Monthly Archives: November 2016

Many people had been angry by the failures or inaction of one side or other; angry with a do-nothing government which doesn’t consider their needs; angry with the moral failures of leadership. And rightly so. But anger and frustration don&rsq…

An Infallible Justice!
Chaitanya Caran das: Why me! What did I do to deserve this?“ The outraged cry that comes from a person who feels he has been unfairly singled out for suffering by cruel providence.
“Why do bad things happen to good people?” The perplexing question that haunts the minds of many when they see pious people victimized by painful reverses in life.
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
“The problem of evil” has been the bane of Western theologians and thinkers for centuries together. In simple terms, the problem is: Why does evil exist in the world despite the presence of an almighty God?
The Vedic scriptures give a clear understanding of the problem of evil. They explain that evil is not God’s creation; evil comes upon us due to our own bad karma. When we succumb to our lower nature, we exploit the resources of mother nature in an unlawful way and / or cause suffering to other living beings just for the fulfillment of our base desires. By such actions, we fix up appointments with suffering in the future. (And all living beings share a remarkable memory quirk – they forget their own wrongdoings very quickly) So when our due suffering reaches us, we have conveniently forgotten the wrongs that we did in the past. And so the indignant outburst, “Why me?”

By Radha Mohan Das

As ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary draws to a close, Bhaktivedanta Manor would like to make an epic final offering. Every December the entire ISKCON world focuses all attention on distribution of transcendental literature, something we all know was so close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart. Indeed, he said it gave him life. When a new book was printed, Prabhupada felt as though he had conquered an empire. He told one disciple – “the best of me is in my books.” Last year’s historic “100k Effort” at the Manor was a resounding success, with a record number of devotees participating. This year the team is aiming to distribute 200,000 books for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada!

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami shares Vedic wisdom to Accenture management consultants at their headquarters in London, UK.
The post Bhakti Charu Swami Visits Accenture PLC. appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.

ISKCON Australia – Communications Report:
Going forward with correct policies in place, ISKCON Australia, like other religious institutions, have had to re-evaluate and clarify their policies and procedures in line with expectations of today’s society.
Child Protection:
After the last ISKCON Australia National Council AGM, a proposal was presented and passed that ISKCON Australia strikes up an engagement with the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF).
The Australian Childhood Foundation has extensive experience in undertaking collaborative consultancy projects and/or tailored training for organisations that work with children, young people and families.
These include activities which meet the needs of a broad range of individual professionals and agencies, including:
• Clinical Supervision for practitioners about trauma informed practice.
• Secondary Consultation for individuals, care teams and organisations about understanding and responding to the specific needs of traumatised children and young people, often engaged in challenging and harmful behaviour.
• Workforce development packages that include training, reflective practice forums, action based research activities, and safeguarding children policy development and implementation.
All projects are implemented by senior members of the Foundation’s Management Team with broad range experience in therapeutic approaches, child protection, family support, out of home care and mental health.
As well, each Temple will have a Child Care Officer /s working under the direction of a National Child Care Officer who will be in close liaison with ACF.
Domestic violence:
ISKCON’s National Council has moved that: ISKCON Australia develops a Domestic Violence Unit to offer community support and help to individuals who are experiencing any form of domestic violence and provide access to professional help.
Policies in regard to domestic violence are currently being worked out with the assistance of the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health (ACHRH).
ACHRH’s vision is happy homes and a strong community. Healthy, vibrant women and children are the key. Creative dialogue between the Australasian community, the professionals, the policy planners and the academics is their chosen method.
ACHRH’s objectives: (Quoted from their website)
A) To inform the development of policies and programmes around gender and gender-based violence by combining community based initiatives with scientific knowledge and professional expertise.
We aim to use qualitative aspects of the broader social and cultural context of gender inequities in gender-based violence in migrant and ethnic Australasian communities.
We aim to make the community aware of gender dimensions of practices related to sexual and reproductive health & experiences of violence within marriage and outside.
We partner with the community and educate and describe the health impact of gender inequities and gender-based violence.
B) To evaluate interventions that empower women and men to improve their family life, enhance family harmony through building gender respect, gender equality and preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
C) To provide scientific evidence for defining a public health response to gender-based violence.
D) To improve education, awareness and the health of women, through a focus on sexual and reproductive issues within families ; undertake research to gender issues within sexual and reproductive health.
ACHRH is founded on the concept that gender inequity is a substantial violation of human rights and undermines women’s dignity, health and access to health care.
The main interest of the unit lies in the notion that Women form the basis of a strong family unit and a positive gender based relations in a family are the basis of a strong community. We intend to explore and share the knowledge in areas of gender-based violence and its impact on women’s lives and health with the community.
ACHRH is initiating a number of projects – Community Participatory research, also called action research, where the partnership of individuals and organisations working together promotes education, awareness, intervention, data collection and an appropriate health sector response to gender-based violence through research, training and advocacy in Australasian migrant Indian and Ethnic communities.
We are a dynamic team and we use a variety of methods, including community based ethnographic intervention, individual intervention, and address questions of substantial importance for health policy, health promotion and health services for women and families of Indian, migrant and Australasian Communities. We emphasise working in partnership with other organisations in research, training and advocacy activities.
The knowledge we generate helps members of the public and policy makers alike in understanding the magnitude of the problems studied, as well as their risk factors.
Our work is designed to enhance understanding of the quality of health and domestic violence related services provided in Australasia. We describe problems in these services, barriers to their use and the aspects of services that users really value. We also develop training materials for people in the community and health workers, and implement a considerable amount of training on HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health promotion.
(End of Quote)
Women’s Issues:
In regard to women’s issues, at the same ISKCON Australia’s National Council AGM, Krishnarupa devi dasi, a senior Srila Prabhupada disciple from New Govardhana, was appointed as the national women’s representative on the Council with full voting rights.
A local women’s representative from each temple will be appointed by the temple president with the approval of the Executive Committee to liaise with Krishnarupa on a regular basis.
Sexual harassment and misconduct …in religious organisations:
In accordance with policies that are in place in other ISKCON Centres and Temples around the world, ISKCON Australia is now also working on putting into place procedures and policies that will make reasonable efforts to prevent sexual abuse and harassment, and encourage prompt response to all allegations of abuse where there is a reasonable belief that abuse has occurred.
Each Temple will comply with all obligations of both civil and ecclesiastical law. It will endeavour to prevent sexual abuse and harassment to the extent possible, provide education and guidance as appropriate, and promote healing and empowerment when needed.
No person, whether in leadership or clergy, who has been determined to have engaged in sexual abuse, will be allowed to remain active in a position of trust.
Such actions may violate civil and criminal laws, as well as Vaisnava spiritual principles, and are outside the scope of the duties, employment and engagement of all personnel. ISKCON Australia will not tolerate any such behaviour in any of the Australian Temples and Centres.
LGBTIQ issues (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning):
The Scriptures that the devotees of ISKCON follow state that every being is an eternal soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Krishna, and that the ultimate goal of life is full blissful Krishna Consciousness which frees one from the cycle of birth and death.
Krishna Consciousness is attained by one’s real self, or atma, which is distinct from one’s physical body and personality (false ego) as well as outer attributes such as race, caste, gender, and sexual orientation.
Progress towards Krishna Consciousness comes through Bhakti yoga spiritual practices, and the attainment of Krishna Consciousness implies transcending material desires and impulses, including sexual ones.
To put it provocatively, an LGBTIQ person who has mastered his or her impulses (sexual or otherwise) is actually closer to Krishna Consciousness than a non-LGBTIQ person who is a slave to desires.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness encourages all people to take to the path of Bhakti and supports and welcomes all those who strive for Krishna Consciousness irrespective of their sexual orientation.
Your servant,
Bhakta dasa,
National Communications Director, ISKCON Australia.

By Radhanath Swami One day Murari Gupta began to reflect, “If I can leave my body in the Lord’s presence then that will be very good.” For this purpose he fashioned a large dagger and hid it in his house. But the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya, who is total…

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By Mayapur Sasi dasa For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of October 2016. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 In…

Kirtan Mela, Kiev, Ukraine [2016] (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Actually, the modern government, democracy… We are experiencing, especially the great democratic country, America. So the democracy, the president elected by popular vote, is now being condemned. So what is the value of this democracy? You elect somebody by your vote, again condemn. That means the electors, the voters, have also no experience, and neither the man who is voted, he is also very good man. Otherwise, why you should change your opinion once you have elected a person to act as your head executive? So the democracy has proved a farce. It has no meaning, because people are not educated. People are mostly sudras. There must be four classes of men. So brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, first class, second class, third class, fourth class. So at the present moment there is no first-class men, neither second-class men. All third class, fourth class. All of them. So on the votes of third-class and fourth-class men, how you can expect good government? That is not possible. ——————————–Srila Prabhupada; lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6 – Rome, May 24, 1974
Find them here: https://goo.gl/chKl6X

In this lifetime, I have never met with death face to face. Finally that opportunity came to me recently, when my father got really ill and weak and finally left his body in our hands. As an aspiring devotee (who is trying to become a devotee of R&#25…

Is today the end or beginning of Kartika?
Today is the last day of Kartika. Different devotees would have had different experiences and realizations in this Kartika. But for some fortunate devotees it will be the beginning of a full year of Kartika! Y…

Vrindavan’s Sacred Parikrama (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: The famous 3-hour parikrama around Vrindavan encompasses walking around thousands of temples, as many samadhis and a multitude of cows, brahmanas, sadhus and sacred places of all kinds. Some Vraja-vasis do it once or even twice a day. By the grace of the Srila Prabhupada, who introduced the world to Sri Vrindavan dhama, our Kartika parikrama group walked that sacred path twice during the month of Kartika.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/TF8JoZ

Diwali Celebrations at Hindu Council of Australia (Album with photos)
Bhakta Dasa: Last week Bhakti and I had the opportunity t…Read More…

Srila Prabhupada’s Gift of Vaisnava Compassion

Ātmā is jñāna-mātra / cin-mātrā (which means that the most essential quality of the “soul” is that it is the “substance of congition” – consciousness). Ātmā is consciousness, but what is consciousness (cit)? It is inseparably related to reality (sat) and bliss (ānanda), for it is the ultimate substrate of reality (aka. “sat” – it is the…

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 06 August 2012, Ljubljana, The Balkans, Lecture: The pastimes of Krsna) When Krsna walks in Vrindavan as Madhava, carrying his flute tucked in his belt, then the trees which have branches laden with fruits and flowers, are trying to touch Krsna’s feet. The bees are just singing the glories of Krsna. Bhagavatam […]

By Guru Prasad Swami Jagajivan Prabhu was the main person instrumental in opening Peru and Chile. He was a pioneer in some of, especially at that time, the most difficult countries in Latin America; extreme poverty and lack of education amongst the pop…

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Ratha Yatra In Santiago De Chile (Album with photos)
By the causeless mercy of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai all devotees can have stre…Read More…

Take the high road!
Sometimes we find things when we least expect them, and it can remind us of the way to find the “ultimate” good things.

Meeting with Dubai devotees.

News from the San Diego Hare Krishna Temple.
Kirtan, Dancing and Vegetarian/Vegan Feasting around San Diego County.
Upcomi…Read More…

By Ananda Tirtha Das The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin on February 9, 2017. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by TWO GBC members, to be submitted by D…

By WIDC Staff

ISKCON Western India Division Council (WIDC) Brahmachari Sanga was conducted recently at Govardha Ecovillage, Mumbai. It was a 2 day event in the serene and natural setting of GEV located near the Kohoj mountain ranges. The venue provided a naturally refreshing and spiritually enlivening experience to devotees participating from various cosmopolitan cities and rural centers in different parts of Maharashtra. The event was attended by 350 plus devotees from over 43 ISKCON centers. Explaining the vision for this sanga, HG Gauranga Das, Chairman, WIDC, said, “The inspiration for this brahmacari sanga came from the EIDC brahmacari sanga which happens in Mayapur every year. We were inspired to follow in their footsteps last year and this is the second WIDC brahmacari sanga we organized at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). The gathering of hundreds of sincere, dedicated devotees in the renounced order giving shelter and hope to each other and hearing from experienced sannyasis and brahmacaris is a powerful element of Devotee Care. We hope that one day we can have a pan India and a global gathering of devotees in the renounced order spreading Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.”

By Mahatma Das

I’d like you to take a minute and envision the kind of devotee you would like to be if anything were possible. What qualities would you like to possess? How would you like to act? What kind of mentality and attitude would you like to have?

Hindus in the USA are the most educated group: Report.
Hindus in the USA have again found themselves at the top!

In th…Read More…

Diwali celebration at the European Parliament (Album with photos)
9th November 2016 we celebrated Diwali at the European Parlia…Read More…

Harinam en Málaga, Spain (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: …the hundreds and thousands of stars and the great planets such as the sun, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter are not clustered together because of the law of gravity or any similar idea of the modern scientists. These planets and stars are all servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda or Krsna, and according to His order they sit in their chariots and travel in their respective orbits. The orbits in which they move are compared to machines given by material nature to the operating deities of the stars and planets, who carry out the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revolving around Dhruvaloka, which is occupied by the great devotee Maharaja Dhruva. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.52) as follows: yac-caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam raja samasta-sura-murtir asesa-tejah yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whose control even the sun, which is considered to be the eye of the Lord, rotates within the fixed orbit of eternal time. The sun is the king of all planetary systems and has unlimited potency in heat and light.” This verse from Brahma-samhita confirms that even the largest and most powerful planet, the sun, rotates within a fixed orbit, or kala-cakra, in obedience to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This has nothing to do with gravity or any other imaginary laws created by the material scientists. >>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 5.23.3
Find them here: https://goo.gl/OAjrkp

The Lake Of Love (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The lake Prema-sarovara consists of the tears of Radha and Krsna, form…Read More…

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Nostalgia Craze?

It’s been a few months since my last visit to New Govardhana and in that time many new projects are starting and others have come to completion. There are about 10 new cabins for guests – the last recently finished … Continue reading →

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