WHY CHANT HARE KRISHNA ONLY?

By: Nandagopal Jivan das

Many times, infact, all the times, IYF sessions end with one common point i.e. chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra. One may question the necessity of doing this. So, here we’ll present some proofs of importance of chanting of Krishna’s Holy names in this age based on Vedic Literatures like Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and Upanishads:

• Chanting of Hare Krsna awakens the dormant Love of God in our heart.
• When we chant Hare Krsna then knowledge and detachment naturally appears in us.(Because chanting Hare Krsna is the most intelligent act on our part.)
• It’ll free us from the vicious circle of birth and death.
• In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, Kaliyuga, there is no other way as easy and as simple as the chanting of Hare Krsna.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna removes all the illusion from our heart.
• By chanting Hare Krsna only, we can be free from all kinds of tensions.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna takes us on the level of self- realization and it teaches us how to act & behave like a self- realized soul.
• It helps us remember Krishna always who is the source of all the happiness.
• There are no hard and fast rules for chanting Hare Krishna. We can chant- anytime, anywhere and in whatever condition we are in.
• Lord Sri Krishna is personally present in His Holy names. More we chant, more we’ll realize this.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna includes all the mantras described in the scriptures. We can get the benefit of chanting all the mantras only by chanting Hare Krsna. That’s why it is called as “Mahamantra”.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna not only purifies us but it gives eternal spiritual benefit to all the living entities who hears the chanting of Mahamantra.
• One who is Chanting Hare Krsna very quickly develops all the good qualities.
• We can chant softly for our personal benefit as well as do the congregation chanting with our friends and family members. Both the ways are recommended and beneficial.
• Srila Prabhupada chanted Hare Krsna, all the previous Acharyas’, from the time of its inauguration,chanted Hare Krsna and to top it all, Supreme Lord himself in form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chanted this Mahamantra day and night then Why not us?
• It’s for all of us. Chanting of Hare Krsna doesn’t involve any expenses. It places us on the topmost spiritual level where there is no end to bliss.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna doesn’t need any kind of qualifications. Youth or old or even a small baby can chant and dance in Kirtan irrespective of cast, color, creed and nationality and to which religion we belong to. Even if we don’t understand the meaning of the mantra then also it’ll benefit us.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna gives us freedom from all dangers and inauspicious conditions.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna is very easy. When the topmost of all paths of God- Realisation is so easy then why accepts the hard path?
• Chanting of Hare Krsna brings spiritual peace- both for us and for others too.
• When we chant Hare Krsna, Lord Krishna is very happy with us.
• When we chant Hare Krsna, Lord Krishna dances on our tongue.
• By chanting Hare Krsna, we can go to abode of Lord Krishna (Krishnaloka- Goloka Vrindavana) which is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss.
• Chanting of Hare Krsna frees us from all the sinful acts of all our previous lives. Even if we chant Hare Krishna once offencelessely then it can free us from as much sins as we can’t even commit.
• Chanting of Hare Krishna can nullify the sinful environment of Kaliyuga.
• When we chant Hare Krishna, we can taste such nectar at every step of our life which can quench the thirst of soul.
• If we see Vedic Scriptures then we’ll find that there is nothing higher than chanting of this Hare Krishna Mahamantra- Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
• Lord Brahma, the first living entity in the universe also says in Kali Santaran Upanishad:

hare krishna hare krishna

krishna krishna hare hare

hare rama hare rama

rama rama hare hare

iti sodasakam namnam

kali-kalmasa nasanam

natah parataropayah

sarva-vedesu drsyate

“The sixteen words of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra- Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, are especially meant for counteracting the contaminating influence of the age of Kali. After searching through all the Vedic literatures, one cannot find a better a better method.”

So, let us not waste this opportunity to chant the Mahamantra!! At least give it a chance. We’ve nothing to loose but everything to gain. So, please chant: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare…and make your life sublime…!!!

Celebrating the 521st Anniversary of the Appearance Day of Lord Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu

Published by IYF- Delhi On Behalf of the Sri Mayapur International Festival Committee

Celebrating the 521st Anniversary of the Appearance Day of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu

On behalf of the Sri Mayapur International Festival Committee and all the assembled residents of Sri Mayapur Project we enthusiastically invites all ISKCON devotees to attend the 2007 Gaura Purnima Festival.

Srila Prabhupada emphasized that when devotees associate together they should take the opportunity to relish sad-priti-laksanam, the six kinds of loving exchanges described in the Upadesamrita (Nectar of Instruction). This is the underlying theme of the Gaura Purnima festival, and the festival committee is intent on developing and expanding the ways in which we can experience these loving exchanges while staying in the most auspicious abode of Sri Mayapur, which ampliies our service a thousand times. This year the festival will inaugurate a special emphasis on this theme including all six varieties as described by Srila Prabhupada:

1) giving charity to the devotees,
2) accepting from the devotees whatever they may offer in return,
3) opening one’s mind to the devotees,
4) inquiring from them about the conidential service of the Lord,
5) honoring prasada, or spiritual food, given by the devotees, and
6) feeding the devotees with prasada.

In this spirit the festival will immerse everyone in kirtans, seminars, celebrations and other innovative programs, highlighted by free prasadam provided by our festival sponsors. Srila Prabhupada saw his Sri Mayapur Project as an “international home” where all devotees could feel cared for and sheltered. The residents and volunteers who are organizing the festival are anxious to care for their visiting brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles with all these varieties of loving exchange and to help forge a strong, caring atmosphere in our ISKCON family that extends to every corner of the world.

Highlights of Gaura Purnima Festival 2007

* 521st Birth Celebration of Lord Gauranga
* Sponsored MIHET Sat-sanga Seminars (No Service Charges)
* Srila Prabhupada’s Disciples Reunion
* Pancha Tattva Abhishek of the Holy Name - Ecstatic Evening Kirtans
* Attractive Cultural Programs
* Navadvipa Dhama Parikrama
* Free Prasadam (except during the period of the Parikrama)
* No festival fee

Festival Cochairmen: HH Jayapataka Swami, HG Praghosa dasa

Festival Coordinator: HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami - bps@pamho.net
Phone: +91-(3472)-245-481 Mobile: +91-9434-506-434

MIHET Seminars: The Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training will engage many ISKCON leaders and senior devotees in offering “Sat-sanga Seminars” that will have no service charges. These sponsored seminars will directly address the needs, concerns, and challenges of ISKCON devotees. For more details please visit www.mihet.info

Mayapur Festival Room Booking: Racitambara dasi
Phone: +91-(3472)-245-494 / 245-620; e-mail: mghb@pamho.net;
Online booking: www.mayapur.com/booking
Room booking will start from the last week of October 2006 only.

Navadwip Dhama Parikrama Booking: Parikrama fees $38
Purananda Das - Phone: +91-(3472)-245145; e-mail: purananda.jps@pamho.net

Transportation from Kolkata to Mayapur: Sharadendu dasa
Ph:+91-(3472)-245-728; Mobile: +91-9333-773-425; e-mail: purananda.jps@pamho.net

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}