New Talavan Times

BY: ISKCON New Talavan Community

Jul 19, USA (SUN) —

Weekly Bulletin of the ISKCON New Talavan Community
"Protecting the Heart of Vedic Dharma"
Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Temple President: His Grace Yogindra Vandana das Adhikari
Editor: His Grace Dasanudas Vanacari
31492 Anner Rd. • Carriere MS 39426 • 601 749-9460
www.newtalavana.org
Please always chant the mahamantra:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Srila Prabhupada's Vision

So in this parampara system, this knowledge has come to your country, America. You are intelligent. You are prosperous. So take this knowledge seriously and at least distribute this knowledge properly for the benefit of your people. Otherwise the world is in very, very precarious condition, and although the human form of life is obtained for the success of life, they are being kept purposefully all ignorantly in darkness. So, na veda purvam aparam nasta-janma-smrtis tatha (“As a sleeping person acts according to the body manifested in his dreams and accepts it to be himself, so one identifies with his present body, which he acquired because of his past religious or irreligious actions, and is unable to know his past or future lives.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.49]). Nature’s law is that at the time of death, what you think, you get the body. That is nature’s law. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bhagavad-gita 8.6], Krsna says. So we have to train up our bhava, our thoughts. If we keep always in Krsna thoughts, then naturally at the time of death we may remember Krsna. That is success. Then immediately tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bhagavad-gita 4.9]. Immediately you are transferred to the Krsna-loka, and according to your desire, you become amongst the gopis or the cowherds boys or the cows and the calves. They are all equal. That is spiritual world. Here there is difference between the man, woman, cows, or trees, or flowers. No. In the spiritual world there is no such difference. The flower is also devotee, living. The flower wants to serve Krsna as flower. The calf wants to serve Krsna as calf. The gopis want to serve Krsna as gopi. They are all the same, but according to the varieties-varieties of desires to serve Krsna. So that is spiritual world. And material world? The same varieties are there, imitation, but everyone wants to satisfy sense gratification. There is no desire for serving Krsna. That is the difference between material world and the spiritual world. In the spiritual world all the varieties are there, and they are all spirit. There is no touch of matter. They are all conscious. When the flower is there in the hand of Krsna, in the lotus hand, he is conscious. He is enjoying that “I wanted to serve Krsna as flower; now I am enjoying.” That is spiritual. They are all conscious. So in this way we shall keep ourself always Krsna conscious. - Class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.49, August 1, 1975, New Talavan.

Vaisnava Festivals

Wednesday, July 20 is the Disappearance Day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami. Srila Sanatana Gosvami was the elder brother of Srila Rupa Gosvami and the chief of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. Srila Sanatana Gosvami wrote several books, of which the Brhad-Bhagavatamrta is very famous; anyone who wants to know about the subject matter of devotees, devotional service and Krsna must read this book. Sanatana Gosvami also wrote a special commentary on the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam known as the Dasama-tippani, which is so excellent that by reading it one can understand very deeply the pastimes of Krsna in His exchanges of loving activities. Another famous book by Sanatana Gosvami is the Hari-bhakti-villas, which states the rules and regulations for all divisions of Vaisnavas, namely, householders, brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and sannyasis. [Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 5.203 Purport]

Sunday, July 25 is the Disappearance Day of Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was the son of Venkata Bhatta, a resident of Sri Rangam. Gopala Bhatta formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the Ramanuja-sampradaya but later became part of the Gaudiya-sampradaya. In the year 1433 Sakabda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of Caturmasya at the house of Venkata Bhatta, who then got the opportunity to serve the Lord to his heart’s content. Gopala Bhatta also got the opportunity to serve the Lord at this time. Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was later initiated by his uncle, the great sannyasi Prabodhananda Sarasvati. Both the father and the mother of Gopala Bhatta Gosvami were extremely fortunate, for they dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They allowed Gopala Bhatta Gosvami to go to Vrndavana, and they gave up their lives thinking of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later informed that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami had gone to Vrndavana and met Sri Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami, He was very pleased, and He advised Sri Rupa and Sanatana to accept Gopala Bhatta Gosvami as their younger brother and take care of him. Sri Sanatana Gosvami, out of his great affection for Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, compiled the Vaisnava smrti named Hari-bhakti-vilasa and published it under his name. Under the instruction of Srila Rupa and Sanatana, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami installed one of the seven principal Deities of Vrndavana, the Radharamana Deity. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (184) it is mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord Krsna was Ananga-manjari. Srinivasa Acarya and Gopinatha Pujari were two of his disciples. [Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.106 Purport]

Sunday, July 25 is also the New Talavan Sunday Feast, beginning at 11:30 AM. For directions, call 601 749-9460 or visit our web site.

Thursday, July 28 to Sunday, July 31 is the New Orleans/New Talavan Srila Prabhupada 30th Anniversary Festival. A wonderful celebration of Srila Prabhupada's visit to New Orleans and New Talavan temples in 1975. Everyone is invited to participate. For details see our web site. To publicize the Festival and create a unique souvenir, Dasanudas Prabhu assembled a graphic with 30 famous portraits of Srila Prabhupada shown at right. This graphic will be printed on a souvenir T-shirt. Also, prints of Srila Prabhupada's famous picture while cooking at New Talavan will be available. To download a larger version of Thirty Faces of Srila Prabhupada, click here.

Sunday, July 31 is also Kamika Ekadasi - fasting from grains and beans (Break fast next day 05:20-09:51). “Observing Kamika Ekadasi bestows the same merit as donating a milk-cow and her auspicious calf, along with their feed. On this all auspicious day, whosoever worships Lord Sri Sridhara-deva, Visnu, is glorified by all the devas, Gandharvas, Pannagas, and Nagas. Those who are afraid of their past sins and completely immersed in sinful materialistic life should at least observe this best of Ekadasis according to their ability and thus attain liberation. This Ekadasi is the purest of all days and the most powerful for removing sins of the native. O Narada, Lord Shri Hari Himself once said about this Ekadasi, “One who fasts on Kamika Ekadasi attains much more merit than one who studies all the spiritual literatures.” Anyone who fasts on this particular day and remains awake throughout the night will never experience the anger of Yamaraja, the king of death personified. It has been seen that whoever observes Kamika Ekadasii will not have to suffer future births, and in the past too, many bhakti-yogis who fasted on this day went to the spiritual world. One should therefore follow in their auspicious footsteps and strictly observe a fast on this most auspicious of Ekadasis. [For the rest of this story from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana, click here.]

How to put New Talavan in Your Will

After providing for their families and loved ones, congregational members may want to put New Talavan in their wills, thus helping to assure the long-term viability of Srila Prabhupada's uniquely wonderful Krsna-conscious spiritual community. In the USA, bequests are free from estate tax and can substantially reduce the amount of your assets claimed by the government. You can give needed support to New Talavan by simply including the following statement in your will: "I give, devise, and bequeath to ISKCON of Mississippi, Inc., 31492 Anner Rd., Carriere MS 39426, [insert the amount to be given here] to be used to support the New Talavan Community and its related activities, including preaching, cow protection, construction etc." A bequest can be a specific cash amount, a piece of real estate or other property, a percentage of an estate, or all or part of the residue of an estate. You can also name New Talavan as a contingency beneficiary in the event someone named in your will is no longer living. It is recommended that a lawyer help in drafting or amending a will.

Donations Needed

Many thanks and blessings to Mother Shanti for her kind donation of a 1995 Toyota Tercel DX. This will greatly help our preaching in the Mississippi Gulf area!

New Talavan needs your spare automobile! As an vital part of our expanding preaching program, we have an immediate need for one more vehicle for making contacts, home visits and attending Bhakti-vrksha meetings in our large preaching area. We cover Mississippi, western Florida and southern Alabama from New Talavan, and Louisiana and Arkansas from New Orleans. We provide tax-exemption receipts up to the Blue Book or resale value of the vehicle. It's magic: turn that old clunker rusting in the garage into a nice tax-refund check!

Also, if anyone would like to donate a digital video camera, we want to make videos of interviews with devotees about Srila Prabhupada's visit to New Talavan, and many other applications. Contact us right away at 601 749-9460.

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See our website for Back Issues of New Talavan Times!

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