Happy Janmastami and Vyasa Puja! 

Prabhupada Connect

Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we're offline for the time being (see "What's New" entry, August 25th). In the meantime, we'd like to wish our dear readers and friends a very happy Janmastami and Vyasa Puja, 2015.

Srila Prabhupada writes: "As I have repeatedly said, that Krishna Consciousness is developed by following two parallel lines, means service of Krishna, and service of the Spiritual Master. This is the secret of success." (Srila Prabhupada letter, February 20, 1968)

Let us take this opportunity to renew our faith and dedication to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. Now is the time. Carpe diem!

http://www.prabhupadaconnect.com/Sri-Krishna-Janmastami-and-Srila-Prabhupada-Vyasapuja.html

Hope you have a wonderful weekend full of divine inspiration and love.

Sincerely,

Padmapani dasa

The festival observed by Nanda Maharaja, Lord Krsna’s father, to celebrate Lord Krsna’s appearance.

The Nandotsav – Birth ceremony of Lord Sri Krishna Taken from Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto, 5th Chapter, translated by H.D.G. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 

As described in this chapter, Nanda Maharaja very gorgeously performed the birth ceremony for his newborn child. Then he went to Kamsa to pay taxes due and met his intimate friend Vasudeva.

There was great jubilation all over Vrindavana due to Krishna’s birth. Everyone was overwhelmed with joy. Therefore the King of Vraja, Maharaja Nanda, wanted to perform the birth ceremony for his child, and this he did. During this great festival, Nanda Maharaja gave in charity to all present whatever they desired. After the festival, Nanda Maharaja put the cowherd men in charge of protecting Gokula, and then he went to Mathura to pay official taxes to Kamsa. In Mathura, Nanda Maharaja met Vasudeva. Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva were broth

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

    His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared in this world in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent religious scholar and the founder of sixty-four Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge. Srila Prabhupada became his student and, in 1933, his formally initiated disciple.

   At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge in English. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gaudiya Matha in its work, and, in 1944, started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine. Single-handedly, Srila Prabhupada edited it, typed the manuscripts, checked the galley proofs, and even distributed the ind

In the first three chapters of the tenth canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a description of the appearance of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Krishna's appearance is also described in Hari-vamsa and in Sri Jiva Goswami's Gopala-campu. Hearing the transcendental pastimes of Krishna is all-auspicious. The Bhagavatam describes:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam

"Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, Who is the Paramatma in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear his messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted."

Why Krishna Appears

The Bhagavatam says that hearing the transcendental lila-kahani, narrations of the pastimes of Bhagavan Krishna, is all auspicious. If you hear with faith and concentrated attention, all of the mat

Personality of Godhead - Part Two

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

There is an old quarrel between those who assert that God has a material form and those who assert that God is the void – both of which are quite off the mark. It is unnecessary to pick a side in this futile and foolish debate. If humankind cannot rise above such palpably wrong ideas, we are sure to breed narrowness and sectarianism and to quarrel with one another.

We human-beings possess an intellect that is subject to error, oversight and self-deception, and that is liable to be led astray by the false testimony of our defective sense organs. And if we permit our judgement to be biased by anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and phytomorphic ideas that constitute the stock-in-trade of all human thought, we will surely become entangled in some form of idolatry.*

______________
* Anthropomorphism, zoomorphism and phytomorphism refer respectively to the attribution of human, animal or plant characteristics

http://www.nvfestivalofcolors.com/

“But you are not a woman; you are a Vaishnava.”

One of the loving exchanges Yamuna had on several occasions with Srila Prabhupada related to his teasing her, or as she used to say, “trying to get a rise out of her,” by quoting the Chanakya Pandit verse, “Never trust a politician or a woman.”

Another variation was when he would purposely make a statement about women being less intelligent. This may have started in San Francisco, but specifically she mentioned that it occurred in London, then in Madras and Bombay.

Once, she was riding in a car with him, and he quoted the Chanakya verse and then turned around to look directly at her with an almost impish smile on his face. When she didn’t react, he repeated it and looked around again in the same way.

Yamuna simply smiled and said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada, you are certainly correct.” Then some time passed, and Srila Prabhupada praised her to show that he in fact saw no distinction on the basis of body, but saw

The left altar at Sri Tota Gopinatha Temple features Lord Balarama with Revati and Varuni on His left and right

BALARAMA'S CHILDHOOD

During their formative years Sri Balarama and his younger brother Sri Krishna played and acted just like normal cowherd boys except for the events brought about by the unkind acts of certain demons these extraordinary activities were played out for the enjoyment and salvation of jivas in the material world. Krishna and his brother Balarama passed the childhood age known as kaumara and stepped into the age known as pauganda, from the sixth year up to the tenth. At that time all the cowherd men conferred and agreed to give those boys who had passed their fifth year charge of the cows in the pasturing ground. Given charge of the cows, Krishna and Balarama traversed Vrndavana, purifying the land with Their footprints. Accompanied by the cowherd boys and Balarama, Krishna herded the cows and played on His flute through the forest of Vrndavana, which was full of

In 1517, Shri Rupa Goswami and Shri Sanatana Goswami, his elder brother, came to Vrindavana to fulfill four orders of Lord Chaitanya's: (1) Uncover Shri Krishna's lost pastime places. (2) Install Deities, start puja. (3) Write bhakti-shastras. (4) Propagate the rules of bhakti-yoga. (In the wallpaper: Rupa amd Sanatana Goswamis, Lord Shri Gopintha in Jaipur and Temple of Madan Mohan, Shri Vrindavan Dham).

   In 1517, Shri Rupa Goswami and Shri Sanatana Goswami, his elder brother, came to Vrindavana to fulfill four orders of Lord Chaitanya's:

   (1) Uncover Shri Krishna's lost pastime places.

   (2) Install Deities, start puja.

   (3) Write bhakti-shastras.

   (4) Propagate the rules of bhakti-yoga.
 
   Wearing only kaupina (loincloth) and kantha (patchwork quilt), Shri Rupa Goswami lived a mendicant's life absorbed in hearing, chanting, writing about Radha-Govinda's sweet loving pastimes in Shri Vrindavana-dhama. More details of his conduct and character are mentioned in Sanatana Goswami's b

"Gauridasa, My Murti form is as good as I am," said Lord Gauranga, "We will forever remain in your home to accept your service." (In the image: Shri Shri Gaura Nitay Deities of Shrila Gauridasa Pandit).

   "Gauridasa Pandit, the emblem of the most elevated devotional service in love of Godhead, had the greatest potency to receive and deliver such love. Making Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda the Lords of his life, Gauridasa Pandit sacrificed everything for the service of Lord Nityananda."( Chaitanya-charitamrta). 
 
   Before taking sannyasa, Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda visited Gauridasa Pandit in Ambika Kalna. Fearing their impending separation, Gauridasa cried and begged the Lord to stay longer. Mahaprabhu made life-like neem wood Deities of Gaura-Nitai to console his loving servant. "Gauridasa, My Murti form is as good as I am," said Lord Gauranga, "We will forever remain in your home to accept your service." 

   Gauridasa Pandit worshiped Gaura Nitai in many intimate ways–talk

The swing festival of Radha-Krsna. The Deities ride on an elaborately decorated swing.

Deities in the temples are swung on a swing. Some of the main temples that this festival is celebrated at are the Banke Bihari Temple and the Radha-Raman Temple in Vrindavana, the Dwarkadish temple in Mathura, and the Larily Lal Temple in Varsana.

In our Iskcon temples we observe for five days in accordance with Srila Prabhupada's instructions. So whether one observes for the four days or for the seven, or thirteen days, the same festival is put on for the pleasure of the Lord and His loving associates.

This is a wonderful ceremonial function of Lord Krishna's pastimes that reflects practically how we are to render service to the Lord for His pleasure.

At the time of the Jhulan Yatra festival it is Monsoon in India and the air is thick, heavy and humid with the heat and the rains. In the midst of the rainy season, when fields and jungle have turned shades of lush green and flowers are blossoming all arou

Chapter 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person

FIRST OF ALL PAY THE FEES

Prabhupada: No, no. They are not brahmanas. Those who give education in exchange of money, they are not brahmanas. Just like we are lecturing, educated, educating people. We don't say that "Give us salary." We simply ask them, "Please come." Therefore we are making food. I'll give you food. I'll give you good seat. Please come and hear. We are not asking money, that "First of all pay the fees. Then you come and learn Bhagavad-gita." We never say so. So those, these so-called teachers, they first of all set up salary, "What salary you'll give me?" That is dog's business. That is not brahmana's business. Brahmana will never ask. Brahmana is eager to give lesson only. That's all. Brahmana is eager to see that people are educated. "Take free education and be educated. Be a human being." This is brahmana's business. I came here not to ask for any money. But I want to give lesson. This is brahmana's business.
(Room Conversation-June 11, 1974, Paris

"Even if one is not situated in such a transcendental position, if he simply approves of such a transcendental life, he also becomes very dear to Krishna."

(Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 14)