Heroine in New Avatar!

Meena Iyer
[ 4 Nov, 2006 2324hrs IST, TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

MUMBAI: Enter the sanctum sanctorum of Mumbai’s Iskcon temple and the last person you expect to encounter is Mick Jagger’s heroine from the 1970 outlaw adventure Ned Kelly.

But there she is. The pleasantly plump Australian film and television actor Janne Wesly. Clad in a red-printed sari, her head covered with her pallu and a daunting chand tilak on her forehead, Jane stands out tall. In her new avatar Janne Wesly is called Ma Jagattarini Devi.

Wesly says life changed when she met Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of Iskcon in the United States way back in 1970, the same year her film with the Rolling Stones star Jagger released.

Wesly says she was barely 22 then. And had the world at her feet. “In fact I was in LA to attend the premiere of Ned Kelly. And later I was to join Mick Jagger in London to pursue my film career. But after I visited the Krishna Temple in Los Angeles everything else lost meaning for me.”

About co-star Mick Jagger she says, “He was very restless too. He was basically a musician at heart and couldn’t handle the slow pace of an actor’s life. He was hugely famous, but somewhere within I sensed he was bored.”

Wesly says behind the arc-lights, she longed for a more spiritual existence. “I was sure the world of films couldn’t get me the answers I was seeking. I thought of people like Marilyn Monroe who were up there on the list of famous faces. But I just felt that deep within, even Monroe longed for something different.”

Wesly continues, “Since I would have to drop my standards radically to pursue a film career I knew I wouldn’t be happy with the compromise. So I chucked it all and opted for a purer form of life.”

With her husband Bhurijana Prabhu, Wesly plunged into working selflessly to build the first Hare Krishna temple in Hong Kong.

Though she currently resides in Perth, Australia, Wesly is constantly on the move, helping to spread the message of Lord Krishna. She has never looked back at her showbiz career.

But life has come full circle for Wesly whose son Jay Weinstein is now in Mumbai trying to find a career in Bollywood.

source

I feel Krishna is my son: Hema Malini

Here is an interview with Hema Malini, famous bollywood actress, printed in HT Style

Kshama Rao/ HT Style

Mumbai, November 14, 2006

“I completely believe in Him and His ideologies. He is adorable and accessible,” says Hema Malini. She’s not referring to her actor husband Dharmendra, but to Lord Krishna.

The actress-MP-danseuse is paying a tribute to the ‘Jagadguru’ in a two-day festival on November 18 and 19 (Ravindra Natya Mandir). The beautiful dancer’s belief in Krishna is well known. She has not only performed dance ballets on His life but is also associated with ISKCON.

Ask her if she has ever experienced divine intervention in her personal life and she replies: “Yes, the fact that I am putting up this performance is His instruction. Otherwise, why should I have thought of this now? Whenever I have had problems in my life or faced any difficulties, I have turned to Him. Why just me, He is around you too and everybody. He’s one God who’s accessible to everybody .”

Hema Malini rehearsing for the dance ballets she is performing as a part of the Krishna Rasa, a two day dance event on the life of Lord Krishna...The dance event is being planned on a big scale by Hema’s dance institution and she says it will not just showcase her ballets on the life and times of Krishna but go right through from his birth to the vatsalya phase with Yashoda, the madhurya rasa, his growing up years, as a romantic lover with Radha, his role as a sakha or a friend to Draupadi and the bhakti rasa with His devotee, Meerabai....

...Speaking of Yashoda and Krishna , does she miss a son in her life? “Not really, my two girls have given me a lot of happiness. But when I am performing as Yashoda on stage, I feel Krishna is my son, who is doing a lot of mischief.”

The actor believes that Krishna’s teachings, the Gita, is relevant even in today’s fast paced times. “Yes, that’s right. Each and every shloka, all the principles he’s explained in the Gita, make sense even today. You can put all his principles into practice, in your day to day lives and situations, His teachings do make life easy to live.”

She says that she’s not “well read about all his teachings but I do whatever I can through my dance. As a child, and when you are growing up, you may not necessarily understand the significance of his lessons but at a later stage in your life, when you are more mature and experienced, everything that’s been said in the Gita makes sense and helps you understand better.”

Ludhiana Ratha Yatra

This Message is published by IYF-Delhi On Behalf of H.G. Rajsuya Prabhu.

Hare Krsna, PAMHO!! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

Bhagwan Jagannatha Rath Yatra Maha Mahotsav Ki Jai!

Dear Members,

11th Historic Bhagwan Jagannatha Ratha Yatra 06 will be held in Ludhiana on 18th Nov.06.The parade will start at 2 PM from Durga Mata Mandir and will end at Nav Durga Mandir, Sarabha Nagar Ludhiana. On 19th Nov. there will be Hare Krsna Utsav at Maharaja Palace in the evening at 6 PM. We cordially invite you on this grand festival and we are sure you will come and join us in this festival of chariots. Please confirm your visit earlier so that your boarding and lodging can be arranged in advance.

Yours servant,

Rajsuya dasa

TP, ISKCON, Ludhiana, India.

Email: Iskcon.ludhiana@pamho.net

Web: www.iskconludhiana.com

Contact No. #: +91-93169-70600 ; +91-161-2770600

How great is Srila Prabhupada?

By: Nandagopal Jivan das
(Narender Nolakha)

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham

"In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bonafide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth."

The Vedic knowledge is sometimes compared to a 'jungle of knowledge'. Not just an ordinary jungle but a very dense jungle. In the Vedic literature there are various opinions. In the Visnu Purana it says that Visnu is Supreme. In the Siva Purana it says Siva is the Supreme. In the Markandeya Purana it says that Durga is Supreme. And in the Upanisads it is mentioned 'aham brahmasmi' - 'I am Brahman'. So one may think that there are many Gods, or that there are so many Gods that there is no God at all. We may think that what the Vedas say cannot be true because there are too many apparent contradictions. Or we may take 'aham brahmasmi' as the ultimate conclusion and then conclude that we are all God. This is what happens to persons who study the Vedas without the help of the bona-fide guru.

Srila Vyasadeva after dividing Vedas into four and compiling the Upanishads, Puranas and other literatures, he wrote Vedanta-sutra. Vedanta means the end of knowledge. After he completed Vedanta-sutra however Vyasa still did not feel satisfied. He was not satisfied within himself. He crossed the ocean of knowledge but still he was not satisfied. Then the guru of Vyasadeva, Narada Muni, came and Vyasadeva inquired from his guru why he did not feel satisfied. Then Narada Muni said, "Without directly coming to describe the Lila of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead you have not done justice to truth. Now you have to give the meaning of all these things in one book." Then Vyasadeva wrote the Bhagavata Purana, Srimad Bhagavatam.

Bhagavatam is the natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra (bhasyam brahmasutranam). The message of the Bhagavatam is summarized in the beginning, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28). So that is the meaning. Of all the Devas, of all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, Krsna is the Supreme and original. Vyasadeva revealed in Bhagavatam that Krsna is the Supreme asraya-tattva. In other Vedic literatures Vyasadeva only revealed the asraya-tattva in part, not in full. If you are a ghost then Siva, who is known as Bhutanatha, is your asraya (shelter). If you are a materialist then Durga is your asraya. But when we are ready for the perfection of life, Vyasadeva revealed, "Narayana is the asraya-tattva, because Narayana resides in Vaikuntha, which is above this material world".

But in Srimad Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva revealed that the highest plane is called Goloka. Goloka Vrndavana is above Vaikuntha and in that place Krsna is the Supreme. Vyasadeva therefore described that the lotus feet of Krsna are the Supreme shelter of all living beings.

So the dearmost representative of Krsna comes to the world to represent this message of Vyasadeva –‘Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ There have been many gurus in the world since the time of Vyasadeva, but all of them did not represent the ultimate conclusion of Vyasadeva. Someone may ask, "Is there any thing special about your Prabhupada?" Naturally we will say, "Oh of course, about Srila Prabhupada there are many special things".

The common point we will find between all bona fide gurus and bona fide disciples is:

om ajnana-trimirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah

Without guru our eyes are sealed in darkness. We are born into darkness, into ignorance, but our guru opens our eyes with the torch light of knowledge.

But about Srila Prabhupada, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we must say that there is a special characteristic found in him that is very rare and to this day we have not seen that it has been duplicated. And what is that? It is that previously what was only known in India and that too only in the most cultured spiritual sections of society -that thing which was only known there, he took that out of India to every town and village in the whole world.

Bhakti is meant for anyone and everyone. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, it has been pointed out that lowest classes of people are also eligible for devotion. Irrespective of one's background, when one accepts devotional service and becomes a devotee of Sri Krsna, he becomes the highest class person, the best of all. Devotion to Krsna was limited only to India but Srila Prabhupada took this devotion out of India and distributed it to anyone and everyone all over the world. That's why today we can see that people from all over the world are accepting devotional service and becoming devotees of Krsna. In this way, they are becoming the best of humans.
The river Ganga is famous for her purifying effect. At one time, however, this Ganga did not flow through the earth planet. It is Bhagiratha who brought the Ganga from the celestial planets down to the earth planet. That is why Bhagiratha is celebrated. Srila Prabhupada, like Bhagiratha, spread this devotion, the bhakti-ganga, all over the world. In this way, Srila Prabhupada has done something which is much better than what Bhagiratha had done.

A guru or a great acarya may spread Krsna Consciousness in a village or even in a state or a country but to spread Krsna consciousness throughout the whole world that indeed is very rare. For example, Sripad Ramanujacarya, a very great Vaisnava saint, spread Visnu-bhakti in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra. When Ramanuja went to Kerala he tried to start there but they told him to leave. Ramanuja is considered to be the sakti of Ananta, still when he preached in Kerala they did not accept, they told him to go. Who can speak better than Ananta, who has a thousand mouths, and knows all the Vedas? But still Ramanuja was not successful in Kerala. So Ramanuja was indeed a very great personality, yet he could only spread his mission successfully in three states, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra.

Another very great saint in India was Srila Madhvacarya. He is considered to have been an incarnation of Bhima and Vayu. He was a very great philosopher, very learned and highly elevated spiritually. But Madhvacarya was only able to spread his mission successfully in Karnataka. Practically speaking, outside of Karnataka nobody has heard of Madhvacarya. Of course, on occasion he preached in Varanasi, but the people of Varanasi never became the followers of Madhvacarya. Varanasi remained what it had always been, a place of Mayavadi philosophers.

When the mission of Ramanuja, who held the sakti of Ananta, was successful in only three states and the mission of Madhvacarya, who is Bhima and Vayu combined, was successful in only one state then what is the power and greatness of that person who spread Krsna Consciousness throughout the whole world? How great is Srila Prabhupada?

Both Ramanuja and Madhvacarya were indeed very great personalities, but their spiritual influence was more or less regional. However, in the time of Srila Prabhupada he not only had an influence in a few states in India but he traveled around the world fourteen times, visiting twenty-four countries, preaching, inspiring his followers. He successfully spread his mission very widely simply through letters and personal meetings, virtually without the use of a telephone and Because of his preaching work the name of Krsna and Vaisnavism is known in almost every country in the world. With this consideration we may ask, "How great is Srila Prabhupada?"

Ramanuja and Madhvacarya had to contend with the opposing elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, the materialists, and the Mayavadi's. But when Srila Prabhupada went out into the world to spread Krsna consciousness he had to contend with all of the above and more. Especially the scientists, who hold a grip on the whole world, were a formidable opposition to Krsna consciousness, but Srila Prabhupada defeated them and many of them surrendered and became his disciples.

Nowadays we may meet a big svami or a guru (especially in India) who has many disciples and when asked, "Who are you?" he will say, "I am Bhagavan, I am God!" or he may say "I am the Jagat-guru (the spiritual master of the universe), even if they never went outside the village in which they were born." But Srila Prabhupada is Jagat Guru in its real sense. But when Srila Prabhupada was asked "Who are you?" he would say, "I am the humble servant of my gurudeva. My only credit is that I am the obedient servant to the order of my guru. All the success that I have is due to the grace of my guru."

Although it is the opinion of many great devotees that our Srila Prabhupada was a saktyavesa-avatara, Which means that he was empowered with the sakti of the Lord to spread Krsna consciousness throughout the world, still by his own words he considered himself to be the humble servant of his guru. Srila Prabhupada had such a vision that he could see that the whole world could become God conscious, Krsna conscious, but still he considered himself the humble servant of his guru.

Even Lord Nityananda himself, during his appearance in India 500 years ago, didn’t saved as many souls or didn’t preached in so degraded places of the world as Srila Prabhupada but he was now doing it through his representative, his dearmost servitor, Srila Prabhupada!!!

If we have love for someone then we may naturally exaggerate their qualities, because that is the natural way of love. But even without any exaggeration due to our love for Srila Prabhupada if we say that Srila Prabhupada was one of the greatest saints to have ever come to this Earth, it cannot be taken as an exaggeration - his life and achievements stand as evidence for his greatness.

Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!!

The Scientific Preacher Departs...

As we already heard the sad news about the disappearance of H.H. Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Goswami, one of ISKCON's initiating spiritual master. Although Maharaja had left his body on 2nd of October at around 12:15 AM, We are very sorry that we could not upgrade the blog instantly due to some technical and upgradation problems.

Before Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaj met Srila Prabhupada, he was undertaking a pHD in Southern California, USA. Srila Prabhupada use to counteract all of the scientific arguments given by Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaj. Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaja then decided to surrender to and follow Srila Prabhupada and was given the duty of preaching to the scientists by Srila Prabhupada.

According to Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja, he was "the scientific preacher" of ISKCON and has written many wonderful books meant for the academic world. His leaving is a great loss to the world.

Soon, There will be a time when there will no longer be any Srila Prabhupada's direct disciples on this planet. So we must take the opportunity as much as possible to serve and associate with such exalted devotees. Here is a memorable verse which comes to mind:

'sadhu-sanga, sadhu-sanga-sarva-sastre kaya

lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya'

"The verdict of all revealed scriptures is thatby

even a moment's association with a pure

devotee, one can attain all success."

{Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 22.54}

The Life of Srila Prabhupada

By: Vrindavana Vinode das

Abhay Caran, later know as A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in 1896 in Calcutta. His father paid great attention to Abhay’s spiritual and material education. While Abhay attended university, the independence movement in India gained strength, and he considered himself a follower of Gandhi.

He met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in 1922. Abhay was asked at their first meeting to help spread the mission of Lord Caitanya in the English language. His Spiritual master convinced him that the greatest needs in society are self-realization and Krishna Consciousness, no matter what social force or government rules. Krsna consciousness, he said has so much spiritual potency that it can unite the world in loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From that time on Abhay beagan to prepare for this extraordinary work.

Since he already had a small family and a pharmaceutical business, he used his extra time to study and plan the spreading of these teaching as his spiritual master had requested. In the 1950s, he lived in Vrindavana and accepted the renounced order of life. He began translating the most important Vedic scripture from Sanskrit into English and writing commentaries on it.

He felt that his real mission could be accomplished only outside India, so in August 1965 he took the instruction of his beloved spiritual master to heart and left for America to teach Krsna consciousness. He traveled on a complimentary ticket as the only passenger on the freighter Jaladuta. He carried a suitcase, an umbrella, a supply of dry cereal, seven dollars’ worth of just fourty Indian rupees and a few trunks of his books. During the journey he suffered two severe heart attacks. After thirty-seven days the jaladuta arrived in New York , where Bhaktivedanta Swami had only on or two connections. He had no followers yet, and no guarantee that he would fulfill his Guru’s instruction to preach in the West. Despite fragile health, a foreign culture,a dn a materialistic audience, he persevered with resolute purpose, and soon Krsna Rewarded him with astonishing success.

He found the younger generation of Americans disappointed with the establishment and frustrated with life. Searching for solutions, many young people had taken to drugn and pseudo-spiritual processes . they were both challenging and receptive. Srila Prabhupada lived simply and gave talks wherever he had an opportunity. His first followers came from the regular visitors to his classes on the Lower East Side. In july 1966 he founded ISKCON, International Society For Krishna Consciousness. Beginning in January 1967, he opened more branches of ISKCON in North America and by this intense preaching soon started centers in Euorpe.

Srila Prabhupada’s effect on his disciples was certain. His patience, peacefulness, kind severity, humor, and philosophical knowledge enthralled them. They were not blind followers but thoughtful young people who appreciated Prabhupada’s deeply satisfying explanations to questions that others could not answer. Is there life after death? What is the purpose of life? Can we know God? Among thousands of Srila Prabhupada’s supporters and admirers were Allen Ginsberg and George Harrison.

In his preaching, Srila Prabhupada neither emphasized the difference between religions not tried to merge them. He taught that every living entity’s nature is to be the servant of God and as long as they serve others instead, they cannot be happy nor satisfy anyone else. Krsna consciousness however is more that philosophy. It is a way of life and it spiritualize all aspects of life. It has special ceremonies and rituals, its own style of clothing, music and cuisine, even its own particular fragrances. Anyone visiting a Hare Krsna temple and smells the aromas of sandalwood incense or vegetables fried in ghee experiences this ancient culture.

Twelve years after arriving in America, Bhaktivedanta Swami left this world (on November 14th, 1977) at the age on 81. His sincere efforts wer crowned with extraordinary success. The message of Lord Caitanya was established in the West and throughout the world beyond his expectations. Srila Prabhupada spread the teachings of Krsna consciousness in most major cities of the world. He initiated several thousand disciples, started 108 temples, farm communities & gurukulas and traveled around the globe fourteen times, guiding the members of his movement. He authored more that eighty volumes of translations with commentaries, now published in every major language of the world.

He was respected by prominent academics and well known people, who expressed their appreaciation for his achievements in the culture. Harvey cox, the world famour professor of religion at Harvard Described how th gradually recognized the importance of Srila Prabhupada:
“ I remember I was quite astonished when I first met the devotees. I was wondering who they were. Their clothes, their singing, and their shaved heads were somewhat strange to me. Later, when I got to know the movement, I realized that essence of its teachings and the original roots of Christianity bear some striking resemblances. These are simple living, not collecting too many mundane goods and acting our of compassion and love for all living entities. I think what Srila Prabhupada wrote and did was important and lasting.”

TAJ MAHAL: AN ETERNAL MEMORIAL OF LOVE???

By: Nandagopal Jivana das
(Narender Nolakha)

I born in India, grew up in India but I visited the Taj Mahal only once and that too on a school trip. So, I remember a little bit about it. Shortly after the schooling, I was lucky enough to come in touch with the ISKCON and got connected to ISKCON YOUTH FORUM. So, I never desired to visit it again. I was always thinking that how people can like it so much? I wanted to share a bit about the same.

At first sight, I thought of Taj Mahal as very ‘astonishing’ but the more I went closer to it, the more I was realizing that it was not that much astonishing as I was thinking earlier. This time the famous saying: “First impression is the last impression” didn’t apply. Although, it seems to be very big and great in the Picture but in reality it is a very small place. The marble work inside it is very clear- its walls are so finely worked upon and there are flowers engraved in the stone too, but at end you see the signs of Mughals again and again. Once you’ve seen, you’ve seen.

So, what to say about this “Eternal Memorial of Love”? It was full in itself! Full in show-off and full in sadness too!!!

This is the nature of Love. Whole world is singing its glories, poets and writers are building bridges of its appreciation, psychos are taking it seriously and girls & boys are dreaming of it. Moreover, advertisers are selling it and kings and queens, even sweeper on the road is looking after it.

But what we get at the end? Only sadness!!

This is the topmost secret of this love. Either you don’t get it or even if you get it then it is just opposite to your wishes or it turns into a bad dream. Or if you think like Shahjahan that you’ve got it then it slips from your hands.

My dear friends, this is just a show-off, a cheating, a sought of dream. This is not reality!! It is false because all its work runs behind the body which is nothing but a bag of blood, stools, bones, etc that’s why it seems so good at first sight just out of illusion. If you join two of these bags and add some hormones, you’ll get love!

In this way, TAJ MAHAL was full in itself. Gardens, marbles, lightings, lamps, and what is there in between these?? Two dead bodies!!! At last Taj- a memorial of ideal love- is a place where two dead bodies are buried and if the love, of which it is a memorial, would have been eternal and ideal then it would not have met death at end.

If you want something better then you should love something which is eternal and not that which is destroyed at the end. That which is eternal is the Soul which makes this body living which is distinguished from a dead body. By soul, I mean to say the living energy which is near to every one of us and that energy which keeps this machine like body running.

Soul is the part and parcel of the super soul and that super soul is nothing but a partial expansion of Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna Himself.

So, real love means eternal love between an individual soul and the super soul; eternal loving relationship between you and the Supreme Personality of Godhead or between you and Lord Sri Krsna.

To re-establish that loving relationship between you and Lord Sri Krsna, which is much beyond the Taj Mahal, is the aim of ISKCON YOUTH FORUM.
Hare Krishna!