Monthly Archives: March 2014

Live broadcast today: 2nd annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture
→ Jayadvaita Swami

  Today the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa will broadcast the second annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture, to be given at WITS University, Johannesburg, by His Holiness Devamrita Swami. The event will go live at 6:25 pm in Johannesburg. That’s 5:25 in Belgium, 4:25 in London, 12:25 in New York. Other worldwide timings here: http://tinyurl.com/BhaktivedantaSwamiLecture2014 Link to […]

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Cosmos Ep2: Some of the Things Molecules Do
→ The Enquirer

Review of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Episode 2: “Some of the Things Molecules Do” This episode had a few brilliant …

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Cosmos Ep2: Some of the Things Molecules Do
→ The Enquirer

Review of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Episode 2: “Some of the Things Molecules Do” This episode had a few brilliant …

Continue reading →

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 03/20/14
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 03/20/14. Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban. This week’s challenge: Despite a slight blurriness, there are four devotees whose faces are recognizable and two with their backs to the camera. How many can you identify? Extra Credit: What is the special name of the place they […]

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Incidents Do Happen

Nick and I left the ashrambefore retiring for the night ‘to get some rounds in’.  By that term we don’t mean we’re playing golf or anything of the sort.  We are referring to having our fingers go a revolution or more on our mediation beads while reciting mantras.  And in the process, we are walking.

A good progressive walk we did in terms of speed, up Bloor Street West to Christie Pitts and back in one hour. 

Nick has been fairly occupied as of late in the care of Tulasi, the sacred plant so commonly honoured in Vaishnava ashrams and temples around the world.  He’s also doing extra kitchen duties, filling in for one of our monks who slipped and fell on the kitchen floor, landing on his right hand and leaving him incapacitated. 
Accidents and incidents do happen, even in a spiritual environment.  Currently, our community in Toronto is quite shaken up about losing a dear member.  Mayapur Chandra was a young man whose body was recently found outside in the snow.  He passed away from hypothermia.  He had a lot of young friends who feel a great loss in the community. 
It was this evening that a grievance counselor by the name of Rajnish from amongst our community took the group of mourners through introspection and prayer.  The support system is well in place, and in an effort to help boost the morale, I had made a special dedication through a 9 Devotions workshop this evening before ‘getting some rounds in’. 
I wish to give a special moment of reflection to honourMayapur Chandra for his kind, sharing ways.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

Monday, March 17th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Oshawa, Ontario

In Rick’s Class

I arrived early at Durham College’s room where Rick conducts his classes.  I sat down waiting in the room with just a few students who are also early and who had made themselves comfortable along the classroom’s edge.  As the trickling in of students trailed on, there was a continuation of gravitating to the outer seats where they opened up to their individual computer gadget or book.  Book?  Yes!  Surprise!

Rick came in.  It’s always great to see him.  By now, the middle portion of the room filled in.  Rick gave the intro to the students about the guest speaker and mentioning about my pilgrimages across countries.  More so, he wanted me to speak about the Krishna culture.  I was to convey how Krishna devotees theologically see the world through our lens.  Whether we accept or reject other paths to the absolute.  What do we as a group struggle with amongst ourselves, and how do we solution this?  There were other points he wished me to cover.
They were a good group of students, really attentive, and especially so when I began to speak about our challenges in recognition of a divorce rate that should and could be lowered within our community.   I mentioned that we started to give attention to the problem, “Faith and family should run together relatively smooth.”  I explained that secularism and materialism have imposed a major shakeup to the family unit.  In other words, I was taking a strong position for spirituality being a major component within relationships.  “Spirituality is supposed to build up your sensitivity, tolerance, patience, love, and togetherness.”  It has been observed that many people take to the spiritual track to gain stability in their lives and that by partaking in community activities aim to achieve enhanced harmony.  We all need a good support system.
In any event, questions came.  Time spun by very quickly.  I was just about to do a demo on the drum, the mrdanga, and then to chant, but the hour zipped by in a flash and the next guests came in, two young male members of the Mormon Church.  They were absolutely amiable.  We exchanged handshakes and words of goodwill.  Of course, spiritualists should support each other and not see each other as adversaries, even if from a different denomination. 
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

Supreme Detachment of the Supreme Enjoyer
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[Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.3.19-23 – Uddhava speaking to Vidura] In Dvārakā, the All-Attractive enjoyed all desirable things as a follower of …

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Supreme Detachment of the Supreme Enjoyer
→ The Enquirer

[Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.3.19-23 – Uddhava speaking to Vidura] In Dvārakā, the All-Attractive enjoyed all desirable things as a follower of …

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Gaura Purnima at the Bhakti Centre
→ Ramai Swami

We had the pleasure of attending two Gaura Purnima festivals, one at the Bhakti Centre on the Gold Coast and the other at Brisbane temple. Lord Chaitanya manifests the audarya bhava, or the most munificent and merciful aspect of the … Continue reading →

Meaning Of The Names PT.13
→ Japa Group

Ramaramayaty-acyutam premna nikunja-vana-mandirerama nigadita radha ramo yutas taya punahRadharani is known as Rama because She enjoys loving pastimes with Acyuta (Krsna) in a secret forest pavilion. Since He is always by Her side, He is known as Rama….

To be or not to be… vegan?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 October 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.1) More and more devotees are becoming vegan because they say milk is not pure; so much cruelty to the cows is involved now. But Srila Prabhupada was not fanatic about this. Srila Prabhupada felt that milk was very important, that we needed it for […]

Gaura Purnima, March 16, ISKCON Silicon Valley, Mountain View, California
Giriraj Swami

Giriraj Swami spoke during the evening part of the celebrations. “Srila Prabhupada, at the age of seventy, and at the order of his guru maharaja, crossed the ocean and sat down under a tree and chanted Hare Krishna. He said that anyone could take Krishna consciousness to anywhere in the world by the same method. […]

Gaura Purnima Festival & Drama at Kalachandji’s Hare Krishna Temple in Dallas (Album 111 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Lord Chaitanya’s appearance day was celebrated all over the world with great partecipation and joy for His devotees and followers! Read more ›

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 17:14:00 →

1966 March 19: “I have come from India for America in this old age neither for sight seeing nor for any personal interest. It is for the interest of the entire humanity that I have come. So it is the duty of every devotee to help me by all means.”Prab…

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 17:13:00 →

1969 march 19: “Regarding MacMillan Company, if they have not replied, then forget. We shall publish our own books. Neither I want to shorten the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We should not count on them. Let us try start our own Press and organize our own sales….

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 17:12:00 →

1969 March 19: “This so-called yoga system and meditation is not bona fide. They are simply cheated and wasting their time. But if we speak the unpalatable truth they may get angry. So we have to present our case very carefully.”Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 17:04:00 →

1970 March 19: “Our philosophy is practical and authorized; our character, the purest; our program, the simplest; but our ultimate goal is the highest.”Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 17:03:00 →

1970 March 19: “Just one good soul fully developed and firmly convinced in preaching Krishna Consciousness can reclaim so many fallen souls for going back to home, back to Godhead. And the best way to prepare such Krishna Conscious souls is to train th…

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 16:59:00 →

1970 March 19: “So the potency is there because these books are not ordinary literature, they are a new line of thought to the Western world. So introduce our books for study in the university classes that will be very nice and you can get good income …

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 16:56:00 →

1975 March 19: “The original potency of Sastra remains in my books because I have not added or opinionated anything of my own. I have simply presented them as they are. Just see the effect they have. Anyone who tries to understand them will gradually b…

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-19 16:31:00 →

1975 March 19: “Even your body and mind belong to Krishna and must be used in his service. If you use them any other way, you will have to suffer so many future miseries. So give up all these foolish ideas. Please try and chant 16 good rounds daily.”Pr…

Gaura Purnima and Holi Festivities in UK (Album 125 photos)
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Blissful events for the vaishnavas and the huge congregation of Iskcon UK! Read more ›

Feeding 2500 Vrndavana sadhus in the name of Govinda Swami’s departed mother (Album 71 photos)
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Govinda Swami: Today we served the Vrindavan sadhus and acaryas.

Tomorrow we will serve a feast to all of the ISKCON devotees at Krishna Balaram Mandir, as well as sponsor all of the Deities Seva’s and feeding the cows in the Bhaktivedanta Goshalla.

May Gaura Nitai, Krishna Balaram, Radhe Shyam, the vaisnavas, and the cows bestow their grace upon the soul of my mother. Read more ›

The Vrndavana festival of prasadam distribution in favor of the late Helen Hobgood (see pictures)
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Govinda Swami reading Act Four of Caitanya Candradoya Nataka – Acceptance of Sannyasa
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On The Way To The Kali Gandhaki River
→ travelingmonk.com

Yesterday we drove 7 hours from Pokhara to Tatopani. As we gradually entered the mountainous area the scenery was stunning. This was the very route that Gopal Bhatta Goswami walked on his way through Nepal 500 years ago in his search for salagrama-sila…

Gaura Purnima: Blissful celebrations at Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia Head Quarters (Album 138 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia head quarters celebrated the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
The programme started with Tulasi Puja and Guru Puja followed by Abhishekam of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami Maharaja, President of ISKCON Malaysia, graced the occasion with his presence and talk. HG Simhesvara Prabhu, Regional secretary, also spoke and inspired everyone highlighting the glories of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His blessings to all of us. We were also honored to have the presence of YB Senator Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga Prabhu), the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and His Excellence the Ambassador of Venezuela. Read more ›

Gaura Purnima 2014 Bhaktivedanta Players Theatrical performance (Album 62 photos)
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As part of our Gaura Purnima festival in UK the Bhaktivedanta Players produced a new play, “Avatars of Kali,” featuring Lord Caitanya and Lord Kalki. Read more ›

SRILA PRABHUPADA ON WRITING
→ Gita Coaching

Realization means you should write, every one
of you, what is your realization. What for this Back to Godhead is? You write
your realization, what you have realized about Krsna. That is required. It is
not passive. Always you should be active. Wheneve…

Anuttama dasa leading New Vrindaban’s 24 Hour Kirtan – June 15th, 2013
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Video of Anuttama dasa leading New Vrindaban’s 24 Hour Kirtan – June 15th, 2013.