Disappearance Day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Today marks the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We honor it with a half day fast followed by a nice vegetarian feast. We share with you one of my favorite songs composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda.

When, oh when, will that day be mine?
When my offenses ceasing,
taste for the name increasing,
when in my heart will your mercy shine?
When, oh when will that day be mine?

Lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree.
When will my mind attain this quality?
Respectful to all, not expecting their honour, then shall I taste the name’s nectar sublime.
When oh when will that day be mine?

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Krsna Janmastami

Krsna Book Vol. 1

Today, being Krsna Janmastami, we are offering a free scanned copy of the original ISKCON Press 1970 Edition of KRSNA Book Vol. 1, which you can download. Just click on the following link to began downloading. This could take a while depending on the speed of your connection. This free scanned copy includes all the original art work as well.

KRSNA_Book_Vol.1_1970_ISKCON_Press_edition_SCAN

Do Not Change My Words

“Do Not Change My Words”

Srila Prabhupada used to like to sit in his garden in Vrindavan especially in the mornings. He liked to hear his books read to him daily. Once, Yasodanandan Prabhu was reading Sri Isopanisad when Srila Prabhupada stopped him and asked him to reread the last paragraph. After hearing it again Srila Prabhupada said, “Those are not my words! They are changing my words! Is my English not good enough?” Srila Prabhupada became very angry and continued, “This is the worst thing a disciple can do! Do not become like a leap-frog and try to jump over the spiritual master thinking you know better than him. Tell them immediately [the editors] do not change my words!”

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108 Important Bhagavad-gita Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is

This is the list of 108 of the most important slokas from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is (1972 Macmillan Edition) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The index to these verses was taken from the Bhakti-sastri Study Guide compiled by Atmatattva dasa as used by the Bhaktivedanta Academy in Mayapur. [*Note for this collection of slokas, we are using the Original Translations rather than the later re-vised Translations. These were the Translations that Srila Prabhupada approved and which were memorized by heart, by all of the early disciples of His Divine Grace.]

These are important verses for memorizing. Srila Prabhupada has said, that when you quote a verse, your argument becomes authoritative.

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The Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Today we celebrate the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We honor His appearance with a full day fast (until moon rise), followed by a special vegetarian feast. Also to honor the Lord’s appearance day, we have selected these two verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritmrta.

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

“We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.”

Full text and Bengali

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Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur

So today we celebrate the Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the Spiritual Master of our Srila Prabhupada. We honor it today with a half day fast a Pushpanjali (offering of prayers and flowers) followed by a nice vegetarian feast.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared in Purusottam Ksetra, Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, on February 6, 1874. He was born in the family home next to the Narayan-chhata of Sri Jagannatha Temple, which always reverberated with the chanting of the Holy Name. Named Bimala Prasad, He was the fourth son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srimati Bhagavati Devi.

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If By Chance We Meet A Saintly Person…

Prabhupada

…Sometimes an ever-liberated personal associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends into this universe just as the Lord descends. Although working for the liberation of conditioned souls, the messenger of the Supreme Lord remains untouched by the material energy. Generally ever-liberated personalities live in the spiritual world as associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and they are known as kṛṣṇa-pāriṣada, associates of the Lord. Their only business is enjoying Lord Kṛṣṇa’s company, and even though such eternally liberated persons come within this material world to serve the Lord’s purpose, they enjoy Lord Kṛṣṇa’s company without stoppage. The ever-liberated person who works on Kṛṣṇa’s behalf enjoys Lord Kṛṣṇa’s company through his engagement.

… The conditioned soul subjected to the threefold material miseries is ceaselessly kicked by māyā, and this is his disease. If by chance he meets a saintly person who works on Kṛṣṇa’s behalf to deliver conditioned souls, and if he agrees to abide by his order, he can gradually approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.(from purport to Madhya-lila 22.14-15)

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Toor Dal with Tomatoes and Ginger

Lately I have been experimenting with Toor Dal, trying different recipes. Mostly in the past, I made soups and dals with either mung dal or urad dal, but the toor dal has a unique flavor. In the Indian province of Gujarat, toor dal is so widely used that the word dal means only toor dal. Other dals are known by their specific names.

Recipe:

1 cup toor dal (washed and rinsed)

4 cups water

2 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric

4 medium tomatoes (chopped or can)

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Best Sankirtan

Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, when we’re out on saṅkīrtana, chanting, what would be the best way for us to engage the crowd to become participants in the chant with us? What would be the best of…

Prabhupāda: “Best way you go on chanting. Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd. Your business is satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and then crowd will be automatically satisfied. We are not going to please the crowd. We are going to give them something, Kṛṣṇa. So you should be very much careful whether you are delivering Kṛṣṇa in the right way. Then they’ll be satisfied. Your only business should be to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then everything will be satisfied. Tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭa. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then whole world is satisfied. If you pour water on the root, then it is automatically distributed in every parts of the tree. So Kṛṣṇa is the big tree, root of the big tree, and you take to watering Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and follow the rules and regulation, everything will be all right.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Lecture : Bhagavad-gita 7.1 – Los Angeles, December 2, 1968 )

Letters by Srila Prabhupada

I have been reading through some of the many letters written by Srila Prabhupada to his disciples. It is interesting to me how he deals with every disciple in such a personal and intimate way. How he gently instructs on behavior, while at the same time presenting the philosophy of Krishna consciousness,in such a clear, and matter of fact way.

Letter to Hamsaduta

February 09, 1969

My Dear Hamsaduta,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of January 30, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am pleased to note that you are seeing into obtaining a dictaphone for helping me in preparing so many Krishna Consciousness literatures. The maker of my present dictaphone is Grundig, and it is an Embassy de Jur, Sterorette. This model was purchased by Hayagriva in New York for $190 by cash payment, but it can be had by installment payment at a higher price. So you may do the needful in this matter.

Regarding the Panca-tattva picture, it is simply a pose of Lord Caitanya and some of His associates receiving service from Their devotees and chanting Hare Krishna. Panca-tattva is described as Krishna in five expansions, namely Krishna Himself in the role of a devotee; His Incarnation in the role of a devotee; His energy in the role of a devotee; His expansion in the role of a devotee; and His two energies (internal and marginal) in the role of devotees. So the external energy is not there. Therefore the whole manifestation is transcendental. There are three energies, namely internal, external, and marginal. Although all of the energies are connected with Krishna, the external energy is differentiated. Just like darkness is another part of light, and therefore darkness can not stand before the light, but it stands somewhere by the side of the light. Without light, there is no existence of darkness, but darkness cannot be found in the light. Similarly, there is no darkness or activities of the external energy in the Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

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