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"Planet ISKCON" - 23 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Monday 31 January 2011--There Is Always A Solution--and--Meaning of Full SurrenderA daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course(tm) Monday 31 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: There Is Always A Solution Uploaded from Bhaktivedanta Ashram--Austin, Texas USA For those who have taken complete shelter of Sri Guru and Sri Krishna there is no question of every being baffled or defeated by anything in this material world. Because they are fully connected with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He always provides a wonderful solution for each and every difficulty or dilemma that they face in the inevitable turbulencies of this material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Meaning of Full Surrender I want to know what is meant by fully surrender to Krishna? Your humble servant, Geetha Answer: Serve Only Krishna's Demands Full surrender means that we do not demand anything from the Lord, that we instead completely depend on His mercy in all times, places, and circumstances. If Krishna likes, He may keep us in a poverty-stricken condition, or if He likes He may keep us in an opulent position. We should not be concerned in either case. We should simply be very serious about always trying to satisfy the Lord's demands by rendering Him first class loving service. 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 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: • Email to a friend • • Manoj, Melbourne, AU: 202. Bobby Calves situationCatching up on world news on theage.com.au, I came across 2 articles related to the state of young calves in Australia : ———————————— Article 1 Brutal secret behind the dairy industryBrian Sherman and Ondine Sherman
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Here's the darsana of the Supremely Beautiful Lord, Sri Radha-Ballabha, on the last day of this month;
let the captivating sight of Krsna enhance our meditation on Him for it is sure to grant us eternal residence in His All-Pleasurable Abode.
"...Since even Sisupala, who hated Krsna, achieved perfection, then what to speak of the Lord's dear devotees."
(SB 10.29.13)
Thought some of my friends would appreciate this picture.
>From a TKG lecture, Houston 1995, re Srila Prabhupada in Gorakhpur in 1971
I remember when Srila Prabhupada saw the devotees one day were feeding the cows. Srila Prabhupada scolded them because they were making capatis and they were feeding the devotees and the cows were getting them after the devotees and Prabhupada got very upset. He said, "First feed the cows. And you take the remnants of the cow. First the cow eats and then you eat because the cow is your mother. So first feed your mother then you eat. Do not give your mother your remnants." So every day we started to make capatis and first we would feed the cows and then we would eat.
Members of the Youth Bus Tour present the drama "Three Modes of Nature" - based on teachings from the Bhagavad-gita.
Dallas, TX
2010-08-19
Makes about 45 ‘Simplys’
1. Mix 500g unsalted butter with 500g icing sugar (you may want less so it is not so sweet). Add currants and about half a teaspoon of grated orange rind and mix all ingredients together. (You can also add crushed almonds, dried fruit, colouring agents and essences).
2. Mix in milk powder (not quite 500g, since you might need less) until pliable. The finer the milk powder, the better. If too dry, add more butter; if too wet, add more milk powder.
3. Refrigerate for about 25 mins. Or keep in a cool place.
4. You can trickle carob over them.
5. Make spiritual offering.
In this final part of the Japa Seminar....Chandramauli Swami takes questions from the audience.
It’s been white here. Some recent pics.
White isn’t the only color on our minds though.
“In krsna-lila the Lord’s complexion is blackish. Holding a flute to His mouth, He enjoys as a cowherd boy.”
Caitanya caritamrta Adi 17.302
“Lord Krsna also appears with a golden complexion. That golden Lord Krsna is Lord Caitanya, who is worshiped by intelligent men in this age.”
Srimad Bhagvatam 11.5.32
Krishna is black. Lord Chaitanya is gold.
By Krishna dasa
Approximately 5 million viewers saw this picture of the poster advertising the Mantra-rock dance on Wikipedia's homepage, on January 29th, 2011, which was the forty-fourth anniversary of that dance.
By Pradyumna Dasa
Last year we launched the Open Vyasa-puja book - "Srila Prabhupada Tributes" - a book in which all of Srila Prabhupada's disciples are welcome to be included. The success of the book lay in its wonderful offerings - more than 250, from devotees all over the world. Many devotees expressed how they relished the opportunity to write and share their realisations. Based on this success, we plan to publish another Tributes book this year for Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa-puja
And Shaurya das about the risks of chanting Gaura Nityananda bol Hari bol… etc
The Radhadesh Mellows
Click on this link to get to the live feed http://www.radhadeshmellows.com/
Set amidst the rolling hills of the Ardennes, Radhadesh is an ideal setting to celebrate the holy name. Whilst the beautiful forest, exquisite deities and peaceful location all contribute to the sweetness of the festival, the most wonderful quality about the Radhadesh Mellows festival is that it attracts the most sincere and dedicated kirtan lovers around. From the very young, to the more seasoned chanters, each person that participates in the festival does so with a heartfelt desire to connect with the divine in the form of his sacred name. This powerful intention creates a mood that has to be experienced to be believed!
A touch of Vraja sweetness; a measure of Mayapur mercy and a good dose of special European flavoring combine to create the Radhadesh Mellows kirtan festival. Please come with an open heart and give it a try. Life will never taste the same again.
– Sunday, Kirtan from 10:00 to 23:00
10 :00–10:45 Nadiya Mani
10:45–11:30 Krpamoya Prabhu
11:30–12:15 Gopal Hari
12 :15–13 :00 Chakrini
13 :00–13 :45 Bimala
13 :45–14 :30 Madhva
14 :30–15 :15 Santusha
15 :15–16 :15 Kadamba Kanana Maharaja
16:15–17:00 Gadadhara
17 :00–17 :45 Krsangi Lila
17 :45–18 :30 Ramanaji
18:30–19:30 Amala Purana
19:30–20:00 Lilarani
20 :00–21:30 Sacinandana Maharaja
21 :30–23 :00 Madhava Prabhu
* Monday, from 10:00 to 14:00, Radhadesh Mellows Kirtan Convention with Sacinandana Maharaja and other Kirtaniyas
Prasadam slots (served in the castle’s reception):
* Breakfast 8:30
* Lunch 13:30 (kirtan goes on during Prasadam time)
* Dinner 20:00 (kirtan goes on during Prasadam time)
When the hornbill arrived, Mr. Kiiru recalled, the rains were near, meaning that it was time to plant. When a buzzard showed a man his chest, it meant a visitor was imminent. When an owl called at night, it foretold a death.
“There used to be myths because these are our giants,” said Mr. Kiiru, 58. “But so many today are gone.”
Over the past two decades, an increasing number of settlers who have moved here to farm have impinged on bird habitats and reduced bird populations by cutting down forests and turning grasslands into fields. Now the early effects of global warming and other climate changes have helped send the populations of many local mountain species into a steep downward spiral, from which many experts say they will never recover.
Over the next 100 years, many scientists predict, 20 percent to 30 percent of species could be lost if the temperature rises 3.6 degrees to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. If the most extreme warming predictions are realized, the loss could be over 50 percent, according to the United Nations climate change panel.
Polar bears have become the icons of this climate threat. But scientists say that tens of thousands of smaller species that live in the tropics or on or near mountaintops are equally, if not more, vulnerable. These species, in habitats from the high plateaus of Africa to the jungles of Australia to the Sierra Nevada in the United States, are already experiencing climate pressures, and will be the bulk of the animals that disappear.
In response to warming, animals classically move to cooler ground, relocating either higher up in altitude or farther toward the poles. But in the tropics, animals have to move hundreds of miles north or south to find a different niche. Mountain species face even starker limitations: As they climb upward they find themselves competing for less and less space on the conical peaks, where they run into uninhabitable rocks or a lack of their usual foods — or have nowhere farther to go.
“It’s a really simple story that at some point you can’t go further north or higher up, so there’s no doubt that species will go extinct,” said Walter Jetz, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale, whose research last year predicted that a third of the 1,000 mountain birds he studied, or 300 species, would be threatened because warming temperatures would decimate their habitats.
Birds are good barometers of biodiversity because amateur birdwatchers keep such extensive records of their sightings. But other animals are similarly affected.
Two years ago, scientists blamed a warming climate for the disappearance of the white lemuroid possum, a niche mountain dweller in Australia that prefers cool weather, and that was cute enough to be the object of nature tours. Many scientists, suspecting that the furry animal had died off during a period of unusually extreme heat, labeled the disappearance the first climate-related animal extinction.
Since then, biologists have found a few surviving animals, but the species remains “intensely vulnerable,” said William F. Laurance, distinguished research professor at James Cook University in Australia, who said that in the future heat waves would probably be the “death knell” for a number of cold-adapted species.
For countries and communities, the issue means more than just the loss of pleasing variety. Mr. Kiiru regrets the vastly diminished populations of the mythic birds of Kikuyu tribal culture, like buzzards, owls and hawks. But also, the loss of bird species means that some plants have no way to pollinate and die off, too. And that means it is hard for Mr. Kiiru to tend bees, his major source of income.
Current methods for identifying and protecting threatened species — like the so-called red list criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a conservation gold standard — do not yet adequately factor in the impact of probable climate shifts, and the science is still evolving, many scientists say.
Some species that scientists say are at most risk in a warming climate are already considered threatened or endangered, like the Sharpe’s longclaw and the Aberdare cisticola in Kenya. The cisticola, which lives only at altitudes above 7,500 feet, is considered endangered by the international union, and research predicts that climate change will reduce its already depleted habitat by a further 80 percent by 2100.
Other Kenyan birds that are at risk from climate warming, like the tufted, brightly colored Hartlaub’s turaco, are not yet on watch lists, even though their numbers are severely reduced here. A rapid change of climate can quickly eliminate species that inhabit a narrow niche.
On a recent afternoon, Dominic Kimani, a research ornithologist at the National Museums of Kenya, combed a pasture on the Kinangop Plateau for 20 minutes before finding a single longclaw. “These used to be everywhere when I was growing up,” he said.
He added: “But it’s hard to get anyone to pay attention; they are just little brown birds. I know they’re important for grazing animals because they keep the grasses short. But it’s not dramatic, like you’re losing an elephant.”
As the climate shifts, mountain animals on all continents will face similar problems. Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley recently documented that in Yosemite National Park, where there is a century-old animal survey for comparison, half the mountain species had moved their habitats up by an average of 550 yards to find cooler ground.
Elsewhere in the United States, the pika, the alpine chipmunk and the San Bernardino flying squirrel have all been moving upslope in a pattern tightly linked to rising temperatures. They are now considered at serious risk of disappearing, said Shaye Wolf, climate science director of the Center for Biological Diversity in San Francisco, which in 2010 applied to protect a number of American mountain species under the United States’ Endangered Species Act.
Last year, new research in the journal Ecological Applications and elsewhere showed that the pika, a thick-furred, rabbitlike animal that takes refuge from the sun in piles of stones, was moving upslope at about 160 yards a decade and that in the past decade it had experienced a fivefold rise in local extinctions, the term used when a local population forever disappears.
On the Kinangop Plateau in Kenya, Mr. Kimani exults when he finds a Hartlaub’s turaco, once a common sight, near Njabini town, in a stand of remaining of old growth forest, after engaging local teenagers to help locate the bird. The turaco could lose more than 60 percent of its already limited habitat if current predictions about global warming are accurate, Dr. Jetz said.
“Even substantial movement wouldn’t help them out,” he said. “They would have to move to the Alps or Asian mountains to find their mountain climate niche in the future.”
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 21, 2011
An earlier version of a photo caption with this article misidentified a bird that was pictured. It is a Tacazze sunbird, not a sandbird.
Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 10.1.18-19 – Demons & Devotees
Why can’t he be more perfect?
These truthful books of
his troubles with japa have
us gloomy. We prefer to chant
two rounds a day and hear
about rasika sports.
Why ain’t he poifect after
so many years of attempting
the rounds, and does he
have to publish—as if we
have time and inclination to
read when really chanting
in song and eating a feast
is enough Krishna
consciousness for us.
If there’s a book at all, it
should be no more than
forty pages, I hate a long
tome. To me a book on Prabhupada
with pictures is best.
They want to hear of
suddha-nama even if
they can’t do it. This
struggler traverses the
earth like a turtle.
He’s going somewhere.
Every Day, Just Write:
Welcome Home to the One Big Book of Your Life
“November 14th, 2:50 P.M.
Black Kerry cows snort as I leave the house, warning me not to trespass on their green turf. Surly ladies, I don’t intend to go there but feel almost challenged by the leader’s hostile snorting. Walk on past them. Head, hold out.
“I walked through wet meadow to this shed on the edge of the lake. Ani has made a serviceable desk, which has a central and right-hand top surface to it. I place the art materials on the right-hand side.
“Before and after lunch I read in Nourishing Wisdom on cravings and sweets. We all have an innate need for sweets, but by positive control we can stop it from becoming an unwanted habit. They recommend a ‘holding technique.’ If you don’t want to yield to the habit, just sit there and experience all physical and mental aspects of it without giving in to it. I thought of my own return to desserts. I have overthrown M.’s ‘tyranny’ over me. But I see I exert an indirect tyranny over him, because it’s very difficult for him to arrange a separate diet from mine. O Krishna, but I didn’t want to be forced, but I seem to be forcing him. But if he reads Nourishing Wisdom, maybe he too cannot be tyrannized by sweets even though he has a few.
“I thought of music-listening. They say craving to eat sweets is yearning for “sweetness” (nectar) which could be fulfilled by music, etc. But music may be another forbidden ‘sweet-tooth’ for a monk like me. Habits are formed by frequent repetition and when the stimulus is a powerful one. The author of Nourishing developed a craving for homemade vanilla ice cream and whole bran muffins. Oh gosh. Oh, bosh
it ain’t easy
boss, you ask me to
give up Henry Adams and
Bob Ribicoff and even Allen
Freed favorites and then Monk
and Miles and Coltrane,
and so on,
but this new Bach craving
ain’t easy, it’s sublime. I gave in to it on the ferry as the boat left the Scottish shore, and it was a nice moment (Brandenburg Concerto). But now I am sitting it out, deliberately didn’t bring him (J.S.B.) out here to this shed, just to prove I could write without it. At another time I’ll bring him in here just to prove I’m not afraid. Admit you’ve got a habit. Face it. Go beyond it. Further sweetness then biscuits and applesauce and Bach and Beethoven is—they say, Krishna, Krishna, madhuram.
“Okay, I’m going for it.
“‘The seven musical notes—sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha and ni—are used in musical instruments, but originally they come from the Sama Veda. The great sage Narada vibrates sounds describing the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. By such transcendental vibrations, such as Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, he fixes his mind at the lotus feet of the Lord. Thus he directly perceives Hrishikesha, the master of the senses.’ (S.B. 6.5.22)
“Vibrate your vina for sake of bringing fallen souls to K.C. Can you do it that way? Narada muni, bajay vina ‘radhika-ramana’-name. He vibrates the strings and the devotees sing in response, drowning in an ecstasy of nectar.
“Write quick as sun goes down, catch last rays . . . here they go down like a desk lamp, coming in from right over your shoulder. White clouds, punches holes, yellow fret work, blue holes and grayish angry clouds of Lord Siva. Let it go, Casey.
“Note from Ani—he liked the service of fixing up the shed, warm inner sanctum, rust-colored linoleum in squares, sheets of saffron cloth tacked up for walls, Manu paid and Ani constructed. They hope I like it and invite me to pour heart out here.
“Like a bucket, water
not ashes (sometimes)
barbershop memories, unconsc.
slump in batting average. Gil Hodges down to .250
and below.
Gil,
O God, priest prayed mid-
summer, ‘May first baseman
Gil resume batting upswing as
he fields with mitt and long
stretch and stride to catch ball.’
“Gil, good-natured. Tough and big, if need be, against
rowdies.
Gil, good Gil should hit .260 at least, if not .275. And homers–30, 40. ‘Bless him,’ they prayed.
Purely material desires in summer Ebbets Field.
“Purely material desires. O Krishna, let Satsva rise to occasion and pour out within sampradaya. Don’t break that habit and rule, among the four rules and sixteen rounds and biscuits and applesauce, he’ll give you tonight after tonight’s singing of namamisvaram, the biscuits were warm at lunch, and that’s what’s made them so nice.
“Memories ms here for me to read and approve and catch errors.”
Walking down the street at Yonge and Dundas, I met a very tall guy who looked really lost, and I started to speak with him about our books. He appreciated the books, but he was still lost, so I asked him where was he from. He said from Canberra, Australia, and we got talking about my last trip to Canberra and his travels.
Then he said, "Maybe I should ask you for help, as you materialized out of nowhere."
He was supposed to leave for France in a day, and he has just fallen in love with someone. He now had to choose between two beautiful women, and they were both similar, so he was at a junction.
I was thinking how best to present the Bhagavad gita, so I said "Well, you have also met a third person."
I explained how these books are from the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada said that we should present our philosophy seriously and then the books will sell on their own merit. So I showed him pictures and explained karma. I told him that he was too emotional right now and should read the introduction of the Bhagavad Gita, then his mind will be clear and he would know what to do.
He told me he would walk down the street, grab a beer in a pub and read the introduction. He wanted to learn a mantra, so I explained the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. I explained to him how he was confused by beautiful women, but Krishna is the most beautiful personality. Then he left. He came back after a short time and got the mercy, I hope that he reads the Bhagavad-gita.
ys Mangal Aroti dd
Walking down the street at Yonge and Dundas, I met a very tall guy who looked really lost, and I started to speak with him about our books. He appreciated the books, but he was still lost, so I asked him where was he from. He said from Canberra, Australia, and we got talking about my last trip to Canberra and his travels.
Then he said, "Maybe I should ask you for help, as you materialized out of nowhere."
He was supposed to leave for France in a day, and he has just fallen in love with someone. He now had to choose between two beautiful women, and they were both similar, so he was at a junction.
I was thinking how best to present the Bhagavad gita, so I said "Well, you have also met a third person."
I explained how these books are from the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada said that we should present our philosophy seriously and then the books will sell on their own merit. So I showed him pictures and explained karma. I told him that he was too emotional right now and should read the introduction of the Bhagavad Gita, then his mind will be clear and he would know what to do.
He told me he would walk down the street, grab a beer in a pub and read the introduction. He wanted to learn a mantra, so I explained the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. I explained to him how he was confused by beautiful women, but Krishna is the most beautiful personality. Then he left. He came back after a short time and got the mercy, I hope that he reads the Bhagavad-gita.
ys Mangal Aroti dd
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