?fs=1&hl=en_US” Spiritual Soul Shakers performing at the KuliMela held at New Vrindavan in 2006.
Kuli Mela 2006 – One Way – Good King, Bad King – 1/14
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One Way performing “Good King, Bad King” at KuliMela 2006 in New Vrindavan.
Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 9.13.7-9 – Maya, an equal opportunity employer
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 13, Texts 7-9 titled “Maya, An equal opportunity employer” by Prahladananda Swami.
Dallas, TX
2010-07-14
Text 9 TRANSLATION
Maharaja Nimi continued: Mayavadis generally want freedom from accepting a material body because they fear having to give it up again. But devotees whose intelligence is always filled with the service of the Lord are unafraid. Indeed, they take advantage of the body to render transcendental loving service.
PURPORT
Maharaja Nimi did not want to accept a material body, which would be a cause of bondage; because he was a devotee, he wanted a body by which he could render devotional service to the Lord. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings:
janmaobi more iccha yadi tora
bhakta-grihe jani janma ha-u mora
kita-janma ha-u yatha tuya dasa
“My Lord, if You want me to take birth and accept a material body again, kindly do me this favor: allow me to take birth in the home of Your servant, Your devotee. I do not mind being born there even as an insignificant creature like an insect.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said:
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaitukyi tvayi
“O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.” (Sikshashtaka 4) By saying “life after life” (janmani janmani), the Lord referred not to an ordinary birth but a birth in which to remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Such a body is desirable. A devotee does not think like yogis and jnanis, who want to refuse a material body and become one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence. A devotee does not like this idea. On the contrary, he will accept any body, material or spiritual, for he wants to serve the Lord. This is real liberation.
If one has a strong desire to serve the Lord, even if he accepts a material body, there is no cause of anxiety, since a devotee, even in a material body, is a liberated soul. This is confirmed by Srila Rupa Gosvami:
iha yasya harer dasye
karmana manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-muktah sa ucyate
“A person acting in Krishna consciousness (or, in other words, in the service of Krishna) with his body, mind, intelligence and words is a liberated person even within the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.” The desire to serve the Lord establishes one as liberated in any condition of life, whether in a spiritual body or a material body. In a spiritual body the devotee becomes a direct associate of the Lord, but even though a devotee may superficially appear to be in a material body, he is always liberated and is engaged in the same duties of service to the Lord as a devotee in Vaikunthaloka. There is no distinction. It is said, sadhur jivo va maro va. Whether a devotee is alive or dead, his only concern is to serve the Lord. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. When he gives up his body, he goes directly to become an associate of the Lord and serve Him, although he does the same thing even in a material body in the material world.
For a devotee there is no pain, pleasure or material perfection. One may argue that at the time of death a devotee also suffers because of giving up his material body. But in this connection the example may be given that a cat carries a mouse in its mouth and also carries a kitten in its mouth. Both the mouse and the kitten are carried in the same mouth, but the perception of the mouse is different from that of the kitten. When a devotee gives up his body (tyaktva deham), he is ready to go back home, back to Godhead. Thus his perception is certainly different from that of a person being taken away by Yamaraja for punishment. A person whose intelligence is always concentrated upon the service of the Lord is unafraid of accepting a material body, whereas a nondevotee, having no engagement in the service of the Lord, is very much afraid of accepting a material body or giving up his present one. Therefore, we should follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi. It doesn’t matter whether we accept a material body or a spiritual body; our only ambition should be to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Bhajan – Mukunda das – Hare Krishna – 3/5
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Mukunda das singing a Hare Krishna bhajan at a home program.
Mukunda (vocals), Kapil (drum), Gopinath (flute)
Dallas, TX
2010-07-10
Bhajan – Prahladananda Swami – Hare Krishna – 2/5
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Prahladananda Swami leading a Hare Krishna bhajan at a home program.
Dallas, TX
2010-07-10
KuliMela 2006 – New Vrindavan – Main Movie
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Kuli Mela New Vrindaban 2006, DVD
Kuli Mela documents the largest ever gathering of second-generation Hare Krishnas (known informally as gurukulis, or just kulis). Far from just a party, the Mela focused on exploring who Kulis are and what they can accomplish.
Experienced youth and elders shared their knowledge in over 50 seminars, while each night was a dazzling display of music and dance. Envelop yourself in these four memorable days, as RasaFilms captures the visionaries, outstanding artists, musicians and friends who came together to celebrate their lives.
Individual stage acts will be posted separately. This is the main title from the DVD.
More about kulimela: http://kulimela.org, Kulimela merchandise: http://store.krishna.com/Search.bok?category=Kulimela
Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 9.13.6 – Don’t criticize those in difficulty
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 13, Text 6 titled “Don’t criticize those in difficulty” by Prahladananda Swami.
Dallas, TX
2010-07-13
TRANSLATION
After saying this, Maharaja Nimi, who was expert in the science of spiritual knowledge, gave up his body. Vasishtha, the great-grandfather, gave up his body also, but through the semen discharged by Mitra and Varuna when they saw Urvasi, he was born again.
PURPORT
Mitra and Varuna chanced to meet Urvasi, the most beautiful prostitute of the heavenly kingdom, and they became lusty. Because they were great saints, they tried to control their lust, but they could not do so, and thus they discharged semen. This semen was kept carefully in a waterpot, and Vasishtha was born from it.
Bhajan – Ratna Radhika dasi – Hare Krishna – 1/5
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Ratna Radhika singing a Hare Krishna bhajan at a home program.
Ratna Radhika (vocals), Sri Rupa (drum), Gopinath (flute)
Dallas, TX
2010-07-10
Lecture – Subhag Swami – Bhagavad-gita 7.1 – Sunday Feast
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Sunday feast lecture on Bhagavad-gita Chapter 7, Text 1 given by Subhag Swami.
Dallas, TX
2010-08-01
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pritha, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.
PURPORT
In this Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the nature of Krishna consciousness is fully described. Krishna is full in all opulences, and how He manifests such opulences is described herein. Also, four kinds of fortunate people who become attached to Krishna and four kinds of unfortunate people who never take to Krishna are described in this chapter.
In the first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita, the living entity has been described as nonmaterial spirit soul capable of elevating himself to self-realization by different types of yogas. At the end of the Sixth Chapter, it has been clearly stated that the steady concentration of the mind upon Krishna, or in other words Krishna consciousness, is the highest form of all yoga. By concentrating one’s mind upon Krishna, one is able to know the Absolute Truth completely, but not otherwise. Impersonal brahmajyoti or localized Paramatma realization is not perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth, because it is partial. Full and scientific knowledge is Krishna, and everything is revealed to the person in Krishna consciousness. In complete Krishna consciousness one knows that Krishna is ultimate knowledge beyond any doubts. Different types of yoga are only steppingstones on the path of Krishna consciousness. One who takes directly to Krishna consciousness automatically knows about brahmajyoti and Paramatma in full. By practice of Krishna consciousness yoga, one can know everything in full — namely the Absolute Truth, the living entities, the material nature, and their manifestations with paraphernalia.
One should therefore begin yoga practice as directed in the last verse of the Sixth Chapter. Concentration of the mind upon Krishna the Supreme is made possible by prescribed devotional service in nine different forms, of which sravanam is the first and most important. The Lord therefore says to Arjuna, tac chrinu, or “Hear from Me.” No one can be a greater authority than Krishna, and therefore by hearing from Him one receives the greatest opportunity to become a perfectly Krishna conscious person. One has therefore to learn from Krishna directly or from a pure devotee of Krishna — and not from a nondevotee upstart, puffed up with academic education.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this process of understanding Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is described in the Second Chapter of the First Canto as follows:
“To hear about Krishna from Vedic literatures, or to hear from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gita, is itself righteous activity. And for one who hears about Krishna, Lord Krishna, who is dwelling in everyone’s heart, acts as a best-wishing friend and purifies the devotee who constantly engages in hearing of Him. In this way, a devotee naturally develops his dormant transcendental knowledge. As he hears more about Krishna from the Bhagavatam and from the devotees, he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. By development of devotional service one becomes freed from the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus material lusts and avarice are diminished. When these impurities are wiped away, the candidate remains steady in his position of pure goodness, becomes enlivened by devotional service and understands the science of God perfectly. Thus bhakti-yoga severs the hard knot of material affection and enables one to come at once to the stage of asamsayam-samagram, understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead.” (Bhag. 1.2.17-21)
Therefore only by hearing from Krishna or from His devotee in Krishna consciousness can one understand the science of Krishna.
Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 9.13.4-5 – Vasistha vs Vishvamitra
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 9, Chapter 13, Texts 4 & 5 given by Prahladananda Swami titled “Vasistha vs. Vishvamitra”.
Dallas, TX
2010-07-12
Text 4 TRANSLATION
After completing the sacrificial performance for King Indra, the spiritual master Vasishtha returned and found that his disciple Maharaja Nimi had disobeyed his instructions. Thus Vasishtha cursed him, saying, “May the material body of Nimi, who considers himself learned, immediately fall.”
Text 5 TRANSLATION
For unnecessarily cursing him when he had committed no offense, Maharaja Nimi countercursed his spiritual master. “For the sake of getting contributions from the King of heaven,” he said, “you have lost your religious intelligence. Therefore I pronounce this curse: your body also will fall.”
PURPORT
The religious principle for a brahmana is that he should not be greedy at all. In this case, however, for the sake of more lucrative remunerations from the King of heaven, Vasishtha neglected Maharaja Nimi’s request on this planet, and when Nimi performed the sacrifices with other priests, Vasishtha unnecessarily cursed him. When one is infected by contaminated activities, his power, material or spiritual, reduces. Although Vasishtha was the spiritual master of Maharaja Nimi, because of his greed he became fallen.