sri sri guru gauranga jayatah!

Year-8, Issue 5
Posted: 7 June 2015

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Dedicated to
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda

Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja

Inspired by and under the guidance of
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

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Tiruppāṇī Ālvār

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

Situated on the south bank of the sacred river Kāverī is the city of Nichulapurī (the present day region known as Uraiyur). In the days of yore, it was a very prosperous city. It was protected by great walls on all sides and was filled with palace-like houses.

Saint Tiruppāṇī Ālvār was born in this city in l00 B.C. in the month of Kārtika, with Rohīṇī asterism. He was an incarnation of the Śrīvatsa mark on the chest of Śrī Viṣṇu but appeared in the society of pariahs, or cāṇḍālas. In recognizing saints, one must always take divine wisdom and spiritual illumination into consideration in place of social status. Our saint, though low

'Come as you are... No suit required'.

I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn't be the right place. After all, I couldn't possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and I had finally decided to see what this place was all about.

But, this just couldn't be the right place. Quickly, I glanced down at the invitation that I clutched in my hand. I scanned past the words, "Come as you are. No suit required," and found the location. Yes, I was at the right place.I peered through the window again and saw a room of people whose faces seemed to glow with joy. All were neatly dressed, adorned in fine ethnic garments and appeared strangely clean as they dined at this exquisite restaurant.

Ashamed, I looked down at my own tattered and torn clothing, covered in stains. I was dirty, in fact, filthy. A foul smell seemed to consume me and I couldn't shake the grime that clung to my body.

As I turned around to leave, the words from the in

It is said that while there is not material solution for material problems, there is a spiritual solution for every problem. 

I believe that we are disregarding the injunctions in the scriptures which is causing disturbance of the body and mind, and suffering to our soul.

The Isopanishad states that one who pursues materialism alone goes into great darkness and one who pursues spiritual life alone goes into even greater darkness. But those who pursue materialism and spiritualism side by side like two wings of the bird, are happy in this world and the next.

I personally see that we are either going from one extreme or another. We don't have balance. We have lost our values because we lost touch with our ancient scriptures. We even discard our older generation, like our parents and grand-parents who have acquired wisdom through age and experience. We do not want to listen to them. So how do we expect the younger generation to imbibe the wisdom from our scriptures.

The most importan

The Chida-dadhi Mahotsav, also known as the Chipped Rice Festivalof Panihati, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of SrilaRaghunatha dasa Goswami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Thisastonishing pastime took place on the banks of the Ganges atPanihati, which is just north of Calcutta. Lord Caitanya and hisassociates enjoyed many transcendental pastimes here. Chida-dadhiMahotsav remembers how the Lord mercifully reciprocated with Hisdevotees by arranging, through Nityananda Prabhu and Raghunathadasa, to provide an ecstatic feast of yoghurt and chipped rice,along with various other nectar foodstuffs. Linked below is anexcerpt from Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya lila chapter 6, whichdescribes this wonderful pastime in detail.

The chipped rice festival took place just before the monsoons,when it is very hot (45 - 50 C) and muggy (80 - 90 % humidity), sonaturally the most cooling of foodstuffs were offered. Cool yoghurt(dadhi) and chipped rice (chida) were offered with sugar, bananas,milk sweets

Despite Facebook’s apology last fall, thousands of users are still being maliciously targeted, reported, and their accounts suspended for having an alleged “fake” name. The anonymous reporting process is heavily flawed and has already done great harm to Native Americans, survivors of domestic violence and stalking, political dissidents, sex workers, religious minorities, artists and performers, LGBTQ people (especially trans* youth), and many many others.

Protest!!!

WHEN: Monday, June 1, 2015
WHERE: Facebook Campus Headquarters, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California
WHAT TIME: Caravan: 9AM / Protest: 11AM
RSVP: Facebook invite
Media Advisory: Click here

HOW TO GET THERE:
Meet us in the Safeway Parking lot on Market Street (at Church) at 9:00 am. We have two buses sponsored by Ello and will carpool/caravan out to the campus.  (If you can drive just in case, please do!)  If you want to get there on your own, you’ll find us at the empty lot across the street

Hare Krishna!

Yagna or Sacrifice is the means to realize God. There are many types of Yagnas. Some of them include - meditation on the form of the Lord, fire sacrifice, study of the scriptures, deity-worship, sacrifice of material possessions and sacrifice of individual sense pleasures.

The sacrifice specifically recommended in Kali Yuga - is the chanting of the names of God.

1) Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita - Yagnanam japo yagno'smi.

"Of all the sacrifices, I am the chanting of the Holy Name."

2) The Bhagavata Purana states: ....Kalau tad dhari kritanad.

"In Kali Yuga the sacrifice recommended is the chanting of the Holy Name.

3) The Brhad Naradiya Purana states: Harer Nama Harer Nama Hare Namaiva kevalam, Kalau nasty Kalau nasty Kalau nasty eva gatir anyatha.

"There is no other way, There is no other way, There is no other way in Kali Yuga - other than chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name, chanting the Holy Name."

We may chant any bonafide name of God. All the names of God hav

Hare Krishna!

1. Why do we feel that we can be made happy by possessing more than our neighbors?

It is said that the mind has only 3 diseases.. a) It wants to enjoy the things of the world. b) It wants to control and possess people and things of the world. c) it wants to show it is better than others.

This is the illusion, the Maya of Krishna we all are under. We are driven into karmic actions by these 3 drivers of the mind. Hence it is very important to be self aware by observing our thoughts.. 'Is my action going to be based on any or all of the above 3 selfish motives'?. Then we become bound by Karma of repeated cycles of birth, death, old age, disease, fault, misfortune and unhappiness.

That is why Vicharana (non critical, non-judgmental and unbroken self-observation of the self with the intelligence that has been purified by the study of Shastras - Scriptures) is one of the four Gatekeepers of Moksha from our mind, stated by Sage Vasishtha in the Yog Vasishtha. The other thre

The appearance anniversary of Ganga Devi, the goddess of the River Ganges.

This is literally the "birthday or descent of mother Ganges – Ganga Ma". Throughout india this festival lasts ten days beginning on the Amavasya (dark moon night) and going through to the dasami tithi (tenth phase of the Moon, the day before Pandava Nirjal Ekadasi)

"Festivals connected with rivers are essentially bathing festivals. Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day of Jyeshtha. River Ganga is worshipped as a mother as well as a Goddess, particularly by people of Uttara Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal through which the river flows. On this day, if a devotee is unable to visit and bathe in the river Ganga, then Ganga jal (water) kept in most Hindu homes is used for purification. A bath in the river is said to purify the bather of all sins. The Ganga is revered all over India even in places far from its course.

Initially, river Ganga flowed in the heavens. She was brought down to earth by the severe penances of

Gangamata Goswamini.

   From her childhood Princess Sachi devi, the daughter of King Naresh Narayana of Bengal, showed unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna. She even refused to marry on account of her genuine attachment to Krishna. After her father's demise she ruled the kingdom. But she soon renounced it to find a bona fide spiritual master. Princess Sachi devi met Shri Haridasa Pandit, a leading guru in Vrindavana, and began performing devout bhajana to Govindaji. Although she became frail from undereating, she would always sleep on the Yamuna's sandy bank, and rise before sunrise to clean Govindaji's Temple. Daily she would hear Bhagavata-katha, see Govindaji's arotika, circumambulate Radha-Shyamasundara's lila sthanas (pastime places) such as Vamishivata, Seva Kunja, Nidhu vana, Rasa Sthali.Receiving encouragement from Shri Haridasa Pandit, Sachi devi completely dropped her false ego, put on rags, and went house-to-house in Vraja begging alms. The Vrajavasis were astonished by her

Chapter Two-Texts 24-25

Posted by Ananta Sesa dasa, Bh.S on May 2, 2015 at 9:20 in Bhagavad-Gita Study Group

• Back to Bhagavad-Gita Study Group Discussions

Please read texts 24-25 of chapter two along with the purport, and then read the following commentary.  Afterwards, each participant should offer a thought or comment on this passage. As you do so, please consider this study question:

Why is scriptural knowledge superior to Empirical or even Rational knowledge about the material world?

acchedyo 'yam adahyo 'yam
akledyo 'sosya eva ca
nityah sarva-gatah sthanur
acalo 'yam sanatanah

avyakto 'yam acintyo 'yam
avikaryo 'yam ucyate
tasmad evam viditvainam
nanusocitum arhasi

          The words of the previous text are essentially repeated here. The individual soul cannot be destroyed and will eternally be the same. This is knowledge that Arjuna needs to acquire, and in fact, it is knowledge all who wish to become self-realized need to acquire. Once one understands this basic po

I am sitting alone in Vṛndāvana-dhāma
In this mood I am getting many realizations.
I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,
But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.
Kṛṣṇa has shown me the naked form of material nature,
By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ
“I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful.”
How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?

Verse 2.

Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless,
Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.
This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.
In this māyā-saṁsāra, whom do I really love?
Where have all my loving father and mother gone to now?
And where are all my elders, who were my own folk?
Who will give me news of them, tell me who?
All that is left of this family life is a list of names.

Verse 3.

Like the froth on the sea water mixes again in the sea,
Māyā’s saṁsāra’s play is ju