Welcome "baby"!

My closest friends, Gaura Vani das and Vrindarani dasi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Thursday! This is the announcement.

Dear Friends and Well-Wishers,

We humbly beg for your blessings on the occasion of the birth of our new daughter - the newest addition to our family.

Our daughter was born at our home in Maryland on Kamika Ekadasi last Thursday morning at 6:11 am. She was born to the sound of the chanting of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna's holy names and we whispered the prayers to the parampara and the holy name in her ear shortly after she appeared. The labor was relatively short, only 4.5 hours and Vrinda and the baby are very healthy and happy. Revati is adjusting to being a big sister very well. We don't have a name picked yet (we'll be doing a naming ceremony in August) so please send your thoughts and inspirations to us if you'd like.

Thank you so much for your prayers and blessings which have helped us immensely. We beg you to continue to pray for our family and bless this great granddaughter of Srila Prabhupada that she will make him very proud and gain the merciful lotus-like sidelong glance of Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya.

Eternally in your debt for your friendship and love,

"Baby"
Vrindarani
Gaura Vani
Revati Prema

Responsable Jackles

Morning walk with Srila Prabhupada - Paris, August 12, 1975 [listen]

Bhagavan: "They say we are irresponsible."

Prabhupada: "No, we are not irresponsible. We have finished all responsibility. We are not irresponsible. But we are in such a position that we have passed all these responsibilities."

Madhavananda: "So, Srila Prabhupada, when you told this lady, this woman last night, that she should give up her responsibilities..."

Prabhupada: "Take to Krsna consciousness. That is the only responsibilities. Then you can... Not that you give up all responsibility. First of all take to Krsna responsibility. Then there is no responsibility. Give up something; take something. Then it is all right. And give up everything and then you zero."

Brahmananda: "But they see responsibility only in terms of making a bank balance and having a nice home and satisfying our..."

Prabhupada: "Therefore they are suffering. In spite of bank balance, they are suffering."

ISKCON's gift

brahmānda bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-krsna-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

"In the course of traversing the universal creation of Brahmā, some fortunate soul may receive the seed of bhakti-latā, the creeper of devotional service. This is all by the grace of guru and Krsna." (Caitanya-caritāmrta, Madhya 19.151) The material world is a place of confinement for the living entities who are by nature ānandamaya, pleasure-seeking. They actually want to be free from the confinement of this world of conditional happiness, but not knowing the process of liberation, they are bound to transmigrate from one species of life to another and from one planet to another. In this way the living entities are wandering throughout the material universe. When by good fortune one comes in contact with a pure devotee and hears from him patiently, one begins to follow the path of devotional service. Such an opportunity is offered to a person who is sincere. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is giving such a chance to humanity at large. If by fortune one takes advantage of this opportunity to engage in devotional service, the path of liberation immediately opens."

- Upadeshamrita, verse 3 - by Srila Prabupada

Poor Little Fly

A poem by Umapati Swami from umapati.net

Poor little fly upon my window pane,
I'll try to help you find your way outside.
Your efforts to be free go all in vain,
Although I've opened up my window wide.

It must be Nature's law that's locked you in.
Your karma makes you land on solid glass,
For though we both may try, we cannot win.
The truth I've read in scripture comes to pass.

Does not this world confine us to a role?
What use this toil and strife for worldly gain?
Man does no more his destiny control
Than this poor fly upon my window pane.

The road to freedom lies another way:
Chant Hare Krishna, go back home, and stay.

Two cents anyone?

I debate a lot about the need to speak. On my morning web surf, I’ll read articles and opinions and generally Ill never leave a comment, even if I don’t agree. Not that I don’t care about war and government and whatnot, I just don’t think my two cents will make a difference. In Iskcon (the Hare Krishna’s), there are a few news outlets, dandavats.com and chakra.org. These sites are part of my regular morning web commute and sometimes an opinion or an article will spin me the wrong way. So here is my problem, Iskcon is so small that my opinion could actually make a difference. What do I do when it is a devotee or a leader that is writing something that I don’t understand or agree with? That’s when I find my self going over the same mental debate.

“If I leave a comment will I make an offence? If so then I shouldn’t say anything. What is my opinion worth anyway? Who care what I have to say. But what if my comment makes a point that was not thought of before? If I am wrong then my comment will strengthen the article. That is good. If I am right then truth will be served. That is also good. So then I should leave a comment. But if I leave a comment will I make an offence?”

This is my circle of thought. So, if by chance you read this and see my comment somewhere, please don’t take offence. It’s not personal, it’s emotional. I care about the direction of Iskcon and I what to help make a difference. Even if my imput is only worth two cents.

Mukunda-mala-stotra

MM 14: "Once our savior has been seen, the whole earth becomes no greater than a speck of dust, all the waters of the ocean become mere droplets, the totality of fire becomes a minute spark, the winds become just a faint sigh, and the expanse of space becomes a tiny hole. Great lords like Rudra and Grandfather Brahmā become insignificant, and all the demigods become like small insects. Indeed, even one particle of dust from our Lord's feet conquers all. "

MM 15: "O people, please hear of this treatment for the disease of birth and death! It is the name of Krsna. Recommended by Yājñavalkya and other expert yogīs steeped in wisdom, this boundless, eternal inner light is the best medicine, for when drunk it bestows complete and final liberation. Just drink it!"

If the heaven inquire

THE SOUL should always stand ajar.
That if the heaven inquire,
He will not be obliged to wait,
Or shy of troubling her.

Depart, before the host has slid
The bolt upon the door,
To seek for the accomplished guest—
Her visitor no more. -Emily Dickinson