Archive for August, 2007
Friday, August 17th, 2007
New York Times Sanga
A new blog is being published by Sankirtan das, a resident of New Vrindaban for so long he is a relic. It can be seen at NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga.
He reads the NY Times and comments occasionally on articles from a KC perspective.
From the site:
“I have a stack of New York […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Radha-VrindabanChandra’s Temple Room
Decorations and all kind of preparations are being made for the 24 hour kirtan this weekend. So many guests and visiting devotees are coming to take advantage of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Devotees have been phoning everyone, trying to find just anyplace to stay, as all the rooms have been booked. The kirtans will be from 9 am Saturday to 9 am Sunday and […]
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Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Lord Balarama, Subhadra & Lord Jagannatha Closer Together
This Composite Picture was Taken Tuesday
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Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Brahmacari Bake Sale! And War Against the Roaches!
Bhakta-Justin is one of the recent additions to the New Vrindaban Bhakta Program, and he’s well on his way to be a leading favorite for Rookie of the Year. Since his arrival, he’ s displayed a refreshing aptitude for cleaning the heck out of our ashram, and also for whipping us some serious cookies for the pleasure of Sri-Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra and Their devotees (and me too!)
Justin, who hails from Asheville, North Carolina, spent a good number of years as a professional BMX stunt-rider. His body is wracked with the scars and stories of many a righteous fall. We’re hoping his life in devotional service is as adventurous as his bike-riding days, but less bruising.
Justin, like all of us here in the Bhakta Program, wants to go to India before this year is out. Problem is that its darn expensive. The solution is a Brahmacari Bake Sale (or a whole big series of bake sales….Homemade ice cream-from the udders of our very own cows coming soon!)
Justin “shows off the bling” He made about $65 last weekend, making him about 1/25th of the way there to afford a trip to India. Good thing there’s plenty of summer sun left!.
We’ll admit it. We have a cockroach problem in the Ashram. These wayward spirit souls like to run all over the floor and perhaps even into our half-opened cereal boxes. Some of us are mildly complacent about it. Not Justin. He tears apart the kitchen, seals off all possible entrances via the walls and the floors, and partakes in some much needed devotional service.
Our appreciation grows in leaps and bounds.
Also check out a piece by our resident Bhakta-Czar Caitanya Das about our other Rookie of the Year candidate, the irreverent and irreplaceable Bhakta-Cosmo aka Srila Cosmopada, straight from the mandirs and muddy sidewalks of Brooklyn. Check it out here.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Bhakta-Chris
Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Question about cookiong and offering
Hare Krishna Prabhu!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories To Srila Prabhupada.
When I buy vegetables and fruits for Krishna, I know its for Him but still I tend to
bring my own preferences into it. I feel bad about it and I am not over
coming this tendency(Sometimes I genuinely do nice preparations for
Krishna, buy fruits for Krishna but not always) . I would like to know what
I should do about this tendency. One more doubt in this matter is, some rich
foods like a lot of ghee or fat doesn’t go with my stomach (I know, again I am
bringing myself above things, but this a genuine problem), what should we do
in these cases, Prabhu? I listened to Yamuna Mataji talking at Radha
Gopinath Mandir few years back as a lecture and a devotee asked a similar
question. She said when Prabhupad was not doing good his food was altered
accordingly. I didnt understand the answer though in my context on what to
do with me. Its Prabhupad she was answering about, but still I didnt
understand. I know Krishna should be the FIRST PREFERENCE, but dont know
what to do. So this thought in mind is telling me, even before cooking I am
having my preferences in my mind. I am afraid Krishna will not accept my
offering. Please guide me.
Hare Krishna
Your servent
Charanya
Hare Krishna,
Thank you for the nice question.
My understanding is that the most important thing is the love with which we offer something. That is what Krishna actually accepts. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna says.
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”
And in the purport Srila Prabhupada comments,
“Krishna wants only loving service and nothing more. Krishna accepts even a little flower from His pure devotee. He does not want any kind of offering from a nondevotee. He is not in need of anything from anyone, because He is self-sufficient, and yet He accepts the offering of His devotee in an exchange of love and affection. To develop Krishna consciousness is the highest perfection of life. Bhakti is mentioned twice in this verse in order to declare more emphatically that bhakti, or devotional service, is the only means to approach Krishna. No other condition, such as becoming a brahmana. a learned scholar, a very rich man or a great philosopher, can induce Krishna to accept some offering. Without the basic principle of bhakti, nothing can induce the Lord to agree to accept anything from anyone.”
The most important word in the verse is prayata-atmanah (from one in pure consciousness).
There is a nice story from the Mahabharata where Duryodhana had prepared a very opulent reception and feast for Krishna, not out of love but to try and bribe him, and Krishna refused saying, “There are two reasons to accept something from someone, one is if you are in need you will accept and the other is that if someone is offering something with love. I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead I am never in need, and you are not offering with love, therefore I will not accept your offering.” Then Krishna went to the house of Vidura and accepted a very simple reception from Vidura.
There is another story about how Krishna went to visit two of his dear devotees, Srutadeva and Bahulasva, it is described in the 86th chapter of the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam,
“There was a brahmana devotee of Sri Krishna’s named Srutadeva, who lived in the city of Mithila. By the will of Providence, he could earn only barely enough to keep himself and his family alive. Still, he was always satisfied and spent all his time executing his religious duties. King Bahulasva was another great devotee of the Lord residing in Mithilä. A member of the dynasty in which King Janaka had appeared, Bahulasva ruled over the whole province of Videha, yet he remained as detached from material wealth as Srutadeva. Pleased with the devotional attitude of both these great souls, Lord Krishna went on His chariot to Mithila to visit them, taking along Narada and several other learned sages. The people of Mithila greeted the Lord and His saintly entourage with great delight. Bearing various gifts for Krishna, they bowed down and offered obeisances to both Him and the sages.
Bahulasva and Srutadeva both stepped forward and respectfully requested Çré Krishna to visit their homes. To satisfy both of them, the Lord expanded Himself and went to each of their homes simultaneously. They each worshiped Him suitably, offered prayers, washed His feet and then sprinkled themselves and all their family members with the wash water. Lord Krishna then praised the sages who were with Him and glorified brahmanas in general. He also imparted instructions to His hosts concerning devotional service. Understanding these instructions, both Srutadeva and Bahulasva honored the sages and Lord Sri Krishna with single-minded devotion. Lord Krishna then returned to Dwarka.”
In one instance Krishna refused the opulent reception and accepted the simple reception and in the other instance to accept both offerings, because they were both offered with love Krishna expanded himself into two forms.
So whether something is offered with love is the main consideration, but one sign of love and devotion is that we offer the best that we can, and as mentioned before one symptom of devotion is attention to detail.
Whatever activity we perform in devotional service is really an opportunity to offer our consciousness to Krishna. When we chant we are using Krishna name as a medium to offer ourselves, each moment to Krishna. One level of offering simply to offer our body. We sit and chant for two hours, that is good but if our consciousness is somewhere else then the offering is not of a high quality. When we cook for the deity we have an opportunity to use or body and mind and all our creative talents to make a beautiful offering for Krishna’s pleasure. When serving the deity directly we have and opportunity to offer our body and our consciousness for Krishna pleasure. And actually in every situation we have an opportunity to fully offer our body, mind, and words for Krishna’s pleasure. That is Krishna conscious means to at every moment be in the mood of offering one’s life for Krishna’s pleasure.
So when we cook we should try to cook for Krishna’s pleasure, as opulently as possible, according to our means, according to our resources of money, time, and culinary skills.
However to eat simply in such a way the that body is maintained in a healthy state so that one can properly serve Krishna is also and act of devotion. One can prepare very simple food, beg Krishna to accept the simple offering, and then honor the prasadam exclusively in the mood of eating for Krishna pleasure to be able to properly serve Him.
One nice compromise is to eat very simply for oneself but also prepare opulent offerings for the Lord’s pleasure and then distribute the prasadam to family, friends, co-workers, guests, etc. Srila Prabhupada would always like to distribute prasadam to anyone he met, and this is great way to introduce people to Krishna in His most easily appreciable form.
Your Servant,
Gauranga Kishore Das
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Thursday, August 16th, 2007
Freshness Photographically Fixed
The only way I could have gotten a photo of fresher cow dung would have been to catch it in midair. The dynamics of it settling into its stable shape are still in play, as is Surabhi’s tail settling back to a relaxed state, as I snapped this.
Of course, this particular piece of dung […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Where is home?
Driving back to New Vrindaban. It feels so familiar. I’ve done it hundreds of times. I know every twist and turn, but what has become so familiar now feels strange. So many mixed feelings along the way.
Am I coming home or coming for visit? Where is home?
“Home is where you are executing you Krishna conscious duties.”
What a beautiful thought.
One thing will always be the same, Krishna will always be the all attractive well wishing friend of everyone.
And our real home will always be the spiritual world where Radha and Krishna are eternally enjoying their Rasa Lila.
Shri Shri Vrindabanchandra ki jaya.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Not Buying It
Not Buying It is an article from NY Times House & Home section of June 21. It’s about a new movement which has cropped up during the last decade in New York, and perhaps a few other cities, which rejects the consumeristic life style of buying the things we normally need and want. These folks merely live off the fat of the land; that is, off what other people or supermarkets or companies throw out.
The Hubbards (Harland & Anna) lived in that mood, residing on their small piece of land, known as Payne Hollow, away from the maddening crowd, by the banks of the Ohio River on the Indiana border. In 1951, in their early 50’s, they built a home made from local stones and wood, and whatever they could scavenge. Harland said the river often supplied them with what they needed. They lived by a bend in the river and all sorts of boxes and things would naturally wash ashore at that point. The Hubbards passed away in their late 80’s. One commentator wrote, “They lived the life that Thoreau wrote about but only lived for a short time.”
In the Vedic literatures we have the more sever example of renunciation in the “python” sadhus - monks laying on the ground in the forest, simply living off of whatever fruits and leaves fell around them. And it was said, some of them were rather chubby. We even hear about sadhus, up to the present day, residing in caves by the Himalayan mountains, wearing little or nothing, and nourishing themselves mainly on water and sun light, and living to be hundreds of years old.
The “sadhus” of NYC eat food found in the dumpsters behind supermarkets or bakeries, wear thrown away clothes, read literature and listen to CD’s retrieved from the trash, furnish their “caves” with items found on the street. The article says that “ some hold themselves to rigorous standards.” They are committed to not buying anything, or at least very little. These good souls are certainly focused and determined in their life style. They call themselves freegans and their philosophy is freeganism (a few web sites are devoted to the cause); surely a play on Reagan and Reaganism, which was the guiding beacon for the rising greed of the 80’s. That greed has since grown into a relentless force (a force more insidious than terrorism itself) with disastrous effects that are becoming more visible all over our social, political, and environmental landscapes. The freegans try to be the total opposite. Their commitment to their cause is a source of inspiration and at the same time puts me to shame. I need to have that type of commitment in my Krishna Consciousness, and that type of vision that our actions can and will change the world.
Of course, the advantage of practicing freeganism in NYC is the quantity and quality of the trash (in NYC the average is 6.1 pounds per person per day compared to 4.5 pounds nationwide – totaling 245 million tons a year for the country). And there are tricks of the trade (i.e. freegans check out college areas like NYU and Columbia at the end of the school year as students depart). They feel that their lifestyle will reduce the impact on the environment. They also believe in making a statement of noncompliance, since “the production and transport of every product contributes to economic and social injustice.” Most freegans are young, with a few middle aged folks who actually left comfortable jobs in the corporate world. Some freegans admit they still work, but they all must have some source of income because the caves in New York are not cheap.
I wonder how many freegans a place like New York can comfortably support. Right now there’s a mood of cooperation and camaraderie; people helping lift things out of the dumpster for each other, having feasts of free food together, even freely giving away things to one another. But what happens if they are successful and their numbers grow to a 1000 or 10,000? Will they form tribes and mark out zones for themselves in an effort to protect areas which include choice dumpsters and streets where the wealthy live? Such are the pitfalls of idealism.
“Attraction and repulsion for sense objects are felt by the embodied beings, but one should not fall under the control of the senses and sense objects because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self realization.” Gita 3:34
“There are three gates leading to hell – lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give them up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.” Gita 16:21
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Scripture and Chess
I realize a lot of stuff I think about and talk about never makes it to my blog. Most of it shouldn’t, probably. All the prajalpa and joking around needs to be highly redacted. Most of the pissing and moaning too.
Still, occasionally I find myself on some point I hammer at that reflects […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Meet Bhakta Cozmo aka Vishvarupa aka Cozmo-nata aka ‘Coz’
One of the finest members of New Vrindavan’s elite bhakta program, Cozmo prabhu has been bringing joy to the hearts of the devotees since his arrival in May. Just see the blissful expression on his lotus like face…
proof positive that devotional service works. He has been […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by cd
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Reconnecting with mother…
About a week ago I asked Jaya Prabhupada, New Vrindaban’s own cowheard man, what service I could do for the cows. I was thinking it would be milking them or cleaning up after them, something that would require a lot of surrender for me. He said, “Just come and show the cows your love in […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Arya
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
Gearing up for the 24 hour kirtan this Saturday. . . .
Gopal Das is here to prepare for the upcoming 24 hour kirtan. He’s already recruited Dwijamani Prabhu to be the sound technician and is teaching mrdanga every evening in front of the temple to whoever is interested. Note that the kirtan will be from 9 am Saturday to 9 am Sunday and the night kirtan […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by ATD
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
Rat Park: The Radical Addiction Experiment
Jayadwaita Swami once told me that bookstores are more dangerous than brothels. From that perspective my mom’s house is quite a dangerous place.
She rents one room of a house from a retired college psychology professor, and as any good professor he has a tantalizing library, including lots of good psychology books, which is of course my biggest weakness.
When I’m there I don’t have any responsibilities so it is really easy to to waste lots of time immersed in the nectarean pastimes of education (vidyara vilasa). On this visit I didn’t spend much time at the pilgrimage place for crows. Every morning the newspaper would be sitting on the dinning room table, along with other academic journals and political and social commentary magazines like Harpers.
Because they were right in front of me I couldn’t resist and would usually end up sneaking a peek over breakfast. It is amazing how much time you can waste reading those things, but the reality never changes, “Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead. (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17)”
But overall I was pretty good and didn’t waste too much time, mostly I just read Srimad Bhagavatam. On the last day I did pick up book that I read a few years ago during one of my previous visits. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken. It is really hilarious political commentary on the American right, but definitely a pilgrimage places for crows.
Today it was time for my next round of anti-inflammatory steroid injections. Having experienced the pleasure of pain free living after the last injection I was really looking forward to this visit. Every aspect of the visit began to take on a seductive attraction. Although the doctors office was cold and sterile it was at the same time warm and comforting. The icy cold spray that numbed the skin preparing the way for the needle was like a warm embrace. The needle was beautiful, almost a work of art and its sting was like the bite of lover. I could feel instant relief as the warm solution coursed into my arm, numbing the afflicted tendons.
As I was driving away from the doctors office I was reflecting on the pleasure that comes from the relief of suffering. I could feel the power of addiction taking hold of my brain and was reminded of a book I read a couple of years ago at my mom’s house, Opening Skinner’s Box.
One the more memorable sections of the book is described nicely in a book review by Farhad Manjoo.
Early in Lauren Slater’s engaging new book, Opening Skinner’s Box, the author reports an amusing conversation she has with Jerome Kagan, a psychologist at Harvard who insists that humans beings possess “free will.” Kagan is having a hard time convincing Slater of his view; in the middle of the last century, the psychologist B.F. Skinner showed, through a series of ingenious experiments with animals, that we are all far more mechanistic than we believe. We do what we do because we are conditioned to do it, because we are, all of us, acutely sensitive to rewards and reinforcements in the environment.
Slater, who is herself a psychologist, agrees with Skinner. She tells Kagan, “I don’t absolutely rule out the possibility that we are always either controlled or controlling, that our free will is really just a response to some cues that —” And just then, to prove that people really do whatever they want to do, “Kagan dives under his desk,” Slater writes. “I mean that literally. He springs from his seat and goes head forward into nether regions beneath his desk so I cannot see him anymore.”
Kagan shouts to Slater, “I’m under my desk. I’ve never gotten under my desk before. Is this not an act of free will?”
Read the rest of the review here.
But the chapter that I was specifically reminded of today was about addiction. This chapter was about a very interesting but little known study on addiction conducted by Bruce Alexander.
Rat Park: The Radical Addiction Experiment.
Essentially he proved that addiction was the product of suffering. A rat (or person) will become addicted to drugs and use them to relieve suffering. But a rat (or a person) in a normal healthy environment, physically and socially, will not have interest in or even if forced to take drugs will not become addicted to them.
Or as Srila Prabhupada would often say, “Happiness in this world is just the relief of suffering.”
All forms of happiness in this world really boil down to one thing, brain chemicals, and therefore they create what we might call addictions. And we know from the Rat Park experiment that addictions exercise their power over people that are suffering or distressed.
It is quite a vicious cycle. A person is suffering therefore he or she turns to sense gratification to try and relieve the suffering because that provides some immeadiate relief, but the problem here is that sense gratification itself only produces more suffering, which makes a person pursue the addiction with greater intensity, which makes them suffer more which makes them more addicted which makes them suffer more which makes them more addicted.
Until one realizes that his very endeavor for happiness is only causing more suffering he sinks further into this vicious cycle.
This is easy to understand when you look at it in terms of drug addiction. A drug addict feels that he gets pleasure from the substance he is addicted to but he doesn’t realized that his addiction perpetuates the suffering that he is trying to alleviate. (But please be careful when dealing with addicts, they can be very defensive if you try to tell them that there addiction is causing their suffering.)
By forgoing sense gratification, controlling the mind and senses, and engaging in devotional service one begins to experience the natural joy of the self. In that state one no longer suffers as intensely the pangs of material existence and his addictions to material desires are slackened. Gradually as one continues to give up material desires and further engages in devotional service he or she experience more joy and consequently less and less addiction and more and more joy and less and less addiction and more joy and less and less addiction and more joy and less and less addiction.
This can be scientifically verified by trying “The Radical Hare Krishna Experiment.”
It is quite simple, give up all ambitions for personal happiness and dedicate yourself exclusively to the Lord. Accept all kinds of difficulties and austerities for the sake of relieving the suffering of others, and constantly chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Try it out and verify the results that all the other great spiritual scientists throughout history.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
A Matter Of Perspective
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Monday, August 13th, 2007
More Experiences in New Vrindaban…
Bhakta Justin has been baking some outstanding cookies to help the new devotees raise funds for traveling to Holy Places of Pilgrimage in India.
Special thanks to the devotees in the snack bar who undergo the austerity of long hours, hard work and meeting the demands of 100s of guests each weekend. […]