Author Archives: Admin108

Reaching the Hearts and the Minds of the Western Public…
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Reaching the Hearts and the Minds of the Western Public (playlist of videos)
Video recordings from an important ongoing 3-day seminar of North American Iskcon leaders at the Chicago Hare Krishna temple.
Seminar Schedule:
Friday May 1 6:30-7:30pm – Narrations about the importance given by Srila Prabhupada to reach the Western public; some narrations may be recorded in advance.
Saturday May 2, 7:30-9:15am: Morning SB Class by RNS: Combined Lecture on Nrsimha Caturdasi plus express something on the topic of “Why this Seminar is important”
[No breakfast: fasting for Nrsimha Caturdasi]
1st presentation @ 10-11am – Gopal Bhatta Prabhu: “Core Spiritual Marketing” (universal principles to be observed whenever considering “How” to market Srila Prabhupada’s and Lord Caitanya’s gift to any chosen target audience)
11:15am -12:30pm – Devamrita Swami – “The Contemporary Vedic Ashram” [non-temple, supervised residencies for beginners to find their feet and then consciously choose what comes next]
12:45-1:30pm – Canada Leadership presents its models (Govinda’s Restaurant; Evening of Bhakti; Vaisnavi Retreats)
1:30-2:15pm –Break + Kirtan in the Temple room [Fasting for Nrsimha Caturdasi]
2:15-3:00pm – Romapada Swami: Contact Sankirtan (Following Up those who receive a book &/or explicitly indicate willingness to learn more: step-by-step method used successfully in Hungary; tools; one of the ISKCON50 Petals)
3:00-4:30pm – Radhanath Swami: Effective Models of Western Outreach for North America Today
5:00-6:00pm – Devamrita Swami: Bhakti Lounge, etc.
6:00-6:30pm –Gaura Arotike
6:30-7:30pm – Evening Class: Glories of Lord Nrsimhadev
7:30pm – Breaking-the-Fast Prasadam
Sunday May 3, 2015
10:00-11:30am—Gopal Bhatta Prabhu: Internet Outreach
11:40am -12:20pm—Badrinarayan Swami: Presentations of Effective Western Outreach presently going on within his GBC Zone
12:30-1:00pm—Kalakantha Prabhu: Importance of Ashram Development
1:00-1:30pm—Kalakantha Prabhu: “Introducing: Starting a Krishna House” [Note: this topic will only be mentioned; during the 4-6pm Break-Out Session more details will be shared] Plus / Rasika Manjari dd: “Krishna Lunch in Your City!”
Watch them here: http://goo.gl/ZuPOgD

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Jhulan Yatra 2015 Each year the Mayapur Vaisnava Senior Youth…
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Jhulan Yatra 2015
Each year the Mayapur Vaisnava Senior Youth organize the Jhulan Yatra festival for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Madhava under the guidance of H.G. Jananivas Prabhu and H.G. Pankajanghri Prabhu. The festival runs for five days and it has become one of the highlight festivals of the year. Daily about 5000 devotees and pilgrims come to swing Their Lordships from around Mayapur, Navadvipa and other localities. The festival also features kirtans, bhajans, offering of lamps, fireworks, acrobatics, stage programs, children’s activities, special activities on Balarama Purnima, as well as distributing thousands of plates of sumptuous prasadam.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17163

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New Releases from the Bhaktivedanta Archives On this auspicious…
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New Releases from the Bhaktivedanta Archives
On this auspicious day, May 2nd, Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī,
the Bhaktivedanta Archives offers two new releases:
the VedaBase™ 2015 update and the original unedited
audio of Śrīla Prabhupāda for the year 1973.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17160

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Hare Krishna! Differentiating material and spiritual…
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Hare Krishna! Differentiating material and spiritual attachments
Shivananda Sen, he was taking all the 200-300 devotees from Bengal to Puri. They were walking so many days. And a little dog just started following. And that dog… he wasn’t a kind of pedigree, beautiful kind of dog. He was just the kind of dogs that you find in the streets of India. He followed. He followed. And Shivananda Sen just saw with such compassion – “If this spirit soul in this dog, if he sees Lord Chaitanya, how much he will benefit! I must serve him nicely.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17157

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Hare Krishna! Material and Spiritual – What’s the balance? You…
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Hare Krishna! Material and Spiritual – What’s the balance?
You have to tear yourself between what you think is real life and your spiritual application. But that’s only because you’re in the illusion that whatever you’re doing is real because you feel you need to do it, not because it’s connected to Krishna. And this is an illusion because that’s not true – it’s that simple. So if you want to progress, it means that whatever you’re doing now – it doesn’t matter what it is – you have to see Krishna in it. That’s the only definition of Maya: that which you think that functions without Krishna.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17154

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They Like Our Prasad! (Album with photos) “We got Khichadi…
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They Like Our Prasad! (Album with photos)
“We got Khichadi that is distributed by other organizations. We ate first spoon. The taste of the Khichadi is vast different from the Khichadi distributed by Hare Krishna Hare Rama. The Khichadi distributed by other organization is like rice and daal mixed together. But Hare krishna hare rama’s Khichadi is very delicious, nutritious and energetic.”
Hare Krsna devotees in Nepal continue with their efforts
Day 6, 1st May 2015
ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE distributed FOOD for about 3,500 earthquake victims people at new different places of Bhaktapur on 1st May 2015, Friday.
This Day these places of Bhaktapur are distributed FOOD by ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE:
-Yaacheen
-Naagpokhari
-Muni Bihar
-Decocha
-Golmadhi
-Jagananth Mandir Tripura-sundari
-Maha Laxmi
-Sarada school
ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE is Distributing earthquake victims who are homeless and who are not able to have nice food to eat.
Words from People-
“We got Khichadi that is distributed by other organizations. We ate first spoon. The taste of the Khichadi is vast different from the Khichadi distributed by Hare Krishna Hare Rama. The Khichadi distributed by other organization is like rice n daal mixed together. But Hare krishna hare rama’s Khichadi is very delicious, nutritious and energetic.”
They Like Our Prasad.
Thank you everyone for your help/praying/supports/donations.
We are grateful to all of you and to our friends who are helping in voluntering.
See them here: http://goo.gl/t89xKC

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Hare Krishna! Lord Nrisimha: Protector of Devotees Prahlada…
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Hare Krishna! Lord Nrisimha: Protector of Devotees
Prahlada challenged his power. The arrogant Hiranyakashipu cursed him and inquired, “Where do you obtain the power to defy my supremacy?” “The source of my strength is Lord Vishnu,” replied the fearless Prahlada. “He is the source of everyone’s strength, including yours.” To hear that his strength was the grace of Vishnu, his worst enemy, was the greatest insult for Hiranyakashipu, who challenged Prahlada, “O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described an all-pervading supreme controller beyond me. If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar? If he does not appear from this pillar, then today your head will be severed with my sword.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17151

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Hare Krishna! Lord Nrisimha: Protector of Devotees Prahlada…
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Hare Krishna! Lord Nrisimha: Protector of Devotees
Prahlada challenged his power. The arrogant Hiranyakashipu cursed him and inquired, “Where do you obtain the power to defy my supremacy?” “The source of my strength is Lord Vishnu,” replied the fearless Prahlada. “He is the source of everyone’s strength, including yours.” To hear that his strength was the grace of Vishnu, his worst enemy, was the greatest insult for Hiranyakashipu, who challenged Prahlada, “O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described an all-pervading supreme controller beyond me. If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar? If he does not appear from this pillar, then today your head will be severed with my sword.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17151

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Hare Krishna! Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Wash The Blood From…
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Hare Krishna! Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Wash The Blood From His Hands After Killing Hiranyakasipu
“Sri Nrsimhapalli” Or Devapalli At “Sri Godrumadvipa“ Island Of Navadvipa-mayapur Dhama The Place Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Take Rest And Wash The Blood From His Hands After Killing Hiranyakasipu. Sri Nrsimhapalli is located on the eastern and southern boundaries of Navadvipa Dhama and is known by the names Nrsimha Puri and Devapalli. This temple is famous since Satya-yuga when Lord Nrsimhadeva came here to take rest and wash the blood from His hands after bestowing His mercy on Prahlada by killing his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu. Next to the temple is a lake left behind by the Mandakini River that flowed here at that time. When Lord Nrsimhadeva arrived here, He drank the sweet water of this river to refresh Himself and also washed the blood of Hiranyakasipu from His hands. Knowing that Lord Nrsimhadeva had come to take rest here, all the demigods followed Him, constructed large palaces and worshipped Him with great opulence. The changing course of the Mandakini River covered the demigod palaces and destroyed them and all that remains of them now are the hills that surround this area. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates used to come here regularly to discuss Lord Nrsimha-katha and perform Harinam Sankirtana.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17143

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Hare Krishna! Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Wash The Blood From…
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Hare Krishna! Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Wash The Blood From His Hands After Killing Hiranyakasipu
“Sri Nrsimhapalli” Or Devapalli At “Sri Godrumadvipa“ Island Of Navadvipa-mayapur Dhama The Place Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Came To Take Rest And Wash The Blood From His Hands After Killing Hiranyakasipu. Sri Nrsimhapalli is located on the eastern and southern boundaries of Navadvipa Dhama and is known by the names Nrsimha Puri and Devapalli. This temple is famous since Satya-yuga when Lord Nrsimhadeva came here to take rest and wash the blood from His hands after bestowing His mercy on Prahlada by killing his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu. Next to the temple is a lake left behind by the Mandakini River that flowed here at that time. When Lord Nrsimhadeva arrived here, He drank the sweet water of this river to refresh Himself and also washed the blood of Hiranyakasipu from His hands. Knowing that Lord Nrsimhadeva had come to take rest here, all the demigods followed Him, constructed large palaces and worshipped Him with great opulence. The changing course of the Mandakini River covered the demigod palaces and destroyed them and all that remains of them now are the hills that surround this area. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates used to come here regularly to discuss Lord Nrsimha-katha and perform Harinam Sankirtana.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17143

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Conversation in the Womb – A Parable of Life After Delivery In a…
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Conversation in the Womb – A Parable of Life After Delivery
In a mother’s womb were two babies.One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

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Hare Krishna! ISKCON Nepal Update By Jayapataka Swami I, along…
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Hare Krishna! ISKCON Nepal Update
By Jayapataka Swami I, along with other TOVP Exhibit members were in the Lotus Building attending TOVP exhibits conference on April 25th at 1.00 pm in Sridham Mayapur when the ?building began to shake. We quickly left our conference room and moved to Prabhupada’s park. While we were there, I was informed that a massive earth quake had struck Nepal. My heart immediately went out to the devotees in Nepal. I was anxious to know about their well being. I know you all must be feeling the same. Later I was informed that although our temple was saved and although the devotees were mostly safe, some of them suffered loss of property, some lost their near and dear ones, some suffered other damages.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17132

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Hare Krishna! The Life of Jayananda Prabhu After the…
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Hare Krishna! The Life of Jayananda Prabhu
After the disappearance of Jayananda Das on May 1, 1977, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees all over the world to commemorate the event every year as they would any great Vaishnava’s disappearance day. Therefore we respectfully submit these pages to all devotees and friends of ISKCON as a means to remember and understand more about Jayananda’s devotional service. Of course, we will see how he joined ISKCON and how he left this mortal world. More importantly, we shall see the astounding qualities possessed by a true devotee, a sincere disciple and genuine servant of Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17125

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2015 VIHE Bhakti Vaibhav (cantos 1&2) With great pleasure…
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2015 VIHE Bhakti Vaibhav (cantos 1&2)
With great pleasure the VIHE wishes to invite you to the in-depth, step-by-step, systematic Bhakti-vaibhava course, cantos 1&2, in Vrindavan, running from July 24, 2015 to November 4, 2015.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is “Sri Krsna who has returned among us” and is the “life-breath of the Vaisnava devotees”. Srila Prabhupada wanted that the “family transcendental diploma will continue through the generations” and that all his “spiritual sons and daughters will inherit this title of Bhaktivedanta”. For hundreds of years Vrindavan has been a dedicated place of study, worship and transformation, especially for the Gaudiya Vaisnavas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17116

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Hare Krishna! A glimpse of life at the temple of Nepal and…
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Hare Krishna! A glimpse of life at the temple of Nepal and updates with photos
His Holiness Mahavishnu Swami is also with us in Medical Camp and FOOD FOR LIFE doing Harinaam. By Srila Prabhupada and HH Mahavishnu Swami’s blessings we are able to still conduct this Project for Earthquake victims. Many Places we receive Thanks and Blessings. People Really Appreciate and are happy with ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE NEPAL. Overl all we fed about 5,000 Hungry Stomach for days From Bhaktapur.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17113

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Hare Krishna! Thoughts From Jayananda Thakur’s Family From…
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Hare Krishna! Thoughts From Jayananda Thakur’s Family
From Jayananda’s mother, taken from Radha-Damodara Vilasa by Vaiyasaki Dasa – Mrs. Kohr: At the age of four he was taken to a service in what we call the big church in Dayton, Ohio. He was very restless, standing up in the sanctuary and looking around. His grandmother inquired, “Jimmy, what’s wrong? What are you doing? What are you looking for?” “Where is God?” he replied. Gaynelle Kohr Pietrangelo (Jayananda’s sister) Jim was kind to animals, too. I know he was on a beach in California and he sat there for like three hours and picked these ticks off this poor dog, this old mutt, I mean that’s the kind of person he was.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17105

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Hare Krishna! Thoughts From Jayananda Thakur’s Family From…
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Hare Krishna! Thoughts From Jayananda Thakur’s Family
From Jayananda’s mother, taken from Radha-Damodara Vilasa by Vaiyasaki Dasa – Mrs. Kohr: At the age of four he was taken to a service in what we call the big church in Dayton, Ohio. He was very restless, standing up in the sanctuary and looking around. His grandmother inquired, “Jimmy, what’s wrong? What are you doing? What are you looking for?” “Where is God?” he replied. Gaynelle Kohr Pietrangelo (Jayananda’s sister) Jim was kind to animals, too. I know he was on a beach in California and he sat there for like three hours and picked these ticks off this poor dog, this old mutt, I mean that’s the kind of person he was.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17105

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Hare Krishna! ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative latest news On…
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Hare Krishna! ISKCON Tribal Care Initiative latest news
On December 2014 the branch of Bhaktivedanta National School was inaugurated in Ananda Bazar, a very remote village in Assam. In the 40’s Missionaries introduced Christianity to the villages and converted most of the people in the area. Along with churches and chapels they opened Christian schools, so the children of devotees have been attending them due to lack of any other alternative. Later it was discovered that there was a need for a Vedic school not only by the devotees, but also by the general Hindu families.
Not to mention the complete lack of philosophy, different method of worship and culture, the children were educated in a tamasic environment which included a complete lack of purity and cleanliness, a non-adherence to the regulative principals by the teachers and families of the other children, and non-vegetarian meals being served at the school. Such an environment made it extremely difficult for them to practice Krsna consciousness, especially being young children.
So far, the school has 63 enrolled students from surrounding villages and other areas. The children are being taught academic subjects, Krsna conscious philosophy, Vedic culture and lifestyle and other aspects of worship such as mantras. One parent said, “I like this school because they teach the children how to be disciplined. My son is learning English and he is happy here.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17099

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Govinda Dev temple unharmed by tremors; claimed ASI Vrindavan,…
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Govinda Dev temple unharmed by tremors; claimed ASI
Vrindavan, April 28th 2015: Following two major aftershocks on Sunday afternoon after a series of tremors in the wake of the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck Nepal on Saturday, the devotees and the priests of Vrindavan got concerned about the safety of the architectural heritage temples and buildings of Vraja.
A rumor was spread on Monday that a crack had appeared on the wall of the 16th century Govinda Dev Temple of Vrindavan. On Monday morning the temple priests Shri Sukumar Goswami and Shri Sanjay Goswami expeditiously informed the ASI officials at the regional office in Mathura about the crack in the red sand stone building after the tremors jolted many parts of Vraja on Saturday and Sunday.
Subsequently conservation assistant SK Kulshreshtha, visited the temple and denied that any crack had appeared due to the aftershocks. He said that it was nothing but the joint of two stones, which are intact. Shri S. K. Kulshreshtha said, “We are maintaining the temple in the condition in which we got it. We can’t alter anything, as per the guidelines set by the Archeological Survey of India. We can’t remove those stones which have scratches on them from before. We simply can’t replace them with the new stones.” Later, M.C. Sharma, the Deputy Superintending Archaeological Engineer also visited the protected monument to ensure if the temple remained unscathed by the earth quake.
Govinda Dev Temple is the first temple of Vrindavan, was built in 1590 by Raja Man Singh of Jaipur under the guidance of Shri Rupa Goswami during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. There are four protected monuments in Vrindavan, namely Govinda, Madan Mohan, Yugal Kishore and Radha Ballabh. The Archeological Survey of India takes care of the maintenance of these temples.

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Hare Krishna! A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s…
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Hare Krishna! A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s Mother
Often, while I care for or bathe patients who are unable to do such tasks for themselves, I chant or sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane’s grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.” “The Jayananda?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. And he told me how his uncle had built the Ratha-yatra carts. He then went in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krishna. Gaynelle, Jayananda Prabhu’s sister, came out of the room and said that she was so happy that a Krishna devotee had cared for her mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krishna. She said that she told her mother but wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said that I had a feeling she already knew, and I laughed. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17092

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A Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur (Album with…
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A Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur (Album with photos)
This year Soulphotography witnessed a Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur. Over the Easter break I had the pleasure of heading out to east India, to a very holy area known as Mayapur which lies north of Kolkata. It was all for the wedding of two very good friends of mine, Madhura & Sunandani, whom I’ve grown to know and love over the last 8 years since I settled in Birmingham.
See them here: http://goo.gl/Ae3h9L

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2015 VIHE Bhakti Shastri Course We are heartily inviting all…
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2015 VIHE Bhakti Shastri Course
We are heartily inviting all serious students to this year’s VIHE Bhakti-sastri course. The Bhakti-sastri course is a systematic study of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Srila Prabhupada wanted all of us to deeply study his books, so that we could become better preachers and teachers, and, very importantly, achieve a clear understanding and application of the beautiful science of devotional service. Shri Vrindavan Dham mercifully provides a unique environment to enhance one’s taste and appreciation for the treasures of the direct path of bhakti.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17086

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