August 2010
Monthly Archive
August 31, 2010
August 30, 2010
Srila Prabhupada’s Master Plan For New Vrindaban
Posted by Madhava Gosh under Cows and EnvironmentLeave a Comment
“Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban. Vrindaban is also known as Gokula. Go means cows, and kula means congregation. Therefore the special feature of New Vrindaban will be cow protection, and by doing so, we shall not be loser.”
Letter to Hayagriva 14 June 1968 (Montreal)
“Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krsna Himself exhibited in Vrindavana. Agriculture and protecting cows, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindavan, and above all simply loving Krsna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krsna, and in New Vrindavan we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.”
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Kirtanananda Swami…27th July 1973
“You say we must have a gosala trust, that is our real purpose. krsi-goraksya-vanijyam vaisya karma svabhava-jam, [Bg 18.44]. Where there is agriculture there must be cows. That is our mission: Cow protection and agriculture and if there is excess, trade. This is a no-profit scheme. For the agriculture we want to produce our own food and we want to keep cows for our own milk. The whole idea is that we are ISKCON, a community to be independent from outside help. This farm project is especially for the devotees to grow their own food. Cotton also, to make their own clothes. And keeping cows for milk and fatty products.”
Letter to: Yasomatinandana — Vrindaban 28 November, 1976
“Prabhupada: Yes. Anyway, just inquire. These are our garden flowers.
Jayatirtha: Oh, very nice.
Prabhupada: This is also?
Bhagavan: Yes.
Prabhupada: Yes. Anything grown in the garden, that is hundred times valuable than it is purchased from the market.”
Room Conversation With French Commander — August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm)
“Without protection of cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical culture, the aim of life cannot be fulfilled.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 8: Chapter Twenty-four, Text 5: PURPORT
“One cannot become spiritually advanced without acquiring the brahminical qualifications and giving protection to cows. ”
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 6: Chapter Eighteen, Text 52:PURPORT
“The basic principle of economic development is centered on land and cows.”
SB 1.10.4
“Prabhupada: …They are interested with these bricks and stones, not green vegetables. Such a rascal government. Give them facility. We know how to do it. Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah, yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]. Let them engage in kirtana. There will be more water for gardening, and it will be moist, and then produce fodder for the animals and food for you. And animal gives you milk. That is Vrndavana life. And they are absorbed in this so-called opulence. Krsna has taken birth.
“They are bringing so many nice, pleasant foodstuff, very well-dressed and ornamented. These are description. In the morning we were reading. How they were happy, the inhabitants of Vrndavana with Krsna and living and cows. That I want to introduce. At any cost do it and… Don’t bother about big, big buildings. It is not required. Useless waste of time. Produce. Make the whole field green. See that. Then whole economic question solved. Then you eat sumptuous. Eat sumptuously. The animal is happy. The animal even does not give milk; let them eat and pass stool and urine. That is welcome. After all, eating, they will pass stool. So that is beneficial, not that simple milk is beneficial. Even the stool is beneficial.
“Therefore I am asking so much here and…, “Farm, farm, farm, farm…” That is not my program — Krsna’s program. Annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14]. Produce greenness everywhere, everywhere. Vrndavana. It is not this motorcar civilization. If it has taken in his brain, then it is to be understood that he can do this plan. He’ll be able. ”
Conversation Pieces — May 27, 1977, Vrndavana
Letter from Tamal Krsna Goswami, Secretary to Srila Prabhupada, to Hari Sauri Das, ISKCON Melbourne, August 10th, 1977 (sent from Krsna Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana):
“Srila Prabhupada always enjoys hearing from you as you have gained an eternal position at His Divine Grace’s lotus feet. Srila Prabhupada appreciated your opening prayers.
“Srila Prabhupada was most enlivened to hear the report of New Govardhana Farm. His Divine Grace in the last month or so has been stressing the importance of these farm projects, and said, “This is the next aspect of Krsna consciousness which I wish to push forward. If I am able to travel again, then I shall visit the farms and make them perfect. On these farms we can demonstrate the full varnasrama system. If these farms become successful then the whole world will be enveloped by Krsna consciousness.
“From your letter I can understand how nice this farm is. I am very happy to see fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, grains, the devotees taking sumptuous prasadam and chanting Hare Krsna. This is the actual meaning of human life. It is a very good farm, from your letter I can understand. Whatever you build, get the building materials locally. If you can manufacture tiles locally, then your house problem is solved. Build up bamboo frame, and on it place tiles. In any event get everything locally. I wish to make a farm tour and then I shall surely visit your farm.”
“I suggested to Srila Prabhupada that he was the Farm Acarya, but Srila Prabhupada said, “Krsna is the Farm Acarya. Baladeva is holding a plow, and Krsna is holding the calf. Krsna advised Nanda Maharaja not to perform Indra puja but to worship the land, Govardhana because it was supplying all foodstuffs for the residents of Vrndavana and the cows as well.” So Srila Prabhupada wants you to develop this farm very nicely as it will be the future program to present to the world as the ideal of Krsna consciousness. In the cities, we are interested for preaching but we cannot present the ideal varnasrama system, this is only possible at the farms, so they are very important.”
(end letter)
“TRANSLATION
“In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows. because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahmana.
” PURPORT
“The words of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the greatest authority, herein clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and protecting them. Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they do not even care about the words of an authority. ”
Adi-lila: Chapter Seventeen, Text 111
August 27, 2010
I have been weeding, harvesting, planting fall crops, dehydrating, freezing, cooking tomatoes into freezable sauce, numerous non food producing projects, recuperating on the couch.
Repeat. I swing from very busy to very tired and not having enough energy to deal with everything.
The blog is suffering.
August 20, 2010
Fate of Universe revealed by galactic lens
By Howard Falcon-Lang
Science reporter
The huge galactic cluster known as Abell 1689 acted as a cosmic magnifying glass. A “galactic lens” has revealed that the Universe will probably expand forever.
Astronomers used the way that light from distant stars was distorted by a huge galactic cluster known as Abell 1689 to work out the amount of dark energy in the cosmos.
Understanding the distribution of this force revealed that the likely fate of the Universe was to keep on expanding.
It will eventually become a cold, dead wasteland, researchers say.
The study, conducted by an international team led by Professor Eric Jullo of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, is published in the journal Science.
Dark energy makes up three-quarters of our Universe but is totally invisible. We only know it exists because of its effect on the expansion of the Universe.
To work out how dark energy is spread through space, astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe the way that light from distant stars was distorted around Abell 1689, a nearby cluster of galaxies.
Abell 1689, found in the constellation of Virgo, is one of the biggest galactic clusters known to science.
Light bends around massive galaxy clusters, allowing distant objects to be seen
Because of its huge mass, the cluster acts as a cosmic magnifying glass, causing light to bend around it.
The way in which light is distorted by this cosmic lens depends on three factors: how far away the distant object is; the mass of Abell 1689; and the distribution of dark energy.
The astronomers were able to measure the first two variables using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, enabling them to calculate this crucial third factor.
Cold comfort
Knowing the distribution of dark energy tells astronomers that the Universe will continue to get bigger indefinitely.
Eventually it will become a cold, dead wasteland with a temperature approaching what scientists term “absolute zero”.
My take on the above:
I am shivering already! (not)
> Professor Priyamvada Natarajan of Yale University, a leading cosmologist and
> co-author of this study, said that the findings finally proved “exactly what
> the fate of the Universe will be”.
LOL, At least the fate of the Universe until Vishnu stops exhaling and starts inhaling. :-)
Jagad-anda-nathah means… Jagad-anda means universe. In each universe there is a natha, or the supervisor, or the manager, or the supreme person. Just like for management we are. Similarly, in each universe there is Lord Brahma. He is the supreme creature, manager. So these managers live only to that period when Maha-Visnu exhales. When the nisvasita-kalam. Just like we exhale and inhale, so… But exhaling the all these universes are created, and at His inhale they go into the Maha-Visnu, in the… The coming and going.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.37 — Bombay, December 6, 1974
> Dark energy is a mysterious force that speeds up the expansion of the
> Universe.
Oooh! So mysterious! Although Europeans often misinterpreted the Lakota word “Wakan Tanka” as “Great Spirit” it is more properly translated as “Great Mystery”.
“O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these three worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing these innumerable pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of how Your spiritual energy acts.”
SB 10.14.21
August 11, 2010
Gosh Podiums AT 2010 National Kidney Foundation Transplant Games
Posted by Madhava Gosh under Liver Transplant, Sports1 Comment
I won a silver medal at the National Kidney Foundation 2010 transplant Games in Madison , WI. in the men’s 60-69 age group 800 meter.
It isn’t as great as it sounds at first. Note that no one is standing on the Bronze medal platform because there was only 2 of us in the event. The winner lapped me before I finished the first lap of two. Got the medal mainly for showing up and finishing the race. My goal was to run the distance without having to stop and walk from time to time like I had to in 2008 and I did achieve that.
I have adopted as my motto something I heard from a woman who does marathons.
I use the calendar as my stop watch — finish the race the same day I start it.
I left the Games early once my events were finished so I was trying to find the Closing Ceremonies on the web and stumbled into some stories. There had been a booth set up at the Games where one could go in and tell their story. Practically anyone you talked to at the Games had a story that could be a feature article in a local newspaper. Here is the story by the guy who won his 4th medal of the 2010 Games by beating me. He would have been competitive with anyone.
I am sorry I wasn’t more suitable competition for him.
View From a New Vrindaban Ridge 