Newsletter Number #134 -  ( Janmastami issue 2004 A.D. Gaurabda 518)
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ki jaya

Please Accept My Respectful Obeisances & Best Wishes To All

_0____,

All Glories To Srila Prabhupad.

\o/
(_)
/ \ All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Welcome to the latest re-vamped edition of the on-line HKSRNewsletter, and our humble attempt to render some service to the devotee community. As you can see we've changed the format, and everything is here hyper-linked on-line, we hope it's now easier for you all. This newsletter now goes out to way over 2108 receivers. I trust that all is well with everyone by the Mercy of the Lord. However, if anyone would like to be removed please just send me a message requesting me to do so, and I will do it promptly. If you are receiving this from a friend, and would like to be added directly to the mailout please also let me know and I will do the needful there too. Removal and Subscription details at the very end of this newsletter.

Hare Krishna. =>B-) JTCd

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The Nectar in this Issue 

See the events on Interactive Calendar site for details:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2002-2003.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2003-2004.html
Have you got your Vaishnava Calendar for 2004-2005 ???
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Words of Wisdom - Shastra & Shastrakaras speak:
... (Srila Prabhupad & the previous Acharyas)
... Coming Festivals
... Local temples
... Verses from Shastra
... Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
... Hare Krishna as ancient religion - NOT a cult
... Vaishnava Songs
... Samskaras and Agama Tantra
... Articles - Topical links
... Vedik revival - Vedik World Heritage

Advertisements - what's on where: check them out...
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... Hare Krishna School in Auckland
... Ayurvedic health - and seminars - Radiance Ayurved has new site
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... Singles - Hare Krishna Singles - Vegetarian Singles - Marriage Compatibility checking
... FREE CD Rom
... Sri Shalagram Tirtha Pradarshini web-site and new newsletter
... Vegetarianism and Beyond site gets re-vamped
... Gaura Yoga - Wellington
... The new Auckland Temple now open
... and much more

At Grass Roots: Topical stuff
... Have a Happy New Year - Gaurabda 518

Prasadam Recipes: To slake the thirst of body, mind & soul
... some really useful Vege links and support
... inspiring Vegetarian articles
... Eggless cooking - baking - cakes
... Vegetarian Cheeses - new page (try the Tuxford range...)(updated August 2004)
... Vegetarian clubs
... Hare Krishna Food For Life - local and international food relief
... check out the new Ekadasi recipes link
... 101 reasons to be a vegetarian
... Meat substitutes - Tofu - Soy - TVP - tempe recipes
... White Sugar free from bone char in NZ
... FREE Meet your Meat CDRoms
... How to offer your food to God
... You mean that's in the Bible?
... visit our Vegetarianism and Beyond Award winning web-site
... Kurma's new web-site
... The Meatrix

Krishna conscious - Vedikly acceptable jokes:
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... serious therapy in humour !!!
... did U ever wonder -  Ways of the world - Strange but true

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Now you can view the FULL years 1999-2000 & 2000-2001 & 2001-2002 & 2002-2003 & 2003-2004 & 2004-2005.
All Calendar entries are explained - Appearance or Disappearance
days, festivals, fasts, feasts, etc.

View previous years festival dates on the Calendar:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2001-2002.htm
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2002-2003.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2003-2004.html
Now available 2004 - 2005 Vaishnava Calendar starts March 2004
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html

First Month of Chaturmasya Begins - Fasting from Sak, green leafy vegetables, for one month
(note Chaturmasya is not observed during Purushottam Adhika Masa.)

Sridhara masa continues after Purusottama Adhika Masa
(Chaturmasya is not observed during Purusottama Adhika Masa.)

Sridhara masa continues after Purusottama Adhika Masa (Fasting from green leefy vegetables)

Fasting  for Pavitropana Ekadasi (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 26th August 2004 in NZ)

Sri Sri Radha Govinda Jhulan Yatra begins

Srila Rupa Goswami - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Gauridas Pandit - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sri Sri Radha Govinda's Jhulan Yatra ends.

Lord Balaram - Appearance - Jayanti  (Fasting till noon)

Second month of Chaturmasya begins (Fast from yogurt for one month.)

Srila Prabhupada's departure for the USA 1965 AD.

Father's Day -  1st Sunday in September in Aus & NZ - (3rd Sunday in June in US & UK)

Birth date annirversary of HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's 108th birthday - 5th September 1896

Sri Krsna Janmastami: Appearance of Lord Sri Krsna (7th Sept in NZ)
(Fasting till midnight - breakfast with Ekadasi style prasadam)

Sri Nandotsava - Nanad maharaj celebrates the Jata karma of Baby Krishna

Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Appearance (Fasting till noon)(Srila Prabhupada's 108th Avirbhav mahotsav)

Annada Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 10th September 2004 in NZ)

Kanya Sankranti (Sun enters Virgo)

   Sri Ganesh Chaturthi - 18 Sept in NZ (Do Not Look @ the Moon)

Srimati Sita Thakurani (Advaita's consort) - Appearance - Avirbhav

Sri Lalita sasti

Sri Radhastami : Srimati Radharani's - Appearance (Fasting till noon - 22nd September in NZ)

Trisprsa Mahadvadasi (Fasting for Parsva Ekadasi) - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 25th September 2004 in NZ)

Sri Vamana Dvadasi - Appearance of Lord Vamandeva (The fast is observed till noon on the Ekadasi)(Feasting is done tomorrow.)

Srila Jiva Goswami - Appearance - Avirbhav

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur - Appearance - Avirbhav Utsava
(The fast is observed till noon on the Mahadvadasi)(Feasting is done today)

Sri Ananta Caturdasi Vrata

Srila Hari Das Thakur - Disappearance

Sri Visvarupa Mahotsava

Acceptance of sannyasa by Srila Prabhupada 1959 AD.

Srimad Bhagavatam Day

Third month of Chaturmasya begins (Fast from milk for one month.)

World Vegetarian Day ( 1st October every year)

This year's also now available for viewing:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html

http://www.hknet.org.nz/CalendarWhosWho-page.htm

http://panjika.pagehere.com/

Check out the Ekadasi pages with links to every Ekadasi:
(also find out from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada what is, and what constitutes a mahadwadasi)
Find out about Dwadasi and Mahadwadasi here:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/dvadasi.htm

NEW EKADASI RECIPES:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-page.htm

kasmad ekadasi jata tasyah ko va vidhir dvija
kada va kriyate kim va phalam kim va vadasva me

ka va pujyatama tatra devata sad-gunarnava
akurvatah syat ko dosa etan me vaktum arhasi

"Oh Gurudeva! When did Ekadasi take birth and from whom did she appear? What are the rules of fasting on the Ekadasi? Please describe the benefits of following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost worshippable presiding deity of Sri Ekadasi? What are the faults in not following Ekadasi properly? Please bestow your mercy upon me and tell about these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so."

Find out what was said HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-page.htm

Download yourVaishnava Calendar and make a hard copy for this
last year's ( 2003-2004 AD - 517 Gaurabda ) from our site:
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This coming year ( 2004-2005 AD - 518 Gaurabda ) from our site:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html

Vaishnava Calendar Program Vcal 4.01 FREE Download, and make your own Calendar for 2004-2005:
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or if you can't do that and you'd like a 2004-2005 Calendar for your longitude, latitude and time zone ANYWHERE in the world I can do that for you and e-mail it to you - FREE    Vaishnava Calendar Software 4.01

MAKE YOUR OWN CALENDAR FOR YOUR LOCATION,
no more dodgy calendars/panchangas/panjikas from India

Astrologically/Astronomically Accurate and FREE

Please download the software from:
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How to use the VCAL calendar program:
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mailto:jtcd@xtra.co.nz

Here's a few Vaishnava Calendar locations around the World friends asked for us to post !!

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Other Journals & KC Blogs:
Aniruddha's blog:
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Ekendra's Mrdanga
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This is my new journal where I hope to contribute something worth reading to the world. The inspiration for this comes from Nectar of Devotion wherein it is stated that to reveal one's mind in confidence is one of the loving exchanges between Vaisnavas. Ekendra dasa.

From the virtual pen of Sita-pati dasa
http://blog.world-sankirtan.net/sitapati/

Srimad Bhagavad Gita AS IT IS

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 -  Conclusion : The Perfection of Renunciation

TEXT 78
                         yatra yogesvarah krsno
                       yatra partho dhanur-dharah
                        tatra srir vijayo bhutir
                         dhruva nitir matir mama

                              WORD FOR WORD

   yatra--where; yoga-isvarah--the master of mysticism; krsnah--Lord Krsna; yatra--where; parthah--the son of Prtha; dhanuh-dharah--the carrier of the bow and arrow; tatra--there; srih--opulence; vijayah--victory; bhutih--exceptional power; dhruva--certain; nitih--morality; matih mama--my opinion.

                               TRANSLATION

   Wherever there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
 

PURPORT by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

   The Bhagavad-gita began with an inquiry of Dhrtarastra's. He was hopeful of the victory of his sons, assisted by great warriors like Bhisma, Drona and Karna. He was hopeful that the victory would be on his side. But after describing the scene on the battlefield, Sanjaya told the King, You are thinking of victory, but my opinion is that where Krsna and Arjuna are present, there will be all good fortune. He directly confirmed that Dhrtarastra could not expect victory for his side. Victory was certain for the side of Arjuna because Krsna was there. Krsna's acceptance of the post of charioteer for Arjuna was an exhibition of another opulence. Krsna is full of all opulences, and renunciation is one of them. There are many instances of such renunciation, for Krsna is also the master of renunciation.

The fight was actually between Duryodhana and Yudhisthira. Arjuna was fighting on behalf of his elder brother, Yudhisthira. Because Krsna and Arjuna were on the side of Yudhisthira, Yudhisthira's victory was certain. The battle was to decide who would rule the world, and Sanjaya predicted that the power would be transferred to Yudhisthira. It is also predicted here that Yudhisthira, after gaining victory in this battle, would flourish more and more because not only was he righteous and pious but he was also a strict moralist. He never spoke a lie during his life.

There are many less intelligent persons who take Bhagavad-gita to be a discussion of topics between two friends on a battlefield. But such a book cannot be scripture. Some may protest that Krsna incited Arjuna to fight, which is immoral, but the reality of the situation is clearly stated: Bhagavad-gita is the supreme instruction in morality. The supreme instruction of morality is stated in the Ninth Chapter, in the thirty-fourth verse: man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. One must become a devotee of Krsna, and the essence of all religion is to surrender unto Krsna (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja). The instructions of Bhagavad-gita constitute the supreme process of religion and of morality. All other processes may be purifying and may lead to this process, but the last instruction of the Gita is the last word in all morality and religion: surrender unto Krsna. This is the verdict of the Eighteenth Chapter.

From Bhagavad-gita we can understand that to realize oneself by philosophical speculation and by meditation is one process, but to fully surrender unto Krsna is the highest perfection. This is the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita. The path of regulative principles according to the orders of social life and according to the different courses of religion may be a confidential path of knowledge. But although the rituals of religion are confidential, meditation and cultivation of knowledge are still more confidential. And surrender unto Krsna in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness is the most confidential instruction. That is the essence of the Eighteenth Chapter.

Another feature of Bhagavad-gita is that the actual truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features--impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma, and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth means perfect knowledge of Krsna. If one understands Krsna, then all the departments of knowledge are part and parcel of that understanding. Krsna is transcendental, for He is always situated in His eternal internal potency. The living entities are manifested of His energy and are divided into two classes, eternally conditioned and eternally liberated. Such living entities are innumerable, and they are considered fundamental parts of Krsna. Material energy is manifested into twenty-four divisions. The creation is effected by eternal time, and it is created and dissolved by external energy. This manifestation of the cosmic world repeatedly becomes visible and invisible.

 In Bhagavad-gita five principal subject matters have been discussed: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, material nature, the living entities, eternal time and all kinds of activities. All is dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. All conceptions of the Absolute Truth--impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and any other transcendental conception--exist within the category of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Although superficially the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity, material nature and time appear to be different, nothing is different from the Supreme. But the Supreme is always different from everything. Lord Caitanya's philosophy is that of inconceivable oneness and difference. This system of philosophy constitutes perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

The living entity in his original position is pure spirit. He is just like an atomic particle of the Supreme Spirit. Thus Lord Krsna may be compared to the sun, and the living entities to sunshine.

Because the living entities are the marginal energy of Krsna, they have a tendency to be in contact either with the material energy or with the spiritual energy. In other words, the living entity is situated between the two energies of the Lord, and because he belongs to the superior energy of the Lord, he has a particle of independence. By proper use of that independence he comes under the direct order of Krsna. Thus he attains his normal condition in the pleasure-giving potency.

   Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eighteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of its Conclusion--the Perfection of Renunciation.

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

 - His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - http://www.asitis.com/

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Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

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Prabhupada Uvacha:
(here's some nectar, sometimes it comes in the form of Srutakirti prabhu's diary, other times from Govinda dasi's diary, or sometimes from a letter, but still nectar...)

August 15 1977

"When I was a small boy, one of my father's friends said to him that he should send me to England to become a barrister, as I was very intelligent. But my father said that he would never send me to become a mleccha. When I became a young man, I liked that idea and was thinking why my father won't let me go? Why not go to England and get a white wife and white children? I thought somehow or other I should go and get an English wife. When I was walking on morning walks in London near the law colleges, I was thinking, 'Now I have got thousands of white children without the help of a white wife.' If I had become a barrister, I would have been a first-class barrister, putting so many convincing arguments in so many ways. Just like the Japanese know how to strike you in the right way. I put my arguments like karate."
While lying on his bed listening to the evening arati, he reflected, "I am amazed how my family, both father and mother's side were living so peacefully in Krsna consciousness. Especially my mother's side. How fortunate I was; all around me were devotees." Prabhupada said his mother was about thirty years old when he was born. Her name was Rajani.

- From the TKG's Diary by HH Tamal Krishna Goswami

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Please Chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Listen to Srila Prabhupad on-line
....a different lecture, morning walk, conversation or class daily.

"Depend On Krishna"
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-2
London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969

Listen to the entire lecture on-line:
http://prabhupadavani.org/Bhagavatam/RAMfiles2/SB418.ram

Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers)

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
 [SB 5.5.1]

This is a verse instructed by Maharaja Rsabhadeva to his sons. Maharaja Rsabhadeva was incarnation of Krsna, Vasudeva, long, long years ago. And He was the emperor of the whole world. Formerly there was only one king on this planet. In every planet there is a predominating personality. In every... Not only this planet, all other planets also. And the predominating deity, or you may call the king or emperor... In the moon planet he is called Candra. Similarly, the predominating deity or the emperor of the sun planet, at the present moment he is called Vivasvan. So the predominating deity or the emperor in each and every important planet, they are mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. That means the author of the Srimad-Bhagavatam has complete knowledge not only of this universe, but also beyond the universe.

Beyond the universe, there is spiritual sky. There are also different planets. But in those planets the predominating deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. And in this material world, in each and every planet, the predominating deity or the person is a very pious human being or living being. Generally, human being. In other higher planetary system they are also like human being. Their features are exactly like us: two hands, two legs, one head, like that. But they are very pious. They are God conscious. Every, in every planet the living entities or human being, they are of different grades. Just like in this planet also, in some portion of this world there are savages, uncivilized persons, and in some portion of the world there are civilized persons, intelligent persons, God conscious persons, as there are different grades of persons in this planet, similarly, there are different grades of beings, living beings or human beings, in different other planets. The higher and lower grades are calculated in terms of Krsna consciousness. Consciousness is there everywhere, every living entity. Not only human being but also animals, the consciousness is there. But the difference is, consciousness without Krsna is lower grade, and consciousness of Krsna in different degrees, they are higher grade. And when the consciousness is completely Krsna, that is the highest position, or that is the real position of the living entity.

So this human form of life... Maharaja Bharata is instructing to His sons. He had one hundred sons. So all of them assembled together, and the king, before retirement, was instructing. (aside:) Let him come in. (pause) So, instructing His sons. It is the duty of the father that before retirement... Now, here is one significant point. Why the king was retiring? That is the system, Vedic system. Either one is king or one is ordinary human being, at a certain age he must retire. That is Vedic system. Not that because one is king and one has ample opportunities for sense enjoyment, therefore he should indulge in sense enjoyment without retiring from family life. That is not Vedic system. The Vedic system is, the aim is, how to elevate oneself to the perfection of Krsna consciousness. That is Vedic system. You have read Bhagavad-gita. In the Fifteenth Chapter, fifteenth verse, you'll find, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole Vedic system is designed or planned how to know Krsna. So if you follow Vedic system, then the ultimate objective should be to know Krsna. That is the Vedic version and corroborated by Lord Krsna Himself. He is the original compiler of Vedas; therefore His version should be accepted, that the objective of studying Vedas means to know Krsna. That's all. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15].

..............continued

        "Worldly people possess a double nature. They express one kind of sentiment but internally cherish a different purpose. Moreover they want to advertise this duplicity as a mark of liberalism or love of harmony. Those who are unwilling to show any duplicity, wish to be frank and straightforward, or in other words exercise unambiguously the function of the soul; such really sincere persons are called sectarian and orthodox by those who practise duplicity."

       "We will cultivate the society only of those who are straightforward.We will not keep company with anyone who is not so. We must by all means avoid bad company. We are advised to keep at a distance of a hundred cubits from animals of the horned species. We should observe similar caution in regard to all insincere persons."

"The Lord in the temple in the worshipable form is never to be considered to be made of stone or wood, for the Lord in His arca incarnation as the Deity in the temple shows immense favor to the fallen souls by His auspicious presence. By the hearing process, as mentioned hereinbefore, this realization of the presence of the Lord in the temple is made possible." (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.3.21, Purport)

Now we will discuss the truth about the transcendental birthplace of Bhagavan and the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. Once upon a time, Bhumi, the predominating deity of the earth, felt overburdened by different demons posing as members of the royal order. Feeling aggrieved upon seeing her miserable condition, the lotus-born Brahma appealed to Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the maintainer of the universe, saying, "Please deliver Goddess Bhumi who is feeling greatly distressed by these demoniac kings. Only You can remove this terrible influence from the earth."

The time for an appearance of the Lord coincided with two internal desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First the Lord desired to descend on earth to increase the fortune of Yasoda and Nanda. Also at that time Krishna wanted to relish the sweet mellow of smgara rasa (paramour love) while enacting His worldly pastimes. For these two reasons the Lord appeared within the material creation on Bhuloka, (earth planet), along with His parents, friends, and other eternal associates.

Another distinction of Lord Krishna's earthly pastimes is that when the eternally liberated gopis such as Srimati Radharani, Candravali, and others appeared, the Srutis personified also appeared in the homes of other gopis, because they had previously cultivated the desire to serve Sri Krishna as Vraja gopis. The Dandakaranya sages, upon seeing the svakiya bhava (the sweet conjugal relationship) of Lord Ramacandra and Sitadevi, desired to have the same relationship with their Lord Madana Gopala. Upon attaining perfection in their sadhana they achieved the fortunate position of appearing as gopis in Vrindavan. Yogamaya, Lord Krishna's pastime potency who possesses unlimited abilities, appeared invisibly in Gokula to arrange this, and perform other difficult tasks on behalf of the Lord.

Sri Nanda, Yasoda, and others appeared in Brhadvana (Mahavana) before the Lord. The gopas, gopis, and other eternally liberated associates appeared after the Lord. Then those who had attained perfection by sadhana, namely the sruti-caris and muni-caris, took birth in Vrindavan.

Learning of Krishna's imminent appearance, the earth personified, feeling like a wife happily greeting her husband after a long separation, immersed in unlimited joy. At the time of Krishna's birth the general mass of people tasted the inner bliss that devotees forever relish. Auspicious signs abounded everywhere. As Visnu's conchshell Pancajanya opens in a clockwise fashion, similarly, auspicious sacrificial fires glowed in all directions. Pure gentle breezes brought a refreshing coolness like devotees who satisfy and sanctify everyone with their calm, sweet, and affectionate behavior.

The whole atmosphere became as completely purified as the heart of a devotee. The devotees once again found peace and prosperity in worshiping the lotus feet of Lord Hari. Fruits filled the jubilant trees. But the envious demons exhibited various inauspicious signs of degradation such as rapidly aging bodies and symptoms of imminent death. The desire vines of the celestial denizens seemed to be hanging in the air as if eager to produce fruits. At that time all the directions became felt as pure and joyful as the mind of a devotee who has received the mercy of Lord Hari. Just as gems, mantras, or medicines can a remove a poisonous disease from the body of a man, the advent of the Lord relieved the world from the contamination of material existence and the sinful effect of the demons. Happiness gradually replaced the distress in everyone's hearts.

The bodies of all creatures manifested extraordinary beauty and youthful vitality. Men felt extremely joyful and displayed virtuous qualities. Throughout the world people behaved cordially and interacted amicably. Happiness twinkled in everyone's eye. At the end of Dvapara-yuga, which completely destroys faults and doubts, an auspicious, favorable, obstacle-free time appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon in Bhadra month. Just at that sweet moment the Rohini Naksatra, along with the good qualities of the moon and an auspicious conjunction of stars called Ayusman, appeared in the sky to give shelter to gentle persons.

As the living entity comes out from the womb of his mother and the moon appears on the lap of the eastern direction, Yogesvara Sri Krishna, the personification of complete bliss, appeared amidst great festivities. As the moon appears in the lap of the eastern direction, which is like a beautiful bride, Krishna manifested the wonderful pastime of His appearance out of His love and compassion for the conditioned souls.

Due to austerities performed in previous lives, Vasudeva and Devaki received the opportunity to momentarily relish parental affection for Lord Sri Krishna when He appeared before them in His form as Vasudeva. Thereafter in fear of Kamsa, Vasudeva brought Vasudeva Krishna to Gokula. There the Supreme Lord appeared as Govinda before Nanda and Yasoda, His eternal parents who have been smothering Him with the sweetest form of parental love since time immemorial. The four symbols of Visnu (sankha, cakra, gada, padmd) adorned His hands and feet. The flute, flower garland, and kaustubha mani, although present within Him, had not yet manifested.

In fear of cruel Kamsa, Vasudeva decided to transfer all his wives except Devaki to Gokula. He sent Rohini to the house of Vrajaraja Nanda. By the sweet will of the Lord, Yogamaya arranged for the seventh child of  Devaki (Balarama) to enter the womb of Rohini. As a result, Balarama appeared in the home of Vrajaraja Nanda before the birth of Krishna.

Lord Hari, who is bliss personified, appeared in the home of Nanda Maharaja, the king of Vrindavan for three reasons: to engage the self satisfied sages in devotional service, to please the devotees by performing sweet transcendental pastimes, and to relieve the earth's burden caused by the demons. At the time of His majestic birth Krishna employed His inconceivable powers to appear in a body of eternity, bliss and knowledge. Everyone in the maternity room swelled with joy upon seeing the Lord's exquisite transcendental form that looked like a creeper of beauty.

Mother Yasoda resembled a lake of spiritual ecstasy in which a brilliant blue lotus of personified bliss had appeared. Neither the wind nor the bees relished the fragrance of that blue lotus. That unborn lotus was never touched by the waves of the modes of nature. Even Lord Brahma could not see it, what to speak of ordinary men.

After Yasoda and her family members fell asleep in the maternity room, Hari cried beautifully like a newborn baby. His crying sounded like the maha-vakya omkara announcing the auspicious arrival of His pastimes. Omkara is a transcendental vibration that had previously emanated from the mouth of Lord Brahma. When the ladies of Vrindavan heard the sweet sound of Krishna's crying, they woke up and ran to see the Lord. With the mellow of their matchless overflowing affection they anointed His body.

The natural fragrance of Krishna's body smelled just like musk. After the ladies bathed Krishna hi sweet ambrosia, He looked cleansed and beautiful. Then they smeared His body with fragrant sandalwood pulp. The presiding deity of the house sent a campaka flower resembling the flame of a lamp into the maternity room to worship that ornament of the three worlds. With the strength of His little arms, delicate as the tender leaves of a tree, Krishna made all the lamps in the maternity room look like a garland of lotus flower buds.

The ladies of Vrindavan saw baby Krishna like a blossoming flower made of the best of blue sapphires, or like a newly unfurled leaf of a tamala tree. Krishna looked like a fresh rain cloud decorated with the musk tilaka of the goddess of fortune of the three worlds. The ointment of the greatest auspiciousness lined His eyes. His presence filled the maternity room with good fortune. Although a mere baby, Krishna had a head full of curly hair. To hide the unique signs on His hands (goad, fish, conch etc.) the Lord folded His delicate petal-like fingers into His lotus palm. At that time Krishna laid on His back with His eyes closed.

Mother Yasoda awoke amidst the joyous chattering of the elderly gopis. Leaning over the bed she admired her gorgeous son. But upon noticing her own reflection on Krishna's body, she imagined it another woman. Thinking that a witch had assumed her form to kidnap Krishna, Yasoda became bewildered and yelled, "Get out of here! You go away!" Spontaneously she cried out to Nrsimhadeva to protect her precious son. Beholding Krishna's tender face, Yasoda showered tears of affection that looked like an offering of a pearl necklace.

Yasoda saw Krishna's body as a mound of dark blue musk, softer than the butter churned from the milk ocean. Overflowing with nectar, His charming body appeared like the foam of milk, but being dark blue in color it seemed the foam was full of musk juice. Admiring the supremely delicate form of her son, Yasoda worried about His safety and feared the touch of her body might hurt his tender body.

As she leaned over the bed Yasoda bathed Krishna with the milk dripping from her breasts. The elderly gopis instructed Yasoda how to caress the baby in her lap, and affectionately push the nipple of her breast into Krishna's mouth to feed Him. Due to Yasoda's intense love, personified bliss flowed from her breasts as steady streams of milk. When milk sometimes spilled out of Krishna's bimba fruit red lips onto His cheeks, Mother Yasoda would wipe His face with the edge of her cloth. After feeding her son, Yasoda gazed affectionately at Him in wonder.

She saw her child's body as made of dazzling blue sapphires. His mouth resembled a red bimba fruit and His hands and feet looked like exquisite rubies. Krishna's nails shone like precious gems. In this way, Yasoda thought her child was completely made of jewels. Then she perceived that His naturally reddish lips looked like bandhuka flowers, His hands and feet resembled Java flowers, His nails looked like maJlika flowers. Yasoda then thought, "Krishna's whole body seems to be made of blue lotus flowers. He does not appear to be mine." After thus deliberating within herself Yasoda became stunned in amazement.

The beautiful, soft curly hairs on the right side of Krishna's chest resembled the tender stems of a lotus. Seeing the mark of Srivatsa on His chest, Yasoda thought it was breast milk that had previously spilled out of His mouth. She tried unsuccessfully to remove these 'milk stains' with the edge of her cloth. Struck with wonder, Yasoda thought this must be the sign of a great personality. Observing the sign of Laksmi (a small golden line) on the left side of Krishna's chest, Yasoda thought a small yellow bird had made a nest amidst the leaves of a tamala tree. Could this be a streak of lightning resting on a rain cloud, or could it be the golden streaks marking a black gold-testing stone? Krishna's delicate, leaf-like hands and feet, glowing pink like the rising sun, looked like clusters of lotus flowers floating in the Yamuna.

Sometimes Yasoda saw the curly, dark blue locks of baby Krishna as a swarm of bumblebees surrounding His face. Intoxicated from drinking too much honey nectar, the bees just hovered in the sky. His thick, beautiful blue hair appeared like the dark night. The two lotus eyes of Krishna looked like a pair of blue lotus buds. His cheeks resembled two huge bubbles floating in a lake of liquefied blue sapphires. Krishna's attractive ears looked like a pair of fresh unfurled leaves growing on a blue creeper.

The tip of Krishna's dark nose appeared like the sprout of a tree, and His nostrils looked like bubbles in the Yamuna River, the daughter of the sun god. His lips resembled a pair of red Java flower buds. Krishna's chin rivaled a pair of ripe, redjambu fruits. Seeing the extraordinary beauty of her son fulfilled the purpose of her eyes and submerged Yasoda in an ocean of bliss. The elderly Vrajavasi ladies addressed Vrajaraja Nanda, "O most fortunate one, you fathered a son!" Previously Nanda Maharaja had felt deeply aggrieved over his long-standing inability to obtain a son. His heart was like a small lake that had completely dried up during a long hot summer. But when Nanda Maharaja heard of his son's birth he felt as if the dry lake of his heart had been blessed with a sudden downpour of nectar. The gentle sound of Krishna's voice removed all his grief and lamentation. Now he bathed in the rains of bliss, swam in the ocean of nectar, and felt embraced by the joyful stream of the celestial Ganges.

Eager to see his son, Nanda's body thrilled with astonishment and waves of ecstasy as he stood outside the maternity room. Because he had accumulated heaps of pious activities, it appeared that the King of Vrindavan was now shaking hands with the personification of pious deeds. Anxiously standing in the background, Yogamaya induced Nanda Maharaja to enter the maternity room. He rushed in to see his son, the personified seed of condensed bliss. It seemed that all the auspiciousness of the three worlds now resided within Krishna, the original cause of everything. Nanda saw his son as a perfectly charming person. The kajala around Krishna's eyes looked like lines on a black creeper of beauty. As the very embodiment of Nanda's good fortune, Sri Krishna bloomed like a beautiful flower in a garden of desire trees.

The aparajita flower is compared to the body of the Queen of Vrindavan. Her son is like the representative of the Upanisads that are compared to the fruit of the desire creepers. By seeing his glorious son Nanda felt that he had attained happiness, perfection, and the fulfillment of all his desires. Meeting that embodiment of bliss overwhelmed Nanda with immeasurable satisfaction. He stood motionless, stunned; his hair stood erect and tears flowed from his eyes. He appeared like a person carved in stone or a figure drawn in a painting. For some time Nanda Maharaja remained in this semi-conscious state like a sleeping man about to awaken.

Upananda, Sunanda, and other relatives felt extremely joyful while observing the best ofbrahmanas perform the rites of purification for Krishna's birth. To insure his son's welfare Nanda Maharaja donated newborn calves to each and every brahmana, thus turning their homes into abodes of surabhi cows. These cows had gold and silver plated horns and hooves, and jeweled necklaces adorning their necks. In addition, Vrajapati Nanda filled the courtyards of their homes with hills of gold, jewels, and sesame seeds. While Nanda distributed charity, the kamadhenus, touch- stones, and desire-trees lost their power to produce valuable items. Even the jewel-producing oceans lost their stock of jewels, and the goddess of fortune, the abode of lotuses, had but one lotus in her hand. The auspicious news of Krishna's wonderful appearance spread in all directions by word of mouth. Delight danced in the hearts of Nanda, his brothers Upananda and Sunanda, and all the other gopas. The gopas brought many varieties of delicious dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter, wet cheese, and hard cheese in jewel-studded pots. The pots were tied to the ends of bamboo poles with jute straps and carried on their shoulders. Bedecked with many precious jeweled ornaments, the gopas appeared very handsome. They dressed in beautiful yellow cloth defeating the brilliance of lightning, and held staffs topped with gold and jewels in their lotus hands. As a great ocean spreads its waves in all directions, the birth of Krishna filled the Vrajavasis with unbounded bliss. The gopas and gopis enjoyed a grand festival by happily eating and by splashing each other's bodies with a mixture of yogurt, butter, milk, and condensed milk. The society girls visiting Nanda Maharaja's house experienced more happiness than they had ever felt since their birth. Their minds saturated with joy and satisfaction. Hearing the delightful description of Krishna's birth carried away the chariots of their minds and made them abandon all other duties. They became possessed with the desire to see Krishna.

Sparkling rubies hung from the necklaces adorning the society girls. Their diamond-studded armlets shown more beautifully than drops of crystal clear water. Their jewel inlaid golden bangles boasted unparalleled elegance. For this unique festival they took out some highly ornamental waist-belts from their jewel boxes and tied them around their hips. The sweet jingling of the waist-bells resting on their broad hips enhanced the beauty of these society girls. They attracted the minds of everyone with their bulky golden anklets, loosened hair braids, and graceful gait, which resembled the smooth gliding of swans. Their minds entered a state of enchantment as they gazed upon the captivating beauty of Krishna's transcendental body. To worship Krishna they brought golden trays full of auspicious articles such as fruits, flowers, yogurt, durva grass, uncooked rice, and jewel bedecked lamps. They covered the offering plates with splendid yellow silk cloth and held them in their soft lotus hands. Their jeweled ankle-bells vibrated pleasantly as they walked.

Beholding the astounding beauty of the delicate baby, the society girls considered the purpose of their eyes fulfilled. They perceived Krishna's perfect birth to be like the appearance of the leaves of an important herbal medicine. Krishna resembled a blue lotus floating hi the lake of His parent's affection. After bestowing their blessings for Krishna's prosperity, they worshiped Krishna with fresh flowers and a constant shower of loving glances. With great enthusiasm the society girls glorified Vrajesvari Yasoda since she had attained the essence of all good fortune by having Krishna as her son. Leaving the maternity room, the society girls entered the assembly hall of Nanda Maharaja's palace. Their faces looked exceedingly beautiful as they sung melodious songs, which resembled the soft sweet humming of bees moving amidst a cluster of lotus flowers. All the guests bathed in a nectar shower produced by these soothing sounds. Overwhelmed with love, they filled then- lotus palms with fragrant oil, turmeric paste, and fresh butter and started smearing each other's faces and bodies. They looked very attractive with then* smiling faces and glittering white teeth.

Then: red lips seemed more beautiful than red bandhuka flowers. This incredible display of elegance smashed the pride of the goddess of fortune of the three worlds. Carried away with joy over Krishna's birth, they fearlessly threw cheese balls, butter, and yogurt at each other. One could mistake the white balls of cheese for hailstones, solidified moonlight, or white mud from the floor of the milk ocean. Then they showered each other with buttermilk, aromatic oils, and water mixed with turmeric.

Cymbals, damru drums, bherries, and big drums vibrated auspicious sounds hi specific melodies. A celestial concert of precise poetical meters, proper rhythms, and metrical compositions suddenly manifested there. The musical ensemble inspired the society girls to sing and dance in mirth and merriment. Though not good singers, by the will of the Lord they sang with great virtuoso. Then" wonderful songs filled Nanda Maharaja's heart with joy. The combined vibrations of brahmanas' chanting Vedic hymns, the recitation of Purank lore, and the panegyrists' prayers transformed the ethers into sabda brahman,

The joy of Krishna's birth celebration taxed the drains of Nanda's capital city as they swelled to the brim with milk, yogurt, and other auspicious liquids. Soon rivers of this nectar flooded the streets of the town and permeated the entire atmosphere with a sweet fragrance. Disguising themselves as birds, the demigods descended to Vrajapura to happily drink the flood of nectar. The Vrajavasis decorated their cows with gold and jeweled ornaments. Then in great excitement they smeared them with oil, fresh butter, and turmeric paste. Beholding Krishna in their hearts, these fortunate cows looked like the essence of the earth's auspicious-ness. The whole world resounded with their jubilant bellowing. Absorbed in the ecstasy of Krishna's birth, they forgot about eating and drinking.

The festival drowned the gopis in an ocean of joy. After offering oil, vermilion, garlands, and utensils in charity to all the assembled gopis, Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva, asked them to bless Krishna, Upon completion of the sacrifice, Upananda and the other relatives felt constant happiness while taking their baths. Keeping the King of Vrindavan in the front, Nanda's relatives offered opulent cloth, jeweled ornaments, tambula, garlands, and sandalwood pulp to the guests. Then they humbly requested all in attendance to bless that wonderfully auspicious boy who had just appeared in Vrindavan.

"Glory to the Sri Krishna Samkirtan which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years together. Thus the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death, is extinguished. The Samkirtan Movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction Moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge, it increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it helps us to have a taste of the full nectar for which we are always anxious."

(Every Town & Village, album cover)

On-line Virtual Arati to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai - check it out
http://www.in2-mec.com/GNpuja.html

http://www.hknet.org.nz/harernam-page.htm
http://Harinam/rulestheweb.com

What's So Special About Chanting Hare Krishna?
By Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandan dasa ACBSP):
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/chanting_hare_krishna.htm

Hare Krishna is NOT "a Cult":
Is ISKCON a Cult or part of the "Hindu Culture" or Something Else?
http://www.hknet.org.nz/not-a-cult.html

Hare Krishna is NOT a Cult letter by Kunti dd editor of Hare Krishna World:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/HK-no-cult.html

38 Years of Krishna Consciousness through Iskcon.........
http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa081201a.htm

Very nice articles and numerous links on the About Hinduism web-site.

What is ISKCON ???
http://www.iskcon.org/main/twohk/iskcon/what.htm

Is Iskcon a Cult?
http://www.hknet.org.nz/not-a-cult.html

Iskcon and Hinduism
http://www.hknet.org.nz/IskconHinduism.html

SONGS AND MANTRAS by Vaishnava spiritual masters:
http://web.tiscali.it/no-redirect-tiscali/gopala/Vaishnava-Songs/index.html

Vaishnava Song Book:
http://www.iskcon.org/sastra/f_vs.html
http://www.iskcon.org/sastra/vs_other.html

Listen to or Download for FREE numerous other classes on all kinds of inspiring topics by
advanced devotees in the Krishna Consciousness Movement:

http://www.harekrishna.org.au/speakers/

Listen to Krishna Radio on various subjects on-line:
http://www.krishna.com/newsite/main.php?id=260

Watch Krishna Conscious Devotional and Educational Videos
http://www.harekrishna.org.au/video.htm

Watch for FREE
Life After Life (A Metamorphisis)
Mysteries of the Sacred Universe
Vegetarianism
Madhvacarya meets with Srila Vyasadeva
Kurukshetra: Land of the Bhagavad-Gita
Are you a Carnivore?
Meet Your Meat (Warning! Very Graphic)
Near Death Experience
..............and much more.
http://www.harekrishna.org.au/video.htm

Agama Tantra and the Vaishnava Samskaras as a way of life:

Recently I was asked, "Don't you find it an inconvenience to always be checking to see when is the right time to do this or the best time for that?"

In simple terms my answer was and still is; if you go to the bus or railway station or airport it is probably an intelligent venture to enquire about the times and routes of vehicles than to just hope that one will be along soon, or one is going in your direction.

There are subtle influences in the Universe that, for thousands of years gone by, advanced cultures have honoured, respected and utilised. Before the corruption of the Vedik literatures by the Christian and Moslem invaders to India all these things were used; Ayurvedik Medicine; Vedik Astrology; etc. Today there's a rennaisance among many to revive these arts.

We have been trained and studied to be able to provide these services. See some of my sites:

http://www.hknet.org.nz/jtcd-samskaras.html
http://www.iskcon.net/nz-namahatta/jtcd/1-homepage.html

or contact me directly: mailto:jtcd@xtra.co.nz

aham kratur aham yajnah
svadhaham aham ausadham
mantro 'ham aham evajyam
aham agnir aham hutam

"But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb,
the transcendental chant. I am the butter and the fire and the offering."(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 9.16)

Krishna conscious affirmations:

 Always remember Krishna and never forget Him

Join and receive Krishna conscious affirmations:
mailto:Sravana.SPGTSI@pamho.net

Topical Articles:
Abortion - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-abortion.htm
Genetic Engineering ( GE or GM ) - http://www.hknet.org.nz/GE.html
Environment - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Environment.htm
Encroachment - http://www.hknet.org.nz/WE-Day2004.html
Cloning - http://www.hknet.org.nz/cloning.htm
Science - http://www.hknet.org.nz/science2KC.html
Cow Protection - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Cow-protection.htm
The Four Regulative Principles of Freedom - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Regs-4page.htm
seX-files - http://www.hknet.org.nz/seX-files.htm
Mundane Knowledge - http://www.hknet.org.nz/mundaneknowledge.html
Death (Yamaduttas - Terminal Restlessness etc)- http://www.hknet.org.nz/death.html
Near Death Experience - http://www.hknet.org.nz/NDE.htm
Ghosts - http://www.hknet.org.nz/ghosts.htm
Reincarnation again here - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Reincarnation-page.htm
Gain some insights in the TV culture  - http://www.hknet.org.nz/television.html
The aweful Truth about softdrinks - http://www.hknet.org.nz/theREALthing.html
Changing the face of the Earth - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1390/index.html
UFOs - http://www.hknet.org.nz/UFOs.html
Vegetarianism & Beyond - http://turn.to/Vegetarianism
Articles for newcomers to Krishna consciousness - http://www.krishna.com/newsite/main.php?id=87
Self Help and Motivational pages - Deals and Affiliate programs: - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-selfhelp.html
Myth of the Aryan invasion by Dr. David Frawley: - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Aryan-invasion-mythDF.html

.........many other articles - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-articles.htm

and from there go to the Main Index http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kåñëa], who is always situated in various incarnations such as Räma, Nåsiàha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kåñëa, and who incarnates personally also.” (Brahma samhita 5:39.)

The Devotee List - Iskcon and Gaudiya math(s):
(It's still being developed, and a lot of devotees are not here......)
http://devotee.s5.com/index.html

Still waiting for an internet company to come forward
and give you a massive mailbox for FREE like it's been rumoured for months.

HELP IS HERE AT LAST.

Tired of that wimpy 2mb mailboxs?  rejecting important emails cause
its always overflowing but still too cheap to spring for a "real" ISP..
No computer but need an email address? Need a stealth email address? Got
a friend who fits that description?... Well here are some other free
options for you. Note that a couple of these offer HUGE 100-200mb mail boxes...

http://www.hotmail.com   ..................2 mb
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http://www.myownemail.com ........5 mb
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 http://www.softhome.net ................6 mb
http://www.bigmailbox.com ...........7 mb
http://mail.uk2.net ...........................10 mb
 http://www.gmx.net
http://www.graffiti.net
http://www.hotpop.com
http://www.mail2world
http://www.mail.com
http://www.mailandnews.com
http://www.mail15.com .................15 mb
http://macnews.de .........................20 mb
http://xms.ms ..................................20 mb
http://balls.com ............................100 mb
http://ukonline.net .......................200 mb

Vedik World Heritage pages

Read enlivening articles
See pictures of exhumed relics
Understand conspirital deceptions...
Join the renaissance to rebuild the Golden Age in the Kali-yuga
Find out about Vedik heritage items all around the world.....

Send in your articles and news:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html

updated 21st February 2004

See more similar pages and links http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html and http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-Vedik.htm

Vedik Culture list
 mailto:vediculture-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

A selection of interesting Krishna conscious articles from New Panihati - Atlanta temple USA:
http://newpanihati.tripod.com/NewsGroup/KCNectar/KCNectarMain.htm

Paradigms - where things are not all they seem

Krishna conscious Dramas and plays:
A collection of 88 transcendental dramas assembled and presented for the pleasure of
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/default.htm

Wonderful modern Krishna conscious plays:
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/TableOfContents.htm

These are great for Sunday feasts, or school programs or street presentations, or just for our own understanding.

Read here what Prabhupad says about such plays and dramas:
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/PlaysP2SPquotes.htm

The Formidable Audio page - Bhajans, Kirtans, Lectures many Iskcon devotees:
http://www.iskcon.com.au/Audio.html

and

Bhajans and Kirtans
http://chantandbehappy.com/bhajans/index.html

and

Download latest Real Player for Free:
http://software-dl.real.com/22e4968a89f121132020/windows/mrkt/AUN03D/RealOnePlayerV2GOLD.exe

Listen to audio and view videos on-line here:
http://www.prabhupada.org/prabhupadadesh/a_deposito_oggetti/Archivio_Audio-Video/index.php?q=t&t=EN
http://www.prabhupada.org/prabhupadadesh/a_deposito_oggetti/Archivio_Audio-Video/index.php?q=f&f=%2FAudio
There's literally hundreds of bhajans, kirtans and videos segments to check out.............try all the folders too.......

Nectar for kids and adults alike:
http://www.rasa-music.com/Bodies/body-shop.html

...........more Audio sites linked HERE

Articles of Interest

A Message to the Youth of India
 by His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami

India—ancient, modern, mystical, alive.  A vast land of lofty mountains, broad plains, mighty rivers, throbbing cities.  A people searching for identity in a changing world.  A land of contradictions that, if overcome, could burst forth as a leader among nations.
This India, incomparable, unique, is more diverse than any other place on earth.  Nearly a billion people, of multiple languages, castes, opinions, and creeds, squeezed together, struggling to survive.  India groans, but, remarkably, doesn’t collapse.  Each new day still follows on the next with India as a nation still intact.  Her people, a seething mass, seem ever ready to explode in reckless anarchy.  Yet an intrinsic oneness, a sense of being Indian, invisibly binds all together.  That “Indian-ness” is a legacy of her timeless culture—the world’s oldest, most elaborate and most sophisticated.
But modern India is definitely a land of change.  Change is the way of the world, and nothing new to India either.  This “change” has recently been decorated by the word “progress.” Unfortunately, in terms of actual human civilization and happiness, the process of change in India has been one of gradual decline.
Since the beginning of Kali-yuga five thousand years ago, ungodly forces have been eroding India’s cultural sanctity from within.  Kali-yuga’s influence began with the downfall of the brahmana community.  These saintly spiritual leaders of society became degraded by claiming superiority on the basis of birth alone.  According to shastra (Vedic scripture), capable sons of lower families, if possessed of intellectual disposition, could also be trained as brahmanas.  By limiting brahmanism to a family tradition and thus practicing perfidy in the name of religion, downfall began.  The original varnashrama system allowed all classes of men to be trained according to their qualities and abilities.  Later, Hindu society distorted into a stunted caste system based on false privilege and exploitation, pervaded by empty ritualism in the upper castes, discontent among the lower castes, and a lack of spirituality throughout.
Thus weak and sick internally, Bharata, which once ruled the world, fell to the invading Moguls some thousand years ago.  The invaders gained political control by rule of arms and solidified their position by promoting their faith.  Finding ready converts among oppressed lower-caste Hindus, their numbers swelled as a large section of India’s population abandoned the religion of their forefathers.  The coming of the Moguls thus started a new chapter of cultural degradation.
The British accelerated the decline by deliberately attacking and undermining Indian thought and culture.  “Everything Indian is inferior, everything Western best”—so they taught.  Now the British have gone, but their legacy remains.  They de-Indianized India so well that their disciples—the educated Indians—became the new gurus of Westernization.  Indians, of course, are different from Westerners.  Their artificial attempt to be the same is simply a poor imitation.  Still, modern Indians accept Western standards of dress, thinking and living, practically as a new dharma.  As a result, fifty years of independence have degraded India more than a thousand years of foreign rule.  India, politically free, is a slave of foreign ideas.1
After independence, India adopted a policy of industrial expansion.  In pursuit of Western style affluence, the economic system was turned upside down, the ancient culture shaken up, and the natural environment raped.  The educational system was geared to turn out innumerable slavish morons for a vast socio-economic system based on exploitation.  Still, after so much endeavour, India’s economic position is not good.  Even those who work hard for a degree consider themselves lucky just to have a modest income and a little place to live in.
 Most Indians have benefitted very little from technological developments.  Crores still live in slovenly poverty, with a few modern trinkets—a radio, maybe a two-in-one, a TV and a VCR—meant to keep them happy.  Living in hope of a future high-tech paradise, reality for most is a squalid struggle for survival.
Another major cause of India’s decay has been a cheap approach to religion.  By accepting all kinds of bogus ideas, false avat€ras, and questionable gurus, Indians have been their own worst enemies.  Seeing their culture in such a deplorable condition, quasi-sophisticates, influenced by “rationalism” and apparently somewhat embarrassed about being Indian, try to pretend that Indian culture doesn’t exist.  Modern Indians prefer that India be recognized for her industrial achievements rather than her spiritual heritage.  Therefore change (Change!! Change!!) is the order of the day.  Everything alters so rapidly that we are left mentally breathless, unable to imagine what is coming next.  We have no time to consider whether we are changing for better or worse.
Change is taking place not only externally but internally also, in the way people think.  Attitudes are changing, and the result is not good.  The overwhelming trend is towards petty selfishness.
Our great-grandfathers, if alive today, might wonder if they were in the same country.  Constant materialistic propaganda from cinema, TV and magazines spoils peoples’ brains and makes them lusty, greedy and nasty.  Especially in India, for better or worse (mostly for worse), the mass media are rapidly changing the way people think.
Even the so-called intellectuals are steeped in a totally erroneous, materialistic world view.  Being products of an educational system that has deliberately killed their spiritual intelligence, they only imagine that they think for themselves.
Despite all this, Indians are still Indians, although they may not be sure what it means to be Indian.  Therefore, despite trying hard, they cannot completely give up their own culture.  Nor can they become fully Westernized.  Caught between tradition and modernity, India is left with the worst of both worlds.  The greatest sufferers are India’s youth, who have to build their lives in a society that gives them no clear direction.
 “Are we supposed to be just like Westerners?” the youth ask.  “Even if we wanted to be completely Westernized, is it possible for us? Even if it were possible, is it desirable? What about our customs, culture and religion? Can’t we take the good things of Indian life and mix them with the best of the West?”
This mental tug-of-war goes on in young people’s minds, over old values and new.  For example, tradition requires youth to respect elders and care for them in old age.  But the modern era has seen the demise of the joint family.  “Family” used to mean uncles, aunts, cousins, widows, and in-laws living together under one roof.  The demands of city life, combined with the selfishness of consumer society, are killing the joint family.  “Family” now usually means father, mother and two or three children.  Whereas the joint family functions on cooperation between many members, the small-family spirit is “Care for as few as possible.  Throw out your parents and have less children.” Naturally, family values are declining, as the divorce rate shows.  For thousands of years, divorce amongst Hindus simply did not exist.  Nowadays, it is becoming like the West—a little squabble and they are ready to finish the whole thing.
Furthermore, the pressures of modern life create tension in the home.  Many teenagers now openly disregard their parents.  They ask: “Why should I do what you say? I can look after myself.  I don’t need you!” They see their parents as suppressive guardians of an old-fashioned morality that they don’t want imposed on them.  While parents worry about drugs, free sex and the rest, the kids want to enjoy.  Who can stop them?
“Jump a mobike, hit the road.  We’ll do as we like, think as we like, dress as we like!”
The break from conservatism is most clearly expressed in the quest for sex.  Today’s youths, soaked in cinema and disco vibes, are hungry for sex.  Showing off their fashion clothes and fancy hairstyles, young men and women mix freely.  Emboldened by what they see on the screen, unmarried couples publicly indulge in loose sexual behaviour.  Ten years ago it was another world, a different scene.  Yesteryear’s culture receives hammer blows by the day.
Even the schools not only fail to uphold morality, but also contribute to the rot.  Traditional Indian schooling imparted character training and knowledge of God.  Modern education teaches that we have evolved by chance from monkeys.  “No need of God.” No mention of God.  “Science is God.  Science will solve all our problems” (a hopeless hope).  Not only from the TV and cinema, but even at school, kids learn to lie, cheat, brag, use foul language, fight, make politics, smoke, drink, use drugs, and get into sex.
Of course, only a small percentage of young people are outright rogues and ruffians.  It is a great credit to the youth of India that despite so many bad influences, they are not more spoiled.  The vast majority are fairly decent folk.  For even now, the tendency of Indians is to be religious.  Their karma and their background give them an inherent faith in God.  After all, India is punya-bhumi, dharma-bhumi.  But exposure to innumerable nonsense ideas has Indians, especially young people, asking, “Is there really any God? Can the existence of God be proved? Why should we believe all these things?” In India, the land of religion, the land of wisdom, the young people want disco.  Not caring for the ??is and €c€ryas, they idolize monkey-like rock ‘n’ roll stars.  The exalted culture of the past is being forgotten, for modern Indians prefer to imitate meat-eaters and drunkards.
Even those young people who are religious often hide their feelings, being afraid of scorn.  The spiritual aspirations of India’s youth are subverted by the social pressure of atheism.  However, their material desires are being fed at every moment.
A practical example.  The cinema and TV show people with a high standard of material opulence.  But most Indians cannot ever hope to enjoy a very luxurious lifestyle.  They have to struggle just to get food, clothing and shelter.  They see, they want, they cannot get.  Result: frustration.
Almost all the fantasy dramas on screen emphasize sex (and violence).  Watching sexy movies causes lust to burn the heart like fire.  Sex has become ridiculously over-stressed.  Naturally, young people become all excited about it.  But instead of getting any enjoyment from sex, they just feel stifled by unfulfilled desires.  Hot lust, no scope, sex starvation, simply frustration.
Traditional Indian culture teaches not to over-emphasize sex.  The more one becomes interested in sex, the further he descends to the level of animals.  Sex seems good, but is the cause of so many problems.
Another anxiety that young people grow up with is the hope/disappointment syndrome.  “What will happen in the future? Maybe I will excel in my studies and go to America.  Or at least get a good job at home.” The possibilities are exciting.
But the reality, for many, is bitter.  Every year, thousands of bright young men and women graduate into joblessness.  Carrying their hopes and spending their family’s money, they shed blood, sweat and tears on a twenty year crawl up the educational ladder.  From kindergarten, to primary school, to high school, to university, to. . . nothing.  No job.  They worked so hard, so long, to get that prized piece of paper, “Certificate of Graduation,” only to find it, for all practical purposes, useless.  For these highly educated failures, the world seems cruel.
It is not uncommon to get five thousand applicants for fifty jobs or to see “Graduate Driver” painted on an autorickshaw, or a “Graduate Pan Shop.” After so much education, they get a job that even an illiterate person can do quite capably without a B.Sc., B.A.  or even S.S.C.
So, our college-going youth may act real cool, as if they had not a care in the world.  But inside, the anxiety burns: “Will I hit the jackpot or crash into disaster?”
Still another anxiety of young people concerns their future marriage.  Everyone hopes for an agreeable spouse, and simultaneously fears the worst—an unfaithful or incompatible partner.  Young women especially hope more and fear more.  Every girl hopes for a husband who will love her and care for her.  But romantic dreams often turn into nightmares.  The husband may be a drunkard, give dowry harassment, beat the wife cruelly, or worse.  At the wedding everyone is smiling, but there is no predicting what the future will bring.  Young couples start out with great hope, but in the modern age, family life is all too often not “home-sweet-home.”
The position of women has much declined.  In traditional Indian culture, women were considered almost sacred.  They were protected and adored for their virtue of chastity.  Men were trained to see all women (except their own wife) as mothers.  Now, in the name of liberty, women have learned from TV and cinema to mix freely with men and to dress and behave to attract them.  Men view women as usable objects of sex enjoyment.  Therefore, young women (especially) have to live with the fear of molestation.  Respect for women is “out of date.”
Another problem many young people face is the generation gap.  They can’t understand, nor be understood, by their elders.  Today’s kids enjoy computers and mobikes the way their parents had fun with transistor radios.  The world is open for today’s liberated youth: drugs, blue movies, booze, loose sex, violence—watch out, the kids are getting into it.
Parents think to protect their children by imposing restrictions on them.  But the kids rebel.  They want to do what they like.  “I’m young, I’m strong, I’m healthy, I want to enjoy.  Why shouldn’t I?” The older generation laments, “Our children don’t listen to us.  They don’t care for what we say.  They don’t relate to us.” But if parents are unable to give any clear direction to their kids, what do they expect? If the older generation is totally materialistic, absorbed in maintaining and improving a comfortable standard of living, how can they hope that their kids will have higher values? In the unrelenting quest for money (Money!! Money!!) where does the question of right and wrong come in? “Right” means to succeed materially.  “Wrong” means to fail.  Moral instructions are imparted as a convenience to try to keep the kids in line.  Naturally, giving pious speeches but setting an example of selfishness cannot fool the educated youth of today.  If today’s youths are cynical, disenchanted, misguided or out-and-out materialists, greedy or even violent, it’s at least partly because the older generation contributed to the spoiling of their character.
Like it or not, today’s generation is different.  Look at the way they dress.  All fashion and hairstyle, they move around the streets showing themselves off to each other like actors on a stage.  They zoom around on tinny little mobikes, making a big noise, as if they were film stars.  Some are totally corrupt and spoiled.  Some students have their impressionable minds perverted by gangster-type politicians, who deliberately mould them into anti-social monsters.  Such lawless young devils have no respect for their professors, fellow students or anyone else.  Always ready to inflict violence on those who even verbally oppose them, they forcibly impose strikes at whim, regularly terrorize and disrupt campus life, spoil the morale and good name of educational institutions, and generally take pleasure in making others’ lives miserable.
Thus we find today’s youth of India, at best, simply confused; at worst, demons in human form.  Overall, most young people are still good at heart, but much misguided by materialistic propaganda.
After this analysis of the problems and aspirations of the young people of India today, the question is: what is our message to the youth of India?
This is our recommendation: Don’t be fooled by maya, illusion.  Young people are easily enamoured by the glitter of material life.  They think, “If I get a good job, work hard and earn good money, I’ll be a success.  I’ll be happy.” Foolish hope.  Since time immemorial, everyone has been trying to be happy in this material world, and no-one has succeeded yet.  As eternal spirit souls, we belong to the spiritual world, and can only be happy in spiritual activity.  So, to be attracted to that little glimmer of materialism is not very intelligent.  The young, especially students, are expected to be perceptive, so they should use their intellect to find out, “Who am I? What is the meaning of life?”
Please don’t get caught on the superficial platform.  Try to understand who you are.  You are not the body.  Ultimately, you are not even Indian! You are not made to enjoy this material world.  You are pure spirit soul (Atma), part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, Krishna.  By your good fortune, as a result of previous pious activities, you have attained birth in a human body in the land of India.
Of course, nowadays, people think that birth in America is most fortunate.  America is considered the most advanced country in the world.  Almost all young Indians would go to America if they got the chance.
But for spiritual advancement, India is best.  Human life is valuable and is attained only after many, many births.  Humans can inquire about God.  Animals cannot.  Having attained a human birth, we should at least be thoughtful.  We should take a break in our rushed existence to consider: “Who am I? Where have I come from? What happens after death? What is the purpose of life? What about God and my relationship with Him?” Only if we ask such questions do we give real purpose to our human lives.
Human birth in India is especially precious, for India’s very atmosphere, culture and tradition gives all opportunities to advance in pious life.  Those born as humans in India naturally tend towards spiritual development.  Generally only persons who have executed pious activities in previous lives get the chance of human birth in India.
Even those born in non-Hindu families are at an advantage by being born in India.  Those who impartially study the Vedic message, especially the devotional teachings of the Vaishnava Acharyas, must conclude, as so many Westerners also have, that the monotheistic traditions of the world find their conclusion in Vaishnavism (Krishna consciousness).  Krishna consciousness is nonsectarian in the true sense of the term, for it transcends such designations like “Hindu” or “non-Hindu.” The Atma, or self, is neither Hindu nor non-Hindu—it is an eternal particle of God.  Therefore Indians born in non-Hindu families should not approach Krishna consciousness in a sectarian way, as if it were another partisan dogma.  Krishna consciousness is not an ordinary religion.  It is a serious education in spiritual values.  Those who reject Krishna consciousness out of small-minded sectarianism deny themselves the opportunity to find the topmost religious fulfillment.
Therefore, our fervent appeal to all Indians, especially the young and inquisitive, is this: don’t be fooled by the glittering fantasy of maya.  Human life is not meant for decorating the body and riding around on a motorbike.  It is not meant simply for getting a comfortable home, a nice spouse, or a so-called good job.  Human life is meant for understanding God.  You have been born in the land with the greatest culture.  That Vedic culture, based on the dynamic quest for love of God, is eternal, universally applicable, and supremely pure.  It’s essence cannot be polluted in any way.  But having been misrepresented by innumerable cheaters, your original culture (sanatana-dharma) is now passing as mundane “Hindu religion.” Temples and priests remain, but spiritual substance is lacking.  India is dragging on with the hollow remnants of Vedic culture.
Under the circumstances, it is not surprising if intelligent people are skeptical of what is now called “Hinduism.” Educated Indians, rightly, have little taste for empty ritualism in the name of religion.  They fear the type of fundamentalist revival that threatens to plunge us back into medieval bigotry and repression.  However, if they got something of real substance, a zestful, intellectually satisfying way to know ourselves and God, then why should they not take it? Krishna consciousness is that real thing, the genuine representation of Vedic culture in the modern age.
Vedic culture is not in itself bad.  Those who are intelligent enough to doubt should realize that a good thing badly presented doesn’t make it bad.  Vedic wisdom is vast and comprehensive.  It not only comes from an ancient past, but is still followed in one form or another by millions today.  The Vedic teachings are becoming a major cultural influence throughout the world.  That modern man, with his unlimited resources of knowledge, is still attracted to Indian culture, indicates that it cannot be without substance.  The spiritual message of India has not been invalidated by her present weak cultural condition.  That the Vedic teachings have been distorted for personal gain does not alter their truths.
Actual knowledge never changes.  The knowledge of the Vedas is unchangeable because it is based on the Absolute Truth.  Untruths propagated in the name of truth cannot change the Absolute Truth.  Five thousand years ago, Lord Krishna summarized that truth in the Bhagavad-gita, the essence of the Vedas.  That we now have TVs, cars and computers do not render it irrelevant.  The Gita is as fresh and alive today as ever.  Those whose intelligence has not been dulled by crass materialism can appreciate the message of the Gita  Others cannot.
In the Gita, Krishna’s first instructions tell us who we are and what is our position in the universe.  In one verse, He gives us more factual information about  reality than taught in all the schools and universities of the world.

dehino ’smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara praptir
dheeras tatra  na  muhyati

These are the ABC’s of spiritual knowledge.  Krishna explains that we are not these bodies but the soul (Atma) within the body.  The body continuously changes, from boyhood, to youth, to old age.  The final change, called death, entails the soul’s leaving its old body and taking a new one.
The body is vinashi—it must be destroyed.  We are avinashi, Atma, never to be destroyed.  Under the influence of maya, we are trapped in material bodies.  We transmigrate in this material world from body to body to body, birth after birth after birth.  Despite all our endeavours in various types of bodies, we can never be happy in this world of repeated birth and death.  Therefore we should try to understand our actual spiritual position.  Despite our machines and technology, the fact remains: material existence is miserable.  Krishna describes this world in Bhagavad-gita (8.14) as duhkalayam ashashvatam, a place of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.  Krishna further explains how the Atma becomes entangled in maya and how he may become disentangled.  He describes reincarnation, karma, the material and spiritual worlds, the demigods, and much more.  Ultimately Krishna reveals Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Bhagavad-gita is a summary of all transcendental knowledge.  Although brief, it is complete and perfect.  The Gita teaches all that is explained in other scriptures of the world and also reveals truths not found elsewhere.
But the youth of modern India are so unfortunate that in the land where Bhagavad-gita was spoken, they are not taught the lessons of the Gita.  Bhagavad-gita is studied and respected throughout the world.  But so-called “modern” Indians do not know what it teaches and do not want to know.  Such a great land of spiritual culture—what a horrible condition India has come to! Sexy cinema magazines sell like hot cakes, but Bhagavad-gita: “We are not interested in these things.”
Of course, many of the youth of India, despite all social pressures, do have at least a little interest in topics of spiritual knowledge.  Such young people would do well to study Chapter Sixteen of Bhagavad-gita, “The Divine and Demoniac Natures,” to understand which direction their life is leading in.
Fearlessness, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity, simplicity, nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquillity, aversion to faultfinding, compassion for all living entities, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, steady determination, vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, and freedom from envy and from the passion for honour—these transcendental qualities belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.
Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance—these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature.  The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage.  (Bhagavad-gita, 16.1-5)
Krishna also says in the Gita:
My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the value of life.  They lead not to higher planets but to infamy.  Do not yield to this degrading impotence.  It does not become you.  Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy!  (Bhagavad-gita 2.2 & 3)
Those who want to be godly should approach a bona-fide spiritual master, who teaches and acts exactly according to Bhagavad-gita as it is (not as he imagines it to be).  Such inquisitive persons must be careful of cheaters posing as spiritual teachers.  A real spiritual master clearly establishes that there is God, that He is a