Vrinda Kunda 8th Anniversary

Festival

Next month marks the auspicious 8th Anniversary of Vrinda Kunda Temple opening! To celebrate we are organizing special parikramas to the Holy Places of Braja, culminating with our famous Kalash Yatra, an ecstatic Sankirtan procession with the ladies carrying water pots with coconuts on their heads. Programs will be going on from 15-27 Feb with the main parikrama days between 19 and 26.

Last year there was Purusottama Month, so all the festival dates are late this year and the Vrindavan Festival after Gaura Purnima will be late and very hot! Better to come to Vrindavan first, and then go on to Mayapur Festival and leave after Gaura Purnima when it starts to get hot! And our festival ends with plenty of time to reach for Navadvipa Mandal Parikrama which starts on 6th March!

We will be leaving almost every morning from Krishna Balaram Mandir by bus to go on parikrama to different pastime places of Braja. There will be lively narrations of the different pastimes that happened in each place. Then we will return in time for lunch prasadam in the temple. And on all bus parikramas, Sannyasis and Prabhupada Disciples and their families will go free of charge.

Then on Sunday 27th Feb., we will be having the super ecstatic Kalash Yatra and sankirtan procession around Nandagrama. Kalash means water pot. All the ladies will carry water pots of water from the sacred Pavana Sarovara with colorful cloth and coconuts on top. We'll have 108 pots and the Brijbasi ladies will train our foreign lady devotees how to carry them. Even some of our own ladies who go every year will train them! The Brijbasinis even dance with no hands with their pots on their heads! All the ladies who have participated told me it was the highlight of their Vrindavan experience.

After reaching at Vrinda Kunda, there will be Krishna Katha, butter churning festival, artika and then feast for one and all. Then everyone can help feed all the Nandagram Brijbasis. That day all transportation and prasad will be free for all who come.

So start planning now to come relish wonderful Vaisnava association in the Holy Dhama. Especially for those who are going to the Anniversary Festivals at Tirupati, Ujjain, and Aravade on Nityananda Trayodasi and are wondering what to do till Mayapur Festival starts, most of our parikramas will take place after Nityananda Trayodasi. We'll publish the schedule soon, so watch for it.

KRISHNA

Now here's a story from the Marathon in Czech Republic:

Srila Prabhupada's marathon has just ended. As usual, it was full of mercy, both in terms of realizations and in the number of books distributed. When the marathon started, the first winter frosts came, yet we headed to the mountainous part of the Czech Republic. On the first day we were scheduled to go out on the street I was ill with a fever, but I felt I had to go out because I had been asked to teach a devotee doing traveling sankirtan for the first time that week. The day was hard -- people refused me -- but I prayed for mercy. All of a sudden a very interesting fellow appeared, and I approached him. At that moment I strongly felt that Krishna had taken charge of the situation, and my consciousness changed. The whole atmosphere seemed pervaded with a strong mystical quality. The boy said he had read "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" and began to challenge me, saying "How can the Bhagavad-gita be better than 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead?'" I replied by pointing
out the rarity and comprehensive depth of Bhagavad-gita. He finally came to the point of saying "I'm surely God." I reacted by taking a Krishna book out of the pushcart, putting the book in front of his face, saying, "He is God and he is guru (pointing to "Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita") who teaches us about Him!" Our strong discussion gradually ended. Finally, the guy carried off five books and some japa beads. I left him my contact numbers, asking him to write me after he'd read the books.

A few months later I received a text message: "With humility I must admit I am not God." A few text conversations ensued. Then I decided to visit him near the place where we'd met. After all, along with the books he'd purchased some japa-mala, and for some time he'd been writing me to show him how to chant on them. At present he chants about ten rounds a day, follows the regulative principles, and regularly visits devotees. He is very inspired; his inspiration is obviously not a superficial sentiment but springs from a good understanding of the philosophy.

Lord Rama's worship of Lord Shiva

Giriraja: At one of the programs, somebody raised the question that we cited that Lord Siva is worshiping Krsna, that he is a Vaisnava. So that person replied that Lord Rama also worshiped Siva. So he wanted to know the explanation.

Lokanatha: You explained yesterday.
Prabhupada: Sometimes Krsna is chastised by mother Yasoda. So how is that? The Supreme Personality of Godhead is being chastised by mother Yasoda?
Giriraja: He likes to be chastised. It's part of the relationship.
Prabhupada: Similarly, He likes to worship His devotee. Sometimes the father takes the child on his shoulder. Does it mean the child is more important than the father? They say the Valmiki Ramayana, there is no such incidence as Ramacandra worships Siva. It is later on, interpretation. But even if He does so, what is the wrong here?
Harikesa: That later-on Ramayana has caused some havoc.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Harikesa: That later-on interpretation?
Prabhupada: Yes, the Saivaites, they want to make Lord Siva the exalted Supreme Person. In South India there is good propaganda. That is always going on.
Lokanatha: When Lord Siva says in Puranas that mukti-pradapah sarvesam visnu... (sic)
Prabhupada: Hm?
Lokanatha: Purana, the same Lord Siva says there is no other liberated besides Visnu.
Devotee: ...engagement, one devotee commented that the reason that Lord Rama worshiped Lord Siva was because He wanted to kill Ravana and Ravana was a
devotee of Siva, so Lord Rama worshiped Siva in that respect.
Prabhupada: Hm? What is that?
Harikesa: He said that because Lord Siva was, ah, excuse me, Ravana was a devotee of Lord Siva, that in order that Lord Ramacandra could kill Ravana, He worshiped Siva.
Kirtanananda: He wanted to take permission of him, so they say. Rama wanted to take permission from Siva...
Prabhupada: So Siva is so rascal that he gave permission? That means they are trying to prove Siva is a rascal. (devotees laugh) Because he gave permission to kill his devotee. Then what is the use of his, of one becoming Siva's devotee? If such a rascal that one can take his permission to kill his devotee, so what is the use of becoming a devotee of such a rascal? Huh?
Harikesa: He protected Banasura.
Prabhupada: Huh? What is that? That means that proving that Siva is a rascal. He gave permission to kill his devotee. Then what is the use? Then nobody should become Siva's devotee. That is the conclusion. Because he gives permission to somebody else to kill his devotee. They are trying to prove Lord Siva is a rascal. What do you think? Huh? If I want your permission, please give me your permission, I shall kill your son, and if you say, "Yes, I give my permission," then are you not a rascal? By this example they are making Lord Siva a rascal, that he has no common sense even.
Indian man: (Hindi)
Prabhupada: No, if this proposition is there, that Lord Siva gives permission for killing his devotee, then who will become his devotee? Huh? Is it not?
Indian man: Yes.
Prabhupada: No sane man will become his devotee. All the manufactured foolish statements, just see. Any commonsense man will immediately say, "Then Siva is a rascal; he cannot give protection to his devotee." What do you think? Huh?
Kirtanananda: Of course, Srila Prabhupada, does one have to give protection to their devotee if they break the law? Just like if you have a child, and he murders someone, isn't he supposed to be punished? So if someone goes against the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even if you are a devotee, shouldn't Siva concur?
Prabhupada: No, no. That is another thing. This proposal, that because Lord Ramacandra approached Lord Siva to kill Ravana, and he gave permission, although Ravana was his great devotee. Then what is the use of becoming devotee of Lord Siva? He gives permission. Huh? Is that very reasonable proposal? If I ask your permission that I shall kill your son, will you give permission? No. Then? So Lord Siva gives permission to Lord Ramacandra, "Yes, You can kill Ravana," then what is the use of becoming his devotee?
Harikesa: I think Dr. Patel would say that it's not fair, you have fired the opposition.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Harikesa: It's not fair. You have completely destroyed the opposition. (Prabhupada laughs) There is no question of fight.
Prabhupada: The actual fact is that Lord Siva did not give permission, but he did not go to protect Ravana, because he knew that it was impossible to give him protection. That is summarized in Bengali, rakhe krsna mare ke, mare krsna rakhe ke. If Krsna kills somebody, wants to kill somebody, nobody can give him protection. That is the conclusion.