Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Saturday and Sunday, July 4th and 5th, were the last two days of the North American TOVP Tour, 2015. They were, in fact, record days for our fundraising and visits to devotees homes. During these two days Jananivas prabhu alone visited over 25 devotees’ homes, going from one to the other with the Padukas and
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The next four days, from June 29th – July 2nd were spent in Houston catching up on office related work and visiting local devotees. Below is a list of devotees we visited during that time. We also paid a visit to the NASA Space Center to get an idea of what the Vedic planetarium in
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By Madhava Smullen On Monday June 29th, New Vrindaban children waited excitedly while an inaugural puja was offered to open their brand new fully-equipped playground next to the Palace Lodge, before running into it to play with blissful abandon. The playground is an endeavor by ISKCON New Vrindaban to serve and accommodate both the children […]
The video also contain a part when Prabhupada meets George Harrison.
Hare Krishna! Conversation Between Krsna-ksetra Swami and Mr Vineet Narain
I told my reporter to go and pretend to be part of them, get as much information as he can. Part of it could be in the favour and if there is anything negative, please bring tha… Read more ›
Transcendental Treasures
Srutakirti dasa: Paramahamsa, Nitai and I received unique, transcendental treasures during our stay in Atlanta. When Srila Prabhupada arrived the weather was rather cold. The devotees presented Srila Prabhupada with warm socks and a pair of canvas walking shoes. The next morning before the walk I assisted Srila Prabhupada by sliding his transcendental toes into his new pair of shoes with his blessed shoe horn. After his walk and morning program, Srila Prabhupada rang his bell. I found my way to his new quarters and offered my obeisances. I sat up and looked at Srila Prabhupada. “These shoes do not fit me,” he said. “If they fit, you can use them.” “I can’t wear your shoes, Srila Prabhupada,” I immediately answered. “That would be offensive.” “If I say you can do it, then it is all right,” he gently replied.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/Z2E23U
http://bit.ly/1HTmL1l
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Gita Contest Winner Donates Cash Prize to Educate Needy!
Of course, as well as commending Maryam for her her charitable work, and being glad for the many who will be benefitted by her efforts, it’s important to congratulate all the other winners in the Gita Champions’ League, and to note the benefits of the contest itself. Over 4,800 students from fifth to tenth standard (aged 10 to 16), from more than 100 schools in Maharastra, participated. And at a March 15th ceremony in a hall near ISKCON Chowpatty, first, second, and third place awards were given to students from each standard (Maryam was awarded first place for sixth standard). Each student received a cash prize, a certificate, and a set of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Teachers who helped run the contest also received gifts.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/HiLp3r
240 old and new photos of devotees from all over the world chanting and playing the world famous Balaram Mridanga!
See them here: https://goo.gl/7ktBeb Read more ›
Hare Krishna! I think I have acquired a spiritual guru…
Actually, I think it might be more accurate to say that he has acquired me. I’m a scientist (astrophysicist to be precise) and I’ve been agnostic for as long as I can remember, so I’ve always struggled with the idea of God and the purpose of religion. But a few months ago, I had a spiritual experience, and since then, I’ve been on a quest to understand the being known as God. To learn more, I’ve studied and participated in various religious systems, and for the past month I’ve been exploring the group commonly known as Hare Krishnas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18383
ISKCON Auckland New Zealand – Friday night Harinam (Album with photos)
By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada
Books, Prasadam and The Holy Name were distrbuted to all!
See them here: https://goo.gl/pXYz1G Read more ›
Sweet revenge from the fury of Indra 🙂 (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The storm in Pobierowo the day before had stolen our usual crowd. Only a few hundred people had showed up for the festival. But yesterday the prayers of the devotees kept t… Read more ›
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HG Krishna Kirtan Dasa CCM 20.120 – 05.07.2015
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 St. John’s, NewfoundlandBy the Lake! By the Temple!The previous night’s successful event at Memorial U. was such that you wonder if anything gets better than this.The agreement for the morning was a walk around Quidi Vidi…
The main thing is to want to chant Hare Krishna. Doing the chanting is extremely easy, it’s just words, anyone can say them or think of them. Wanting to chant is the trick, its the hard part. So to work on my japa I try to work on increasing my desire to chant. Here are a few helpful ways […]
Monday, June 22nd, 2015 St. John’s, NewfoundlandQuestions”Excuse me, but did you see a monk down the trail?” The middle-aged robust- looking man stopped cycling and adjusted his helmet while readying himself for the answer to my question. “…
Chanting has become such an important part of my life. I’m happy to be chanting and to be alive in the holy names. There is nothing so refreshing and life-giving as chanting the maha-mantra. I feel like I’m a good person, obeying the parampara and obeying Srila Prabhupada. I don’t feel foreign to it; I feel I’m in my element.
From Bhajan Kutir #87
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 May 2015, Melbourne, Australia, Personal Address) Ultimately, whatever has to happen will happen at the right time, but still, we have choices to make. When we cross the street, it is not like, “Oh! What is happening? I am crossing the street!” No, you are choosing to cross the street. So […]
His Grace Acharya Thakur Das :
His Grace Acharya Thakur Das is a disciple of His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. He has been serving Iskcon Brampton in various capacities.
ParamaEvery fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.
Monthly Sankirtan Festival(Carabram)
Festival of India 2015(Rathayatra) The event will begin with a euphoric parade down world-famous Yonge Street (beginning at Bloor and continuing south to Queens Quay). The celebrations then will shift to Centre Island for two days of festivities expected to draw close to 40,000 people.
The festival is open to the public and free for everyone.
*ATTENTION* ISKCON Brampton will move to Centre Island on account of Festival of India(Toronto) on July 19th 2015.We’ll see you there!!
ON GOING EVERY SUNDAY
Sunday SchoolThe Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).
Gift Shop
Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your visit. It offers textiles, jewellery, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs inspired by Indian culture.We’re open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.
Hare Krishna! Time Magazine – The Answers Issue: A Closer Look
The Answers Issue might make you feel guilty if you drive over 13,400 miles a year (the average), since it claims that car emission is the biggest factor to our individual carbon footprints. Eating meat comes in second. Something to consider for those who want to make an impact on their carbon footprint but can’t bring themselves to give up driving. Other lessor categories are our use of air conditioning, air travel and beer drinking, etc. The interesting thing is that the mag is silent on the carbon footprint of our purchases of goods from overseas, since we can hardly buy anything that’s’ manufactured in America anymore.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18377
Hare Krishna! Don’t Worry, Be Happy – The secret to true happiness and well-being
Devamrita Swami: “Anyway, money can’t buy everything,” members of all social tiers often quip. Daily life, however, regularly belies this old mantra. Happiness and even love often seem to have a price tag, or at least a significant financial correlation. Whatever our level of income and indulgence, we all long for true happiness and genuine well-being, however defined. Shouldn’t personal contentment become enshrined as a basic human right, for all people, everywhere? Then again, what about the special persons—the ones who, with wings of selfless magnanimity, soar beyond all social pigeonholes? Compassionate, empathetic, and noble, they radiate human sunshine, in any kind of weather.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18374
The Indian media is exploding with the story of Maryam Siddiqui, a 12-year-old Muslim girl from Mumbai who came first place in her class in the Gita Champions’ League, an annual contest organized by ISKCON Chowpatty, but gave away her w…
Radhika, Madhava’s wife tells the human story of an exceptional kirtaniya.
While some might turn to prescriptions or over-the-counter aid, there are multiple natural remedies that can help, many of which have been used for thousands of years.
Raincoats and umbrellas but the “show goes on!” (Album with 49 photos)
Indradyumna Swami: One hundred kilometers from our festival in Pobierowo a storm had torn roofs off of houses, knocked down trees and utility poles and left a trail of destruction. Somewhat weakened by the time it reached us, it nevertheless caused serious problems. Two of our tents were severally damaged by wind and a deluge of water made walking difficult, if not impossible, in many areas of our festival site. Despite it all we persevered and went on with our event. And to our utter amazement hundreds of people came, fully equipped with raincoats and umbrellas. Most stayed the entire show, sometimes taking shelter in our tents, where they continued watching the show as it poured rain. All proof of Srila Prabhupada’s statement that Krsna is, “all attractive.”
See them here: https://goo.gl/m4zx9
Nowadays air purifying plants have gained special importance; they are the best and cheapest way to keep the indoor atmosphere as healthy.
Hare Krishna! Religion And Religions
With all the exotic trappings of ‘a traditional Hindu ritual structure’ thus in place, ISKCON appears to many to be heavily freighted with culturally conditioned forms and hence to exemplify sectarianism with a vengeance. It stands in contrast to advaita vedanta, that earlier Indian export, whose philosophical abstractions and non-devotional orientation make it appear universal, nonsectarian, and free from adventitious cultural and historical accretions. Yet even after Prabhupada had everything in place, the Western youth who joined ISKCON never thought of themselves as ‘converting’ to something called ‘Hinduism’ or as participating in ‘a traditional Hindu ritual structure’.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18370
The Polish Festival of India tour led by Indradyumna Swami is now on. This video features some of the highlights of the 2013 tour.
Kirtan in Ireland (12 min video)
Praghosa Das of ISKCON and Govinda’s (Dublin) leads a kirtan chant session at a gathering in County Westmeath, Ireland. Jayananda Davis is the brilliant and enlivening mridanga drum player.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/KnxfEG
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor’s main drama group. It has been led chiefly by Jaya Krishna Das and Dwarka Puri das but over the years a great many other devotees of all ages and backgrounds have par…
Amazing Gita Nagari farm (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/367Vi4 Read more ›
Karnamrita Das
(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)
[Originally published on July 24th, 2012](The final installment of the 3 part series.) One of my favorite accounts in Shrimad Bhagavatam is Narada’s sharing of his previous life with Vyasadeva in the first Canto. This volume was all of the SB that was published when I became a devotee, and I have read it more than any other passage. Still, even with whole 12 Cantos of SB in print, I still find this story very inspiring. I like biographies anyway, and “coming to Krishna” stories are especially interesting and relevant to sadhakas (practicing devotees of Krishna). Although Narada is an eternally perfected devotee, he still has this aspect of his life as a way to teach us about the essential importance of Vaishnava blessings and association to jump start our spiritual lives. Narada embarks on the pilgrim’s journey to attain spiritual perfection, and he seems like one of us as he faces a personal tragedy which catapults him toward Krishna. We read how he depended on Krishna in all circumstances and was not independent in his endeavor to successfully meditate, but had to abide by Krishna’s timing for perfection.
Among the many games that the mind plays, comparison is one of its favorites – and one that is rarely favorable in terms of how it affects us. The mind will always find something with which to unfavorably compare our situation and …
So often in routine life we experience phenomena unexplainable by the current western paradigm. Out-of-body or near death experiences, children who can remember past lives leave mainstream scientists baffled. What then to speak of under…
From Chandramukha Swami When BHAKTI enters FOOD FOOD becomes PRASAD, When BHAKTI enters HUNGER, HUNGER becomes a FAST, When BHAKTI enters WATER, WATER becomes CHARANAMRIT, When BHAKTI enters TRAVEL, TRAVEL becomes a PILGRIMAGE, When BHAKTI enters MUSIC, MUSIC becomes KIRTAN, When BHAKTI enters a HOUSE, HOUSE becomes a TEMPLE, When BHAKTI enters ACTIONS, ACTIONS become […]