Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

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6 months ago | [YT] | 3

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "Senior godbrothers may be treated as guru". One who teaches can be treated as Spiritual Master. It is not that after we become initiated we become perfect. No. It requires teaching. So if we take instruction from them, all senior godbrothers may be treated as guru, there is no harm. Actually, you have only one Spiritual Master, who initiates you, just as you have only one father. But every Vaisnava should be treated as prabhu, master, higher than me, and in this sense, if I learn from him, he may be regarded as guru. It is not that I disobey my real Spiritual Master and call someone else as Spiritual Master. That is wrong. It is only that I can call Spiritual Master someone who is teaching me purely what my initiating Spiritual Master has taught.
(From Srila Prabhupada's letter to: Sri Galim — Delhi 20 November, 1971)

1 year ago | [YT] | 130

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "Our Prayer in danger".
If you are in danger, you ask your friends to help you. This is prayer.
So our prayer is, … "My dear Lord Krsna, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean. Please pick me up and fix
me again as the dust of Your lotus feet." …
Prayer is needed because we are in danger. … [That] we are in this material condition of life means we are in danger. Therefore we should pray.
(Srila Prabhupada: City Hall Lecture — October 7, 1975, Durban)

1 year ago | [YT] | 107

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "Follow the Regulative functions".
These regulative functions of chanting the rounds sixteen daily, rising early in the morning to attend Mangala Arati, holding classes for studying our scripture and going on Sankirtana, these items must not be neglected. They will quickly advance us in Krishna Consciousness and clear up all doubtful activities which have been causing mischief in our Society.
(From Srila Prabhupada's letter to Revatinandana — Tokyo 27 August, 1970)

1 year ago | [YT] | 105

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

"The glories of Ratha yatra from puranas".
O Emperor, all the sites blessed by the glance of Lord Damodara in the course of the Ratha-yatra which follows His awakening, should be considered equal to svarga. O leader of humanity, while pulling Sri Krsna’s ratha, every step becomes as good as a Vedic sacrifice. Dog-eaters achieve the status of demigods when they watch Kesava on His ratha, even if they do it out of mere curiosity. (Padma Purana/Karttika Mahatmya 340-343)
Even dog-eaters achieve Lord Visnu’s association when they walk in front, behind, or on the sides of the ratha; on the other hand, even scholarly brahmanas become dog-eaters if they neglect Lord Janardana’s Ratha-yatra. (Padma Purana/Karttika Mahatmya 381-382, quote from Bhavisya Purana)
Narada Purana, Uttara khanda 52.70-71, reveals the conversation between Lord Narayana and Lakshmidevi about Purushottama kshetra (Jagannatha Puri):
pratimAM tatra tAM dRSTvA svayaM devena nirmitAm
anAyAsena vai yAnti bhavanaM me tato narAH
A person who once sees the Deities there built by the Lord Himself will easily find the path to reach My abode.
ratha-sthaM vAmanaM caiva nirvANaM dRSTi-mAtrataH
When Vamana is seen on the chariot (ratha), the seer attains nirvANa (moksa). (Narada Pancaratra 2.7.16)
It is said: "A person who sees Lord Govinda on His swing, Lord Madhusudana on His altar, and Lord Vamana on His chariot will not take birth again." (Bhakti ratnakara 5.3790)

Rathayatra benefits are listed in Narada Purana:
2.61.34 liberation even from brahma-hatya etc.
2.61.35 parikrama of the whole earth three times
2.61.36 equal to result of pilgrimages in the whole earth
2.61.37-41 benefit of bathing in many tirthas mentioned in sastras
2.61.42 guNDicA maNDapaM yAntaM ye pazyanti rathe sthitam
sa bhadraM sa balaM kRSNaH te yAnti bhavanaM hareH
Those who see Krsna seated on the chariot along with Subhadra and Balarama and proceed to Gundica Mandapa go to the abode of Hari.
2.61.43 guNDicA yAna samaye phAlguNyAM viSuve tathA
sakRd yAtrAM naraH kRtvA viSNulokaM pragacchati
By even one pilgrimage, at the time of journey to Gundica, at the time of equinox on the month of Phalguna, one goes to the world of Visnu.
2.61.44 It is certain that one will stay in the world of Visnu for as many kalpas as the number of pilgrimages he undertakes to Sri Purusottama.
Anyone seeing the Deities of Lord Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra at Jagannatha Puri during Their Ratha yatra is buying a ticket to reach the supreme abode of Vaikuntha. The Lord promises that His devotees who take all pains to gather at Puri during the Ratha yatra will be rid of their miseries and may reach the eternal abode of Goloka Vrindavana and enjoy their life in association with Lord Krishna, Radharani and their close accomplices.
It is said that the participants in the festivities will be blessed immensely by Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) such as (1) By the sight of Jagannatha's merciful large two eye globes, the devotee will be blessed with astute purity of mind and spiritual elevation; (2) Observing the Ratha yatra will dissipate the sins committed by the embodied person in the past births; (3) The accompanying person in the Ratha yatra will receive opulence at par with Lord Vishnu even if he hails from a poor family; (4) Dancing, singing and chanting in the Ratha yatra entourage, the participant will be elevated to a level superior to yogis; and (5) Active participation in the Ratha yatra by any means will receive the utmost blessings of Lord Jagannatha.
Yet there is also a warning against non-participation:

nAnuvrajati yo mohAd vrajantaM jagad-Izvaram
jJAnAgni-dagdha-karmApi sa bhaved brahma-rAkSasaH

He who does not follow the Lord in His chariot when he moves becomes a brahma-raksasa even though he has destroyed all karmas with the fire of knowledge. (Visnu-bhakti-candrodaya from a Purana, quoted by VCT in Sarartha darsini to SB 1.5.12)

The glories of Ratha yatra imprint in mind the love of God to His devotees. Srila Prabhupada said, "If you participate in these car festivals, as stated in the scriptures, rathe ca vanam drstva punar janma na vidyate... If you kindly see these Jagannatha deities riding on these cars or these processions, and as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chanted the Hare Krishna mantra in front of this car, then according to the Vedic scripture, in your next life you'll go back, back to Godhead." Those who participate in the festival have a food for thought in the years to come and it may drag down even to the final moments of their life to affix the attention in the eventful pastimes of Jagannatha as Krishna tells in Bhagavad Gita (8.5-6):
anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam yati nasty-atra samshayah
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty-ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad bhava bhavitah
"Towards the end of life and at the time of departing the body, he who remembers Me will undoubtedly attain My nature. Whatever a living being thinks at the time of leaving his body, that alone he attains for being always absorbed in that state." Those devotees who always chant and prostrate at the holy feet of Lord Jagannatha uttering the mahamantra (HARE Krishna HARE Krishna Krishna Krishna HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE) ordained by the Lord Krishna Himself in the form of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and propagated all over the world by Srila Prabhupada will be blessed with perfect devotion to God forever, which is said to be superior to liberation.

1 year ago | [YT] | 99

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

"Ratha Yatra Re-introduced by Srila Prabhupada".
Major cities around the world celebrate Ratha-yatra. It is a contribution of Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, who introduced a life of Krishna consciousness in the western world. Srila Prabhupada had a great ambition to celebrate this festival gorgeously in every city of the world and he inspired and guided his disciples to make this annual festival well-known in every part of the world. The first-ever Ratha-yatra in the western world was organized in San Francisco on July 9, 1967. Thereafter, this festival became popular and spread to many other countries. By 1975 the festival had become so popular that the mayor of San Francisco issued a formal proclamation of celebrating Ratha-yatra Day in San Francisco.
For Srila Prabhupada, the idea of conducting Ratha-yatra was not new. He would worship Lord Jagannatha during his childhood. When he was six years old, his father arranged for a small ratha and young Abhay (who later came to be known as Srila Prabhupada) would perform Ratha-yatra in his neighbourhood and distribute prasadam to all the children taking part in the festival. Thus, from the very beginning of his life, Srila Prabhupada used to conduct Ratha-yatra. What once had been a childhood activity later became a world-wide celebration as Srila Prabhupada vigorously preached across the world.
It is quite interesting to study the intimate connection of this blissful annual festival of Ratha-yatra with the history of Hare Krishna Movement. When Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the father of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, was serving as the district magistrate, he was in-charge of the Puri Jagannatha temple. During one of the Ratha-yatra processions in Puri, when the cart was passing before Srila Bhaktivinoda’s house, it stopped there. At that time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura who was an infant then, was taken by his mother to the ratha and placed before Lord Jagannatha. Miraculously, one of the garlands of the Lord fell on the child, indicating the Lord’s blessings and it was the first sign of the child becoming an acharya.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the initiator of the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, resided in Jagannatha Puri during the final years of His pastimes on earth. There the Lord would take part in the Ratha-yatra every year and chant the holy names and dance in ecstasy. He exhibited the highest devotional mood of Radharani – the feelings of separation from the Lord. This was a wonderful occasion for His disciples and other devotees to experience the divine association of the Lord and enhance their devotional feelings during the festival.
Regarding the significance of this Ratha-yatra, Srila Prabhupada explains that once on an auspicious day, Lord Krishna started from Dwaraka and visited Kurukshetra with His elder brother Balarama and younger sister Subhadra on a chariot. Having received the news of Lord Krishna’s visit, the gopis and other inhabitants of Vrindavana came there to meet Him. Looking at Krishna in a royal dress, Srimati Radharani implored Him to come to Vrindavana, where they had spent their early days, performing pastimes in the forests. In commemoration of this grand visit of the Lord with His family, devotees pull a ratha carrying Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi
Thus following the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya, Srila Prabhupada introduced Ratha-yatra and now it is a part of this iskcon Hare Krishna Movement. It plays an important role in bringing together all the devotees of Krishna. Ratha-yatra gives an opportunity to all including non-devotees to serve the Lord at least for one day, by remembering Him, chanting His holy names, dancing and honouring Krishna prasadam while the Lord takes a pleasure ride and blesses all on the way. Those who build a ratha and make other preparations of this festival indeed serve the Lord by engaging their energy and whatever possessions and talents they have in His service. This service attitude and devotional service purifies one’s materially contaminated heart and thus helps one make progress in developing attachment for Krishna which is dormant in the heart.
Srila Prabhupada showed that no other material endeavours to achieve unity among the people of the world would be as effective as the festival of carts. Spiritual activities like Ratha-yatra would do a lot in creating unity by bringing all under the shelter of Lord Jagannatha. Regarding this, Srila Prabhupada said in a lecture, “We cannot become united nations of united dogs (laughter). It is not possible. Everyone is barking. And if you practice to bark, then simply some different types of dog, some bulldogs, some greyhounds, some this, some that (laughter). So how they will be united? No. That is not possible. Here is unity, when you accept Jagannatha. There is unity. So actually, if we take Krishna consciousness movement very seriously, scientifically, then there is unity.”
The Ratha-yatra festival is a mass movement for enlightening people about the Krishna consciousness movement. To take part in these festivals is a step forward towards self-realization. To support this, Srila Prabhupada quotes a verse, “rathe ca vamanam drstva punar janma na vidyate – simply by seeing the Lord on the chariot, one makes advancement for stopping the repetition of birth and death.” Once, a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada whether anyone who took part in Ratha-yatra would be liberated. Srila Prabhupada answered affirmatively but indicated that only if one took it seriously and did not come to maya again. He said that it should not become a hasti-snana; an elephant takes a thorough bath in a river but as soon as he comes on the bank of the river, he takes dust and throws it over his body again.

Srila Prabhupada, in a lecture on a Ratha-yatra day in San Francisco, minutely described the significance of the names – Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra. He explains that jagat means the moving world; gacchati iti jagat – gacchati means that which is moving. Everything in this world – planets, sun, even this universe is moving. Not only animate things like the living entities, but also inanimate things like a machine are moving under the control of some animate object. Some of the animate objects like trees are standstill but ultimately they are also moving in this sense that one species of life is being transmigrated to another species of life. Therefore it is called jagat which means moving. And jagat-natha; natha means the proprietor or the master. So Jagannatha means the proprietor or the master of all these movements. And Balabhadra or Balarama – bala means strength and rama means enjoyment. So Balarama is the one who gives you spiritual strength for enjoying eternal blissful life. And Subhadra – su means auspicious and bhadra means well-being. Having explained the meaning, Srila Prabhupada said that Subhadra, Jagannatha and Balarama combined together were present there to reclaim all the devotees from their miserable condition of life.

1 year ago | [YT] | 50

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "Vaisnava’s first qualification".
A Vaisnava's first qualification that he's unhappy by seeing others unhappy. Vaisnava cannot be unhappy. That Prahlada Maharaja says, that "I have no problem. I am unhappy seeing these people who are simply engaged in false activities and they do not care for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore I am unhappy." This is Vaisnava's qualification. Not that "I am saved. That's all right." That is materialism. "Let others go to hell. I am saved." That is materialism. A Vaisnava should think always, "Oh, so many people are suffering. What I am doing for them?" That is Vaisnava. Para-duhkha-duhkhi.
(Srila Prabhupada: Morning Walk — December 5, 1973, Los Angeles)

1 year ago | [YT] | 95

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

"Disappearance of Bhaktivinoda Thakura".
namo bhaktivinodāya saccidānanda-mūrtaye
gaura-śakti-svarūpāya rūpānuga-varāya te
“I offer my obeisances to you, O Bhaktivinoda, the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, the incarnation of Gaura’s potency and the best of the followers of Rūpa Gosvāmī.”
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s spiritual identity
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur’s transcendental identity is revealed to the members of his spiritual family. He is the best of the followers of Rūpa Mañjarī who is the leader of Lalitā Sakhī’s entourage. Lalitā Sakhī is the foremost of Rādhārāṇī’s eight girlfriends. In various places in his own writings, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has indicated this divine identity:
yugala-sevāya, śrī-rāsa-maṇḍale, niyukta kara āmāya
lalitā-sakhīra, ayogya-kiṅkarī, vinoda dhariche pāya
“Bhaktivinoda holds your feet and asks you to engage this unworthy servant of Lalitā Sakhī in the service of the Divine Couple while they are performing the rāsa-līlā.” (Kalyāṇa-kalpataru)
In the song Siddhi-lālasā in his Gīta-mālā, also, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives his eternal spiritual identity as Kamala Mañjarī, the servant of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī. Her kuñja is in the bower of Lalitā, Vrajānanda-sukhada-kuñja, where she sets the standard of worship to the Divine Couple.
varaṇe taṛit, vāsa tārāvalī, kamala-mañjarī nāma
sāḍe bāro varṣa, vayas satata, svānanda-sukhada dhāma
“My bodily hue is like that of lightning and I wear a sari the colour of a clear night sky sprinkled with stars. I am twelve and a half years old and I live in Svānanda-sukhada-kuñja.”

1 year ago | [YT] | 87

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "We Hear From Krishna".
We are not concerned to hear any rascal. We want to hear Kṛṣṇa. We are not prepared to hear any rascal, so-called scientists and so-called philosopher, so-called God. No. We are not prepared. Because everyone is rascal. Everyone is full of mistakes, everyone is trying to cheat others, everyone is illusioned, and everyone's senses are imperfect. How he can give knowledge
perfect? That is not possible.
Therefore, we have to select guru. Guru means Krsna. As Arjuna has selected guru, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I am, I become Your sisya, disciple, and I surrender unto You." So to get perfect knowledge, we have to find out Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's bona fide representative. Then there is perfect knowledge. Then we can become immortal.
(From Srila Prabhupada's talk on Bhagavad-gita 2.15 — London, August 21, 1973)

1 year ago | [YT] | 88

Iskcon HareKrishna Theatre

#DailyDarshan "Krishna is the real Enjoyer".
Bhoga means "enjoyment," and our enjoyment comes from understanding our position as the enjoyed. The real enjoyer is the Supreme Lord, and we are enjoyed by Him.
An example of this relationship can be found in the material world between the husband and the wife: the husband is the enjoyer (purusa), and the wife is the enjoyed (prakrti). The word prakrti means "woman." Purusa, or spirit, is the subject, and prakrti, or nature, is the object. The enjoyment, however, is participated in both by the husband and the wife. When actual
enjoyment is there, there is no distinction that the husband is enjoying more or the wife is enjoying less. Although the male is the predominator and the female is the predominated, there is no division when it comes to enjoyment. On a larger scale, no living entity is the enjoyer.
(From Beyond Birth and Death, Chapter One: We Are Not These Bodies)

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