Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

Ayodhya Case: There cannot be a mosque which has pillars with the images of Hindu Gods

CS Vaidyanathan, the lawyer who is representing the deity Ram Lalla Virajman, told the five-judge bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that there cannot be a mosque where the images of Hindu Gods are present.

He put before the Supreme Court the 1950 report of Faizabad’s Commissioner. The report states that at the disputed site of Ayodhya there were 14 pillars with inscription of Hindu Gods. The image of Lord Shiva was there on one of the pillars.

The map found at Ayodhya which provides detail of the images inscribed on the pillars and the album containing the pictures of the deities were submitted to the bench.

The counsel also argued that Muslims offering prayers at the disputed site does not make it a mosque just like Muslims offering prayers on the road does not mean that they own the road.

It is almost an undisputed fact that Babri Mosque was built on the ruins of the temple of Lord Ram. According to one version it was Babar who demolished the temple whereas according to second version the temple was brought down by Aurangzeb.

The Supreme Court is holding daily hearing of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case.

Murder convict chooses the electric chair to die

A murder convict in the US state of Tennessee at the 11^th hour chose to die by electrocution than by lethal injection.

Stephen West was convicted of rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl and her mother around 30 years back. On Wednesday his clemency plea was rejected by Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee.

He was electrocuted on Thursday and declared dead at 7:27 pm local time (00:27 GMT). He was the 11^th person to be executed in United States this year.  In 29 US states death penalty is legal.

Several people in US are against death sentence. Many countries have abolished the practice and, in the countries, where the practice is still legal it is rarely being applied.

The critics say that, “Since we are not God and we cannot give life so why should we have the right to take other person’s life?”

But the counter argument is, “What to do with the people who commit heinous crimes? If the death sentence is abolished, then the criminals would not shy away from killing or raping others as they would know that the punishment would be mild.”

How to control the uncontrolled senses?

The lady in the golden flame looks pretty to the moth.  Her fiery smile makes him dance in joy. Its not that she is smiling just at him but at all. But the moth believes her smile is only for him. And so he without wasting any moment runs desperately to be with her. As he inches closer the golden lady looks much prettier and he becomes desperate to embrace her. 

The lady looking bright yellow spreads her arms for him and the moth with a hope to enjoy unlimited pleasure jumps into her arms. But immediately his hope turns into nightmare, happiness into deep agony. His beautiful wings which allowed him to play with the wind and jump from one plant to another to play with the colorful flowers is now in fire.

Soon he realizes his efforts will go in vain and so slowly he surrenders himself to her and allows himself to be devoured by her.

We all may feel for the moth or may even pity him for his foolishness but his story and our story is not much different. This material world too looks extremely attractive externally and provides us a hope of unlimited enjoyment.   It promises that the thirst of all our senses will be quenched forever once we fully surrender to her. 

But just like the ocean which is filled with water cannot satisfy a thirsty man similarly the vast resources of this material world cannot provide any pleasure to us.

The material energy binds us in this material world by our senses. The more we try hard to enjoy here our senses becomes wild and strong.  And instead of we being in control of our senses our uncontrolled senses take control of our lives. Like a puppet the senses make us dance as per its whims.

Just like the moth we suffer terribly and find it extremely difficult to free ourselves from the grip of uncontrolled senses.

But since we are humans and not a moth, an insect, we have an opportunity to free ourselves from the clutches of the senses.  The sacred literatures advise us that since we have a human form of life we should act intelligently and not waste our time and life in pursuing worldly pleasures. 

“An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses.” Bhagavad Gita 5.22

With this knowledge we should try our best to restrain our senses from acting whimsically.   But to act against our senses and win the battle is almost impossible. However if we seek protection of Krishna, the Supreme Lord, then he being our best friend and well-wisher immediately comes to our rescue. 

If we muster courage and say no to the demands of our senses and engage it in practicing devotion to Krishna with determination then sooner or later our senses get purified. Krishna also gives us strength so that we can take control of our senses and use it cautiously.

Initially the senses may resist but if we continue engaging it in Krishna Conscious activities then slowly it starts enjoying being in service of Krishna. In such a state, scriptures tell us, we attain independence from material miseries and enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.

48th Kolkata Rath Yatra bridges religious divide

Little Abhay had tears in his eyes because his father could not afford the small Rath Yatra cart which Abhay was so eager to buy.  Abhay loved Rath Yatra festival and so he wanted to perform his own Rath Yatra.  But it seemed his plans won’t materialize. An old Bengali lady saw Abhay crying and when she came to know why he was crying she showed Abhay and his father an old  cart which was cheap and good enough to serve the purpose. Abhay was delighted. He along with his playmates, family members and neighbours nicely decorated the cart, put Lord Jagannath on it and celebrated the Rath Yatra festival at his home in Kolkata. 

No one would have imagined that the same little Abhay, who later came to be known as Srila Prabhupada all over the world, after several years will lay the foundation of a mammoth Rath Yatra festival in the city of Kolkata.  Iskcon Kolkata celebrated its first Rath Yatra festival in 1972 and this year it was the 48^th Rath Yatra festival.  Since beginning the festival has caught the imagination of thousands of people of Kolkata. In the year 1972 the residents of Kolkata were mesmerized to see white American and European devotees dressed in dhoti and kurta singing and dancing during the Rath Yatra procession. And since then every year the festival has grown in size and its reach. Today not just the local Bengali people participate but people from different cities of India and even outside India come for the festival.  

This year the festival caught the attention of entire nation and was widely covered in print and electronic media when Iskcon decided to invite Nusrat Jahan Ruhi Jain, a newly elected Member of Parliament to Lok Sabha, as one of the guests for Rath Yatra inauguration along with Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister, who was the chief Guest. 

Nusrat Jahan, Muslim by birth, had won appreciation when she wore a vermillion (sindoor), and mangalasutra ( sacred necklace which married Hindu women wears) while taking oath in Parliament.  While majority of people appreciated her for her inclusive approach but she also invited the wrath of few hardline Muslim clerics whom she ignored. 

Thanking Iskcon for giving the opportunity to participate in Rath Yatra, she said, “I will pray to Lord Jagannath for the well-being of all the people of West Bengal. I wish everyone comes together to pull the lord’s chariot,”  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tmc-mp-nusrat-jahan-attends-iskcon-rath-yatra-calls-for-unity/articleshow/70071315.cms

Its an honour Sir.. #unity #secularIndia https://t.co/G1mrWBcnz4

— Nussrat Jahan (@nusratchirps) July 4, 2019

Krishna Consciousness movement never ever discriminates people on the basis of caste, creed, religion, nationality or gender.  So people in general all over the world appreciates the message of social harmony which Iskcon is working hard to spread.  Srila Prabhupada taught that we all are children of same God and so we should coexist with each other like brothers and sisters. Today when the world is witnessing rise in sectarianism teachings of Srila Prabhupada can help to unite the world.  And festivals like Rath Yatra where people from diverse socio economic background participate to make the event successful plays an important role in spreading the message of peace and unity.  During Kolkata Rath Yatra people from diverse religious background get involved to organize the event.  From construction and decoration of the three chariots to setting up of beautiful pandal at Gundicha temple to ensuring smooth supply of essential items all work together.

Just like in Jagannath Puri here also the mula vigraha of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi come out of the temple to enthrone the three huge chariots.   This year the festival was celebrated on 4^th July and thousands of devotees participated in this wonderful event.

Before the start of the procession cultural programs were performed in front of the chariots.  The three deities were carried by the devotees from the temple to the chariots amidst beating of drums and Hare Krishna kirtan. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, along with important guests and senior Iskcon dignitaries  flagged off the Rath Yatra by pulling the ropes of the chariots amidst the loud chanting of Jay Jagannath.

Devotees who were patiently waiting to get an opportunity to pull the Rath  immediately got into action and enthusiastically started pulling the ropes. The Lord of the universe majestically sitting on the huge chariot thus began travelling through the streets of Kolkata showering his mercy upon thousands of people. 

The roads were bedecked with colourful rangolis. Hundreds of ladies carrying arati plates were sanctifying the pathway by blowing conch shells, sprinkling holy water and throwing flower petals on the road. To welcome the Lord devotees were singing Suswagatam Jagannath, Suswagatam Baladeva, Suswagatam Subhdra.  Throughout the procession devotees were singing, dancing, playing cymbals and mridangas. Many people who had congregated on the way to see the procession could not resist themselves and they too joined the devotees and began dancing and chanting the names of Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath.  As it was a working day the working people took a short break from their offices and came down to pull the chariots. 

Srila Prabhupada wanted that his books which logically delineates the message of Krishna should be widely distributed.  So there were dozens of small sized carts carrying books accompanied the procession.  Devotees were reaching out to people and were inspiring them to buy the books which has the potential to transform their lives for good.   Hundreds of books were distributed during the journey.

The procession was colourful and lively. The loud but melodious chant of Hare Krishna touched the hearts of thousands of souls.  The three giant chariots travelled through the streets and lanes of Kolkata for around 5 hours and reached TAI Brigade Ground, which is one of the largest open parks in Kolkata, at around 6:30 p.m.

A makeshift Gundicha temple has been constructed at the Brigade Ground and various stalls have been set up around the temple.  The three deities are currently staying in Gundicha temple. Everyday Lord Jagannath is dressed differently to depict his different pastimes. Someday he is dressed as Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan on his left hand, someday he takes the form of Lord Vishnu riding on Garuda to save Gajendra, the elephant, and so on. Lord Jagannath is the Lord of the universe, he is none other than Krishna and is the protector of anyone and everyone who seeks his shelter. 

A beautiful smiling deity of Srila Prabhupada in front of Lord Jagannath wins everyone’s hearts.

A huge chandelier in the center of the temple brightens up the temple.

This year the theme of Rath Yatra is “Empowering the Elderly.” 

India’s great spiritual tradition teaches us to protect the elderly people. One of the most celebrated sons in Indian history is Sravan Kumar who carried his old and blind parents on his shoulders to different places of pilgrimage. But unfortunately as Kali Yuga entered and the society became too materialistic some people stopped taking care of their parents and other elder members of the family.  Elderly men and women who have given their best to the society during their prime needs to be taken care in a best possible way.   In this Rath Yatra Iskcon wanted to highlight the challenges which our elderly friends are facing and also wanted to spread the message that they should be protected and loved. 

An art exhibition was held wherein the artists used their creativity to show different shades of the life of elderly people – their life’s journey, their transition from being an active member of the society to leading a retired life, their struggles & challenges during old age, their vulnerabilities, how the society can come together to bring hope and happiness in their life and how we can enrich our lives through their knowledge and plethora of experience.

Various cultural programs are being held in which children are participating in large numbers. Well known classical dancers are performing different dance forms like bharatanatyam, kathak, kathakali, Manipuri, mohiniyattam and Odissi. Everyday talks are being given by senior Iskcon Sannyasis such as HH Jaypataka Swami Maharaj, HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj, HH Bhakti Purushottam Swami Maharaj and by other senior devotees.

The three chariots standing in the middle of the parade ground is attracting all. 108 bricks have been laid around the chariots and the people especially those who are visiting for the first time are requested to walk over the bricks and while walking they are requested to chant one Hare Krishna Mahamantra as they put their foot on a brick. Thus once they complete the journey they chant 108 mantras.

Thousands throng daily to worship the Lord and participate in various cultural programs.  Mahaprasadam stall,  Govindas counter,  Bhakti Vriksha stall, Iskcon Youth Forum stall, Kids zone, Perfect Question Perfect Answer booth, Book Distribution stall, Matchless Gift shop are also major attraction and large number of people visit there.

Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi are currently enjoying their stay at Gundicha temple and will return back to Sri Sri Radha Govinda Temple on 12^th July which is the day of Ulta Rath Yatra. 

Devotee Care Seminar at Iskcon Kolkata

Almost around 12 years back when I was studying I had visited Iskcon Chowpatty, Mumbai, temple where I saw HG Radha Gopinath Prabhu. I had heard a lot about him so had the curiosity to see him so I just started looking at him. Since he is tall so I had to look up, he might have thought who is this person gazing at me so he looked at me and I immediately put my eyes down. As he being very senior and a role model for thousands of devotees I did not have the courage to go and speak to him personally.

Later whenever I attended Kartik Yatra organized by Iskcon Chowpatty, Mumbai, I used to see him and once during Kartik Yatra in Mayapur I saw him and my spiritual master HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj speaking to each other intimately.  I was sitting little far and was observing them although I could not hear anything.

It is said that Krishna is merciful and he reciprocates with the desires of all living entities. I always had this desire to associate with HG Radha Gopinath Prabhu closely and get his personal guidance.

So when I came to know that there will be a four day ‘Devotee Care’ seminar in Kolkata and it will be conducted by HG Radha Gopinath Prabhu then without giving it a second thought I immediately enrolled for it.  Out of four days two days were on weekdays (Thursday & Friday)  which is working day for me but still I decided to manage somehow.

And I was not disappointed. During the seminar I got the association of Prabhuji, I even got an opportunity to have one to interaction and personal guidance from him. The seminar and his personal association cleared many of my misconceptions which I had about the spiritual life.  He answered almost all of my questions patiently and to my full satisfaction. He shared many real life cases where the devotees who have been practicing devotional life feel tremendous challenges in their devotional journey. The problem is not with the practice but incorrect or incomplete application of devotional principles in our life.

I would like to share some of the principles and examples he shared during the seminar and also when I had one to one interaction with him.  This particular Devotee Care Seminar was mostly for the leaders and the care givers. The purpose of the course was to help leaders to equip themselves with certain traits which would help him to provide care to the devotee community.

However here my purpose is to discuss only those points and examples which underlines why devotee care is must.

Why the need for Devotee Care?

In the last 50 years of Iskcon history it has been observed that the devotees in due course of time start facing challenges while pursuing their devotional life.  This is the reason why after being in Iskcon movement for several years many devotees feel dissatisfied and in some cases devotees even quit Iskcon. Acknowledging the gravity of the situation Iskcon leaders decided to do an exhaustive study to understand the needs and concern of the devotees. They even took help of experts outside Iskcon.

Subsequently a “Devotee Care Committee”  was formed which came up with the vision and mission statement.

Vision of DCC

“Every devotee is spiritually happy and materially well- situated, positively identifying with ISKCON as a caring Society. Each devotee (a) responsibly looks after his or her diverse needs (b) can easily and successfully seek qualified help within society, and (c) wholeheartedly extends that care to others.” (Devotee Care Education, Student Handbook, Chapter: The Mandate for Devotee Care, pg 10)

Twelve areas of Devotee Care

Twelve main areas where devotees need care were identified –  Spiritual Life, Healthcare (Physical) & Healthcare (Mental/Emotional), Marriage, Sex & Relationships, Child – rearing and child – care, Education, Career and Employment, Financial, Housing, Travel and Immigration, Consumer and Lifestyle, Legal and civic, Mediation Advice.

When devotees across the world where consulted to identify the three most important areas of Devotee Care out of twelve then 82% choose Healthcare (Mental/Emotional), 66% choose Education and 54% choose Spiritual Life.

In order to lead a healthy spiritual life it is important that our physical, psychological, emotional and bodily needs are well taken care. Else we may look externally healthy but internally we may be weak and any moment we may drop down like a dead tree.

A tree can withstand mighty storms only if it has deep and strong roots and its branches and stems are robust.

Radha Gopinath Prabhu explained an important lesson which we can learn from the life of a tree.

In a tree roots are the most important because it holds the tree but so are branches and stems which provides stability to the trees. And a tree without leaves, flowers or fruits is good for nothing.

We should grow our spiritual roots

Spiritual practices like chanting the holy names, following regulative principles, reading holy books are like growing the roots which strengthen our inner foundation and holds us strong.  A tree without roots won’t survive similarly a life which does not have deep spiritual roots will crumble down at the whiff of a wind.

Strive for Stability

Trunks, stems and branches give stability to the tree, it holds the tree firmly to the ground even during storms.

Similarly taking care of our physical, mental, emotional and financial needs provide stability to our material life. If our material life is stable then without much anxiety we can utilize our energy in practicing devotional life.  Suppose that we are suffering from stomachache, severe headache or fever then to chant the holy names of Krishna becomes difficult. If we are having relationship problems with our spouse then we will constantly feel  miserable and it will affect our spiritual practices.  If we are not sincere in our jobs then we will be a poor performer and will always fear losing job which again will affect our spiritual life.

So we should proactively take care of our physical, emotional and financial needs.

Serve Selflessly

The crown of the tree consisting of leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits serve the society selflessly. Similarly devotees should serve the society without any selfish motives as per the guidelines of holy books and holy sages. Flowers and fruits grow only on those trees which have strong roots and branches. Similarly we can serve others properly only when we have a strong spiritual foundation and a healthy body and mind.

But sometimes we see that some devotees say that you don’t have to put in much efforts Krishna will take care of everything.  Yes it is true Krishna always takes care of everything but he has also laid down the process by which things functions.  Krishna took care of Arjuna during the battle at Kurushetra but it was Arjuna who was shooting the arrows.   In this world we cannot be passive we need to be proactive.

Yes we find many examples in the scriptures where devotees’ needs were automatically taken care by Krishna even when the devotees did not try for it.

Example is of Srivas Thakura in Caitanaya lila. He used to clap three times and Krishna would arrange food for him. Kolavecha Sridhar was oblivious to his bodily needs so was Jada Bharata. So how do we understand this.

Can a six month old child lift a one kg weight? No. Because his muscles have not developed sufficiently. He may even break his bones while trying to lift the weight.

So while taking any steps we first need to analyze our spiritual strengths and act accordingly and not just foolishly try to imitate the footsteps of self-realized souls.

Srivas Thakura, Kolavecha Sridhar, Jada Bharata and other great souls were absorbed in chanting and glorifying the Lord 24 hours a day. They did not bother about their worldly needs because they had transcended the modes of material nature.  Can we artificially think that we are at that stage of bhakti and start imitating them?  Rupa Goswami used to drink one teaspoonful of milk a day? Can we do so? Haridas Thakura lived with a snake in a cave and chanted 192 rounds of Hare Krishna Mahamantra daily without even thinking of food, water and sleep. Can we do so? Obviously no. Then why to imitate them. Instead we should do things as per the instructions given by them to us.

There are nine stages of bhakti and most of us are currently stuck in anartha – nivritti stage i.e. we are trying to cleanse our hearts of the impurities like lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion, false ego. We need to understand that we are souls currently residing within a contaminated material body and in the material world. In Bhagavad Krishna teaches how this material world functions and how to take care of our gross and subtle body while living in this world.

If we try to portray ourselves as great souls then internally we will always be miserable.

Miserable monk

There was a celibate monk (brahmachari) living in a temple. Before becoming a monk he had relationship with a girl and he had committed that he will marry her. But after he joined the temple as a monk the girl asked him to fulfill his promise but the brahmachari was unwilling to do so. It was not that the brahmachari had lost attraction for the girl but he did not want to accept that he still had attraction for the opposite sex. He tried his best to not reveal his inner desire to others for several weeks but internally he was torn apart, he was miserable. And one day in front of senior brahmacharis he broke down and with tears in his eyes he accepted that he is pretending that he has no liking for her.  He was advised to get married to her. It’s not that he left devotional life after getting married, in fact now as a householder he is practicing his devotional life along with his wife with sincerity.

It does not matter whether one is a householder or in a renounced order of life if one is performing all his duties by keeping Krishna in the centre and is always absorbed in Krishna then his life is successful.

A brahmana & a prostitute

There was a brahmana and in front of his ashram lived a prostitute. The brahmana hated the prostitute like anything. He would constantly look out of the window and count how many people are going in and coming out.

On the other hand the prostitute would constantly think that what abominable life she has to live because of her past sins. And she had great respect for the brahmana. She would think how fortunate he is because he can always remain absorbed in chanting the holy names of the Lord. She had a great desire to live a pure life.

One day somehow both the brahmana and the prostitute died.  So there came the Visnuduttas and Yamaduttas. The brahmana thought that the Visnuduttas have come for him to take him to the kingdom of God but he was surprised to see that the Visnuduttas went towards the house of the prostitute and the Yamaduttas came to him.  Surprised, he asked the Yamaduttas – I was a celibate monk engaged always in worshipping the Lord so the Visnuduttas should have come for me and not you? For what sins I have to be punished?

The Yamaddutas replied, “Although externally you worshipped the Lord but your consciousness did not get purified because you were not absorbed in serving the Lord but you foolishly meditated on the activities of the prostitute and so you incurred sins for which you need to be punished.

The prostitute although was leading a sinful life but she always prayed to Lord to free her from all the sins. She had a deep desire to lead a pure life like you because she respected you. Although externally she was forced to lead an abominable life but internally, she always remained absorbed in meditating on the holy names of God which eventually purified her from all past sins. And since she had a great desire to be with the lord, to serve the Lord, to be with the devotees of the Lord so the Visnuduttas, the servants of Lord Vishnu, have come to take her to the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Both Arjuna and Duryodhana were fighting and killing their opponents during the Kurushetra war.  Externally both were engaged in similar activities. But Arjuna was fighting to protect the dharma as per the guidance of Krishna while Duryodhana was doing it to fulfill his wanton desires. Arjuna got the mercy of Krishna whereas Duryodhana had to suffer for his sins.

So based on our psyhco physical nature we need to identify our roles and responsibilities and then do our duty sincerely as per the directive of the scriptures.

We should ensure that while taking care of our physical, emotional and financial needs we should not get obsessed with it so that it starts affecting our spiritual life. The purpose of addressing our material necessities is to make sure that we practice devotional life throughout our life with sincerity else our life will be a waste.

Seminar was interactive, it helped us to dive deep into the subject matter to understand the needs of the devotees.

I have been associated with Iskcon for more than 14 years and I strongly feel that this seminar is a must for all the devotees.

Most of the devotees in due course of time develop good philosophical understanding but how to implement the teachings of the scriptures in their lives based on time, place and circumstances is lacking.

Seminars like this equip us with sastric understanding which help us to practice devotion to Krishna and serve the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Muslim man’s love for Lord Rama

In this hate filled atmosphere it was heartening to read in The New Indian Express that a Muslim man sincerely serves in a Ram Mandir located in Rajajinagar, Bengaluru.

Saddam Hussein, a muslim man, has taken the responsibility of cleaning the temple of Lord Rama. Not just he keeps the temple premises free from dust but he also cleans the deity of Lord Rama, Mother Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.

As Ramnavami is approaching so along with other devotees Saddam Hussein is doing his job religiously to make sure that devotees do not face any difficulty on the festival day.  

As per the custom of the temple, the deity of Lord Rama is taken in a chariot in the town on Ram Navami day. Saddam Hussein also looks after the chariot and carries out many mock drills so that nothing goes wrong during the procession.

Saddam Hussein does his work with earnestness and without any complaint.

When The New Indian Express asked how does people react when they see him serving in the temple , he said ““There are two kinds of people — one, who appreciate me for doing this job, the second pass comments on my work. I just greet them with a smile,’’

Lord Rama, the Supreme Lord, the best well-wishing friend of all, always wish to see smile on our faces.  He does not want us to be agents of hate but he wants us to be agents of peace.

In fact Lord Rama appeared in the mortal world to deliver this message only. If we study the life of Lord Rama without any prejudice we would find that through his personal example he has taught us how we should defeat the evil which is present in our hearts and how we should fill our hearts with love.

On this Ram Navami let us all take a pledge to spread the message of peace and harmony in our family, in our society, in our country, this would be a perfect gift to Lord Rama.

After saying Hinduism has become “most violent” Urmila Matondkar says “Hinduism is an epitome of peace”

A BJP worker, Suresh Nakhua, filed a complaint against Bollywood actress, Urmila Matondkar, who is a Congress’s Lok Sabha candidate from Mumbai North Constituency, for her remarks against Hinduism in an interview to Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today.  Congress President Rahul Gandhi and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has also been named in the complaint.

In the interview she can be heard as saying that the “Religion [Hinduism] known for its tolerance has turned out to be most violent.”

#Exclusive
.@OfficialUrmila on why she joined Congress just a month before elections.
Watch #Countdown with @sardesairajdeep
Live: https://t.co/4fqxBVUizL pic.twitter.com/5BofffXGWX

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) April 4, 2019

It appears Rajdeep Sardesai allowed her to make the statement and get away with it.

He did not ask the counter question as why she is maligning the entire Hindu community. Imagine if anyone would have said something similar about any other religion then today the print and the electronic media would have pounced upon the person and the party. Editorials would have been written and the secular journalists along with their secular friends would have spent hours discussing how India has now become intolerant.

However Urmila Matondkar has clarified that she has been grossly misquoted and she has not said anything which will hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. In a statement she said, “Hinduism is an epitome of peace, inclusiveness and non violence. I believe in Hinduism which embraces benevolent concepts of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam‘ (The whole world is a family) and ‘Ahimsa Paramodharma’ (non violence). This is the Hinduism promoted by our great forefathers and Lokmanya Tilak, Gandhiji, Vivekanand and Sardar Patel…I believe in love, and respect Hinduism in this sense and not in what BJP wants to promote.”

If she has such respect for Hinduism then what was the compulsion for her to initially say something which painted Hindus as violent people.

It could be possible that she wanted to please the powerful people of the secular eco system so she said “Hinduism has turned out to be the most violent religion.” Because in India to be secular it is extremely important that you do or say something which hurts the sentiments of the Hindus. Remember how alleged congress workers in Kerala brutally killed a calf publicly, chopped its body into pieces, cooked it and ate it in full public view just because for Hindus cows are sacred.  

Meanwhile Urmila’s twitter account is now filled with pictures where she could be seen visiting and seeking blessings of the Lord in a temple dressed in a sari and with a big bindi.

Visited Bhatladevi Mandir in Dahisar. What a blissful experience. 😇#AapliMumbaichiMulagi pic.twitter.com/vYhl9IVMfU

— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) April 8, 2019

Ram Navami celebration at New Town by Iskcon Kolkata

A grand Ram Navami festival was organized by Iskcon Kolkata at Rabindra Tirtha Auditorium, Narkel Bagan, New Town on 7th April 2019.  The devotees of New Town especially from NBCC, Uniworld, Jalvayu Towers, Greenfield, Alka Abasan society actively participated in organizing the program.

The program began with the recitation of Ramcharit Manas by the kids followed by dance drama by kids. My wife, Kanchana Madhavi, along with other ladies were training the kids for last few weeks and there efforts brought wonderful results.

Shantanu Prabhu, an expert actor, presented a drama named, “Live from Lanka.” The drama was filled with humor which entertained the audience but simultaneously it also conveyed the important message that to live happily in this world we need to take shelter of Lord Rama and so we should constantly chant Jai Sri Rama! (Shubha ho ya syam sirf bolo Jai Shri Rama)

Sri Nitai Prabhu who is currently actively preaching in New Town gave a talk on the topic “R.A.M for Prosperity and Positivity.”  Using the acronym R.A.M. he explained how we all can practically apply the teachings of Lord Rama in our life which will bring peace and prosperity.

He explained:

R stands for Reality. The truth of this world is that there is suffering in this world. But many of us refuse to accept this reality and hope that the problems will automatically disappear one day. But when problem continues we become miserable.  The other reality of this world is that for all the problems there are solutions. And to find permanent solution to all our problems we need to be with the right kind of people which brings us to the second letter of the word RAM

A stand for Association. Saintly people who live their life as per the teachings of sacred literature can provide the best solution to all our problems. So we should Associate with holy people whenever possible.  If we refuse to live in the company of genuine spiritual personalities then we are going to suffer like Ravana who kicked out his saintly brother, Vibhishan, from his kingdom.

M stands for the ‘Might of the Holy Name’:  The holy names of the Lord is so powerful that it can make a stone float in the water. So we can just imagine what miracle can happen in our life if we take shelter of the holy name of Lord Rama. The Supreme Lord’s name can help us cross the ocean of miseries and fill our life with unlimited happiness.

Participation of kids made the event colourful. Be it anchoring or dance or drama or songs  the little armies of Lord Rama led from the front.  As cute little monkeys they were carrying big rocks on which in big letter “RAM” was written to build the bridge on the ocean. They were enthusiastically throwing the rocks in the ocean while loudly chanting Jai Shree Ram! Their enthusiasm even enthused hundreds of audience to chant Jai Shri Ram!

At the end there was Pushpa Abhishek of Lord Rama, Mother Sita and Lakshman accompanied with melodious kirtan. 108 special food items which were cooked by different devotees were offered to the Lord.

At the end everyone enjoyed different delicacies which were offered to the Lord along with dinner prasadam.  

The celebration helped to re-kindle the love which we all have for Lord Rama. Lord Rama’s beautiful form got imprinted in the hearts of all.

How to give up bad habits and develop new habits?

Why we distributed Bhagavad Gita on Christmas day?

We decided to celebrate 25^th Dec i.e. the birthday of Jesus Christ by distributing the transcendental teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Jesus Christ is the messenger of God, the son of God. He appeared in this world to free the suffering souls from the miseries of material existence and wanted us all to return to the kingdom of God. And Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred and popular literatures of the world, informs us how we can attain liberation from material miseries and return back home back to godhead.

When Srila Prabhupada started disseminating the unadulterated teachings of Gita then it immediately attracted the people all over the world. Be it a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian or people from any other religion they started appreciating the message of Gita.  “Bhagavad – Gita As It Is”  written by Prabhupada has widely got distributed in almost every country of the world, have got translated in almost all the languages of the world.

Srila Prabhupada had a desire that everyone should read and distribute this literature to as many people as possible.

So we thought that 25^th Dec being a Christmas holiday we should utilize our time in sharing the knowledge of Gita with other people.

We were total 15 devotees and we planned to distribute books at Eco Park, Kolkata. It was estimated that more than 1.5 lakh people will come there on the festive season. We divided the task among ourselves.

Parthasarathi Prabhu, Sayak Prabhu, Ashok Prabhu, Gaurav Prabhu had the responsibility of identifying the place where we could put our table to distribute the books.

Biswa Swaroop Prabhu Prabhu was to collect the books from the Iskcon temple. He then came to my house so that we both can carry together table and other books which I had.

Although we had decided to start distributing books from 1:30 pm onwards but we could start only by 3:45 p.m. It was becoming very difficult to find the venue. Biswa Swaroop Prabhu and I was driving on the road for almost 2 hours searching for the venue.  We had initially thought of doing book distribution at Gate No: 2 of Eco Park but there were barricades everywhere. We then looked for Gate 3, Gate 4 and at Mother’s Wax Museum. Gate 3 and Gate 4 was not a good venue.

Mother’s Wax museum appeared to be a good place but meanwhile the devotees figured out that we can put up our book stall at Gate 1. But before taking the final decision we thought to analyse which would be a better venue – Gate 1 or Mother’s Wax museum.  Biswa Swaroop Prabhu and I were at the Wax museum.  Parthasarathi Prabhu and Sayak Prabhu came from Gate 1 to see the crowd at Wax museum. After short discussion we decided to go to Gate 1 of Eco Park.

So finally after hectic search we put up our book table at Gate 1.  Although the search was tiring but we got immediate reciprocation from Krishna. As soon as we put our table we saw people coming and buying Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic literatures.

Kirtan was playing in the background and devotees especially Ashok Prabhu, Gaurav Prabhu, Sayak Prabhu and Parthasarathi Prabhu were making announcement on mike narrating the glories of Bhagavad Gita, stating how Gita’s wisdom words can transform their lives.

Ashok Prabhu convinced a young boy to buy SSR – Science of Self Realization.  Parthasarathi Prabhu immediately distributed one Bhagavad Gita. Gaurav Prabhu took the books and went directly into the crowds to distribute the books and was able to convince people to buy it. Sayak Prabhu got immediate success and started distributing the books. Swarnavo Prabhu along with his father, Biswa Swaroop Prabhu, also started distributing. Swarnavo Prabhu was able to convince one of his teachers who had come to Eco Park to have Bhagavad Gita. Bijit Prabhu and Parthasarathi Prabhu’s father (HG Chinmoy Gokul Prabhu) also immediately got into the service of distributing the books. Later on Subramaniam Prabhu joined with his wife (Padmalaya mataji) and son, Satyavrat. My parents also joined.  

Service for the pleasure of Krishna has to be always followed by delicious prasadam.

And we had planned about it in advance. Priyanka Sukla mataji had prepared Bhel, Padmalaya mataji had prepared Pakoda, Ashok Prabhu brought sweets. While we were doing book distribution my wife (Kanchana Madhavi) was busy preparing Veg Biryani. We had thought after hectic day of service devotees   should not go back home to cook dinner.

I went to my house with Biswa Swaroop Prabhu to pick my wife and of course prasadam. We got terribly stuck in traffic jam. My house is just 2.5 km from Eco Park but it took almost 1 hour to reach my house. We immediately picked the prasadam and left for the venue.

It was already 7:30 p.m. but devotees were still enthusiastically distributing the books.  Now we thought that everyone should take prasadam.  So everyone sat together to relish the delicious prasadam. It was a spiritual picnic for all of us.

My wife who was at home cooking immediately began distributing the books. And she was able to inspire people to take Bhagavad Gita. One lady was eager to take the books but her husband was too adamant so she gave her at discounted rate.

This we observed that people are ready to spend their money in gratifying their senses, in watching non sensical movies, eating in restaurants but they feel great pain in spending few bucks to buy the sacred books. This is just one time purchase but it can transform their lives forever.

But it is also true that some are very eager to take the books. As a student of Gita and as follower of Srila Prabhupada we just have to keep on trying.

It was a great day for all of us. It was the best way to absorb ourselves in service of the Lord and serve the humanity by gifting them Bhagavad Gita which has transformed the lives of millions of people since time immemorial.