The recordings are non-different...

The recording has all the potencies of the speaker. In the Bhagavatam itself, there’s a description how Vyasadeva was going into the forest and calling out the name of Sukadeva but Sukadeva never came. So then it is described- not in the Bhagavatam itself but in Puranas- that actually what happened was that in order to get Sukadeva to come back, after he had left, Vyasadeva arranged that verses were recited. Some verses were recited- the verses of Bhagavatam- and these verses were echoing off the trees and the echo also counted as chanting. So recording is nothing but an echo- it’s an echo of a real sound. So echo is also bona fide, so recordings are bona fide. Sometimes people have an objective that recordings are not bona fide, but they are bona fide. So in that sense, also equally transcendental.

(HH KKS, April '08, Amsterdam)

Always Be Busy In Krishna Consciousness

HH KKS: All the material desires will simply disappear. It is stated in the Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 2. Text 70 – it is said that just as rivers flow in to the sea, what will these rivers do to the ocean, is the ocean going to increase? Is the water going to rise? It just merges into all that water. In the same way the desires may be compared to rivers that flow in our consciousness, but if the consciousness is very full with Krishna then no affect of these desires – it cannot move the ocean of our consciousness. This is Bhagavad Gita. Thus one should fill the mind with Krishna, one should hear about Krishna, one should chant the glories of Krishna, one should serve Krishna and just we see how the associates of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were always, always busy in service to Krishna even while they were taking prasadam. They would chant Krishna Krishna, in between bites. In between bites even then they were remembering chanting Krishna.
So this is kind of the quality that is required.
(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

Life is all about Garfield!

In the flat where I’m staying, in the bathroom there are all Garfield stickers on the tiles! And Garfield is in different outfits and he’s got a sports outfit and a motorbike outfit and a study outfit and then sure enough, there is a few of Garfield in love! You know...in love? He fell in lust. That’s not love because love is selfless. So that’s not exactly what Garfield is going through. And yes, Garfield is of course nothing but a mirror to the reader of the newspapers and well, there are plenty of those in this world. So that is what life is all about- Garfield! And from our perspective it’s just garbage, what shall I say! Celibacy then is therefore not the meditation of the vaisnava, rather meditation is the prerequisite, is a support. But a vaisnava is not constantly thinking about celibacy and even if a vaisnava starts to struggle with celibacy, the struggle begins in the mind. At that stage, the solution for the struggle is to become absorbed in Krsna, is to think of Krsna, is to do service for Krsna, is to read about Krsna and to preoccupy our mind in Krsna…

(HH KKS, 8 Apr '08, Amsterdam)

A Diamond Among Us

Presented by: Bh. Chris Diamond

Chris is a 2nd year BA Hindi & Music student at SOAS. He was born in South Africa and raised/educated in the United States. Since his early teens he’s had a keen interest in Indian religious as well as artistic traditions. Studying North Indian Classical music (sitar), South Indian classical dance (Bharatnatyam), and East Indian Classical dance (Odissi), from the age of 14, he developed a keen understanding of the way in which peoples religious traditions are expressed through artistic and literary expressions. He believes that by sharing culture and art, a greater understanding between the world’s diverse religious and philosophical traditions is possible.

Since coming to London two years ago, Chris has become more involved with the local ISKCON (Hare Krishna) devotees and has led the SOAS Krishna Consciousness Society this past year. Chris hopes that Vaisnava Vani will show many more people the traditions of Vedic India which he holds so dear.

Chris Diamond : "I want to seek all of your blessings for my new radio venture. I'm allowed free reign and access to my universities radio student as a music student, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to create some Vaisnava friendly radio content (classes, kirtans, etc.) that would enliven a devotee as well as using it to preach to my fellow students."

Listen to his first Podcast on the Brahma-samhita

KKS In Mayapur Feb 2009 (VID!)

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Kirtana After Initiations In Radhadesh (VID!)

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What are you...?

Whenever we discuss kanistha, madhyama and uttama, it starts to feel like we’re beginning to measure vaisnavas with a measuring tape! As soon as you start measuring vaisnavas with a measuring tape, there is a great risk to minimise the vaisnavas because a vaisnava is so difficult to measure. No one fits into a box; everyone has done something extraordinary for Krsna! Therefore who fits into any box? - kanistha, madhyama, uttama- difficult! Kanistha uttama, madhyama uttama, uttama uttama…it gets too complicated- too much measurement! Let us just rather appreciate the service vaisnavas have done and are doing and let us just overlook the faults…even if there’s some tendency, we just look at the service and we glorify the vaisnavas. But still on the other side, we do care because we are not naively accepting anyone as pure devotee. To accept someone as a pure devotee, on the topmost platform, is a very serious matter and cannot be done on the basis of sentiment. Therefore it is good to understand these categories but we are not going to hand out T-shirts: ‘kanistha’, ‘madhyama’ and ‘uttama’ T-shirts! That will be a little too extreme! Rather we are appreciating all the vaisnavas for their exalted qualities. By counting the glories of the vaisnavas, we will see many exalted vaisnavas…

(HH KKS, 8 Apr '09, Dbn, SA)

These old, old hungry eyes...

Many years ago I wrote a song which says, "These old, old hungry eyes have told me many lies but maybe this one time I will be satisfied..." You never know! Everytime my eyes told me, 'this is it!' but it wasn't...'but maybe this one time it will be...' Again and again we try in the material world....

(HH KKS, Feb 2009, Melbourne)

Prabhupada in my life...

Excerpts from Q & A session at the Durban Ratha Yatra '09, South Africa

I think that many people who would have known me 40 years ago (I’m getting old now, so I can speak- 40 years ago!), they would have never believed that I would be sitting here today as a sannyasi! ‘Him? Nah, nah not possible. Cannot be!’ but somehow or other it came to pass. How? Not by my credit, not at all; but I read Prabhupada’s books and I was impressed and I came to Vrndavana. There was Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi; at that time it was very small, just a little shed and I liked it, it was very intimate, very close. We would every morning be there at 10 past 4 and I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world and we would circumambulate Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi. His body was there and I knew, this place, this Samadhi, is so potent, so extraordinarily potent. Just like walking around this; with each step my faith in Prabhupada is growing and growing and growing; with each step Prabhupada is becoming more and more important in my life. And I was in Vrndavana and then I would chant my japa in Prabhupada’s house- where his seating place is, his bed is there and many paraphernalia that he used. And just being there in that house impressed upon me how much Srila Prabhupada carried this whole movement.

And then in Vrndavana there was Prabhupada’s bell, and that bell had to be rung by the security guards strictly on the whole hour- on the hour- and on the half hour- once- so seven times for seven ‘o clock and so on. And the security had do it on the right hour. And Prabhupada said, “I’ll judge the management by the ringing of the bell.” So it’s very difficult and very tricky also because the security of course is always sleeping and always late and spaced out. So it’s very difficult for the management to keep them on time. So the management has to be completely alert and all the time- 24 hours. So the management has to be very alert all the time. And then I became in charge of Prabhupada’s bell; for many years I was in charge of the ringing of Prabhupada’s bell, and even today I am still on the executive board for Vrndavana and that means I’m still responsible for Prabhupada’s bell! And I pray that I remain responsible for the ringing of Prabhupada’s bell for as long as I’m on this planet because this bell…Srila Prabhupada had said it is so important. And just by having that service Srila Prabhupada became more and more important to me and my faith in him grew. Although I never met him in person but that doesn’t really matter because he took over my life- he became the main inspiration in my life. Of course my spiritual master, who is still present on this planet, is much deeper in his relationship with Srila Prabhupada than me and thus he also helps me in going deeper in that relationship. So it works well…!
So let us understand the power of circumambulating Prabhupada’s samadhi. Let us understand the power of falling before the Deity of Lord Caitanya and pray, ‘O Lord Caitanya, please help!’ He’s very merciful. Then we can do it, then we can keep our vows and we can take vows and then anybody can do it- anybody- and we should do it, because it’s very powerful, it’s a great powerful tool for taking us back to the spiritual world.

Free to chant...

So, we carry so many things with us, so many impressions with us and they pre-occupy our mind. So it’s very difficult- in the morning you wake up and already some of the worries from the day before are there, they’re back in the mind. You open your eyes- they’re back! “ Really have to do something about this, something about that…” But one who is a devotee learns to leave these things aside. In the early morning, no time for all these things. We don’t worry. Early in the morning, our time is for Krsna. It’s too early anyway; you can’t call anyone yet because everyone’s asleep and they get upset if you ring them so early. So there’s no point in turning on the phone, just leave it switched off because no one’s going to call anyway, everyone is asleep. And if devotees call you, they shouldn’t call you during this time, so just don’t answer your phone! As simple as that! So let the phone be off, and let the day begin, be peaceful. Of course, one has to make sure he rises early enough before the children wake up so that they also cannot cause any distraction.

So there we are, all factors of distraction are removed and we are free to simply do one thing- repeat the Holy Name of the Lord...

(HH KKS, SA, '05)

Panca Tattva Is Not A New Invention

HH KKS: How is it possible that Srivasa is such a personality. In the Sri Gaura-ganoddesa Dipika, remember the guide to who is who in Chaitanya Lila, we can read that Srivas Thakur is none other than Narada muni. Now that explains: Because Narada muni ,of course, is completely dedicated to the Supreme Lord. So Srivas is an expansion of Narada muni. Thus we see when the living being is becoming free from his own material desires; then he becomes completely included in the pastimes of the Supreme. He becomes completely involved in an intimate relationship with the Lord. That is what we see here in this Panca Tattva. This Panca Tattva that we are worshiping therefore is not a new invention. It is the same Panca Tattva that appeared with Krishna. Krishna appears with these same five Tattvas. We have the same expansions, We have Svayam Bhagvan as Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , we have His immediate, Balarama , then we have the Visnu expansions represented by Advaita Acharya.

We have His shaktis represented by Gadhadhar , and we have the living being represented by Narada muni. In this way we have everyone. The very same categories which appear with Krishna. It is important to understand that this worship of Panca Tattva is not just some new thing. ( Maharaja speaks Jokingly): alright we start now with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and for some reason He appeared with Panca-Tattva. Why we don’t know but they are nice. And we have very big deities in Mayapur as well and that’s quite far out and had a great abhishek and just now we did it again.... No ....there is a little more to it than that. These are the five features in which the Supreme Lord appears, and for a reason.. (03/2009-Leicester,UK)

One Becomes Peaceful By Tolerance

Question from audience: I’ve heard Srila Prabhupada say that while the material body is there the attraction is there. Does a sober person feel the attraction and simply doesn’t act upon it or does he lose the attraction completely?

HH JAS: He loses the attraction and if somehow the attraction is there, some left over sexual thought or impulse, he thinks it’s so nasty. In the Bhagavad Gita, (sanskrit), the ocean is still even though so many rivers are running into it, similarly a person who is dhīraḥ, who is sober, (sanskrit) he’s also feeling sometimes some desires: "I’d like to do that...this is so nice.."
It may come to him but he controls that, he knows some desires come because I have the body so some thought has come, some desire has come but it’s nonsense so he’s not disturbed. (Sanskrit) therefore he’s peaceful, one becomes peaceful by tolerance.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Only Desire: Please The Lord

HH KKS: Srivas pandit is also a member of the Panca Tattva. He is on the altar – he is a living being. He is jiva. In most places of worship God is on the altar and the jivas on the ground. But here we see the jiva is also included because the living being is an eternal part and parcel of the Lord. Like a spark, a drop of the ocean. The living being can never be God but he is a part and parcel of God. Srivas Pandit is such a personality. Srivas Pandit is the eternal part and parcel of the Lord. Like we are but Srivas pandit he is transparent to the will of the Lord. He has no personal agenda. We do, we have so many things we want, we desire, we want to achieve. Thus there is Krishna’s interests and our own interests – the two are separated. Srivas thakur has only one interest to satisfy Krishna, nothing else. Just like Prahlad and other great devotees: No other desire than to please the Supreme Lord.(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

Delhi Ladus...Suffering Guaranteed!

HH JAS: Prabhupad said that sex life is like the Delhi Ladu. The famous celebrated Ladus of Delhi and if you haven’t had one or if you don’t have one then you want one. So you're in anxiety: Can I get that Delhi Ladu? Where can I get that Ladu? And those who’ve gotten it are also suffering because it's so rich ....it just does you in! So those who don’t have it are lamenting and those that have it are lamenting: So those that are aspiring for sex enjoyment they are suffering and those who are getting sex enjoyment those are also suffering.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Make The Best Out Of The Bad Bargain

HH JAS: Here the danger is that one can be captivated by these false allurements and try to be happy and wind up dissatisfied and beset by so many troubles, so many troubles, therefore Krishna Consciousness means to become dhiraḥ, sober and self controlled.
We’re already in problems,everyone of us, because we have this material body and we are living in this material world, so there’s nobody who’s not in problematic existence. Prabhupada called it a bad bargain, and making the best use of the bad bargain is to dedicate ourselves to serving Krishna. That’s the only way to solve our problems is to be engaged in devotional service.
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Mahamantra! (VID!))

Maharaja Sings Hare Krishna Before Initiations in Radhadesh. April 2009

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We have Entered Into The Spiritual World!

HH KKS: I was in South Africa, and we had a circle in the middle of the kirtan, and you know how it is in the circle, the devotees do the circle and then they take one step to the middle, and then one step in, one step out, one step in, one step out. Like sort of a dancing club. But in Africa what happened it was a little different, one person suddenly took a jump from one side of the circle to the other, went more than a meter in the air too, and the drummer they understood it they immediately sat down on there knees, then another one flying – and I was looking just like "Wow" – this is not from this world, that’s all I could say, this is no longer the material world! We have entered into the spiritual world! And thus this is the movement of Lord Chaitanya, miracles are possible. And again in South Africa, we were in a program and it was a good program, because Indryumna Maharaja was there he gave the talk, BB Govinda Maharaja had cooked the feast, he is a great cook, Sri Prahlad was leading the kirtan, and I was one of the dancers. And everyone was dancing, except one old lady, she was just sitting on the side, at one point one devotee went up to this lady and said would you like to dance? And she said "erm erm yes"
She came out and started to dance. At one point they hooked arm to arm , and went flying around in a circle , and at the end the lady said (Maharaja doing voice of an old lady) “I didn’t have so much fun for 40 years!!!”

So everything can be transcended in this movement. That is the nature of Lord Chaitanya’s movement. It just sweeps us up in enthusiam.

(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

Material Desires Swept Away By Spiritual Pleasure

HH JAS: Just as a sober person doesn’t go chasing after mirages and go running away from illusionary tigers, so a sober person doesn’t become agitated by sex life and try to satisfy these desires one after another after another. Tolerates, so even in the Brahmacharya Ashram and also in the Grhasthas Ashram one has to tolerate that. If one expands the mental concoctions in the Householder Life one becomes a Grhamedhi, then he becomes like the materialistic person trying to satisfy so many desires. So many desires, so many desires and becoming disappointed and in the process losing ones Krishna Consciousness. So one has to learn this art of toleration either in the Brahmacharya Ashram or in the Grhastha Ashram. Therefore Brahmacharya training is there, the Brahmacharya learns how to tolerate so that he becomes a self controlled Grhastha and as a self controlled Grhastha he tolerates so many desires that may arise or as Srila Prabhupada points out here, engages himself in the service in such a way that these desires practically evaporate....they are products of the illusionary energy. So the more one engages himself in the service of Krishna the more these things come under control or they are swept away by the superior force of the spiritual energy: Spiritual pleasure. . EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Don't Think...Quick..Turn On The TV

HH KKS: We have lost so much knowledge, what do we know about what was knowledge of before? What to speak of deeper knowledge? Not only material knowledge but what to speak of deeper knowledge, what to speak about the goal of life, what is the goal of life? To keep my head above water, in this modern society it’s a struggle, somehow or other got to work hard. We have got it good but you’ve got to really work for it, there’s no time, no time: I mean 8 hours work, 1 hour lunch break, sitting in the traffic for 1 hour in the morning at least, going back 1 hour, 11 hours at least and then coming home: Fix all the broken things and meanwhile family and kids: all chaos...how much time?
No time, no time to think, no time to live and thinking anyway is dangerous: Don’t think! Whatever you do...please don’t think because you might question, ‘What am I dong with my life?’ People that sit and think start to think, ‘Is it all worth it?’: Don’t think turn on the TV...quick! Go on the internet, whatever you do don’t think, stay busy, keep busy, very busy....thus the deeper questions in life, ‘Why am I here?...’What is the goal of life? These questions are lost now lost. Who asks that? You go out on the street and say hey: ’What is the goal of life?’ and they look at you like ’Are you ok?’ I mean, they shake their head: ’Some idiot you know’ and then they come home ”Can you believe it, I met some nutcase he approached me in the street and you know what he asked me?...‘What is the goal of life!?' "My God, No, it’s getting crazier every day!”
This is actually what’s going on if you think about it.
..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

Meditation On Prabhupada. (VID!)

HH KKS SINGS!
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Better to Be Sober And Tolerate

HH JAS: One is pushing the mind to get some concocted enjoyment, one is not enjoying... manasijamm or just like people are going to clubs sometimes, Prabhupada said naked sometimes half naked, sometimes bottomless sometimes topless, sometimes with high-heeled shoes: Sometimes this way and that way, just by some kind of mental concoction to try to put some enjoyment there, make some fantastic image of enjoyment and its just mental concoction: manasijamm vissaheta dhirah. Therefore one should become sober and tolerate, viṣaheta dhirahh,a sober person means rather than going through all of this trouble to scratch that itch, to agitate the mind and then try to satisfy that agitated mind, better to be sober and tolerate, all right, some itching is there, it wasn’t there before, later on it wont be there,(sanskrit),it comes it goes, let me tolerate.
. EXCERPTS FROM:
HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

This Movement Is Based On Pleasure

HH KKS: This movement is just... it’s based on pleasure, it’s not based on austerity. The whole thing it’s a process which brings out natural pleasure.
The interesting part when I began to philosophically began to understand the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was not just teaching a process, but He was just beginning to reveal the eternal spiritual activity. Basically He was bringing down the spiritual activity of the spiritual world to this world!
..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

Have A Party!

HH KKS: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach us what is the goal of life, not only by giving us long drawn out teachings written in complicated books, because who reads those, we only read cartoons,who reads books?...so difficult to read,these books, these spiritual books are sometimes hard to read,hard to read For most of us we fall asleep when we read these books. We cannot read anymore, who can study the Vedic scriptures now, for a long time? Very rare; some people with glasses! But most they cannot, thus what to do? But music? Everybody likes music! ]You like music? "Yes...yes I do" You like dancing? "Yes I like a dancing, Oh yes I do."You like Singing? Oh yes I love singing. You need some singing lessons maybe? (audience laughter) The crows like singing too. Any way so singings is natural, music is natural, everyone is singing and swinging, so an easy process for this age: A natural process, a joyful one, not a dry one but we sing, we dance, we sing, we chant...that is actually the main thing!
Philosophy follows also, naturally one has some questions, one wants some answers and those one finds in the books........but first we chant that is the main thing. That Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu understood: that is what people can do. Have a party!..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

We Are The Servant Of The Servant Of The Servant Of Radharani

HH KKS: Then next to Him (Lord Chaitanya)is Gadhadhar – is known as Bhakta Shakti the energy of the Lord. The internal pleasure potency of the Lord. Gadhadhar …. thus among the devotees there are more who are in this category of Shakti Tattva – they are known as the internal energy of the Lord. Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of the internal energy of the Lord. She expands Herself into various other gopis – and forms who are not living beings – in Mayapur we have the Asta Sakhis. All these Asta Sakhis are not jives: they are not living beings. They are all expansions of Srimati Radharani. The principal sakhis are Lalita and Visakha. And those personalities also appear in the pastimes of Mahaprabhu. They were not jivas , it is said that Radha and Krishna are surrounded by a circle of these Asta Sakhis and these are in turn are served by jivas – the manjaris. These jivas are forming the next circle: they are the manjaris. So in this way we have Rupa manjari – Rupa Manjari is serving Lalita Devi – who is a Gopi.
Rupa Manjari is none other than Rupa Goswami. So we come in that line, Thus we are the servant of the servant of the servant of Radharani...(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

Prasadam Is Not Ordinary!

HH KKS: Prasadam: It was certainly the first reason why I walked into the door, somehow or other that food, it was good, so I found the local restaurant and I came there and then I found out that you could also get it for free, so why pay? (audience laughter) so I went for the free version, and it was good, there was no limit, get as much as you want, every Sunday 15 preps, 15 preps it was, it was big time: so it was nice! Lord Chaitanya’s movement!
And there was something about it, each preparation was special, there was no ordinary prep, everything was special, everything was made with attention, nothing was slapped together, quick, instant: put it in the microwave and...Ping!!! Here’s your hot meal! (audience laughter) It wasn’t anything like that: the meal was dancing on the tongue, it was pleasure at each bite, it was just wonderful and it was just...is there more?! And there was more also!
Immediately one could taste the devotion, one could taste this is not ordinary. Yes, it had been offered to Krishna and thus it’s spiritual and definitely there was something about it.
Prasadam is not ordinary. I went for it! I became an addict. I had to have it again and again!..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

Breakfast....Salty Soybean Paste...Miserable!

HH KKS: I tried one Buddhist monetary, but well, it was austere, you had to rise very early, there were long, long prayer sessions, just going on and on: I could tolerate that, but when it came to breakfast that was the tough part because they gave one little piece of bread with miso, which is like a salty soybean paste which is as far as I’m concerned short for miserable, miso...right! (audience laughter) There’s absolutely no fun in it, It’s very healthy, you know what I mean? It's one of those breakfasts that’s absolutely healthy but where’s the fun?
So as soon as I saw the breakfast I realized, I had a great philosophical realization and it was: Does spiritual life have to be a life of self denial? Do we have to deny ourselves pleasures of life? Is that spiritual life?
No, it cannot be. Spiritual life must be full of taste. It must be full of joy. It must be full of happiness, so I left that process, that monastery...then Krishna Consciousness was right there. Some say kitchen religion. Yes,I like that part: Lord Chaitanya’s secret weapon...Prasadam!!!
..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

Concocted Enjoyment

HH JAS: There's an interesting short story by Tolstoy called family happiness. The theme of which basically that there isn’t any and it talks about this woman who gets married, when her husband proposes to her the jasmine are blooming, the nightingales are singing, there’s a kind of intoxication there: ”We’re going to be so happy” and then they get married and everything’s dull!
A lot of writers have good things to say about that but we won’t get into literature class today, 0but its disappointing, manasijamm, because it’s a mental concoction and sooner or later the veneer wears off and one sees what’s really there. Jonathan Swift has some good things to say about that perhaps in some other class and what’s really there: is not attractive, not enjoyable, still one is trying to enjoy and one is pushing the mind to get some concocted enjoyment, one is not enjoying.
. EXCERPTS FROM:
HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Mental Concoction

HH JAS: Even if one becomes a big prince with so many wives and concubines and everything, still he won't be satisfied, after so much... trpyanti neha krpana, and my valuable human life I am wasting like a miser... bahu-duhkha-bhajahh kanndutivan manasijamm means the whole thing is just a mental concoction. The whole idea that this is going to make me happy, that this is enjoyment, the whole idea of love, the whole idea that my husband is handsome and that my wife is beautiful: The whole idea that he loves me or she loves me, the whole paradise is a mental concoction!
. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE – SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Advaita Acharya Is Sadasiva

HH KKS: Sadasiva is also an expansion of Maha visnu the whole shiva mystery is also very complex to understand. It is mentioned in detail of the Brhad of Sanatan Goswami and there it is stated between the material world and the spiritual world is the viraja river this viraja river is like the border between the material world and the spiritual world. That same viraja river is known as the casual ocean at times. So it is said that on both sides of the river, on the very banks of either side there is an abode of Lord Shiva. On the material side that is mount Kailash. Originally this abode was the abode of Kuvera the treasurer of the demigods , but Kuvera offered it to Shiva and thus Shiva settle there and became His abode. However on the spiritual side of the river there is another abode of Shiva and another form of Shiva, that abode of Shiva is sometimes refered to as Shivaloka and the Shiva form that is residing there is Sadashiva , and it is said Sadashiva is actually an expansion of Maha visnu and thus He is in the category of Visnu tattva. He is Visnu tattva. But then when we go to where the demigod Shiva resides , the Bramha samhita says – just as milk is transforming into yoghurt so as Lord Shiva Sadashiva – the Visnu expansion crosses the Viraja river He transforms into the demigod Shiva. The milk is transformed into yoghurt. Advaita acharya in none other than Sadasiva. This He is visnu tattva. Thus He is an expansion of Lord Visnu , so He is an avatar. Bhakta avatar. He is an avatar of Lord Visnu..(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

Mangala Arati (VID!)

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Grhamedi

HH JAS: So... yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ... gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ means the happiness of materialistic Householder Life, maithunādi, maithunādi means beginning from sex pleasure, (sanskrit),and maithunādi, from sex pleasure, direct sex pleasure, all the other so called pleasures of materialistic family life expand: home and children and so many things or even Prabhupada said skyscraper buildings and big cities there all manifestations of sex life: materialistic householders are increasingly absorbing themselves in the mode of passion and impelled by that passionate mode of which sex life is the central point they are building things and constructing things and expanding their empires all for the same central point. So, maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ hi tucchaḿ... tucchaḿ means insignificant.
All this big deal is being made about what Srila Prabhupada calls the sensational happiness of sex life and Prahlada Maharaja says it’s nothing, even clinically speaking a few minutes of sex pleasure or sexual intercourse(a loud airplane fly’s overhead)... This is also a manifestation of sex life
(Question from audience)7th Canto Chapter 9 Text 45. So tucchaḿ,it’s insignificant, it’s there in every species of life, mosquitoes also have sex life and it’s a big thing for them...but what is it? How important or significant do we think a mosquitoes sex life is? But for the mosquito it's crucial, it's the ultimate high point of his existence. So maithunādi gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ hi tucchaḿ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham ... kaṇḍūyanena karayor...the example given is that its like its scratching an itch, someone has a itching sensation and he scratches it and the result of scratching is that it itches more and the result of itching more is that he scratches more and itches and scratches, itches and scratches, that’s sex life... kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham...that’s the comparison, simply scratching an itch and the itch doesn’t go away it gets worse.
Iva duḥkha-duḥkham, the consequence of that sex life is unhappiness. Unhappiness, first of all because it’s tucchaḿ, it’s insignificant so everyone is disappointed...there’s a Latin proverb which in English means “All animals are sad after sex.” All animals are sad after sex, so much endeavor: Male elephants are fighting over the female elephants and this whole huge thing is going on and then they get it and afterwards such a disappointment... tucchaḿ, insignificant and bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ, so much trouble, so many difficulties come, either because it's illicit sex and then there's pregnancy or abortion or there has to be contraception or there's attachment and then there's hatred also in the relationship.(Excerpts from seminar: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE – SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Lord Chaitanya, Nityananda And Advaita Acharya

HH KKS: We are looking at Krishna Svayam Bhagavan – He is the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead in His own form but Krishna it is said He is always in His transcendental activities with His devotees in the spiritual world and Krishna expands Himself. In these expansions Krishna deals with certain affairs in the material world – Lord Chaitanya appeared as Bhakta rupam – in the form of His devotee.
Lord Nityananda is none other than Balarama or He is also Krishna but is in the mood of the servant of Krishna. He is Krishna but this time as Sevak Bhagavan – Krishna as Lord Chaitanya is the Lord who is served. However Nityananda is the servant thus Nityananda is known as Adi-Guru – the Original Guru because He teaches how to serve , that is Guru. Guru is teaching how to serve Krishna that is the business of Lord Nityananda.
Then the Lord expands Himself further from Balaram into the various Vishnu avatars because in these Visnu avatars the Lord gets involved in this material energy. He gets involved in the process of creating the material worlds. We know that Maha Visnu is lying on the causal ocean and that from the pore holes of the body of Maha Visnu the various universes appear. Thus Maha Visnu is directly involved with the material energy. Then MahaVisnu expands Himself again and this MahaVisnu is entering the universes as Garbhodakasayi Visnu in each universe and from His navel comes the lotus flower of Lord Bramha , and Garbhodakasayi Visnu expands Himself further into (sanskrit) Visnu who enters into the heart of every living being as parmatma who enters into every atom and soul.
In this way we see through His expansions Krishna is dealing with the material nature or the living beings who are conditioned. He Himself is simply absorbed in pastimes and exchanges of rasa with His devotees but as soon as one turns to Krishna then He can personally deal with anyone. So Advaita acharya is on the very right our left – elderly with a beard He is is Bhakta Avatar – He is the Visnu expansion. He is none other than Maha visnu or Sadasiva.(03/2009-Leicester,UK)

VID!

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Krishna Appears As Gauranga With His Associates

HH KKS: Kavi Karnapura wrote the Sri Gaura-Ganoddesa Dipika – it is basically a book about who is who in Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes because when Lord Chaitanya appeared 500 years ago He was the same Krishna – Vrajendra Nandana Krishna. He was the same Krishna from Vrindavan who had now appeared as Lord Chaitanya but not only that along with Krishna 5,000 years ago came so many associates. Krishna never comes alone. Once one devotee was drawing a picture of Krishna – yellow dhoti , bluish complexion , peacock feather and all and showed the picture to Prabhupada and Prabhupada said that is not Krishna, because Krishna is never alone. There was no cow , no peacock , no devotee , nobody – because Krishna is always engaged in loving pastimes with his devotees. So Krishna in this way, surrounded by his devotees appeared again as Lord Chaitanya. Naturally his devotees also appeared. So Sri Gaura-Ganoddesa Dipika explains who in the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya – who they were in Krishna Lila. It is interesting we get a lot of background information there about the Panca Tattva. That is not all.... also a few interesting points are made by Kavi Karnapura he says that the first person who actually decided that the Panca Tattva was a unit was Srila Damodara goswami – the secretary of Lord Chaitanya who was very very learned and he pointed out that previously Krishna appeared with these Panca Tattva’s – with these five truth and now the same Krishna appeared as Gauranga again! (03/2009-Leicester,UK)

KKS IN Radhadesh!. (April 2009) (VID!)

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Different Types Of Envy

HH KKS: A story about a wolf who was drinking water in the river, and this little lamb appeared and this little lamb also started drinking the water. So the wolf is saying: “Hey…you little lamb, how dare you stick your dirty snout in my drinking water. (Lamb): “No Mr.Wolf, there is no problem because I’m drinking water downstream from you so the water that I’m drinking is not affecting your drinking water at all.” (Wolf): “Now look at this…you little rascal, not only are you sticking your dirty nose in my water but you are giving me comments as well, just see how fresh you are and that’s not everything: You did the same thing last year" (Lamb): “No Mr. wolf I wasn’t born yet last year so it couldn’t have been me”
(Wolf): “Now that’s enough, now that’s enough, now I will eat you!”
So another symptom of envy! .(03-14-09- Stockholm)


HH KKS: I’ll leave envy for what it is after these stories. But the point is there is so much envy in the world that we are encountering and envy is a major driving force in the world and we really can’t ignore it. So we see a different aspect of envy. We see here the normal envy jealousy of the neighbor but we also see a kind of envy like the example of the little lamb: An envy which is not that the wolf wants anything that the lamb has......It's not like that, he’s not envious of the possessions of the lamb at all, he just simply doesn’t allow him any existence because of his own feeling of dissatisfaction he is taking it out on the weaker person, on the weaker entity, and he has that hate, the hate that comes from his own frustration, and he takes it out on someone else. People get married for that reason, not all marriage is based on(singing) love is a very splendid thing, not always, some marriages are simply there too take it out, and we know there are some divorces based on mental cruelty, mental torture, for years, different ways, so this envy exists: it exists in all kinds of relationships..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

"Who is crazy?"

The first time I had a bead bag, ‘oh God, I’ve got a bead bag now! Oh no! I mean I have to walk with this in the street? Put it under my coat! Nobody watching. Okay. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare…I mean you wouldn’t wanna show people if you got one of these, would you?’ but we have to be bold, to stand up for Krsna. ‘ But you know, what would people say?’ we don’t care. We care what we’re going to say. So many times Prabhupada was interviewed and he didn’t care what they said. So many times they asked a question and he gave a totally different answer, even ignoring the question but saying what he wanted to say! So what does it matter, let them think, let them think that we are crazy. Prabhupada’s response to that was, “who is crazy?”, in the very early 60’s in one of the first brochures: “who is crazy?” so pure devotee means to be the instrument of the Supreme Lord somehow or other; of His teachings. And such a devotee is priyo narah; he is most dear to the Lord, most dear. So we must become such devotes. Pure devotee means that devotee who is most dear to the Lord...
(HH KKS, Melbourne)

"oh my comfort, oh my desires...!"

One time Prabhupada came down the staircase and when he was at the bottom of the staircase, (I heard this from Trivikrama Maharaja, personally), he made a little pirouette and he said, “My spiritual master made me a diamond!” and he was beaming! Beaming with effulgence! A transparent via media of simply, the mercy of the Lord. So, when oh when, will that come, when we will stop being misers and thinking, ‘oh my comfort, oh my mind, oh my feelings, oh my desires, oh I cant do like this, I need something badly for myself…’ when oh when, will that day come, that we will give and use everything we have, all the talents Krsna gave us, to give Krsna consciousness? And the more we give away Krsna consciousness, the more Krsna will empower us, the more powers we will find and the more ability we will have to conquer the material energy. And without a doubt, we will be successful. Prabhupada was so bold. He told Mukunda in Chicago, where the airport is named “O’Hare airport”, Prabhupada said, “go to the director of this airport and tell him to call it ‘o Hare Krsna airport’!” Mukunda said, “ha, ha, ha. Good joke.” But it was not a joke. Mukunda didn’t do it. I don’t think any of us would either. But what if he would have managed? Prabhupada was that bold. So we also must become more bold. This is what is required although our thinking, feeling and willing is not like that...

(HH KKS, Melbourne)

Chanting really helps

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The Story Of The Genie

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HH KKS: I’ll give a few examples of envy: One is the story of a genie. A spirit from a bottle who could fulfill desires and this one man met such a spirit in a bottle and yes the spirit was ready(genie): "Master, whatever you desire you can have but there is one thing, whatever you get your neighbor will get double”
(Man): ”That’s alright, that’s ok, that’s no problem, that’s fine he can have, that’s ok. You give me a great palace…great wealth and everything”
Whuuuup…(genie): "done” But next door there was a palace…it was twice as high…it was just, it was blocking the view, it was kind of disturbing, what to speak, so after some time it was getting too much! In the beginning it was nice but after some time that palace of the neighbor was getting a bit of a disturbance. So the man called the genie. (Genie): “Yes master” (Man): “Please make my palace four stories high”…
Whuuuup…(Genie): “Done” The neighbours palace was eight stories high and it was blocking the sun! It became more and more disturbing to a point where our friend became overwhelmed by depression and he thought about it for a long time then one day he had the idea he called for the genie and said “I want you that you take one of my eyes!”….......(pause)I told you it was an envious story…(sanskrit)…Yes, so envy is like that. Srila Prabupada explains that envy means that one,an envious person, becomes unhappy when he sees others happy and he becomes happy when he sees others suffering...(03-14-09- Stockholm)

ENVY Because Our Neighbour Is Enjoying

HH KKS: Greed, anger, madness, envy, illusion all these are the six enemies. These are the weaknesses,these are the obsessions: lust and envy. The obsession of burning lust is so intense it is accompanied by intense frustration and the frustration increases when our neighbors are enjoying, we are not and they are ....and thus naturally envy is coming out of the heart more and more..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

We Experience Taste, Pleasure and Peace

HH KKS: Somehow or another with all our cultures with all our differences we come together. Why exactly we don’t know but the main reason is we like it! We experience some taste,some pleasure,that’s the basis of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And underneath it we find there is actually a very deep philosophy which is very noble and it brings out the noble side in us and if you develop that noble side then you can begin to love yourself: That’s the beginning of loving the world
If you look in the mirror in the morning and think God, do I hate you,then it’s a bit difficult! But if we can ourselves feel that we are doing the right thing then you find an inner state of mind called Peace, very rare to find nowadays: Peaceful within. That is the position of the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and from that platform one can live a wonderful life at present and at the end of life return Back to Godhead: That is the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu..(03-14-09- Stockholm)

The True United Nations

HH KKS: Prabhupada used to say that this movement is the true United Nations, he liked to talk about the united nations. He used to say: They say United Nations but every year there are more flags, so how are they United Nations when every year there are more flags? He said here are the true United Nations, and I think in this Temple it's true because if we look at all the nationalities, Ok, lets hear a few nationalities: I see Swedish, I see American, I see Indian, that I also see(audience laughter). I look into my watch and I use it as a mirror,I see Dutch. I see:(audience members call out loud their nationalities)Welsh, Nepali, Romanian, Swiss, Chekh, England, Lapland, Armenian, Bolivian, Brazilian,Finnish,South African,West Indian,Italian: It’s even more than I thought (laughter) I knew there were a few nationalities...still more? Lithuania,Latvia,German. So we are the proof here! We are the United Nations!.(03-14-09- Stockholm)