bombing the nerve ends are literally beaten, the eardrums are tortured by blasts and the eyes ache from the constant hammering.” Steinbeck goes into detail regarding matters like sleep, pain in the eyeballs, slowness of motion, and then the waking up to something that had already seemed dreamlike. “You try to remember what it was like, and you can’t quite manage it. The outlines in your memory are vague. The next day the memory slips farther, until very little is left at all. A woman is said to feel the same way when she tries to remember what childbirth was like. And fever leaves the same kind of vagueness in the mind. Perhaps all experience which is beyond bearing is that way. The system provides the shield and then removes the memory, so that a woman can have another child and a man can go into combat again.” Srila Prabhupada had a talk about the stresses of war with Professor Durkheim in Germany. Professor Durkheim told Prabhupada he was four years in World War I. He was on the foremost front, and he was one of two officers in his regiment who was not wounded: Professor Durkheim: “There I saw death again and again. I saw people killed just next to me, suddenly it was out, it was just only as you said–the body without soul. But I realized also, in myself that when death was near and you had accepted death, accepted to die, then you realized something which has nothing to do whatsoever with death.” Srila Prabhupada: “Yes, that is self-realization.” Professor Durkheim: “So this marked me very much, it is the very beginning of my inner will, these four years of world war.” Srila Prabhupada: “There’s a verse, narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati. If one is God-realized, so he is not afraid of anything. Actually, if one is self-realized he has no more concern with bodily necessities of life. That is liberation . . .” Professor Durkheim: “The progress of self-realization is the progress of inner experiences, is it not?” Srila Prabhupada: “Yes.” Professor Durkheim: “I do believe that at the actual moments still the treasure in European peoples, the different peoples who went through the war, through concentration camps, from battlefields and bombing nights, are written in their hearts certain moments wherein when death was near and they were wounded and nearly torn to pieces, because they had a certain experience they survived. And again and again when I am giving a lecture, I have two or three people waiting, telling me, ‘Just now you reminded me of an experience long ago, ten days ago, two months ago, when I thought I was a little bit crazy, and now I understand it has been the experience, one of the most important of my life, on which I should have built my future inner way . . .’ And these experiences are still there. And once people understand they don’t need a war and a battleship and a concentration camp and a bombing night to take seriously certain inner experiences, when suddenly they are touched by the divine n reality, they suddenly feel that this bodily existence is not lasting at all.” Getting back to John Steinbeck, he said, “Men in prolonged battle are not normal men, and when afterward they seem to be reticent—perhaps they don’t remember very well.” Krishna says the same thing in Bhagavad-gita, text 15.15: “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.” Forgetfulness comes from Krishna, and it is in these ways that the fighters were able to survive because they did not actually remember their battle. Or in Professor Durkheim’s expressions, “On seeing death beside them, they realized that they were not the body and that there was something else beyond.” Prabhupada says this is self-realization, and when one reaches this stage he is not afraid at all. I’m trying to avoid my anxieties and headaches, but still they are coming. Snowstorms, colonoscopy, old age and disease … I have to learn to control my emotions and be more Krishna conscious so as to avoid these unwanted effects. H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Wednesday 19 January 2011--For a Devotee Every Day is Bliss as Usual--and--What is Your Stage of Advancement?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course(tm) Wednesday 19 January 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. Today's Thought: For a Devotee Every Day is Bliss as Usual Uploaded from Lima, Peru A devotee of the Lord does not base his bliss on his material circumstances. The basis of his bliss is to be fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness by always endeavoring at every minute to successfully carry out the orders he has received from his spiritual master. He is not elated by success because he never thinks it is his success. He only sees it as the mercy of the Lord. And he is never depressed or discouraged by failure because he simply sees as the merciful arrangement of the Lord to help His devotee feel more and more dependent on the mercy of the Lord. In other words, in all situations his happiness is simply to understand and feel how the Lord is being merciful to him. Thus he is always blissful in all situations. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Inviting the People Back to the Spiritual World Valparaiso, Chile--17 January 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Valparaiso_Lecture.JPG Transcendental Chilean Farewell Santiago, Chile--18 January 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Chile_Farewell.JPG Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Your Stage of Advancement? On 26 December 2010 you talked about the stages a devotee goes through progressing on the path of bhakti. If I may, I would like to inquire about what stage you are at, what you experience, and maybe even a few examples of revelational and mystical experiences you've had along the pathway of spiritual progress.. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. Nick Answer: Rascal Fully Absorbed in Guru's Service Personally I consider myself to be nowhere along the path of spiritual advancement. In my opinion I am simply a despicable rascal. But according to the great Vaisnava acharya, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, we can judge how much a devotee is advanced along the path of bhakti by how successful he is in spreading the science of Krishna consciousness all over the world. So if you want to understand my position, you can consider that I am guiding over 12,000 people in the science of bhakti in over 100 countries, that I have initiated disciples in every continent of the globe, and that I am fully absorbed in trying to carry out my spiritual master's order to be a guru and deliver the entire world. For forty years since my initiation into Krishna consciousness in 1971 I have faithfully served the orders of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. By this absorption my every day is the sweetest revelational, mystical happiness of ever-expanding Krishna consciousness. So now you can decide for yourself what is my position in Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2010-2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address: ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Devamrita SwamiSrimad Bhagavatam 11.29.13-14 - Genuine love is expressed when one acts to increase the Krsna consciousness of others. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Hindu Community Council of Victoria
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: PURI PARIKRAMA – FINAL PARTCompiled And Sent By Her Grace Chitrangada Dasi The 26th of November was the last and most auspicious day of the three day Puri Parikrama. The spiritual potency of this day is nothing less than astounding. It is said that one will acquire the same results of observing Caturmasya Vrata, Kartik Vrata and Bhisma Panchaka [...] Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: James And The Bird FeederEvery year I feed birds during the winter. I believe this helps keep the population higher during the summer. High bird populations are good because they provide a sound track for the garden in the warmer months as well as being a vital part of an harmful insect reduction program. I feed both suet and black sunflower seeds which covers a greater variety of birds. An additional benefit is that they are interesting to watch out the window on cold dreary winter days when most life is dormant. In the past I have had two problems with feeding the sunflower seeds. One is the deer. They used to come up and eat any leftover seeds at night. Last winter there was a lot of snow so they started coming up during the day and a couple of them can wipe out a lot of seeds in a matter of minutes. I tried scaring them away, even chasing them for a ways back into the forest but I think they know I would never kill them so my attempts would all be futile and they would be back, often within the hour. The other problem is cats. They would hide under the platform feeder and take the birds as prey. While this was also an issue with feral cats coming in, the main culprit is our own cat, James. He is quite the hunter and very useful in the rodent control on our property, routinely having multiple kill days. In the winter when the snow is out, it becomes harder for him to catch rodents so he turns his attention to the bird feeder. I would run out and throw things at him trying to condition him to avoid the feeder but, as anyone familiar with cats can verify, they aren’t very trainable and he constantly returned. So this year I had an idea that is resolving both problems — I put up a fence around the feeder. It is absolutely effective for the deer and mostly effective for the cats.
The birds only go to the ground inside the fence to pick at seeds that fall off the bench. I don’t think James has caught any, though he is a relentless hunter and very patient so not impossible if some unwary bird strays outside. I thought the fencing might deter the birds but they either fly right through it or land on it and often hang out on it so it is fine for them, even the heavier less maneuverable mourning doves. Note I extended the fence across the front yard. My initial reluctance to put it up was that it isn’t very pretty and mars the view a bit, but once it is there I extended it out with the hope it will catch snow in the yard that would have otherwise blown onto and accumulated in the driveway. We have had a relatively dry winter so far so the premise hasn’t been tested yet but it is logical. All the storms that have been getting the headlines have either gone North or South of us and we have been cold but relatively calm all winter so far. “The face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What they call beautiful nature is but His smile, and what they call the sweet songs of the birds are but specimens of the whispering voice of the Lord.” Srimad Bhagvatam 1.11.26 Filed under: Cows and Environment         Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Lecture - Prahladananda Swami - SB 1.15 - Pandavas Pass the Test Prahladananda Swami speaking on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Chapter 15 - "Pandavas Pass the Test". Follow along at: http://vedabase.net/sb/1/15/en1. Dallas, TX
Download: 2010-12-10 - Prahladananda Swami - SB 1.15 - Seminar - Pandavas pass the Test.mp3 H.H. Sivarama Swami: Discussion with Kaviraja on Jan 16th (Part 1)
Japa Group: Japa Seminar - Candramauli Swami P1A very nice seminar conducted at ISKCON Boston, July 24, 2010.  H.H. Sivarama Swami: To see what time is doing to us and our world, please look at thisSubhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Prabhupada's BlessingsSo the next picture scanned from the envelope of newly discovered pictures is "Merciful".
From the dictionary I found a definition: "an event to be grateful for, because it provides relief", which Srila Prabhupada has indeed provided to me and my family. This picture shows Srila Prabhupada getting out of the car and me running up to greet him. It is remarkable to see his smile and hand gesture. Thank you Srila Prabhupada!  MERCIFULThe lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krishna.
My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires. He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character. Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds. We take shelter of your lotus feet. You are the friend of the most fallen. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Gurudeva! Australian News: Bhakti Charu Maharaj – Sunshine Coast Retreat
          
Australian News: Melbourne Harinam Floods city with Holy Names – on video
What the videos below and catch the Melbourne Yatra in full swing, bringing Harinam to the people. All glories to their service. This is Krishna Conscousness. Part One
Part Two
Australian News: ONE SONG, ONE FAMILY – 40hr Kirtan – SYDNEY
ISKCON North Sydney
ONE SONG-ONE FAMILY 40hr Kirtan to inaugurate celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha’s installation. 22-23 of Jan 2011 Special Guests: Gaura Vani AKS, Sri Prahlada, Gitanjali, Satyananda Yoga band, and many, many others. Event coordinator: Nitya Mangala 0404227930; nityamangala.gkg@gmail.com Share this story your way:
Australian News: Govindas Perth – Open Now – Prasadam for all
We are pleased to let everyone know that Govindas Restaurant is in operation since January, 11th,, 2011 at our newly furbished premise located at 194 William Street, Northbridge. We would like everyone to come and try our delicious vegetarian feast, at a low cost as usual. Also please bring along friends and family for the feast.
Mon – Fri Dine-in/Take-away from 11:30 AM to 02:30 PM
H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Sunday, January 16th, 2011The Truth in a Mad World
 ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Devamrita SwamiSrimad Bhagavatam 11.29.12 - Our vision is dependent on purity of the heart. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: LOVE AND SEXThe highest pleasure of this material world is sex life. Even in the spiritual world there is sex pleasure in Krsna. But this is not something like sex life in the material world.
 Gouranga TV: Janmastami – Drama – Aghasura DemonJanmastami – Drama – Aghasura Demon Japa Group: Japa Is Your Main Sadhana
 More Recent Articles
|
