Monthly Archives: May 2016

Beautiful Vrindavana. Aerial shots of this holy place and its residents (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Philosophy is the highe…

A brand new single-volume biography of ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada, created to be marketed and accessible to the general public, was launched in New York City on May 19th. The book, “Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the …

Vivaha-yajna in Russia (5 min video)
“In this video is presented a colorful ceremony called – Vivaha-yajna or a wedding ceremony, a Vedic ritual.
It is the key to a successful marriage and one of the ten major purificatory ceremonies, which must pass a man in his life.
This ritual gives a person the strength to follow his vows for the rest of life. The wedding “is recorded in heaven” at a time when the young are aware of the fact that they promised each other, to God and to others never to leave only if they can be considered as husband and wife in the Vedic tradition of marriage – an act of celebration, and not an agreement that people make among themselves, motivated by lust compound of married men and women -. not only the physical, moral, but also -. a spiritual process he imposes on the spouses responsible not only for their material existence, but also for spiritual development. Together husband and wife are united in the service of God. His wife protects her husband from the other women, and the husband the wife of sexual harassment of other men. A woman can only have one husband, and the man only one wife. “
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/q5nRrU

Ratha Yatra in Rijeka, Croatia, 04th June 2016.
We are most happy and enthusiastic to invite you to participate at the 14th Ratha Yatra festival in Rijeka, Croatia.
Festival will be held on the 4th of June at 11 am. This year we celebrate 50 years of ISKCON and we want to make the biggest Ratha Yatra so far.
Please come and join in our celebration for the pleasure of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi.
Ratha-yatra procession will start at 11 am from Jelacic Square. It will then proceed through Korzo street to Jadranski trg and back to Korzo. Program on stage will start at 11 am and will be going on continually until 3 pm, with a break when the Ratha chariot passes by.
Special guests of the festival are HH Candramauli Swami, HH Krishna Kshetra Swami and HG Rohini-suta Prabhu.
Prasadam distribution will be at 1,30 pm, close to the parked Ratha chariot and the stage.
Everybody is heartily invited to come and enjoy the rain of mercy that will shower on the whole city, and especially on the heart of our town – Korzo.
To see the photos of last year’s festival: https://goo.gl/9WXMIW

Mega Harinama in Ekaterinburg 07.05.2016 (18 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: These four principles: Always think of Krishna, become Krishna’s devotee, worship Krishna and offer your respect, obeisances to Krishna. That’s all. This is Krishna consciousness. Hyderabad, November 17, 1972.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ajZviS

The post Tuesday’s conversation with devotees after festival appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Conversation with devotees after the festival appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Brijlata Dasi: Interested in being part of a school where values come first?

A video by Prananath Das.

The post Daily Darshan: May 26th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

An inspiring video to invite people to Washington DC to the Chant4Change event on October 8th, 2016. 

By Giriraj Swami Today is the disappearance day of one of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s most confidential associates, Sri Ramananda Raya. Lord Caitanya is Krsna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani, with Her bodily luster. Thus Lord Caitanya is the com…

By Chandan Yatra Das ‘Srila Ramananda Raya was an incarnation of the gopi Visakha. Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Lord Krishna Himself, there was naturally an awakening of love between Visakha and Krishna. Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the comb…

By Satyaraja Dasa

Everyone likes to converse with loved ones. There is nothing quite as satisfying as sitting back and spending time with like-minded souls, sharing thoughts, ideas, and intimate feelings. In spiritual life, too, there is nothing quite like conversation – a back-and-forth that deepens one’s knowledge of transcendence and increases the possibility of spiritual loving exchanges. Because dialogue is a fundamental form of communication and interaction, numerous texts from antiquity have used conversational structure as a literary device to convey deep truths. Religious works such as the Bible, Buddhist sutras, and Confucian texts partake of this method, and in philosophy Plato’s use of dialogue is particularly well known.

The carts for the Ratha-yatra of Lord Jagganath are getting ready in Puri, Orissa, all by hand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhu…

Girgaum dump now a butterfly garden, thanks to devotees
Mumbai, May 23 – A temple in south Mumbai has created a butterfly garden out of a former garbage dump in Girgaum. After creating the green haven in the middle of a congested area, the temple has taken its green project further by nurturing the garden with compost created from puja wastes.
While much of Mumbai assumes that it is the municipal corporation’s responsibility to collect and dispose of their waste, the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir at Girgaum, part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), has been recycling 40kg of flower waste a day into manure that is used at the butterfly garden.

Gita verse-by-verse podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2010.15%20-%20Vedic%20theology%20is%20not%20polytheism,%20but%20multi-level%20monotheism.mp3
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The post Gita 10.15 – Vedic theology is not polytheism, but multi-level monotheism appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Bhagavatam%20study/Bhagavatam%20study%2044%201.9.11-16%20Concern%20for%20others’%20suffering%20decreases%20our%20own%20suffering.mp3
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The post ​Bhagavatam study 44 1.9.11-16 Concern for others’ suffering decreases our own suffering appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Swamiji’s Genius

May 26. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Swamiji’s Genius.
It was a sign of Swamiji’s genius to bring together simple instruments that everyone could play. Just as in a kindergarten music class not a single instrument requires one to be a musician – there are blocks, triangles, cymbals, a drum, clackers – so was Swamiji’s genius to bring together all those instruments and hand them out to the children to play. The only instruction was, “one-two-three, one-two-three.”
The naked light, the back bars on the window behind the Swami. Some girls from the Lower East Side coming in with motivations other than to participate in Hare Krishna. New brahmacaris, protective of our celibacy … guys with big, bushy beards reminding us of what we used to be.
Each in our own small space, a box within a box. In a small room with a lot of people, we have to manoeuvre while dancing and moving around. There’s room for everyone. Shoes in the back, smelly. Back to Godhead with many concentric circles on the cover – stencilled, mimeographed copies. A hand-cranked mimeograph machine in one corner. Gargamuni with long hair parted in the middle, looking wistful with his double strand of red japa beads wrapped around his neck. And Swamiji in the center of it all, his pointy white shoes at the door where he left them when he came in.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2016, Durban, South Africa, Lecture at Sunday Program) Bhagavad-gita makes it very clear – we should not waste our time in trying to control the material energy and make it more and more favourable for our stay in the material world. Rather, we should understand that our stay in the material world […]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.1 during the Sunday Love Fest. “Prahlada Maharaja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human […]

Gunagrahi Swami’s health update.
Dear friends and well wishers,
It’s been a while since our last update. So many changes have occurred over the past few months. Everything was happening so fast daily, so it became difficult to report up-to-date events and progress.
Gunagrahi Prabhu left Bangalore several months ago and was moved to the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mira Road/Mumbai. During his treatment in Bangalore the herbs and physical purification had a profound impact on his emotions, sleep and general mental health. Everyone involved in his care, as well as himself, felt he needed to be under the direct care of a hospital and medical professionals. For that reason we moved him to the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai.
Shortly after his arrival to the hospital the doctors were able to stabilize his physical and mental condition. Several devotees traveled with him and continued to care for him during the transition. While in the hospital he received his first lupron/hormone shot. This treatment is supposed to reduce pain, shrink the size of the tumor and swelling and extend his life.
After almost one month in the hospital the doctors and devotee caretakers felt he was stable and self sufficient enough to be moved to a private room in the Iskcon Chowpatty temple. There he is receiving first class devotee care and association, attending temple programs, and able to dive deeply into hearing and chanting.
Recently he received his second shot if lupron, which is allowing him to walk again and experience minimal physical pain.
He feels extremely grateful and humbled by the many encouraging and loving emails from devotees all over the world.
We would like to recognize a few devotees who have been very committed and dedicated to helping him during part, and even some the entire process. They have sacrificed their time, finances and even health in order to assure he has been taken care of. It has given all of us a deep appreciation for unconditional loving vaisnava relationships.
Those devotees are Hansadutta and Savitri Prabhus, Brihat Mrdanga Prabhu, Ekavira Prabhu, Mahatma Prabhu, Virabahu Prabhu, Ekanatha Gaura Prabhu, Akshaya and Giri Govardhana Prabhus, Yudhisthira Prabhu, Pavamana Prabhu, and especially a very special recognition for His Holiness Jayadwaita Maharaja who has not left his side since Bangalore. A special thank you to the hospital and all of it’s wonderful staff. His Holiness Radhannatha Swami for helping arrange the personal care given by the Chowpatty temple.
Of course, all of this would not have been possible without the generous donations and support received from well wishers. It really has been amazing and moving to see everyone come together to help take care of this special soul. If I have left anyone out, please forgive me and please let us know.
Your servants,
Mahahari das and Gandharvika devi dasi

Annual European ISKCON Communications Seminar
A team of devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor and ISKCON-London attended the annual…

ISKCON South London: We hope you are able to join us at 42 Enmore Road, South Norwood.

https://youtu.be/DnvzftOHxoo

The post Bhakta Zoli’s video of this year’s Hungarian book distributors’ parikrama appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Ratha Yatra kids craft activity.
Sangeeta Rasa DD: Ratha Yatra time is coming. I prepared some devotional kids craft activity…

By Gunaavatara das

Resently by Krishna mercy and Prabhupada mercy we have a chance to visit Hong Kong and conduct some various program related to the Campaign, and few other program. We had four seminars in diferent scedule time, one is about ISKCON four movement and Surabhi Campaign, Best Practice ISKCON where Maharaja introduce about the farm project all around the world, and on the other day we also have peace inter faith dialoge. One very inspiring program that we visited one local goshala where they have 150 cows, bulls, and calves, the owner is one chinese leady who love cows very much. So we become to relise actualy there is cow protection movement been going on not to far from our temple, same is in Cambodia, Thailand, and many other places, because although those people may not yet be devotees, but due to their natural love that inspire them to protect the cow. As how all living atities naturly is to love Krishna and by daily seeing the Krishna form, name and pastime we will review our pure love to Him. It similar naturaly we will develope love to cow if we live with them and be friend to them.

By Nrsimha Krsna das

When spring comes we always get excited like most of the people. But reason our excitement is about trip to New Vraja Dham, Hungary. Every year we take Turkish devotees twice to New Vraja Dham festivals. With total of 10 devotees we went to New Vraja Dham for Nrsimha Caturdasi and HH Sivarama Swami Maharaja’s Vyasa Puja Festival. Festivals are always wonderful to be a part and always meant to do more sravanam, kirtanam and smaranam. Our devotees took part in kitchen services and chanted and danced in front of Sri Sri Radha Shyama for hours. Actually, the most important part of the festival for us was the initiation ceremony that took place on Nrsimha Caturdasi day. Our 3 devotees Bhakta Nezih, Bhakta Kaan and Bhaktin Gultekin took harinam initiation from HH Sivarama Maharaja and committed their lives in the service of Guru and Gauranga. Their new names are Nanda Kumar das, Krishna Candra das and Gaura Prema devi dasi. Nanda Kumar Prabhu and Krishna Candra Prabhu are brothers by birth and they are the youngest initiated members of our congregation. It is very encouraging to see development of our Turkish Congregation. Iskcon Turkey is expanding. Slowly but surely! It gives more strength and inspiration to do more & more services.

By SriRamaDasa

The Indian Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working on modalities to bring in a new law to combat illegal cow transport and slaughtering. Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Radha Mohan Singh (Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare) called for restrictions on killings saying even in old age cows can be financially viable. He also said that “cow hostels and sanctuaries are being established across the country, and five new veterinary colleges have been set up to take care of old and ailing cows.”

The post Daily Darshan: May 25th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskzNzJbS
The post Non-festival, festival scenes appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/How%20do%20we%20draw%20the%20line%20between%20self-pity%20and%20humility%20and%20assertiveness.mp3
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The post How do we draw the line between self-pity and humility and assertiveness? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/Do%20nondevotees%20have%20no%20good%20qualities.mp3
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The post Do non-devotees have no good qualities? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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[Talk at Bhaktivedanta Hospital]

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2016%20classes/05-16%20classes/Shikshashtakam%203%20-%20Humility%20and%20tolerance%20empower%20us%20to%20focus%20on%20our%20purpose.mp3
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The post Shikshashtakam 3 – Humility and tolerance empower us to focus on our purpose appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Harinam Sankirtan in Hong Kong (Album with photos)
H.H. RP Bhakti Raghava Swami has been visiting Hong Kong since May 17th with…