Monthly Archives: April 2014

New Vrindaban Grows Through Care & Communication
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

by Madhava Smullen Since moving back to New Vrindaban three years ago, Lilasuka Dasi has used her people skills to inspire residents to care for each other and communicate positively with one another. This, she feels, is the key to the community’s recent attempt at rebuilding and growth. Originally from Toronto, Lilasuka first lived in […]

Saturday, April 5th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario
Three of Us
All of us crave Sunshine, as long as there’s not too much of it.  It was a pleasure to walk towards its disc which was making a slow descension into the western sky.  The west side of the street going north/south was unfavourable for walking because I wanted the sun’s embrace.  I switched directions to College Street.  I ended up face to face with him.  There were no more imposing buildings.  It was nice, but like anything in this world, you take sookh and dookh (happiness and distress), sad and asad (good and bad).  Basically, you receive a duality.
Along with that generous glow of the sun, came the wind.  Unexpectedly, to me, as forceful as he was.  He also got blocked by buildings eventually, just as the sun did.  Now, I had two guys coming at my face.  It was interesting to see them partnered.  I had their company.  There are three of us now until I turned another corner going north on Croft Street.  Once again, I was in the shadows of the buildings.  I was seemingly alone, but not.  Paramatma(Supersoul) is always in the heart. 
Croft Street is more like a back lane with mostly garages on both sides of the asphalt.  There is pleasant graffiti, and some not so, meaning unsophisticated.  People have left their mark. 
On Bloor Street, I meet my companions again, the sun and the wind.  The sun had moved by now, humbled by time, or just being on time.  Perhaps defining time.  Not exactly, it is said in the Bhagavatam, out of fear of Him, the sun shines.  Who then, in actuality is defining the time factor. 
Finally, I made it home, the temple ashram, where you enter a timeless zone, where all is spiritual, and where there is relative peace.  I say relative because there are humans in the space, and they are not perfect. 
I’m reminded of the joke about the human ego, “Nobody’s perfect, I’m just a nobody.”
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

Friday, April 4th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario
Fun Pun
I did not go outside the walls of the ashram building today.  It doesn’t mean I was confined, as in prison.  I was joyfully locked in with service – and service of a different kind.  I’m speaking about theatre.  The dramas!  The directing! The performance!  I put several hours into our practice of the drama, Little Big Ramayan.  Doing “plays” is a marvelous creative outlet.  And it’s approved (rather, receives blessings) by the previous acharyas or teachers in the line of devotion.  In fact, our guru, Srila Prabhupada, loved dramas that have a spiritual message.  He went so far as to say that the play is better than the book.  He loved the theatre and even acted when as a student in his college years, he played the role of Adwaita, a close associate of Sri Chaitanya, father of kirtan in the modern age.  Our guru also liked Charlie Chaplin.  He would not go out of his way to the cinema, mind you, he wouldn’t have anything to do with extreme mundane entertainment.  Once, on the plane, he had a few chuckles watching the guy with the funny stick, hat and moustache. 
Now, speaking of fun, what about pun?  Someone sent me from a facebook source, a list of puns called, “Punography”.
Here’s are some real dillies:
I tried to catch some, I mist. 
A guy I know is addicted to brake fluid.  He said he can stop any time.
How does Moses make his tea?  Hebrews it.
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, then it dawned on me.
The girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I never met herbivore.
I’m reading a book about antigravity.  I can’t put it down.
I didn’t like my beard at first, then it grew on me.
How do you make holy water?  Boil the hell out of it.
When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble. 
What does a clock do when it’s still hungry?  It goes back four seconds.
I wonder why the baseball was getting bigger, then it hit me.
May the Source be with you!
0 KM

The Padma Purana outlines evolution of a different kind
→ The Spiritual Scientist

“It is confirmed in Padma Purana that the species of life evolved from aquatics to plants, vegetables, trees; thereafter insects, reptiles, flies, birds, then beasts, and then human kind. This is the gradual process of evolution of species of life. . . . But we do not accept Darwin’s theory. According to Darwin’s theory, homo […]

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New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ April 6, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Happily picking many kinds of flowers from the trees and vines, Radha and Krishna praise the forest of Vrinda?vana. They bathe and sport in the lakes of Vrinda?vana forest and They play with the birds and other creatures there. Who would not serve Vrinda?vana forest, the supreme transcendental abode? [Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri […]

Harinama and book distribution in Johannesburg, South Africa (Album 38 photos)
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All people here are joining the Harinam party so naturally, eagerly taking Srila Prabhupada’s books and reading them. Most times they dont have the money, so we give the book free and sometimes they give us some fruits in exchange. Read more ›

Huge Holi festival in Iskcon of Washington DC, US Capital (Album 89 photos)
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ISKCON of Washington DC, located in Potomac, opened its doors to the public in 1975. Our founder, Srila Prabhupada, visited in 1976. The main building, a beautiful temple, is home to a very special Deity of Krishna. It is ISKCON’s first Krishna Deity in America. The Deity is called Madan Mohan, and is the center of the community here.

ISKCON of DC sits on 12 acres of beautiful forested land. Along with the Temple, there is a Cultural Hall, a creek meandering through the property, where we grow flowers and vegetables and lovingly take care of our cows.

Our property is open daily from 4:30 am to 9:00 pm. Every Sunday we have a special Open House from noon to 3pm. Visitors are welcome all year round. Read more ›

Harinama and book distribution in New York city, April 5, 2014 (Album 24 photos)
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Srila Prabhupada: Yes, we shall base our preaching work on Lord Caitanya’s formula: sankirtana. After all, He is God, and if He recommends, what is the question of failure? That is not possible. If we simply stick to this program as I have done it since the beginning, namely, kirtana, preaching, kirtana, distribution of prasadam if you do like this only that will be sufficient. Of course, you may make the kirtana as nice as possible, with dancing, many khols, karatalas, conches, and if you preach sincerely, anyone will listen and become convinced. Read more ›

Tel Aviv, Israel Harinama and book distribution (Album 13 photos)
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One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krishna consciousness movement all our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krishna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krishna literature so that in the future he may also become a devotee. Such activities are recommended in this verse…. Such activities will always remind the devotees of the Lord’s lotus feet. By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krishna, one is fully absorbed in Krishna. This is samadhi.(Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.37) Read more ›

Srila Prabhupada Expresses “Great Hope” & Encourages “Gradual Development” for New Vrindaban – February 1972
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Srila Prabhupada Expresses “Great Hope” & Encourages “Gradual Development” of New Vrindaban – February 1972. From a series of letters written by Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban. Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material. February 28,1972 My dear Satyabhama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 24, 1972, and I […]

ISKCON Scarborough – Rama Navami celebrations coming Friday – 11th April 2014‏
→ ISKCON Scarborough

Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

The appearance day of Lord Ramacandra (also known as Rama Navami) falls on Tuesday- 8th April 2014. Devotees of the Lord fast until sunset on this day.

We at ISKCON Scarborough will be celebrating Ram Navami in a grand manner on Friday – 11th April 2014. Program starts at 6.45 pm sharp.

A special Ram Navami lecture will be given by HG Radha Govinda Hari prabhu. A free vegetarian feast will be served after our program.

Rama Navami
Rama Navami is the appearance day of Lord Rama. Navami means nine, Lord Rama appeared on the ninth day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra. His name was Ramcandra, Prince of Ayodha.

Ramacandra appeared in the Sun Dynasty, as the son of King Dasharatha, in the line of King Ikshvaku, the first ruler of Earth. Lord Rama was the darling of His father and mother, Queen Kaushalya, as well as the hero of all Ayodhya, the capital of what was then a single world kingdom.

Rama had all the admirable qualities of leadership, even from earliest youth. He possessed all physical strength, beauty, religious wisdom, fame for prowess with weapons, royal wealth, and complete renunciation.

Inseparable from Rama was Lakshmana, His younger brother. Together, the two brothers appeared on Earth to vanquish the almost invincible King Ravana and his host of Rakshasa warriors.

Here is a letter Srila Prabhupada wrote in 1968 describing how one should celebrate Ram Navami:

“So far the Advent Day of Lord Ramacandra, it should be celebrated as Lord Caitanya’s Birthday was done. Fasting up to evening, and then take prasadam, and chant Hare Krishna whole day, and be engaged in reading and chanting off and on, chant for some time, then read for some time, then again have Kirtana and so on, throughout the day. If you have not got a Ramayana, then you can read Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam that is all right”.

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7

Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

website:
www.iskconscarborough.com

The shelter of all
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami,  28 August 2013, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.90.48) Krsna is depicted as victorious. He is the shelter of all living beings. So yes, surely Krsna is also shelter for us. Where else is there shelter? We need shelter but where will we find it? Restlessly, we continue to wander on and have not […]

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ April 5, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Please worship and serve this effulgent transcendental couple enjoying transcendental amorous pastimes together in this grove of Vrinda?van, His complexion the color of sapphires and Hers the color of gold, He holding a splendid flute and She a red long-stemmed toy lotus, He with a splendid peacock-feather crown and She with long splendid braids, He […]

Maidenhead Harinam Sankirtan (Album 21 photos)
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On 29th March to promote Hare Krishna Festivals UK in Maidenhead. Maidenhead is a large town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. Read more ›

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario
Gems
Some of today’s lessons that came out of our Bhagavatam session this morning were gems.  In sutra form, here’s what we came up with from 8.5.26 and its purport:
Sense perception is not complete to understand.
You may see, but you may not be able to understand.
Seeing Him is not as important as appreciating Him.
Prayers areheard and the needful action is taken.
Desire less and deserve more.
Engage yourself or encage yourself.
Another major gem of the day was spending time with our recent most visiting monk, Devamrita Swami, over an excellent meal prepared by Mangal Aarti.  I had trekked to the apartment where he was staying.  My return to the ashram, however, was by cab, and that encounter was another gem. 
The cab driver was curious, “Do you go to India?” he asked.
“Yes, once or twice a year.”
“Which part?” 
“The eastern side, mostly, Bengal.”
“Do you know any Bengali?” asked the taxi driver who told me he’s from neighbouring Bangladesh.
“I know some songs, do you want to hear one?”
“Yes.”  So I sang, in its entirety, ‘Gaya Gaura’ to the cab driver.  He was testing me. “Can you tell me what it means?”
“Yes, do utter or sing the honey like names of the Supreme regardless of status or mood, and benefit.”
The driver was really happy.  He sparkled. 
May the Source be with you!
6 KM

The Salvation Army and Krishna Consciousness , together on Gaura Purnima, Oxford Street, London
→ simple thoughts

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur describes the Salvation Army band marching through the streets of the western world as the first strains of Sankirtan in the West. Sajjana Tosani 1885 Also he says “Lord Caitanya did not advent Himself to liberate only a few men of India. Rather his main objective was to emancipate all living entities […]

Memorial Ceremony for Tamal Krishna Goswami in Mayapur (Album 244 photos)
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Tamal Krishna Goswami has served on ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission since its inception in 1970. In January 1972, he accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) from his spiritual master, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in Jaipur, India. He served as ISKCON’s first GBC Secretary for India from 1970-74 and was appointed trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, responsible for U.S. sales. In 1977, he served as Srila Prabhupada’s last personal secretary. Since that time, he has served as the GBC Secretary for Texas and a large number of countries in the Orient. He left the world in March 2002 . Read more ›