Sit Properly

This tape needs no introduction. It’s the 1975 San Francisco Ratha-Yatra. This is THE best kirtan tape ever made. And in my estimation, it will never ever be surpassed.

KT-14 – Rathayatra Festival

I can’t remember who is singing where and can’t really find much on it. I believe it’s printed on the tape, but I can’t find my copy of it at this point (in the middle of moving).

There are four tracks on this. Three are kirtans, one is an address by Visnujana Swami. I’m betting that at least one of the kirtans are lead by him.

Click here to download. (22MB)
[The sound quality of this one isn't as good due to very low bitrate - 64kbps - on the encoding of the MP3s. Once I get everything set up again, I'll do it again and post it. This is way too good for such low quality. My apologies.]

Area Grhasta Vows to Speak to No Woman Except Wife

SAYER, MD – Area grhasta, Krsnakarna dasa, vowed this past Ekadasi to speak to no women, apart from his wife. The decision came after realizing the pujari service he was doing brought him into contact with several women, which would naturally lead to a fall down.

“If I were to even talk to one woman, soon we would be having nice conversation and then, immediately there would be sexual relations, like that,” Krsnakarna said.

“It is not that I would want to fall down,” Krsnakarna said. “I myself, though the most fallen, only desire to serve Krishna. I am concerned for these poor matajis who are not as strong in their devotion as men.”

He added: “They may see me and become agitated, immediately casting off their saris to attract me.”

When asked who would be taking care of day-to-day errands such as banking and bhoga runs, where encounters with women are most likely to occur, Krsnakarna replied, “Yes, I will simply chant very nicely on beads, like that, and Krishna will arrange nicely.”

Krishna apparently arranged for Vrnda Devi, Krishnakarna’s wife, to take care of such things. She was spotted at the local grocery store, Wal-Mart and Jiffy-lube, juggling three children, two boys and a girl, who Krsnakarna has not spoken to since Ekadasi. When asked about the arrangement, Vrnda had no comment.

It has been rumored that she is no longer speaking to Krsnakarna.

Area matajis living in the temple had mixed reaction to Krsnakarna’s vow. “Does this mean he’s going to stop preaching to the college girls?” Asked temple commander Mother Yamuna, “There are a few brahmacaris who have already volunteered to take over this service. I would ask him myself, but…”

“I guess this means that he’ll be talking about sex even more when he gives class now,” newly converted Bhaktin Jennifer said, adding “What’s up with that? It’s kind of creepy.”

Since Ekadasi, Krsnakarna has avoided all women, speaking only to his wife. This is a radical departure from the accepted ISKCON practice of speaking to all women, except the wife.

So much news goes unreported in ISKCON. Dandavats, Sampradaya Sun and Chakra just can’t cover it all! So here is where The Hing steps in.

The Hing, ISKCON’s finest news source, promises to bring you the most in depth reports ripped straight off the headlines. We’ll deliver compelling accounts of the issues important to you the exact moment you need them most. Fridays!

Each Friday (for as long as we can manage), we’ll dish out the news you’ve grown to expect since you started reading this announcement, not two minutes ago.

Upcoming scoops include…
-Devotee Family Desperately Tries to Plan Vacation Around Temple Locations, Free Prasadam
-Maverick Book Distributor Actually Reads Prabhupada Book
-Ex-ISKCON Guru Now Ex-Ithica Car Salesman
-Area Grhasta Vows to Speak to No Woman Except Wife
-Mr. Clean Finally Converted
-New DVD Series: Memories of Memories of Srila Prabhupada
-Ritviks Blowing Selves Up in Last-Ditch Effort to Stop ISKCON gurus
And many, many more!

Stay tuned to my blog. The Hing is coming soon…

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Note – Ok, let’s get a bit serious here. The Hing is satire in the vein of The Onion. This means that the articles are not true. They’re poking fun. And yeah, it might be a touch controversial to make fun of things we devotees do, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that some of the things we do are really damn goofy. Just see.

Howdy folks! Hare Krishna to you and yours!

I bet you’re all excited because today’s selection is Acyutananda Swami, huh? Well, while Acyutananda beats Hamsadutta any given day, this just isn’t all that great.

KT-13 – Hare Krishna Kirtans – Acyutananda Swami – 1975

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s just not. The first song, Damodarastaka, for example, is horrendous. It’s like he’s trying to sing in one meter and the mrdanga is trying to play in another. No idea how or why they tried this, let alone released this.

The second song isn’t too much better, but the rest of the tape is fairly easy on the ears.

One of the overall problems is that every song sounds exactly the same. These were clearly all done in one take during the same session. That is, with exception of tracks 7 and 12.

All that said, I still think it’s better than a lot of what was released around this time. Check it out and judge for yourself.

1) Sri Damodarastaka
2) Gopinatha
3) Srita Kamale
4) Nitaipadokamala
5) Sri Krsna
6) Sakhi-vrnde Vijnapti
7) Sri Prabhupada Mahima Sri Radhika-stava
9) Yosomati Nandana
10) Hare Krsna
11) Govinda Hari
12) Srita-Kamala

Click here to download (83MB)

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Want to listen to Damodarastaka?

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Hello, Ekadasi. Didn’t see ya standin’ there.

And boy howdy do I have a treat for you! We’ve got TWO records today! And a slew of All-Stars as well!

Both releases were by the American Golden Avatar Productions label. I have a feeling that there were more releases than the three that I own, but this is what I’ve got.

For starters, there’s a 7″ (45rpm). It was released in 1975 and produced by Krishnakanti das Adhikary and performed by the “Radha Krishna Temple (Los Angeles)”. The catalog number was GAP 1002. GAP 1001 was the Every Town & Village LP I reviewed a couple of months ago.

Side A – Gopinatha 3:00
The first cut has Agnidev dasa Adhikary on vocals. This may be the earliest Agnidev recording. And it’s really well produced. It’s much higher quality than the European stuff. There’s a guitar, mrdanga, flute, possibly a violin, it’s pretty impressive! The scratchiness at the beginning of the song is from my copy of the record. There’s a huge chunk taken out of it. Go figure.

Side B - Ohe Vaisnava Thakura 3:45
Mangalananda dasa Adhikary takes over vocals for this folk rendition of an ISKCON favorite. It’s mostly vocals and guitar, with faint mrdanga and kartals in the background if you listen carefully.

Not much more to say about it, but it’s certainly a treat.

Let’s move onto the LP…

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that pretty much every devotee has heard this one.

The LP, entitled simply “Govinda,” was also released by Golden Avatar Production. First in 1973 and then (seemingly) rereleased in 1975. I’ve managed to find both of them (lucky me!). The catalog number for both releases was GOPI-108. Because of the obvious “one-offness” of the catalog number, I assumed this was Golden Avatar Productions first release, however, I think Every Town & Village was released before this. So basically, I have no idea.

Srila Prabhupada provides vocals, harmonium and kartalas on all of the songs. It was recorded at Annex Studios in Hollywood, California. Krsnakanti dasa also produced it. The cover of the 1975 version was painted by Pariksit dasa.

Side A
1) Prayers to the Six Gosvamis 13:05
The opening notes have accented many devotee projects, DVDs and videotapes. You’ll recognize it right away. I’ve heard this many times before, but I can’t figure out which CD it’s been released on recently. In addition to Srila Prabhupada’s contribution, this first song features George Ruckert on sarod and Ann Ruckert on Tampoura. They were both from the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music.

2) Gour and Nitai 7:01
On the 1975 release, this song is retitled “Lalsamayi.” This is simply Srila Prabhupada with a harmonium. Again, I can’t figure out which CD this has been released on. Maybe it wasn’t.

Side B
1)Chintamani 9:11
The 1975 release spells it “Cintamani”. Again, it’s Srila Prabhupada on vocals and karatalas. Ann Ruckert plays tampoura as well. This is a really sweet recording, you’d think that the BBT would have released this on one of their CDs, but I can’t find it.

2) Chintamani – text 12:10
Srila Prabhupada nicely explains the purport to the song “Chintamani.” Oddly, this recording showed up on the Vintage Series CDs, Volume 16. The song “Chintamani,” appearing on this LP, however, did not. What gives? I don’t know.

The 1975 release of this LP came with an insert:

And I guess that pretty much does it.

Tune in next Ekadasi for another exciting episode of…
Click here to download them!

Welcome to another edition of Classic ISKCON Tapes. This instance brings us to KT-12 – Hare Krishna Kirtans by Dhira Krsna dasa.

Maybe my memory is shot, but I don’t remember who Dhira Krsna dasa is. Is he still around? Anyone know? Is he the astrologer?

Anyway, this is a quaint little tape. Mostly, it’s just him, kartals, a mrdanga and sometimes a sitar. The songs are short and sweet, but not rushed. He does some different arrangements on a few well known songs, as well as some rarities.

Definitely worth checking out.

KT-12 Hare Krishna Kirtans by Dhira Krsna dasa

1) Hare Krsna
2) Radha Syama
3) Sri Krsna Caitanya
4) Bhaja Hure Mana
5) Krsna Jinki
6) Sri Radhika-stava
7) Hare Krsna Bhajan Srita Kamala
9) Radha Krsna bol bol
10) Ohe Vaishnava Thakura
11) Manasa dea geha
12) Hare Krsna

Click here to download (74 MB)

Note – I’ve pretty well given up on free file sharing/storage sites. I haven’t been able to find one that actually works well enough to use it in any real capacity. So I’m going to start using my own site. If I have to throw more money at it, so be it. If you have any issues with it, let me know, ok? Ok!

This was posted on BoingBoing.net the other day and I thought it would be fun to pass the info along. It’s basically a few lists of what to do in case of a major disaster.

The book that much of this info comes from is: Apocalypse Chow: How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out . It’s a cookbook that got quite a bit of recognition about a year ago. Well worth finding.

Other tips can be used by everyone.

The VEGetariAN-specific ones contain stuff like:

My basics for the car and work are canned beans and bean-based soups, tetrapak soup (Imagine), individual packs of soymilk, vegan (Clif) energy bars and crackers. SELECT LOW-SODIUM ITEMS, AS YOUR DIET MAY CONSIST ENTIRELY OF THESE FOODS. Since you may not have access to fresh fruit or vegetables for a while, also keep some vitamins or (my choice) Emergen-C packets on hand. I also keep a small bottle of spirits (vodka, brandy, etc.). Sometimes it’s just what you (or others) need to relax–and it can be used as an antiseptic.

Also, other folks have added…

For emergencies such as being stuck in a snowstorm and unable to go to the grocery store, I have TVP products from Provident Pantry under food storage –dehydrated and dried foods. These also require plenty of water. That site also has a lot of other emergency items such as camp stoves, which would be useful when there is no power.

Here’s a fun little idea:

dryer lint — robust, lightweight and one of the best fire starters available — better than kindlng. no wonder they tell you to clean out your lint trap/dryer hose!

You can read all about it here.

Srila Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad-gita published by Collier Books (a division of MacMillan) in 1968. It was published in paperback and in hardback (but good damn luck finding it in hardback – there’s one copy that I know of and it’s in Bucknell University Library. When I was young and feisty, I was tempted to liberate it – never did.

Anyway, Srila Prabhupada didn’t like this version of the Gita because it heavily edited his purports. Four years later, MacMillan released the full version (known since as “the 1972 version).

In the 1968 version, Allen Ginsberg, Denise Levertov and Thomas Merton all contributed forwards. For some reason, the 1972 version cut out all of those forwards, replacing them with a forward by Professor Edward C. Dimock, Jr., Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization, University of Chicago. A new preface was written by Srila Prabhupada (dated 1971). Srila Prabhupada’s long introduction appears in both.

A few years ago, the BBT produced a “facsimile edition” of the 1968 Collier Bhagavad-gita. However, in this edition, they substituted Levertov’s rather weird introduction for George Harrison’s “Who is Krsna?” which also appears in the Krsna Book.

Anyway, I thought it would be nifty to show you Denise Levertov’s “A Note of Appreciation for this Volume.”

Swami Bhaktivedanta’s disciples in New York dance and chant Hare Krishna-Hare Rama with an honest, simple fervor that is very moving. Talking to a young devotee, I was somewhat appalled by his fundamentalism, yet at the same time I felt a reverence for his gentleness, and saw an unassailable radiance in his eyes. I listened to the recording of the Swami himself chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and recognized that he pronounced each syllable with what in Hebrew is called Kavronah-that is, prayerful understanding, the opposite of a mere mechanical repetition. What lies in back of these evidences of a strong spiritual life?

Most people of any education know at least the name of The Bhagavad Gita, and many have read at least some of it in one of the several available translations. But it is not as yet, I think one can agree, a common part of our cultural milieu-that is, it is not absorbed and incorporated into our lives to any extent. And this is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of close interpretive commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a commentary written from not only a scholar’s but a practitioner’s, a dedicated lifelong devotee’s, point of view.

Being, myself, what could best be described as a syncretist, I cannot subscribe to the belief in the exclusive wisdom of The Bhagavad Gita which some, at least, of the Swami’s adherents seem to hold (I am thinking here of the same young man whose gentleness and shining eyes impressed me so favorably). And as a believer in political activism I naturally wonder if the disciples of the Krishna Consciousness movement, who believe as I also do in non-violence, are not nevertheless too passive in their at titude to the war and to social injustice. But even if that is so, I feel certain that they do have something in their lives that is of inestimable value: an inner serenity that makes them better, kinder human beings than, in all probability, they were before they arrived at their present beliefs. And though I cannot believe that any one religion or any of the “wisdom books” of any cultural tradition possesses a monopoly of the truth, yet my sense that the study of The Bhagavad Gita would be valuable for thinking people, in this time of extreme crisis especially, arises more from the little I have seen of the changed lives of those who do study it than from the mere received knowledge that it is considered one of the great spiritual texts.

Apparently devotees take quite literally the story of the Battlefield of Kurukshetra where Arjuna receives divine wisdom directly from Krishna, who has taken on the form of his Charioteer. Many-like myself-will take this symbolically, not literally, and look on it as a soul-story, in which the battlefield is interior and the God who speaks is the God within us. It surely doesn’t matter very much whether one is a fundamentalist or, instead, considers this book to be yet another of mankind’s metaphors of individuation and regeneration, if through it we live more fully.

I wish I were familiar with Krishna consciousness in Latin America. Especially after hearing this one.

The only thing I really know about it is from a Prabhupada Memories DVD (#8), as told by Chitsukhananda:

I sat with him [Srila Prabhupada], and I felt happy and peaceful. I had a guitar with me, and he asked me if I would sing, so I chanted Hare Krishna. Throughout the years, even when we opened a temple in Mexico, we would play guitars in kirtan in Prabhupada’s presence. He would say, “Yes, yes, more. This is what’s making people dance and chant. Use it for Krishna.” It’s nice to hear the sitar and tambura, but it’s also nice for people to play the instruments of their own nation to worship God, and Srila Prabhupada was open minded about that. There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. He tried to accommodate everyone.

Now, the idea of guitar kirtans, especially Mexican guitar kirtans really thrills me. This tape, sadly, has very little guitar in it, which is a shame. I don’t know if the guitar kirtans were ever recorded.

KT-11 Caracas Temple Kirtans

But this is definitely a strong and steady tape. Well worth having. It’s pretty mellow. Not sad and droney or anything like that. But sober. The first half is with a bunch of devotees. The second sounds like it’s just two. It’s pretty cool.

1) Jaya Radha Madhava
2) Kirtan
3) Hare Krishna Kirtan
4) Sri Guruastakam
5) Gaya Goura Madhu Svare
6) Jai Jagganath
7) Sudha Bakata Radha Krishna Bol Bol
9) Jasomati Nandana

Click here to download.

Edit – I had the wrong link. Sorry, sorry. You’ll enjoy this one.

Remember on the Addams Family, how Gomez would be driven mad when Morticia would say something in French? Well that’s how I am with French-devotee produced albums. So far I’ve found two and I love them both.

The first was covered early on. It’s Temple Radha Krishna, one of my favorites ever. This one, released by the same label, Productions Parampara, is nearly as good.

Unlike many of the other records, there’s nothing weird or overly mysterious about this release. I have two copies of it and it’s obvious that they’re different pressings, but nothing too wacky.

The pressing from Holland has a purple stripe around the cover image. The French one has a blue stripe. Holland’s comes with an insert:

While France’s (at least my copy of it) didn’t.

The rear cover of the French pressing is slightly different, leaving off the descriptions of the pictures.

The Holland label is a very pale yellow with “Made in Holland” at the bottom of it. The French label is a bright yellow. I’ll show you both, don’t worry.

The vinyl itself on the Holland pressing is pretty thin. The vinyl on the French is pretty thick. It’s obviously pressed at a different plant.

Again, I really have no clue why Holland and France released their own editions. They both have the same catalog number: RPI 102. Temple Radha Krishna is RPI 101.

Let’s have a run down, shall we?

Kant A / Face A
1) Sri Rupa Manjari (6’30″) par Kausalya dasi
A beautiful flute and sitar accompany the beautiful voice of Kausalya dasi. I’ve never heard of her before, but she’s got a great voice. This is a pretty mellow piece.

2) Manasa deha geha (5′) par Manibandha das
The first of two Manasa deha geha’s. This is slow, but kind of funky too. There’s definitely a bit of swank going on here. Especially with the bass guitar and the chimes. The flute is back and that adds to the swankiness.

3) Baja hunre mana (5′) par Achyutananda Swami
It’s Achyutananda Swami! There’s some pretty steady sitar work going on here. This is very Indian. Even more so than Achyutananda Swami’s bhajans usually are. Good, of course.

4) Gopinatha (4’30″) par Manibandha das
Very slow and mellow. There’s a great rolling rhythm to this. Something very bassie about it. Maybe it’s the bass guitar. There’s a lot going on here. I really dig this.

Kant B / Face B
1) Srita kamala (4’30″) par Kausaya dasi
Back with Kausaya dasi! A very sweet voice, twice overdubbed. It’s quite nice.

2) Kesava kali mala (3’20″) par Achyutananda Swami
Hey now! This is just funky! Totally worth the price of admission right here. It’s nearly Bollywood in its swankiness. Is that a bongo drum I hear? No idea, but it’s great. And yet again with the funky flute. Please listen to this. There are maracas!

3) Manasa deha geha (7’30″) par Kausalya dasi
Kausalya dasi gives Manasa deha geha a try. This is very mellow. Almost menacing with the odd placement of the bass guitar. But it works.

4) Hare Krsna kirtana (4’30″) les bhaktas assembles
Let’s all get together and chant Hare Krishna! Kausalya dasi leads and everyone follows. This is the same melody that’s used on the Radha Krishna Temple.

And if you like, click here to to download.