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Guru Purnima

Vaisnava festival 2008 in Verbania

Een aantal foto's:

Concert in Verbania Srimati Umarani didi Lezing uit Jaiva Dharma Sriman Purandar Acarya Prabhu en Sriman Jagat Mohan Prabhu Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja Ochtendlezing Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja Sriman Jagat Mohan Prabhu Sriman Kisori Mohan Prabhu Sripad Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja Nagar Sankirtan Vuurceremonie Srila Maharaj offert bloemen aan de deities Zijn schoenen... Het altaar Sripad Bhaktivedanta Damodara Maharaja

"All sorts of preceptors"

The meaning of the word, Guru (Spiritual master), is very grave. If the word is analyzed it's only two parts 'Gu' and 'ru' are obtained. Here 'Gu' signifies 'Darkness' and 'ru' means 'Light'. It simply indicates that he who is able to save forever illusioned persons from the clutches of darkened maya (illusion) and is able to make them reach the sun or light-like God will be considered to be described as a 'Guru'.

Similarly the meaning of the word, 'Sisya' (Disciple), has its own speciality. A disciple promptly places on his head every order of all known as spiritual masters. He carries out the order in question with responsibility, regularity and pleasure and adds to the happiness of Krishna, the original Guru of all, and his Diksha Guru and Siksa Guru and all other Vaisnavas.

The inherent meaning of the word Sisya, is associated with a person who always joyfully follows without any question the rules of all sorts of preceptors. In this age the difference between a preceptor and a disciple is going to be abolished forever.

Srila Bhakti Bibuddha Bodhayana Maharaja

Srila Bodhayana Maharaj giving an informal class during his resting time in The Hague 28 May 2008.

Sripad Sajjana Maharaj & Srila Bodhayana Maharaja in Sri Gauravani Gaudiya Math. Rio de Janeiro - Brasil, Janmastami 2007

Civilization

"What Is the Matter with the World?"

by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

On the 16th of February 1957 a meeting was held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to discuss the above subject matter. Distinguished gentlemen from different categories spoke on the subject, but practically nobody could give us a definite direction as to what actually the matter was that was troubling the whole situation.

This feeling of pinching in the existence of our life is a good sign for progress. It is an urge for enquiry what is the wrong in the world that gives us trouble? This trouble is not a new thing but it is a matter of permanent settlement in all the days of life, but it may be felt at different times in different colour. The troubles are in varieties in relation with our mind and body, in relation with our dealings with other living beings and in relation with natural phenomenons.

The present pinching trouble of our political leaders in the matter of Kashmir affairs is a trouble in relation with our other friendly nations. Kashmir is a part of India, not only at present but it is so from a time immemorial but the Kashmir problem has arisen as a matter of course because the world is so created that must there exist some sort of trouble, may be it is in relation with the body or other living beings or the natural phenomenon.

These troubles are like the forest fire. Fire takes place in the dense forest without any attempt by any living being. Nobody in the forest do want such fire, but it takes place without any demand. When there is fire, the living beings in the forest are put into trouble and sometimes it so happens that most of the forest creatures die in that havoc. There is no fire brigade in the forest or on the top of a forest mountain and there is no hope for of extinguishing the fire by any human attempt. It takes by the natural laws, and it is extinguished by natural laws also, that is, when there is torrent of rains in the forest. That is the natural law and these laws are so rigid and stern that no human brain, however it may be powerful, can solve these problems of natural laws.

An intelligent person, who has actually developed some finer qualities of human consciousness, can understand that every law is made by an intelligent brain and behind every law there is the lawmaker who makes the law. So for all these natural laws, there is the Supreme Lawmaker, who is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. In the 'Bhagwat Gita' we have, therefore, information that natural laws are so stringent that they cannot be overcome by anybody. But whoever surrenders unto the Supreme Lord can overcome them.

The King is the lawmaker and if he likes he can forgive a lawbreaker by special prerogative of the King - by the 'King's mercy,' but the King can do no wrong even if he sometimes breaks the law. That is, an experience of a common man in the phenomenal world and the same thing is applicable in the matter of Supreme laws also.

The natural laws are like police actions by the agents of Godhead. Men, who are too much captivated by the glamour of material beauty and tries to enjoy it falsely without acknowledgement of its Creator, are called demons. The stringent natural laws are meant for the criminals but not for the law-abiders. Therefore, the perfect answer to the question 'What is the matter with the world?' is that Men have become demons by breaking laws of God, and therefore they are being punished by the police action of material nature. That is the verdict of all scriptures and that is our day-to-day life's experience.

In the 'BHAGWAT GITA' a vivid description of the law-breaker demoniac men are given in the 16th chapter and such men are punished by the laws of God - are also maintained.

Human civilizations are conducted in two ways. One type of civilization can make every human being as much qualified as God is. And the other type of civilization can make every man no less than a jungle beast and thereby making this world unfit for human habitation.

A human being is called a rational animal. When rationality is destroyed, the human being is left an ordinary animal. The difference between a human being and an animal is based on the strength of human being's being above the animal propensities. The animal part of a human being necessarily require food to eat, shelter to live in, protection from fear and gratification of senses. These four principles of life are common both to the man and the animals. But there is another thing which is specially meant for the human being. This is God-consciousness. This God-consciousness is conspicuous by absence in the animal life, while in the human life this God-consciousness is in dormant stage even in the society of the aborigines. This God-consciousness develops in different grades of human civilization in terms of particular place, time and persons. This God-consciousness is called Religion or Culture of Life without which no civilization can stand.

The present day civilization is trying to avoid this God-consciousness of human life by artificial method of material science and forcible atheism. It is learnt from reliable sources that in an atheistic state, the village people were called in a meeting and were asked to pray in the Church for daily bread. The innocent villagers prayed in the Church for daily bread, and when the prayer was over the state officers asked them whether breads were supplied. The village men replied that there was no bread. The atheist politicians asked them again to pray for bread from them (the statesmen) and bread was at once supplied. And by this method the innocent villagers were made victims of propaganda by atheistic politicians with the result that all the villagers became gradually faithless in God, because wrongly they accepted that the bread was supplied by the politicians and not by God.

The poor victims of such propaganda did not understand that the breads supplied by the politicians were not made by the father of the politicians but actually they were sent by God. No politician can manufacture bread without wheat. No wheat is produced without sun rays or rains from the sky. No rains are possible without obedience to God. No atheist can live and decry God without eating bread.

And therefore whoever eats bread without acknowledging in gratitude of his indebtedness to God is certainly a demon and for such demons the stringent natural laws are meant for punishment. A time is nearing when there will be no wheat paddy in the field and no politician will be able to make a quick supply of bread. The food problem is already acute.

The atheistic civilization is to be troubled more and more with the progress of materialism. We have such foretellings in the pages of Srimad Bhagwat. The more the people are turning to the atheistic, the more things of disturbing elements do appear before us. And that is the thing which matters at present. This is a wrong type of civilization.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta

Drakensburg

Klik om te vergroten:

Bhakti Sankirtan Bhavan

Alle eer aan Sri Guru & Sri Gauranga

Dinsdag 20 mei 2008

Kirtan, Hari-Katha, Arati & Prasadam

met

Sripad Bhaktivedanta Vana Maharaja

vanaf

18:30 uur

Bhakti Sankirtan Bhavan

Fahrenheitstraat 455

2561 EA Den Haag

Tel. 06 - 50 666 015

Hierbij bent u allen van harte uitgenodigd!

Bhagavat Saptah

Klik op de afbeelding:

Srimad Bhagavat Saptah

Kijk op www.haribol.nl voor een volledig verslag met foto's en video's van de Bhagavat Saptah.

Srila Radha Govinda Gosvami Maharaja

Een paar maanden voordat Srila Prabhupada deze wereld verliet in 1977, bracht Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja twintig jonge mannen met hem mee die hij had getraind in de instructies van Bhagavad Gita en Srimad Bhagavatam en die initiatie wilden van Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada vertelde Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja dat hij hun guru was en dat hij hun initiatie moest geven.

***

Srila Prabhupada heeft in zijn laatste dagen ook duidelijk gemaakt dat hij wilde dat Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja en Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja diksa-initiatie zouden geven na zijn heengaan. De opnames van deze gesprekken zijn helaas verloren gegaan.

***

Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja woont in Vrindavan en heeft veel respect voor alle Gaudiya Vaisnava Acarya's. Hij reist vaak en geeft Srimad Bhagavatam Saptah's en brengt veel tijd door in het lezen en bestuderen van het Srimad Bhagavatam. Net als hijzelf staan zijn discipelen ook bekend als liefdevolle nederige toegewijden.

***

Srila Radha Govinda Gosvami Maharaja ki jaya!

Vanad 28 maart t/m 3 april 2008 geeft Srila Maharaj ji een Bhagavat Saptah in Hoogvliet. Klik voor meer informatie op onderstaande afbeeldingen.

"Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja lives in Vrndavan and has high regard for Srila Gurudeva (Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja) from my discussions with him. He often travels and gives Srimad Bhagavatam Saptahas and spends most of his time reading and studying Srimad Bhagavatam."

- Sriman Bhagavata Das (disciple of Srila Prabhupada)

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"One year during Kartik in the 90's we mentioned to Srila Gurudeva (Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja) we were going over to see Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja and Srila Gurudeva asked us to give him a message that he should come and meet with Srila Gurudeva at Goverdhana .When they met it was like seeing two suns together and their dealings were so affectionate ."

- Sriman Mathuranatha Das (disciple of Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja)

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Links:

1. Lezingen van Srila Radha Govinda Gosvami Maharaja
2. Maharaja's Hindi lezingen in Bhaktivedanta Manor
3. Maharaja's Srimad Bhagavatam lezingen

Het land van ware liefde

Het inherente doel van het leven is om bevrijd te raken van onwetendheid, om gelukkig te worden, om lief te hebben en om de onsterfelijkheid te bereiken. In de wereld waar wij leven wordt ons bestaan voortdurend bedreigd door ouderdom, ziekte en dood. Ze vormen een continue belemmering voor ons geluk en we moeten ze op een doordachte manier bestrijden en uitzoeken hoe we ervan bevrijd kunnen raken.

Op het moment dat we in aanraking komen met de juiste oplossing zullen alle vragen en problemen als sneeuw voor de zon verdwijnen. Dit kunnen we bereiken met behulp van de geopenbaarde geschriften en zelfgerealiseerde zielen. Het is een staat waarin alle knopen van het hart ontward zullen worden.

Ons hart zit vol met knopen. We binden onszelf vast met duizenden ideeën en gedachten. Maar er is een bepaald type kennis dat in ons neer kan dalen waardoor al deze knopen direct ontward zullen raken. Ineens zal dan blijken dat al die knopen allemaal onnodig zijn: dus maak ze los, maak ze allemaal los. Het zijn onze vijanden. We dachten dat ze onze vrienden waren, en daarom hebben we onszelf door deze ideeën laten binden.

Het innerlijke verlangen van ieder levend wezen gaat uit naar voldoening, geluk, zoetheid, schoonheid, liefde en genade. Als we ons hart op een eerlijke wijze onderzoeken, dan zal blijken dat het hart slechts naar liefde hunkert. We dwalen hier en daar rond in deze materiële wereld op zoek naar die liefde, maar die zoektocht loopt vaak op een teleurstelling uit. De onvermijdelijke dood zal de banden met onze geliefden uiteindelijk allemaal verbreken. Op deze wijze dolen we eindeloos rond, terwijl we voortgedreven worden door de aantrekking van de externe natuur. Maar hiermee vinden we niet waar ons hart naar verlangt.

Gelukkig zijn er vertegenwoordigers van een hogere wereld die ons komen helpen. Op verschillende manieren, zonder dat we het vaak in de gaten hebben, brengen zij informatie over die andere wereld. En op een gegeven moment leidt dit nieuws ertoe dat we een verlangen ontwikkelen om naar dat land terug te keren. Dat is de campagne van het Godsbewustzijn, die ons verteld over het land van ware liefde. Deze materiële wereld is slechts een klein onderdeeltje van de oneindige spirituele wereld, de oneindige oceaan van zoetheid. Daar is er voor iedereen een onderkomen.

- Srila Bhaktiraksaka Sridhar Gosvami Maharaja

Sri Shivratri Videoconferentie

Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj is nu in de Calcutta Math. Voordat hij vertrekt voor de Navadvip Dham Parikrama zal hij ons zegenen met zijn Hari-katha via een video conferentie.

Donderdag 6 Maart.

Sri Shivratri (Harikatha in Hindi)

Tijd: 15:00 - 17:00 uur Nederlandse tijd.

Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math

www.sreecgmath.org

I must take rice!

Maandag 3 Maart is het Vijaya Ekadasi. Klik hier voor een lezing door Srila Bhaktiraksaka Sridhar Maharaja over het belang van vasten op Ekadasi.