OUT OF THIS WORLD

Introduction
The Devi Ashram is a new International Vaishnavi Training and Retreat Centre in Brazil that will offer ladies of all ages an opportunity to come and learn or teach all aspects of a Krishna conscious lifestyle, or just relax and read/study Srila Prabhupada’s books in a good devotional atmosphere. The resident students at the ashram will receive training in the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, and learn to cook, give classes, worship deities, preach, play our traditional instruments, lead kirtans, even grow their own vegetables, and more. Those who come for reading retreats will be free to participate in all student activities or simply relax and study Prabhupada’s books. All the ladies at the Devi Ashram will also be able to take advantage of our nature trails, fresh water pools and waterfalls.

We are an ISKCON project located in the beautiful natural surroundings of Pandavas Paradise (Paraíso dos Pândavas) at Chapada dos Veadeiros, a famous eco-tourism and spiritual-tourism destination about two hours from Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The temperatures are warm all year round, the air is clean, and the water at our natural pools and waterfalls is crystal clear. We have various nature trails for taking walks in the most bio-diverse savanna on the planet, and many types of fruits and vegetables are growing in our organic garden.

Ashram leader wanted
We are looking for a female ashram leader to begin in December 2009 or January 2010. This is a temporary position for 6 months only.

The main duties of the ashram leader will be to
- oversee the daily activities of the other ashram members, students and guests
- provide some spiritual guidance to those under her care
- give classes on Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam
- teach some basic practical aspects of Krishna conscious life
- ensure that all the ashram members are following the rules of the ashram
- participate and assist in our regular spiritual retreats

The ideal candidate will be initiated, have some ashram experience, be well-read in Srila Prabhupada’s books, be able to work with ladies of all ages from all backgrounds and at all levels of experience in Krishna consciousness, and speak either Spanish or Portuguese as well as English.

In return for her service, the ashram leader will receive healthy prasada, comfortable single room accommodation and basic maintenance during her stay with us. We will also pay in full for her round trip to Brasilia provided she stays for a whole six months.

This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to perform some pioneering preaching service in a unique and exciting new project.

Openings for ashram residents and students
We are also open for applications from potential ashram residents and students for stays of up to 6 months beginning January 2010 or later. The main qualifications for acceptance are
- a serious commitment to the process of Krishna consciousness
- a desire to serve Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON

The main duties of ashram residents and students are to:
- participate in the ashram’s training activities and temple programs
- follow the rules of the ashram and the ashram leader
- participate and assist in retreats at Pandavas Paradise
- study Prabhupada’s books independently for at least 1.5 hours every day

Ashram residents will be expected to pay a minimal monthly fee in return for the training, accommodation and prasada that they receive. Some yoga classes will also be provided.

We are able to cater to individual requirements in terms of study, service, diet, sleeping arrangements etc. – your stay with us will be highly personalized.

Visit us
Anyone interested in visiting the Devi Ashram for a short-term spiritual retreat, study break or to teach a course is also welcome to contact us for further information.

Contact
To apply or for further information on any of the above, please contact us through Carana Renu Dasi: cr@pandavas.org.br.

I am currently working toward establishing a unique and exciting new project for ISKCON: the Devi Ashram, an International Vaishnavi Training and Retreat Centre.

Based in the beautiful natural environment of Pandavas Paradise (Paraíso dos Pândavas, Brazil), the Devi Ashram will offer ladies of all ages an opportunity to come and learn or teach all aspects of a Krishna conscious lifestyle, or just relax and read/study Prabhupada’s books in a good devotional atmosphere. The resident students at the ashram will receive training in the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, and learn to cook, give classes, worship deities, preach, play our traditional instruments, lead kirtans, even grow their own vegetables, and more. Those who come for reading retreats will be free to participate in all student activities or simply relax and study Prabhupada’s books. All the ladies at the Devi Ashram will also be able to take advantage of our nature trails and crystal clear water pools and waterfalls.

The infrastructure for the Devi Ashram is already in place. We have the rooms, beds, bathrooms, kitchen, temple room etc. What we need now are the teachers, students and visitors. I will be sending out a more official announcement and invitation for applications soon, but if you happen to be reading this un-official preview and you are interested in spending some time at the Devi Ashram, please contact me! (Carana.Renu.DAS@pamho.net) As an international centre, our main languages will be English, Portuguese and Spanish.

At Pandavas Paradise we are fortunate to have very comfortable temperatures all year round. We are able to cater to individual requirements in terms of study, service, diet, sleeping arrangements etc. – we offer a highly personalized program. We expect that most of our teachers and students will spend somewhere between 1-6 months with us (the maximum stay in Brazil for people from most countries is 6 months) but visitors will be welcome at any time for shorter periods.

So, if you think you might like to apply, visit, get involved, or just want to find out more, please contact me, Carana Renu dasi, at Carana.Renu.DAS@pamho.net or leave a comment below!

I am hiding out in my room. The last time I stepped outside my room I detected a strong odour of a fish being cooked and the distinct sound of Rugby match commentary coming from downstairs. This room is not exactly a comfort zone either as it is screaming out for decoration and none of the furniture matches and there is not enough space. If only I was truly transcendental I could easily tolerate al these things. Oh well.

I will be moving out next weekend. My brother’s girlfriend has just moved in with him, so I will rent her house. I can’t really afford it but I am desperate for a kitchen that doesn’t have the grease of cooked dead animals and hair of a cat called Jasper all over it (as is my current situation). I don’t know how long I will stay at the next place. It should be for at least one month. If I get any of the jobs I have applied for I will try to get a mortgage and buy a place.

Life is not easy. It used to be that a woman would grow up in her parents house, then get married and live with her husband, and then she would stay at home to keep the place nice and have children and look after them. That’s pretty rare these days. Now that we are ‘liberated’ we have to struggle to earn money, just like the men. Even when the husband is around, one income is often not enough for comfortable living. Even when there are children, the mother feels the need to go to work because she can earn more than the cost of child-care. Then there are the single mothers. Add to that the intense social and psychological pressure to look like a supermodel. What a struggle for existence. Is it really worth it?

Whatever position we have in this world: man, woman, rich, poor, black, white, fat, thin - there is bound to be material suffering. That is the nature of the world. Just try to make the best use of a bad bargain, as my old friend Tribhuvannatha Prabhu used to say. Whatever you have, try to use that for Krishna’s service, remember Krishna, and go back to Godhead where you belong.

“As far as the women class are concerned, they are accepted as a power of inspiration for men. As such, women are more powerful than men. Mighty Julius Caesar was controlled by a Cleopatra. Such powerful women are controlled by shyness. Therefore, shyness is important for women. Once this control valve is loosened, women can create havoc in society by adultery. Adultery means production of unwanted children known as varna-sankara, who disturb the world.”

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.27 purport

Scientists have now come up with a theory for why men don’t listen to women. See here .

They say it is because a woman’s voice is more melodic and therefore more difficult to listen to.

“Men deciphered female voices using the auditory part of the brain that processes music, while male voices engaged a simpler mechanism.”

I don’t think it is a very good excuse. If it is so difficult for them, why don’t men stop listening to music? I don’t buy it.

Here is my tentative hypothesis for why men find it difficult to listen to women:

A woman’s voice is attractive. A man becomes attracted by hearing the voice and begins to think of the woman. By concentrating on the attractive features of the woman, the man can no longer concentrate on what the woman is actually saying.

Here is some support for this hypothesis:

“The creator has constructed women in such a way that their beautiful voices and movements and the beautiful features of their hips, their breasts, and the other parts of their bodies attract the members of the opposite sex, both on earth and on other planets, and awaken their lusty desires. When one is controlled by Cupid or the beauty of women, he becomes stunned like matter such as stone.”

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.2.6 purport

“When a woman’s bodily features are attractive, when her face is beautiful and when her voice is sweet, she is naturally a trap for a man. The sastras advise that when such a woman comes to serve a man, she should be considered to be like a dark well covered by grass. In the fields there are many such wells, and a man who does not know about them drops through the grass and falls down.”

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.41 purport

Here is a solution to the problem:

“When either a man or a woman is advanced in spiritual consciousness, the bodily conception of life practically vanishes. We should see all women as spiritual units (aham brahmasmi), whose only duty is to satisfy Krishna. Then the influences of the different modes of material nature, which result from one’s possessing a material body, will not act.”

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.42 purport

I am adding a new blog category: women.

There are several chapters in the Visnudharmottara Purana that glorify chaste women and describe the role and duties of women in Vedic culture. The thirty third chapter of the second khanda is called ‘Sadhvimahatmya.’ Here are some selections from there:

“All those women who are faithful to their husbands support all the three worlds.”

“One who never does anything which her husband doesn’t like is called a virtuous woman.”

“A man burns (ruins) his entire family by insulting worthy women, by honouring them he brings the uplift of his family.”

“The moon has given them piety, Gandharva has bestowed cultured speech (to them) and fire (has given) complete purity (to them). Therefore women are sinless.”

“Brahmins are pure on their feet, the cows on their back, the goat and the horse are pure on their mouth and women are pure on every place.”