His Holiness Narmada Swami recently passed away in Vrindavan after a long illness.  He serve for many years with the BBT in India.
Posted by Prahladananda Swami on 16/11/06

Don’t be too quick to react to the circumstances that we are being put into by our past activities and desires, think of what Lord Krishna wants us to do following in the footprints of previous authorities. We have to pray for Lord Krishna to give us intelligence, otherwise, Maya is always with us waiting for a chance to bewilder us. Maya is also advertising to “Come and enjoy,” that is why Lord Krishna is very please with the efforts of His devotees who tell others, “Come and serve Lord Krishna.”

# – Prahladananda Swami –

Happy Rama Navami

After leaving Hong Kong in February I traveled to Mayapur for the annual GBC Body meetings. Since I am the Sannyasa Minister I spend part of the meetings with the GBC Sannyasa Standing Committee reviewing sannyasa candidates. There are about 15 sannyasa candidates on the waiting list and candidate from Nigeria, Africa, Parikshit dasa, was approved to take sannyasa this year. The meetings that last for ten days are rather intense as I usually have many extra meetings beside the ones that are during the normal scheduled times.

After the GBC meetings I traveled with Virabahu Prabhu and Dhruva dasa from Australia to Jagannatha Puri where we bathed in the sea and took treatment from Madhusudana Roy’s assistances who are expert in acupressure and massage. From there Dhruva and myself traveled to Ahmedabad where there is a large ISKCON temple with beautiful Sri Sri Radha Krsna Deities as well as Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Sita Rama Laksmana and Hanuman and a large Gopal Deity.

A devotee Rajasuya Prabhu accompanied Dhruva and myself to visit in Rajasthan a Sufi mystic who extracts kidney and gallbladder stones as well as cancers from peoples bodies. He is a very pious man who has several goshalas where he is protecting cows. He has been friends of the devotees for many year. Dhruva and myself witnessed his mystic cures which seemed genuine.

A couple of days later we went to Vrindavan and along with Nikunjavasini devi dasi a Srila Prabhupada disciple from Radhadesh in Belgium visited Radha Kunda and had prasadam at the Govardhan Palace which is managed by Kesava Bharati Maharaja.

I have been in Radhadesh since the end of March and have each week once or twice distributed books in Dutch or French speaking areas of the Benelux.  The college is going on well here with about 12 students. Three times a week I have been teaching from 15 to 25 students yoga in the BKS Iyengar style of teaching.

I will be in Radhadesh until the 27 of April when I travel to Poland  to attend a conference on

yoga in Wroclaw as well as the devotees annual festival. I will be in Poland until the 21of

May when I return to Radhadesh. My Vyasa Puja will be celebrated in Radhadesh on the 25

of May. On the 29 of May I travel with Lilasuka Prabhu, a disciple of HH Bhakti Caru

Maharaja to Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Bosnia until the 16 of June.

From 17 of June to the 20 of June I will teach a course for the Bhaktivedanta College on the

2 Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Afterwards I should be going to Spain for about 10 days

and then back to Radhadesh. From Radhadesh I probably be traveling to Finland, Estonia,

Moscow, Perm and then to the UK.  I will return to Radhadesh for Janmastami and their 25

anniversary of Radhadesh.

# – Prahladananda Swami – 18/4/05; 1:30:35 AM –

I attended a lunch yesterday cooked by the world famous cook and dear godbrother of mine, Kurma Prabhu. Bhurijana Prabhu was also there, he just arrived back from Vrindavan where he was teaching the Bhaktivaibhava course. The prasadam was amazing. It was made from organic vegetables grown in the garden of one devotee, Bhakta Trevor. Although we all eat to our full satisfaction no one afterwards felt that they had overeaten. The prasada seemed just to melt in the mouth.

Book distribution was very sweet today. I went with Bhakta Emauel and in a little over two hours I distributed 10 Science of Self Realization (H) 5 Journey of Self Discovery (H), 8 Quest of Enlightenment (H), 10 Perfection of Yoga, 8 Chant and Be Happy, 3 Higher Tastes and collect almost AUS$ 200.

# – Prahladananda Swami

notes by

Vipramukhya Swami

CHAKRA (Mayapur, India) – February 11, 2001: His Holiness Prahladananda Swami gave the Bhagavatam class here in Mayapur this morning. The verse reads: “Sannyasis who first consider that the body is subject to death, when it will be transformed into stool, worms or ashes, but who again give importance to the body and glorify it as the self, are to be considered the greatest rascals.”

“If one is supposed to be renounced,” Maharaja said, “then what is the definition of renounced? One sannyasi decided to get married, and then declared, ‘Now I am getting married, so I am renouncing my renunciation. That is the ultimate renunciation.'”

It is not that everyone, simply by appearing or claiming to be renounced is necessarily renounced, he said. “One has to have knowledge that connects one to a higher platform of consciousness. Without that consciousness there will not be a permanent position.”

One may have many external qualifications, but if one is not factually connected to Krishna in Krishna consciousness, “one’s so-called exalted position and activity will not be maintained for long,” he said. “As soon as there is an opportunity, Maya will lure one into another situation.”

He gave examples from the Bhagavatam to back up his point, including the stories of Visvamitra Muni and Saubhari Muni.

“One may understand that, “I’m eventually going to die, but in the meantime I’m going to have a good time, but this is not real renunciation.”

He told a story about Lord Caitanya and Nityananda who met a so-called sannyasi that was living with his wife, who was a sannyasini. Lord Caitanya did not appreciate this so-called renunciation.

Prahladananda Maharaja said that there are many varieties of desires that arise out of mental concoction, such as eating too much, enjoying too much, or desiring to become the head of a religious organization. “There are so many varieties of Maya from the gross to the subtle, but they are compared to wet stool and dry stool. Some people assume the side of the stool that is dried by the sun is better than the side that is wet. But wet stool and dry stool are both of the same nature. Subtle or gross Maya is still Maya. ”

The aim of life is to take shelter of Krishna, he said.

Quoting Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.17, he said, “A neophyte devotee may fall down from the path of Krishna consciousness due to his immaturity, but his service to Krishna never goes in vain. However, a person who remains steadfast in his family duty or so-called social or family obligation but does not take to Krishna consciousness receives no profit.”

The order coming down in disciplic succession is to spread Krishna Consciousness. Such a person who is acting on this is actually a sannyasi. “Follow in the footprints of the devotees,” Maharaja said.

© CHAKRA 11 February 2001