Monthly Archives: July 2015

Friday, June 19, 2015
St. John’s, Newfoundland

Where’s That? Sometimes my American friends ask me, “Where’s that?” when I tell them I’m in Newfoundland.

“It’s near where the Titanic sank,” is my response.  So they get it.  It’s the perfect reference point. Here I am, in Newfoundland and its capital city, St. John’s.  People here sound and look Irish.  They are unmistakably the friendliest folks in the nation.  Jan Peters is one of them.  I’ve known her for twenty years. Loving and giving she is.

She picked up Brhat, my assistant monk, and I at the airport, took us to her
beautiful home and had all these ingredients ready for us to assemble one of my favourites – veggie wraps.  We then moved on to the campus at Memorial U. to check out our lecture hall for the upcoming speaking engagement.  A few extra posters informing students of the event were affixed to walls designated for this kind of program.  “Tales from Trails” are highlighted along with mantra meditation.  Oh yes, I met students there, some from Africa, India and China.  It’s an international place for education. 

Lasagna was waiting for us at Rashesvar’s place compliments of the chefs, Neil and Cathy, two doors down.  Once again, I admire Newfoundlanders, I affectionately address as “Newfies” for your niceness.

The pace of life in Newfoundland is relatively relaxed.  Air and water are clean. There are a lot of pros for being in Newfoundland, either as a resident or visitor.

The sun shone all day, giving pleasure until nightfall when rain partnered this night. I required sleep.  My insomnia is at an ultimate high and I haven’t slept well for three days.  The odd nap here and there doesn’t compensate.

Woe is me, being in this body has its accompanying turmoils.  Bear in mind, our problems don’t have to be permanent.

May the Source be with you.

0 km

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

On Radio, Newfoundland

I had an interview with Colleen from Memorial University on their radio station.  It was a promo for my coming to give talks in Newfoundland tomorrow.  I understand that Colleen is a well-liked broadcaster and is good at songwriting and at singing. 

Her questions and my answers regarding “Tales from Tails” were pre-recorded and involved everything about pilgrimage and included the events I’ll be conducting while in Newfoundland.  I’ll paraphrase and shortcut for brevity’s sake. 

Colleen:  What makes a walk become a pilgrimage?

Me:  When one walks for an intended transformation it is then a pilgrimage.

Colleen:  What is the value of a pilgrimage?

Me:  It is down-time, time to reflect, to be introspective, to plan for the future, reminisce on some past experiences and to be very much in the moment.

Colleen:  In this age of technology you feel there’s a need?

Me:  Absolutely! We are dealing with weapons of mass distraction.  Let us re-explore the power of the human body, which is a temple for the atma, the soul.  I’ve never liked cars and the damage they’ve done to the world.  The human body can do so much.

Colleen:  You mentioned in your blog about challenges with the knees.

Me:  I’m 62, going on 63.  Naturally there is some wear-down.  I’ve settled for doing 35 km a day whereas my past average doing the marathons was 42 km a day.

Colleen:  You’re going to be speaking? And walking?

Me:  Yes! Gander is on for Saturday at a yoga studio; Sunday, a talk at the

Hindu temple then ‘Tales from Trails” at the Education Building Room 2018A Monday evening.  Tuesday we’ll conduct a walk around Quidi Vidi Lake.  All are welcome.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

“Do the simple things that I ask you to do. Don’t concern yourself with all these rituals. First, chant your 16 rounds and follow the principles.”From Nectar of Srila Prabhupadaby Srutakirti dasa

Bhaktivedanta Players Mahabharata performance (Album with 260 HR photos)
To commemorate their 30th Anniversary, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s
Bhaktivedanta Players drama group put on an extravagant two-hour Mahabharata play.
Touring three external venues around London they put on four shows,performing to nearly 2,000 people. Tickets were sold out and they received a standing ovation on the opening night.
See them here: http://goo.gl/KHsgux

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On this date in 1969, Srila Prabhupada initiated me—probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. He accepted me as his disciple and chanted on my beads in Los Angeles, while I was in Boston. And he sent me the following instructive letter. —GS My dear Giriraj, Please accept my blessings. I beg […]

Hare Krishna! Program on mind control based on Bhagavad Gita by ISKCON Ahmedabad
Srimad Bhagavad Gita is not just a sacred book for all but a book giving lessons on various topics like : – How to control your mind – How to control your senses – How to connect to God – How to know “whom am I “ and many more such questions. Srimad Bhagavat Gita is not only popular in people generally but is now catching up in corporate organizations too. Manager are interested to know what lessons Bhagavad Gita has to solve their managerial problems.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18277

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Rightly Said (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: A great flood of mercy inundated the town of Rewal, Poland yesterday as our samkirtan party descended in all its glory upon the town’s beaches. Chanting and dancing in great ecstasy we distributed thousands of invitations to our festival that evening. Upon receiving an invitation one gentleman smiled and rightly said, “By the appearance of it all, it seems the festival has already begun!”
See them here: https://goo.gl/4xnWXG

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Harinama at Byron Bay – 05 July 2015 (Album with 65 photos)
ISKCON New Govardhana – Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari
See them here: https://goo.gl/V9CGLD Read more ›

The post The land of eternal festivals of love appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America (Album with photos)
50 years on and Srila Prabhupada is still spreading his divine mercy far and wide. A gathering of approximately 500 people at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Hall yesterday to commemorate the occasion was a huge success. 280 children from Tamil Schools in the Klang Valley took part in the Mahabharat Quiz while guests were treated to multimedia presentations on Srila Prabhupada. Sumptuous vegetarian delights were served. Special Abhisekh ceremony for Srila Prabhupada and Katha on Srila Prabhupada by his disciples are highlights for today’s session. Be there to experience the joy.
See them here: https://goo.gl/5CKJtT

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On Saturday, June 20th, we left Delaware after breakfast at the home of Krishna Mohan and Amala Sundari prabhus for the nearby Philadelphia Temple (where we had previously visited in March) for the Bhumi puja yajna of the new temple on the property. By the grace of Lord Nityananda, only three weeks after we had

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 96: Philadelphia Temple Bhumi Puja appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Hare Krishna! Sri Lanka – One month preaching tour report
A team of 15 devotees from ISKCON Batticaloa and guests from abroad voyaged from the east coast of Sri Lanka till the capital city of Colombo covering all major cities and towns of the island bringing Vaikuntha atmosphere at each location. We mainly targeted youths in schools and colleges by performing drama, distributing books, holding harinama sankirtana, distributing prasadam and follow-up. Every school program had an attendance of 500 to 900 students.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18270

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On Friday, June 19th, after arriving at the home of Temple President Krishna Kirtan and his wife Shyamala and their children Gauranga and Vasudeva, we made our way over to the temple of this small but dedicated and growing community of devotees for the TOVP presentation. During arati the Padukas and Sitari received Their abhisheka

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 95: ISKCON Delaware TOVP Presentation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

New York Rathayatra New York is considered the most important city in the world. Therefore, it’s not surprising that it was the first city where Srila Prabhupada preached and established his first center. It was also in New York that he incorporated ISKCON, that the first Harinama samkirtana went out, that Back to Godhead magazine

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 93-94: New York Rathayatra and TOVP Presentation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We departed from Toronto, Canada and arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, June 5th for the weekend of the Rathayatra and Panihati Festival. The Atlanta Yatra is also one of the original temples opened during Srila Prabhupada’s physical presence, and he visited a number of times, exhibiting various pastimes, including going into a deep trance

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 86 – 92: Visit to New Panihati Dhama: Atlanta, Georgia appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We spent the following four days in Toronto visiting different devotees’ homes and other nearby temples and devotee communities: Monday, June 1 Brunch at the home of Shasank and Satyabhama prabhus in Toronto Travel to Muskoka for a TOVP presentation to 50 devotees and Indian congregation members organized by Jaya Gopal and Vyasacarya prabhus: $34,000

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 82-85 – Four Days in the Toronto Area appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

ISKCON Brampton is a suburb in the Toronto area that has a small temple and congregation of devotees. On Sunday, May 31st we made our way there for a special mid-day Sunday Feast TOVP program which was also attended by His Holiness Bhaktimarg Swami who had come especially for the TOVP presentations in Brampton and

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 81 – TOVP Presentations at ISKCON Brampton and ISKCON Toronto appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We had to take an extremely early flight on Saturday morning, May 30th, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to get to Toronto, Canada. We were picked up by Subha Vilas prabhu (his wife’s name is Ashalata), a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and father of one of the TOVP Canada Team, Indresh prabhu, in whose home we were

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 80 – Arrival in Toronto, Canada appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Restart!
Kadamba Kanana Swami: There was one devotee who had sort of given up spiritual standards for a while and I was thinking of what to say to such a person without saying that you MUST chant Hare Krsna. Of course, that fell on deaf ears. Their answer was that they had no taste and could not do it. So I was thinking for days and finally I said, ‘You know, you have only two possibilities with your life. To either be a happy devotee or to be an unhappy devotee! It’s too late, you’re a devotee. Even if you don’t chant, you are still a devotee. But if you don’t chant, you will be a unhappy devotee. So better chant then you can become a happy devotee.’
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/NvQddJ

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Ratha-Yatra 2015 Budapest (Album with 61 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one somehow or other chats the holy name of the Lord (Hare Krishna) when he meets with an accident and dies, he will be saved from hellish life after death. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.1… Read more ›

Independance Day Harinam in Jacksonville, Fl (Album with 40 photos)
Vanavihari Madhava Das: Ecstatic Harinam at Jacksonville, Fl beach. Many wonderful devotees did Harinam and so many people danced on Hare Krishna Mahamantra. While chanting, Krishna blessed us with heavy rain which refreshed us and we Chanted more enthusiastically. More and more people joined us then in this Rain Dancing Harinam! Harinam & Prasadam was organized and sponsored by His Grace Godrum Prabhu ji and Her Grace Vishnu Priya Mata ji.
See them here: https://goo.gl/nHhFOF

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 February 2013, Prague, Czech Republic, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.19.4) There was one devotee who had sort of given up spiritual standards for a while and I was thinking of what to say to such a person without saying that you MUST chant Hare Krsna. Of course, that fell on deaf ears. Their answer […]

Pankajanghri das S.B.6.9.46-47 – June 15th 2015

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 06/14/2015 Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes Simple Living, Cow Protection, Engaging Oxen, Local Agriculture, and above all, Loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban. Participating Board Members: Anuttama, Bhima, Chaitanya Mangala, Kripamaya, Madhava Gosh (partial attendance), and Ranaka. Participating Advisors: Sri Tulasi Manjari, Radha-Krishna Participating Managers: […]

This year we began our 28th annual summer festival tour in the town of Dzwirzyno, Poland on the Baltic Sea coast. It began auspiciously with numerous people approaching the harinam party thanking us for bringing the festival to the town again. The fest…

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Japa%20Prayers/2015%20meditations/07-15%20meditations/Gita%2013.23%20-%20Contemplate%20Krishnas%20proximity%20to%20bring%20intensity%20to%20devotion.mp3
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Holy Name Meditation Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/Japa%20Prayers/2015%20meditations/07-15%20meditations/Gita%2006.07%20-%20To%20attain%20peace,%20focus%20on%20conquering%20the%20inner%20enemy,%20not%20dealing%20with%20outer%20enemies.mp3
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Talk Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2015%20classes/07-15%20classes/Focus%20on%20the%20universality%20of%20suffering%20not%20its%20variety.mp3
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/07-15%20QA/How%20do%20the%20sages%20austerities%20produce%20fire.mp3
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2015%20QA/07-15%20QA/Why%20is%20Dattatreya%20described%20so%20briefly%20in%20the%20Bhagavatam%20-%20what%20is%20the%20significance.mp3
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Devotee: Sometimes we are so enthusiastic in service that while chanting we are also thinking of service.Radhanath Swami: It is better to think of service than of sense gratification, no doubt. But when you do service, you should be thinking of service…

Hare Krishna! TOVP Tour Daily Diary: Day 77-79, New Vrindaban and Gita Nagari
We arrived in Gita Nagari from New Vrindaban on Friday, May 29th, Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi, only for a few hours to make a presentation at the weekend retreat there with Radha… Read more ›

TKG Academy: Conor Jennings and his team wins first place at “Speak Up, Speak Out” Poetry Slam.
Twelve-year-old Conor Jennings has joined TKG Academy during the last school year and quickly won the hearts of his classmates. His gentle and respectful demeanor endeared him to his teachers as well. Conor has gained his voice last year. He discovered the healing power of poetry as a venue for expressing his feelings. We were delighted to discover that he is an apprentice member of the Forthwrite National Youth Slams. He won a space on the team after placing runner up at Peaceful Vocations.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/INBqPl

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The Scientific Evidence for Reincarnation: An Argument for the Vedic Worldview?
Jayadvaita Swami: Does some aspect of our personality survive bodily death? Some say no. But there are strong reasons for thinking it does. You’ll find some of them discussed later in this article. Meanwhile, here are the basic teachings of the Vedic philosophy, the teachings given by the ancient wisdom literature of India. According to the Vedic literature, the psychophysical entity with which we now identify ourselves is not our true self. The true self is neither the body nor the mind, nor a combination of both. The Vedic sages tell us that the body and mind are but gross and subtle coverings of the self. Underlying these temporary coverings, the real self is a spark of spiritual consciousness, eternal and unchanging but temporarily misidentifying itself with matter in the form of the body and mind. And this real self, the Vedic sages tell us, survives the death of the body and lives on.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/OOvZbk

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Jasomatinandan prabhu’s health update.
Basu Ghosh Das: Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,Namonamaha. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!Yesterday I visited Jasomatinandan Prabhu at Ahmedabad. Along with him, we went to visit Dr. Sudhir Shah, his neurologist.Dr. Shah explained that he suffered a “severe” stroke, due to the location of the blood clot in his neck area, that apparently blocked the main artery carrying blood to the head.Earlier I was under the impression that this was a “mild stroke”, and in fact Jasomatinandan Prabhu’s vital signs are all “normal”, although he is extremely weak and unable to do much.Dr. Shah gave him – in our presence a thorough check up for any signs of neurological problems, and gave him a “clean chit”. He said that he would have to continue the course of medicines he is prescribing “for 20 years”, i.e. the rest of his life! He was not opposed to him going for naturopathc or ayurvedic treatment, but warned not to discontinue the medications he has prescribed, under any circumstance.The cause of the stroke is high blood pressure and hypertension. He suggested he take a break from management for some time and relax. He said he didn’t need to leave town for that – he could just go to the Goshala/ farm, for this purpose!Since I had sent out health bulletins regarding Jasomatinandan Prabhu’s stroke, I thought it appropriate to file this report as well.Many thanks to the many senior devotees – many of them ISKCON’s leaders – who have written words of encouragement to Jasomatinandan Prabhu during this present health crisis. They are highly appreciated! Of course he has responded to some of them, but to those who has has not been able to respond, know that he is grateful to all of you for your kindness and expressions of regard and support!
Hope this meets you all well.

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(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

[first published on July 8th, 2012]Since “Independence Day” in the USA was is July 4th, I gave a class about the idea of real independence from a spiritual perspective. I will share some of the points I made in this and a second blog. To begin with, material “independence” is an illusion based on our forgetfulness of our spiritual nature. Since we are tiny parts of Krishna, our normal condition is to be under a superior shelter. Therefore, we can only work under the power of His energies, either consciously through bhakti (internal superior energy), or unconsciously through the modes of material nature (separated inferior energy).

Spiritual dependence is the true reality and secret for peace, happiness, and fulfillment. Real independence comes from total dependence on Krishna by seeing Him as the Supreme Source of everything in our lives and the world. Krishna is the supreme proprietor, enjoyer, and dear-most friend of all. I explain these points through six verses from the Gita with some of Prabhupada’s purports and then I ran out of my allotted words, so I will give practical examples by sharing spiritual narrations from the Shrimad Bhagavatam in my next blog. I then end with some prayers from Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur that speak of how to practice seeing Krishna as our supreme maintainer and protector.

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Hare Krishna! ISKCON in Relation to People of Faith in God
There are no official representatives of Hinduism, as the term Hinduism does not imply a single spiritual tradition. This statement therefore is representative of Hindu culture and religion as ISKCON, as a Vedantic, monotheistic Vaisnava tradition. In this statement and in the elaboration of this statement, we present our response to the current global need for relationships among world faiths. ISKCON is the first global Vaisnava movement and as such accepts the responsibility to interact with host communities with respect and sensitivity. Consequently this document serves as a statement of purpose to other faith communities and to ISKCON’s members.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18260

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