dipika.org
"To show them special mercy, I,
dwelling in their hearts, destroy
with
the shining lamp of knowledge the
darkness born of ignorance."
|
dipika.org
|
General News
|
Srila Prabhupada dipika.org Features Books Contributors Discussions Downloads Padayatra Photos Websites Worldwide Earlier Articles
|
Chakra Has Played
|
|
|
[The following is a response to an article recently posted on chakra.org.]
Dear Webmaster,
Bhakta Jim, whoever that may be—or perhaps it's just a pseudonym—makes outrageous accusations without having inquired from us directly about our clearance of copyrights. He, whoever he may be, is using assumption and accusation in his charge of hypocrisy. Moreover, the webmaster of Chakra should have had the courtesy of informing us of the pending article so that we could set the record straight before misinformation could be transmitted all over the world.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) UK expresses its deep regret and sympathy to all those who were injured and bereaved by the appalling terrorist attacks across London.
Lord Krishna devotees across the United Kingdom are deeply saddened by the terrorist atrocities which have brought havoc to the City of London, claiming innocent lives and injuring scores of commuters.
Washington, D.C.–With the Fourth of July in full swing, over three hundred thousand spectators lined historic Constitution Avenue to cheer on the National Independence Day Parade. Marching bands, military veterans, and patriotic floats formed the bulk of the procession, but what caught the attention of many onlookers was the inclusion of an authentic Indian chariot, bearing carved images of Lord Krishna and accompanied by devotees dressed in traditional dhotis and saris.
Date: April 3, 2005
We are saddened by the passing of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and offer our condolences to our Catholic friends worldwide along with our heartfelt wishes that they find joy and strength in remembrance of his selfless service to God.
Dear Maharajas, Prabhus, and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
For your own protection, I request that you please beware of the so-called "Sharing Krishna with Muslims" group, which includes Airavata dasa, Nararatna dasa, and Amala dasa. We strongly advise that you do not under any circumstances give your donations to this group.
Let my history with them act as a warning (i.e., I think you would agree that hearing the painful events of others is better than personally experiencing them):
The Vedic Theatre Company and the E.M.U. Theatre, Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri, have finally locked in performance dates for the premiere of Mahabharata in May 2005. This adaptation has not been seen in 18 years and is a very powerful and fast-moving drama.
New Director for
Child Protection Office
New Office Planned in Europe
From: ISKCON Communications International
Posted July 2, 2004
Washington, D.C., June 19, 2004– The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), announced today that Tamohara dasa, or Dr. Thomas L. Pourchot, 53, has been appointed Director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office, or the Association for the Protection of Vaishnava Children. The appointment was effective June 1st.
Tamohara, a member of ISKCON since 1972, lives in DeKalb, Illinois with his wife, Mantrini dasi. Tamohara has a Doctorate in Educational Psychology and has been involved in graduate level programs in Clinical Psychology and Counseling for ten years. In addition, he has a Master's Degree in Human Resource Development. His major academic specialization is human development, and he has taught classes on child, adolescent, and adult development.
Mahabharata
Actors Chosen
From Bhakta
Wallace Dorian
Posted
January 25, 2004
We are proud to have finally selected
three very enthusiastic young actors for
our English-language premiere of Mahabharata
at ISKCON Juhu in Mumbai, India. This
adaptation is being revived for the
first time in 17 years, with a bold new
vision. We pray to Lord Krsna to engage
these young actors more and more in
Lord Krsna's service so that they also
may appreciate the bliss of bhakti
yoga. Scroll down to the bottom of
our website at:
http://playsthething.homestead.com/
thevedictheatrecompany2.html
[Article complete on this page]
 |
There has recently been published on VNN a letter that was supposedly written recently by me pertaining to the alleged poisoning of Srila Prabhupada. This letter was written several years ago in support, at that time, of an attempt of a group of devotees to get at the truth of this issue, following a less-than-conclusive investigation by Balavanta prabhu.
Since that time, my thinking on this issue has changed, and I have distanced myself from any investigation and investigators. I am way too busy trying to carry out the orders that Srila Prabhupada personally gave to me to spend my energy with this, nor would I want to. It is hard for me to fathom why this letter would surface at this late date.
Tulasi
Devi: Yellowing
of the Leaves
By Bhakti
Visrambha Madhava Swami
Posted
November 21, 2003
 |
Yellow leaves may be caused by many factors.
(1) Iron deficiency (corrected by plant food containing iron chelate =fe)
(2) Iron + magnesium deficiency (when the tips are burned and browned off).
(3) Lack of a small piece of extremely dry cow dung being crumbled and added to water once a month.
(4) A need to repot her, due to all the nutrients in the soil being depleted
(5) Over-watering. If the tulasi is very small and is the only one receiving watering by many devotees in one house, she can have root rot.
To whom it may concern:
I'm writing to inform you about a salient but well-hidden health issue that I think ISKCON would find very informative. I came across the subject when I was eating a store-bought item that had a very "meaty" taste to it. A strict vegetarian, I immediately checked the ingredients to make sure I hadn't made a mistake in my purchase. There was no meat listed under the ingredients, but there was a listing that I had always found very mysterious: "flavors."
I called the company, and was told that there was meat in the product. I asked why the meat wasn't listed in the ingredients.
I recently read the GBC's short piece on purchasing pirated products, and I believe they should have elaborated on the cultural ripple-effects of such activity.
The philosophy of a pirate usually runs something like this: "Why should devotees pay so much for CDs, tapes, MP3s, paintings, or books? These are spiritual items and should not be sold simply for profit. Similar to Deity worship, we shouldn't produce these things simply for profit. I'm going to sell these items even cheaper and actually help spread Krsna consciousness."
And the mentality of one who purchases pirated items usually runs like this: "I don't spend so much time making money. I've dedicated my life to serving Krsna and spend whatever time I have directly serving Him, not working like a mudha for money. Therefore, if I purchase these items at the cheaper price, what's the harm?"
Boston July 14-16 – ISKCON establishes an ombudsman program and agrees to the name ISKCON Resolve.
Sesa, Braja Bihari, and Jai Nitai Prabhus met in Boston to attend an ombudsman training program given by The Ombudsmen Association (TOA) and to plan ISKCON's emerging dispute resolution program now known as ISKCON Resolve.
Sesa is a practicing immigration attorney in Florida and has served as ISKCON's minister of justice. Braja Bihari is the coordinator of ISKCON's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs. Jai Nitai is a student at the University of Texas Law School, where his studies include ADR.
Hare Krsna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I just wanted to share this with whoever is willing to listen. I have been a devotee for quite a while, and I have done different services in the past, but until last Saturday, I had never distributed a book in my life. I was too scared.
I have always been too concerned with what others would think. What if people recognize me? What if people ask questions that I can't answer? What if everyone shrugs me off? What if I'm no good? What if my efforts don't bear fruit? Then what will Srila Prabhupada think of me?
GALVA:
Why
Complicate Matters?
Hare Krishna.
My personal opinion: Well, we all carry one type of conditioning or another, but is there really any need to go forming a separate association or group? It tends to make that group stand out more than ever and is a bit of an in-your-face sort of action. I know there are devotees who don't feel comfortable around homosexual or lesbian people, and those who are gay should accept that, as much as those of us who are not inclined that way try to accept those who are.
But should we so readily call such an association "Such and Such Vaisnava Association"?
Dear Devotees,
Please accept our most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The GBC Body and the GBC Executive Committee are aware that many pirated devotional products are available on CD, DVD etc.
The Body and its officers do not approve of the act of pirating and therefore strongly advise all devotees not to support the pirates by purchasing from them. Buying from pirates severely undermines the ability of the genuine producers to continue to supply the devotee community with new devotional products.
The following letter was sent to VNN in response to an article by Sriman Hansaduta Prabhu which referred to His Holiness Jayadvaita Maharaja, simply as "Jayadvaita."
Dear Editors of VNN,
Danadabat Pranam and Jaya Srila Prabhupada.
I am deeply concerned that a news network that purports to serve the Vaisnava community should choose to ignore the basic tenets of Vaisnava etiquette while publishing letters from its readers.
The recent story from Sriman Hansaduta Prabhu carries the caption: "Just what is Jayadvaita's point?" I am surprised that the editors did not think it prudent to change it to: "Just what is Jayadvaita Maharaja's point?"
Dear Devotees,
I work for the California Department of Health Services Drinking Water Program and graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering, specializing in water quality and treatment. I am writing in response to Pandava Sakha prabhu's article posted on dipika.org on April 11th.
Many people are in the business of selling water filters these days and use scare tactics to sell their filters. Please do not be fooled by them. It is perfectly acceptable to use a filter to improve the taste and odor of your drinking water. Even I do that. But if your water is indeed contaminated either with pathogenic bacteria or viruses or with chemical contaminants, you should not rely solely on the advice of someone in the business of selling water filters.
Dear Devotees,
The pirates are anxious to take your laksmi for bootlegged DVDs of Srila Prabhupada, but you won't be getting what you expected. First, you'll be purchasing the bad karma that goes along with acquisition of stolen goods.
Second, no one has the masters of the material except ITV in Los Angeles. The DVD's currently being offered are reproduced from VHS tapes of substandard quality. Moreover, DVD has substantial compatibility problems. Unless high quality blanks are used, cheap media is notorious for not being able to play on many set-top boxes and computers.
Annual
Report of the
Association for the Protection
of Vaisnava Children for 2002
February 21, 2003
Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This posting is the annual report for 2002 for the Association for the Protection of Vaisnava Children. I look forward to continued service to the Vaisnava community through the child protection office. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments on the report, or in connection with any child protection concerns. Hare Krsna.
Your servant,
Dhira Govinda dasa
APVC- Director
German
Tissues
Insult Holy Images
A German company, Sniff Tissues Paper Products Design (PPD), is manufacturing novelty tissues bearing the images of Lord Sri Krishna and the Virgin Mary and distributing them worldwide. The manufacturers have refused to pull them from the shops because they believe they appeal to people for "fashion reasons."
The National Council of Hindu Temples complained to the company that the products were very unacceptable and offensive, and encouraged people to "blow their nose on holy images."
http://www.wired.com/news/
culture/0,1284,56829,00.html
Even when you think the check has cleared, it can still bounce and leave you holding the bag.
Thanks to Lyall Ward for posting this link on Free Forum.
The
Lord’s Reflection
Posted
December 4, 2002
|
|
"Upon seeing His own reflection in a bejeweled pillar of His Dvaraka palace, Krsna desired to embrace it, saying, ‘Alas, I have never seen such a person before. Who is He? Just by seeing Him I have become eager to embrace Him, exactly like Srimati Radharani.’"
Purport: "This is a verse from Srila Rupa Gosvami's Lalita-madhava (8.34)." —Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya 8.149
"In Rupa Gosvami's Lalita-madhava, it is said, ‘One day Krsna happened to see the shadow of His beautiful form reflected on the jeweled foreground. Upon seeing this bodily reflection, He expressed His feelings: "How wonderful it is that I have never seen such a beautiful form! Although it is My own form, still, like Radharani, I am trying to embrace this form and enjoy celestial bliss."’ This statement shows how Krsna and His shadow reflection are one and the same. There is no difference between Krsna and His shadow reflection, nor between Krsna and His picture. That is the transcendental position of Krsna." —Nectar of Devotion 64. Krsna's Exquisite Beauty
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2002 - 2005 by www.dipika.org
