Archive for June, 2007
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
A Tale of Two Turtles
   In the late ’90s I was walking up the main road to the back entrance of the Palace. I encountered a very large turtle on the side of the road opposite the Palace driveway. It had a shell that was about 12″ in diameter, so I knew that it was very old. I was […]
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
What Will Repression Accomplish?
The other day Malati (not the famous Prabhupada disciple,I presume it is the blogger Malati) wrote in a comment to one of my posts, “You have an amazing passion in your blog site.”
The comment took me by surprise. Passion is a very strong word. There are not many things that I am passionate about. As devotees generally we supposed to be dis-passionate, but I guess it is true, I can’t deny that I am passionate about writing.
Of course we have the ideal of pure devotional service but as conditioned souls it is important to accommodate our conditioned nature in such a way that we can be purified and make spiritual advancement.
Writing is something that I have always been interested in throughout my entire adult life.
When I was born my mother got an astrology reading for me from Nalini Kanta Prabhu, I don’t remember everything he said (I was only one year old) but I do remember that he said there was a good possibility for being very successful in mass communication, speaking or writing, maybe even television or radio. Of course way back in 1981 there was no internet.
Ever since I started college straight out of gurukul at the age of 15, writing and English classes were by far my favorite classes. The first English class I took in college was a little tough because coming out of gurukul we were definitely not trained in college standards of essay writing and especially grammar. That first class was tough, I still remember spending lots of time in the English lab trying to pass the grammar quizzes, I think I got a B, but then something clicked, the next classes were great I loved reading literature and writing about it. It was the most absorbing thing. It was something I was able to pour my heart into. I never studied for any other class in my entire first two years of college, generally my study sessions were conducted while driving to school and at the same time trying to finish my bowl of cereal. I promise that this is only a slight exaggeration. But I would start writing my essays weeks ahead of time, I would write and rewrite and take them to the professor for feedback and rewrite. I loved writing.
Then I got serious about Krishna Consciousness and went to India to live in Chowpatty for a year and I kind of put all my other talents, and abilities and my own unique personality on hold, I was just trying to absorb as much Krishna consciousness as possible and be what I imagined a good devotee/brahmacari is supposed to be like.
Then after going back to Alachua and back to college I again began to explore who I was and develop my own unique interests, talents, and personality. During this time I was studying psychology in college and studying a lot of other stuff, especially health related things, yoga, and of course at the same time trying to go more deeply into my Krishna consciousness. I didn’t really do much writing during this period, it was more of a learning period for me.
Eventually after graduating I went back to India, stayed in Chowpatty for another year. This time my visit was much different. I was a completely different person. I was doing yoga, a wearing shorts in the ashram. This was highly controversial, at the time everyone there just wrote me off as another crazy gurukuli. I got the feeling many people felt, “What a shame he had so much potential, what happened?” They had a very stereotyped view of Krishna consciousness. But I was older and more clear about who I was and what my needs were and it didn’t bother me all that much. The funny thing is now they have a daily yoga class with a professional teacher and it is required that all the bhaktas attend the yoga class. I really got a kick out of seeing that when I returned recently.
During this time Jayadwaita Swami was passing through Chowpatty I spent some time with him and expressed to him my interest in writing. At this time I wasn’t doing any writing but I definitely had an interest in it. He invited me to travel with him and get trained as an editor and be part of the BBT. He is very interested in training the youth in positions of leadership. In our first conversation he asked me, “How would you like my job, chairman of the BBT Board of Trustees.” It was not that I am especially qualified it is a generic offer, he is looking for people to replace himself and others that getting older. I did end up traveling with him for a summer but on Balaramachandra Prabhu’s invitation I moved to New Vrindaban to assist him in college preaching. I like writing but I also really like having the opportunity to personally share Krishna consciousness with others. Which I was not getting to do while traveling with Maharaj.
Anyhow I find it somewhat ironic that a few years later one of my main services is writing.
Spiritual life is balancing act of accommodating one’s materially conditioned nature and at the same time trying to transcending it.
Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, “What will repression accomplish?”
He beat Freud by about 5000 years. Freud talked about the dangers of repression but his solution was to give in to the most base instincts of the mind and senses. He believed that if everyone could just have as much sex as they wanted would be fully happy and they would not suffer from mental distress resulting from repression. Western civilization is based on this premise but the blind attempt to gratify sensual desires has only led more more suffering and mental distress.
Krishna does not advocate blindly indulging the desires of the mind and senses, He clearly explains that only leads to suffering. Rather He gives us the appropriate solution of how to be happy and satisfied by controlling one’s mind and senses and using one’s materially conditioned nature in his service and in this way one attain perfection of life, pure love of God, and go back home, back to Godhead.
“O good soul, does not a thing, applied therapeutically, cure a disease which was caused by that very same thing?”
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.33
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Radha-VrindabanChandra
June 21, 2007Â
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Time to Ketchup.
I moved into the temple thinking the best thing for my spiritual life would be to renounce the world and withdrawal for awhile. But some how or another, I’ve been to NYC on three different occassions since May on strictly devotional business. I guess I picked the right temple. Funny how things work out. Our Vaisnava tradition instructs us to enthusiastically pursue devotional life. Sure we renounce a bit in the beginning, but like H.H. Varsana Swami said last weekend, “We may be fasting, but, spiritually, we are feasting.”
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by strictlymedicinal
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Divine Nature
by Michael A. Cremo & Mukunda Goswami
What are the root causes of the environmental crisis? What can we do about them?
“Does a highly spiritual tradition like Krishna consciousness concern itself with concrete problems of this world? Do the teachings have a significant environmental impact?
“Divine Nature is a clear, even eloquent ‘yes’ answer to both questions. The chapter on ‘Meat and the Environment’ is the best succinct statement I have read on the environmental impact of meat consumption. But Divine Nature deftly weaves this concrete factual material into a worldview which includes history, scientific theory, and the metaphysics of karma. The implications of diet are far-reaching. Divine Nature is a must for professors of religion like myself and for students like mine. It shows us that the apparently abstract and ethereal realm of spirituality bears upon the environment in a quite positive and practical way.”
From the back cover:
According to Divine Nature, the real cause of the global environmental crisis is an underlying lack of spiritual understanding. The authors systematically demonstrate that most proposed solutions are only palliative and that humankind must undergo a profound change in consciousness to live in an environmentally sound way.
“Divine Nature leads the human spirit upward. The authors lucidly explore the dimensions of a genuine solution to the world’s environmental crisis. They suggest that the most important changes must come first within each of us—in the way we see ourselves and the universe, the way we eat, and the way we live.” George Harrison, singer, UK
“A book of hope and transformation, conviction, and dedication, and I urge all who care to read and share.” Dr. Michael Fox, Vice PresidentThe Humane Society of the United States
“In view of the crying need for excellent literature concerning the interface of spirituality and the environment, Divine Nature is a Godsend.” Gene Sager, Professor of Religious Studies and PhilosophyPalomar College, California
“Divine Nature reminds us we must learn again to live within the laws of nature …aware and grateful that we are at the mercy of sacred forces larger than ourselves.” From the Foreword by William McDonougharchitect, author of The Hannover Principles.
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Crossculturalization
While Hindus coming to America have found themselves being Westernized, Hinduism is also having an effect on America.
Hindu Lite
” With Britney going to a Hindu temple, karma on NBC, and yoga everywhere, Hinduism–or something like it–is hot in pop-culture.
” Throw another ingredient in the American spirituality blender.
“Pop culture is veering into Hinduism–sort of. Call […]
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Motherwort
This is the herb motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) in flower:
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Ms. Rural
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
A Haiku for the a.m.
   There is a chorus outside my window. This haiku seems appropriate for this first day of summer:
The cricket
proudly pricks up its whiskers
and sings.
—-Issa
(trans. by Stephen Addiss)
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
Summer Solstice
Today marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. It is also the first official day of summer.
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
New Vrindaban Wildlife
While I was away last weekend the swans had four babies. What do you call a baby swan?
One of things I really love about New Vrindaban is all the wildlife.
On any given day just take a walk and you can see:
Cows
deer,
peacocks,
swans,
ducks,
geese,
lots of other little birds whose names I don’t know,
groundhogs,
muskrats,
possums,
raccoons,
rabbits,
occasionally foxes,
turtles,
fish,
snakes,
frogs,
And of hundreds of varieties of living entities in grass, herb, bush, creeper, and tree bodies.
Of course we also have cats and dogs as well. It is bonafide because in Goloka Vrindaban Krishna has a pet dog, but I don’t think his dog eats the other animals like Nityodita Prabhu’s, actually we need dogs to eat the groundhogs and other pesky critters that decimate the gardens.
And there are also some very unique Homo Sapien Sapien Apalachis specimens in the area.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Rainbow Gathering Krishna Camp Update
On the way to the Friday evening program at Carnegie Mellon I saw a white station wagon in front of me, the back was plastered with bumper stickers promoting such noble causes as the environment and world peace, and then in the midst of these stickers I spotted the beautiful lotus face of Lord Jagannath. He was obviously a rainbow family member.
I pulled up next to Him and rolled down the window, He greeted us with a very enthusiastic “Hare Krishna! Hey Are you guys going to be at the gathering.”
Unfortunately I had to reply “No.”
“Oh man, no Krishna’s at the gathering this year.”
He was very disappointed that we were not going to be there but not as disappointed as I am.
Due to a variety of reasons we unfortunately will not be able to make it this year. Nitai Prabhu who has done a lot in previous years was not able to help this year, Balaramachandra Prabhu was also busy serving Radhanatha Maharaj, and Caitanya Prabhu has become the unofficial temple president of New Vrindaban. That leaves me, who am completely useless. I wanted to go by myself but Chaitanya Prabhu wouldn’t let me. He is my authority now so I have to very humbly obey him.
Radhanath Maharaj wanted us all to go but somehow it was not possible for us. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and make a strategic retreat from the front lines, live to fight another day, regroup and consolidate for another attack.
I would really like to thank all those who helped by donating to Krishna Camp this year:
Anonymous Donor $500
Devakinandana Prabhu $108
Reza Abhari$108
Anonymous $108
Tara Raj Put $108
We collected a total of $932.
Our sincere gratitude to everyone that helped out.
Although we won’t make it to the national gathering, we will still use the money for Krishna Camp outreach activities. Our plan is to attend local regional gathering which will be in nearby Pennsylvania around the end of August.
I think that is a reasonable comprise for us. It is doable for us to attend the local regional and in that way we can, at least to some degree, maintain our Krishna camp momentum. Our plan is to use the funds collected for the regional gathering. In order to do the national gathering properly we would have need $3,000-5,000 but with the money we collected we will be able to have a very nice camp at a regional gathering.
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Radhanath Swami at the Rainbow Gathering
Radhanath Swami, affectionately known as the Rainbow Swami, performs kirtan at a rainbow gathering sometime in the 1990’s.
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Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Turning The Material Into The Spiritual
For those in and out of the know, here is a very interesting piece about the process of turning material foodstuffs into spiritualized prasadam (the mercy of the Lord.
Here is a link to the original post, from www.gopala.org. The full article is below
The phenomenon of something changing from material to spiritual is an extraordinary one, but it is something we as devotees are involved in daily—often several times a day. It happens when prasadam (unoffered food) becoming prasadam, or food sanctified by the Lord.
When I was a new devotee in Montreal, we arranged a program that was to be given on campus at McGill University. The leaflet advertising the program read, “See matter transformed into spirit before your very eyes.†That title certainly drew interest from a lot of people.
During the program, the temple president was giving the presentation, and he was leading up to this point. Finally he said, “OK, now it’s going to happen. You are going to see spirit manifest before your very eyes.â€
The students were sitting on the edge of their seats. The plate of unoffered food, which was the feast for that day, was brought in and placed in front of a picture of Panca-tattva (Lord Chaitanya and His four main associates). A devotee then bowed down, rang the bell, and uttered some mantras.
Finally he stood and declared, “Here it is! We brought in ordinary food, and now it’s transformed into spiritual substance.â€
And before anyone could challenge, he said, “The proof will be that you eat it now and see the effect that it has.â€
As Krishna says, pratyakshavagamam dharmyam: “The principle of religion is understood by direct experience.†(Bhagavad-gita 9.2), or in this case, the proof is certainly in the tasting. Those who have tasted Krishna’s prasadam know that it has extraordinary potency, and eating it is a very different experience from eating food that isn’t offered to the Lord with love and devotion.
So when does prasadam become prasadam? When it is offered, certainly. But for an offering to be successful, it must be accepted. When Krishna accepts what we offer to Him, it becomes prasadam. The word prasadam means “mercy,†and in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopajayate: “Receiving the mercy of the Lord destroys all misery.†Therefore, when we eat (or, as we say, honor) prasadam, we feel elated. prasadam destroys the results of our past sinful activities. Rupa Goswami says it makes us feel “very auspicious.â€
And what is it that is really being accepted? Is it the foods itself? Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.26),
patram pushpam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahritam
ashnami prayatatmanah
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.†He says, “I accept the bhakti.†You may offer a leaf, a flower, fruit, milk, or ghee-cooked preparations, but the devotion is what carries those preparations to Krishna, and that’s what makes Him inclined to accept it. Sri Ishopanishad (Mantra 5) tells us, tad dure tad v antike: although Krishna is very far away, He is also very close. So wherever we are when we offer something to Krishna, devotion brings Him right to us.
We should recognize, however, that not all offerings are on the same level; they depend on the nature of the devotee. Although there are many ways to categorize devotees, in this case we may consider three types: motivated, pure, and love-saturated devotees. Consequently, their offerings will fall into one of these three categories.
The Motivated Offering
A motivated offering is when something is offered to Krishna with the idea that some material benefit will come in return, such as liberation from material suffering: “If I give this to Krishna, I’ll be prosperous, I’ll be healthy, my children will find suitable spouses,†and so on. Or someone might desire to be free from suffering, or to recover from an illness—this is offering with motivation. But even that motivated offering can be done in two ways. If it is done through the guru-parampara, the succession of gurus, then Krishna will accept it, because pure devotees are very merciful, and to elevate motivated devotees they beseech Krishna to accept their meager offerings. In other words, it is the purity of the devotees in the guru-parampara that transforms the impure offering into a pure offering. If a motivated person just makes an offering whimsically, however, not through a guru-parampara, then the offering doesn’t become prasadam but remains prasadam. Yet still such offerings have value in the sense that the person is thinking, “At least I am offering this to Krishna.â€
Of course, whatever way people think of Krishna is beneficial. Akama, sarva-kama, moksha-kama: without material desires, full of material desires, or desiring liberation. In each case they become gradually purified. But unless Krishna exercises some extraordinary mercy, He doesn’t accept food offered with ulterior motives. Yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi: “Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement.†(Gurvashtaka 8th verse) Krishna won’t accept something unless it comes through the guru-parampara.
An interesting question often arises regarding congregation members or new devotees who are not initiated but who are making offerings: Are the offerings prasadam or prasadam? In this case we should consider the potency of the disciplic succession. The disciplic succession is not restricted to initiated devotees. If someone receives an instruction from an authorized Vaishnava to offer food, then Krishna will accept their offering. Krishna won’t reject their sincere approach, because such persons are, in effect, accepting the guru-parampara even though they have not yet gone through the process of diksha.
The Pure Offering
The second type of offering is the pure offering, when a devotee offers something to Krishna to please Him. A devotee has no selfish motives; he only wants please the Lord. Therefore at home he offers food to a picture, to a deity, to a shalagrama-shila. And in the temple, pure-hearted pujaris try to please Gaura-Nitai and Radha-Krishna. But even in this category there are two types of offerings: regulated and spontaneous. Regulated offerings are done out of duty, following all the rules and regulations. The other also involves the devotee doing everything just right, but out of a spontaneous attachment to the Lord. Such a devotee has a certain degree of affection, and the dominant thought is not one of obligation—â€I will do this because I’ve been instructed to by guru and shastra.†Yet by doing things according to guru and shastra, devotees awaken their natural attraction to Krishna and perform spontaneous acts of devotion out of affection. This affection is a little different from mature love, spiritual love, but it is genuine. Still, both these pure offerings have to be made through the guru-parampara.
The prasadam is also different in this category. When you offer something to Krishna out of duty, He accepts it out of duty. He feels duty-bound. In the Bhagavad-gita (3.24) Krishna says, “If I didn’t follow the rules and regulations, then other people would be misled.†Krishna is acting out of duty. But Krishna considers that of all the devotees who are surrendered to Him, the one who is offering things to Him with affection is most dear to Him. Consequently, Krishna reciprocates in kind: He responds with loving affection toward that devotee.
Naturally the question arises, Are there different kinds of prasadam? And the answer, then, is yes. Krishna says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamyaham: “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly.†(Bg. 4.11) According to the quality and quantity of devotion with which one makes an offering to Krishna, that offering proportionately becomes prasadam. It is interesting to note that a devotee’s ability to taste prasadam will also be in proportion to his or her ability to offer prasadam. In other words, devotees will taste the spiritual nature of prasadam in the same degree they are manifesting devotion in the offering.
The Offering in Pure Love
The third kind of offering is that which is done with pure love. When devotees come to the stage of loving devotion, Krishna directly accepts offerings from their hands, and He reciprocates with them in kind. Loving devotion is that which is exhibited by Krishna’s eternal associates in the spiritual world, where He is directly engaged in tasting all the types of love His devotees offer.
So what is it that’s different, and how is it that prasadam becomes spiritual? The food looks the same before and after the offering, but what actually happens is that Krishna reciprocates with the devotion of the devotee by manifesting His svarupa-shakti, or His daivi-prakriti, His internal spiritual potency, to the degree that the devotee allows. By “allows†I mean to the degree the devotee wants, or to the degree that he manifests a quality and quantity of devotional service. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Jagannatha Puri and tasted Jagannatha prasadam, He became overwhelmed by the ecstatic taste of the prasadam. He glorified the prasadam and could directly taste the saliva of Krishna’s lotus lips mixed in with the food. He went on to glorify the effect of the touch of Krishna’s lips.
This is what happens when someone in loving devotion tastes food that has been offered to the Lord. And in this case, no doubt, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s ability to taste the potency of the prasadam exceeds that of the brahmanas who offered it to Lord Jagannatha. But, still, that prasadam is Krishna’s internal potency. It is non-different from Krishna, and it is dynamic. A loving devotee may taste more of the spiritual potency present in prasadam than was originally manifest to the pujari who offered it.
We may also consider the examples of Prahlada Maharaja and Mirabai: Both were given poison to drink, but because of their great loving devotion, the poison was transformed into nectar and had no effect. Why is that? Because both poison and nutritious food are part of the relativity of this material world. But when we offer something with love to Krishna, then Krishna’s sac-cid-ananda potency manifests in that food. In this way, poison becomes as much prasadam as a pakora does.
Offering Our Lives
We shouldn’t think, however, that an “offering†is simply the prasadam or food we offer to Krishna. Devotees make their entire life an offering:
yat karoshi yad ashnasi
yaj juhoshi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurushva mad-arpanam
Krishna is saying, “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me.†(Bg. 9.27) Ultimately every breath a devotee takes is an offering: when devotees sleep because they need to maintain their bodies for Krishna’s service, then that sleep becomes an offering to the Lord; their eating to maintain their bodies so they can remain healthy to serve Krishna is an offering to the Lord; when they receive anything—food, soap, money—all of these things are offered to Krishna. In New Vraja Dhama (the devotee farm community in Hungary) anything the devotees acquire or receive, they first offer to Radha-Syamasundara, the presiding deities, on a tray that sits before the altar. In this way the practice of offering everything to Krishna becomes natural.
We should learn how to offer everything. We rise early in the morning, and the first thing we do is offer prayers to the Lord. We chant Hare Krishna not as entertainment but as an offering to glorify Krishna. And when someone lives like that, then in one sense the act of making the offering becomes unnecessary (although devotees do it to set the example) because such devotees are always absorbed in doing everything for Krishna. Therefore, yo me bhaktya prayacchati—the bhakti is already there, and Krishna is very eager to receive it. In fact, Krishna follows behind devotees to accept their loving devotion every moment of the day, in every movement of their bodies, and in every thought they manifest in relation to their devotional service to Him.
Ultimately this is what we aspire for, and this is what loving devotees do: they live for Krishna, and thus everything they do becomes Krishna conscious—it becomes prasadam. The cowherd boys simply sit down with Krishna and eat from their lunch packs—they don’t make any offering to Krishna. When they offer something to Krishna, they take from their lunch packs and put it right in Krishna’s mouth. Or they may even bite off half a sweetball and then say, “Oh, Krishna, just see how wonderful this sweetball tastes!†and put the rest in Krishna’s mouth. Yo me bhaktya prayacchati: it’s just their love. The formality and technicality of offering is no longer relevant, because what Krishna really wants is the love and devotion. That’s all that actually interests Him. And whether Mother Yashoda offers her breast milk, the gopis offer their bodies, the cows offer their milk, the cowherd boys wrestle and jump on Krishna’s shoulders—everything becomes prasadam because everything is an offering of love.
Our business in Krishna consciousness, therefore, is to live in this world of prasadam and thereby become prasadam ourselves. This is what Krishna concludes in the Bhagavad-gita (4.24) when He says, brahmarpanam brahma havir brahmagnau brahmana hutam …: “A person who is fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities.†If we’re thinking about offering everything to Krishna, if our physical acts are an offering to Krishna, if our words are an offering to Krishna, then ultimately we become an offering to Krishna. Then we become prasadam. And Krishna is always very eager to taste the wonderful mellows of our loving offerings to Him.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Bhakta-Chris
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
There Are Gurukulis Who Are Grandparents
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Here I am pictured sitting by my grandfather’s left shoulder.
Last week I wondered if any gurukulis were grandparents yet. Bhimasena, a Kulimela co-organizer and apparently the man with his finger on the pulse of what’s happening, responded with this comment:
“I know of two gurukuli grandparents. Gavin, son of Vasudeva Datta and Saraswati, is both third […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Great Mullein on West Virginia Day
   Today is celebrated as West Virginia Day, in honor of the entrance into statehood of West Virginia. It split from Virginia in 1863 and today marks the 144th anniversary. West Virginia is noted for great natural beauty, an abundance of wildlife, and a huge variety of plants. This is a photo of […]