Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Srila Prabhupada: “You know, they think we’re CIA in…
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Srila Prabhupada: “You know, they think we’re CIA in Bengal.”
Sravanananda: During one Ratha-yatra in New York where both Prabhupada and Jayananda attended, I hired a professional film crew to document the entire event.
It was a random thing I did just so I could take it back with me to India and show everyone there.
In India we had a portable briefcase projector called a Fairchild that was ideal for viewing.
It would pop open and people could watch movies right on their desk or we could flip the lens and reflect it on a large sheet for the villagers.
When I did return to Madras with the film I was able to show it to Srila Prabhupada and he really liked it.
I was very happy I could please him.
The first thing he said was, “You know, they think we’re CIA in Bengal.”
Prabhupada said, “How would people think we’re CIA and put on a Ratha-yatra in Manhattan? What CIA would put on a Ratha-yatra in Manhattan?”
Prabhupada said to me, “Would you mind going to Bengal and show this in every town and village?”
I never thought of that since I was totally entrenched in Madras.
When Prabhupada asked me to go Bengal I said, “Srila Prabhupada, whatever you want.”
The way Prabhupada asked me was just the epitome of humility.
It wasn’t a directive, “Go to Bengal.”
I went to Bengal and went village to village from the Bay of Bengal, to Darjeeling to Assam.
We showed the movie on screens and had reporters attend as well.
We were traveling on the boat program and we were also distributing Gitar Gans.
I wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada that said we had just distributed sixteen thousand Gitar Gans in one month.
Prabhupada wrote a letter back stating, “That is very results.”
I will always remember that, “That is very results.”
We were ecstatic that we could please him and serve him in separation.
Prabhupada’s instructions in his books were extremely powerful and his desire to save every living entity within the universe by the distribution of not only his books, but prasadam and all the paraphernalia that he introduced was all inspiring.
Prabhupada was also always gracious.
When he was a guest at someone’s house, he wasn’t a king.
He was always a servant.
He was always there to serve even his own disciples.
I felt his greatest kindness when I listened to the audio of Prabhupada on morning walks in Bombay with Dr. Patel.
Dr. Patel would always ask aggressive, somewhat condescending, irritable questions to Srila Prabhupada.
I never saw Prabhupada upset with him once.
I sometimes have to turn off my audio when that man is talking.
It just seems so offensive to me.
But Prabhupada liked that combative mood because he knew the whole world was challenging this philosophy and he was letting us see how to deal with this type of person.
It was almost like Prabhupada was doing the Chinese water torture on him because I met that man after Prabhupada left, and he was crying like a child when the talked about Prabhupada.
Prabhupada wore him down because he never got angry with him.
He just kept answering his questions beautifully.
I never once had a doubt to this day about Srila Prabhupada and I’m just so happy I found Prabhupada or he found us.
That is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.
—Sravanananda

Devotees to Feed 3,000 London Refugees, Homeless and Students…
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Devotees to Feed 3,000 London Refugees, Homeless and Students Daily in the UK.
Charity organization Food For All, run by Parasurama Das and other ISKCON devotees, is set to move out of its previous home at Bhaktivedanta Manor and into two purpose-built kitchens in London. The move will see Food For All triple its prasadam distribution.
The first kitchen will be a multi-storey building just down the road from the four-star Kingsway Hall Hotel in the University Area of Holborn, where over forty thousand students study. The building will be a temporary location until Food For All moves into its own kitchen in the Kingsway Hall Hotel itself.
The new kitchen will be kitted out with the best industrial cooking implements, including two 370 liter stainless-steel pots.
Members of Food For All’s fifteen devotee staff will cook rice, subji, salad, cake, and herbal tea daily.

“I try to find common ground. I think that’s a good way to…
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“I try to find common ground. I think that’s a good way to hold a discussion.” Josiah (in the photo) said.
Mitra Dasa: I was impressed with this 19 year old. He had clarity, wisdom, humility and kindness.
“Your parents did a good job on you.”
He agreed. “Thank you sir. I love them both.”
Josiah was trying to understand the book I’d given him from the Christian perspective he’d grown up with. “If something is true,” he said, “Truth with a capital -T- how can I neglect it? How can I go elsewhere? Jesus made the perfect sacrifice for me. I accept that and shaped who I’ve become.”
“I can see that, and it serves you well.” I replied, “I don’t want to interfere with it”
“But still, I’d like to understand what this book says. Can you explain just a bit?”
“I’ll try, and I’ll be brief because I know you’re busy as a college student you have a heavy study load.”
“No. I’m good. I want to know about this.Tell me as much as you want.”
“Well, in brief, this book begins by saying there’s an unlimited source, an unlimited supply it’s infinite. We have nothing to fear, no worries. The next verse says if you follow the rules, take only as much as you need, there will be plenty for all. Greed is sinful and brings suffering and shortages.” I paused to see his response.
“I’ve got a problem with that.” He said.
“How so?”
“Well, are you married?”
“Yes.”
“Every time you do something for your wife, are you doing it because of rules or is it out of love that you…?”
“I see what you’re getting at and I’m glad you brought that up. Actually rules are meant to bring us to the platform of love. But even in love, you’ve got to have rules. I’ve been married 32 years. Rules hold the daily stuff together, it’s a platform for trust to build and THEN love can grow.”
Josiah agreed.
“Does this book talk about that level?” He pointed to the Ishopanishad in his hand, “I’d like to learn more about it.”
“Uh, well, actually…” I reached into my backpack. We’d been talking a good twenty minutes already. It wasn’t a debate. We were trying to understand each other, sharing. There was no conversion attempt on either side, just sharing. “…this book goes into it more clearly.” I put the Bhagavad Gita into his hands. He looked at it respectfully.
“Is this your main book?”
“Well, sort of, there are…, well, let’s say it’s a good start. We have a lot of books.”
I explained the story line of the Gita, Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna, “See all beings as souls, eternal souls, all bodies change, everything changes and is therefore insignificant, not worth worrying over.”
Josiah agreed.
Then I figured I’d drop the big topic on him, “Krishna reveals that He’s God.”
“Whoa, what? Wait a minute. The chariot driver is God?”
“Yup. And why not? Who can put a limit on what God can or cannot do?”
“Well, I guess they tried to do that with Jesus.”
“Yeah. This is going to challenge what you’ve grown up with. Do you think you’re up to it?”
“I want to look into it.”
“I’m not trying to change your belief. I think you’re mature enough to consider that the truth with a capital T is big enough to accomodate a lot of things you haven’t heard. There’s very little we can understand of the unlimited.”
“Yes, we’re so tiny.”
“What Church did you go to? They did a great job. They must have an excellent youth program.”
He agreed. I don’t remember the name of their church. It used to have the name Baptist in there, but they wanted to open it up, to make Catholics and Lutherans feel welcomed.
“I’m traveling with two monks who live in a van. They do this year round, visiting schools and showing these books. They asked me to try to get donations for them so they can buy gas and stuff. Would you be willing to help at all?”
“Sure.” Josiah opened his wallet and selected a ten dollar bill. “I appreciate what you guys are doing here. I wish I could have conversations like this with my friends.”
“Wow! That’s a sacrifice, coming from a college student. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.”
We talked some more. I said, “You know, I’ve got to get going and you probably have things you need to do. I’ve taken up your entire morning.”
“Yes, I should get going.”
We talked another twenty minutes, sharing stories, wisdom, challenging each other.
“This is a good sign.” I said, “It’s hard to say goodbye. Which way are you going though? I’ll walk with you.”
“Yes, I’ve got your email. Let’s stay in touch. Let me know next time you come to Clemson.”

TOVP Australasia Tour, Days 8-10 – Fiji Reaching Fiji on…
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TOVP Australasia Tour, Days 8-10 – Fiji
Reaching Fiji on November 24th, we were greeted with great care and attention as preparations were in order for our visit to five temples and communities in Fiji.
Immediately upon our arrival we held our first program in Nadi where twelve families combined together to pledge $30,000. The same evening we were whisked away to the next program in Lautoka where one hundred devotees congregated for the program and together pledged a total of $130,000. The next day, November 25th, we visited the Sigatoka temple where ten families pledged $35,000. On our last day, November 26th, we again had two programs. In Suva the devotees’ combined pledge surpassed $650,000, and finally, in Naosori, 60 devotees pledged an amazing $220,000. In addition, Visvanath prabhu, the organizer of the entire tour personally donated $108,000. The total pledges for our Fiji Tour came to over $1 million!
We want to thank Visvanath prabhu and his father Jayram prabhu for organizing the tour as well as all our visas to Fiji. We also thank Parasuram prabhu and Gita Kirti devi dasi for their support and dedication.

Alachua Iskcon community on the rise!
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Alachua Iskcon community on the rise!
Vaisesika Dasa: This photo brings back good memories! It is from last weekend in Alachua, Florida where my wife and I visited to get the association of the advanced devotees who live there, to participate in book distribution, and to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Divyanga’s eldest son. Last Saturday, 85 devotees from that illustrious community went out together to distribute books, door to door, in various spots around the area. Near the end of the day, many of us gathered together at a middle-class apartment complex where we engaged in canvassing for Lord Caitanya. This photo was taken after we had finished knocking on every single door in the complex and we were just about to go back to the temple for prasadam and sharing of stories and realizations for the day. I must say that I am very impressed with the devotees at ISKCON Alachua. The temple president, Mukhya Dasi is keenly focused on devotee care, community development, and book distribution, and sets a stellar example for all. And then there’s Alachua’s Sankirtana leader, Sri Vrindavana Dasi, who is a brilliant organizer and under whose watch book distribution in Alachua is on the rise. We found the devotees of Alachua to be highly enthusiastic about all forms of devotional service. We were touched by how they pour out their love and affection to those who visit the community. All glories to Team ISKCON Alachua (TIA) and all the devotees there! My deepest thanks to all the devotees in Alachua for their supreme hospitality.

Prabhupada: “Prasadam is the most important thing to bring…
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Prabhupada: “Prasadam is the most important thing to bring people out of darkness.”
Sravanananda: In Vrindavan, we would go every morning in the early days when it was just huts and a little bit of cement and steel going up.
We would take a mat and Prabhupada would sit on the side of the road, call over mayavadis and then get into a heated debate with them.
They were always respectful, however, but Prabhupada was showing us the fierceness of challenging mayavadi philosophy.
I once asked, “Srila Prabhupada, people are so stuck in darkness.
How do you tell a person who’s blind, that there’s vision, that there’s light even though they’ve never experienced it.”
Prabhupada said, “Prasadam.”
He said, “Prasadam is the most important thing to bring people out of darkness.”
That hit home for me because that pretty much was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me joining the temple because the prasadam broke my attachment to anything.
It was Govardhan Puja.
Prabhupada’s program of prasadam cannot be found in any other yoga group.
In those early days in the temples, the prasadam was just amazing.
The devotees had so much love and devotion, and it was opulent.
We were violently sick at the Mayapur festival in either 1974 or 1975.
In those days, they were using very bad oils to cook with.
Literally everyone was so ill that we could barely pay obeisances to Prabhupada.
Prabhupada walked around where we were sprawled out and he was very disturbed that everyone was so sick.
He immediately ordered that the homeopathic doctor be called.
When the doctor arrived, he put a pill in everyone’s mouth as Prabhupada walked with him and watched over the process.
Literally within minutes after the pill went in our mouth, we woke up out of a slumber of unconsciousness and a horrific disease to being almost fully conscious.
We were bewildered and thought to ourselves, “What just happened?”
I never thought about it too much until decades later when I really felt that Prabhupada was performing a miracle.
To this day I don’t believe that one little white pill could have made us go from such a state of diseased consciousness and dysentery to be standing up and ready to do service again.
It was such a short time frame from being so bad to so good that it had to have been a miracle by Prabhupada’s grace.
There was a time in Mayapur that I remember with Srila Prabhupada that I can only describe as transcendental.
Prabhupada sat on the vyasasana and became very grave.
It was very bright outside but in a short period of time, the light in the temple seemed to be disappearing and dissipating, almost like a cloud covering the sun.
Everybody became very sober.
Instead of singing “Jaya Radha Madhava”, Prabhupada started talking and as the light changed within the temple, Prabhupada’s color also seemed to change.
Prabhupada said, “In your previous life, you were all associates of Lord Chaitanya.
He said, “Somehow or other, I have been designated or assigned as the captain of this ship.
But you have actually done everything to spread this Krishna consciousness.”
Then Prabhupada went into ecstasy.
He just sat there, went into ecstasy, and the whole room was frozen in time.
Everybody was feeling it because everyone was looking at one another and whispering, “Are you feeling this?”
Prabhupada didn’t speak for a long time.
I don’t think anybody wanted this experience to stop.
All of a sudden off to the right side of the temple, I remember Hamsadutta picked up a mridanga and he started to chant Hare Krishna.
His chanting seemed to break the almost samadhi like ecstatic mood.
I felt some anger towards Hamsadutta for breaking the ecstatic wave that we were all feeling together in this boat with our captain.
Later the devotees went to Prabhupada and asked, “Prabhupada, when this happens to you, is this what we should do?”
Prabhupada said, “Yes, that’s okay, but it doesn’t happen so often, does it?”
I can’t grade every experience but I would say this was one of the most directly ecstatic, powerful experiences that I have ever felt.
—Sravanananda

An angered student finds a solution! He saw my sign:…
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An angered student finds a solution!
He saw my sign: Meditation, Yoga and Philosophy, then, from a distance he shouted:
“THIS IS WHAT I NEED! THIS IS WHAT I NEED! ANGER IS EATING ME UP.” Then he came to the book table looking for help.
I told him, “The reason you feel so much anger is because you’re thinking you’re something you aren’t. This body – I pointed to his body – is not who you are. You’re the soul within.”
Then I showed him the nice painting of the saintly person seeing the soul in the brahmana, the cow, the elephant, the dog, and the dog-eater.
I said, “When you understand you’re the soul, different from the body, you’ll not only be friendly to people but kind to all living entities. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
He said, “That would be great. And this book teaches me how to be like that?”
I responded, “Yes, it does.”
He gave a nice donation, and I invited him to visit a devotee’s home that has been turned into a bhakti center, where newcomers can hear about Krsna.
This took place at a university in Dallas Texas. The students in Dallas are the most receptive students I’ve found anywhere, I’m going to miss this place.
Leaving soon to Denver, San Diego, Los Angeles, Australia, India, South America etc.
Your servant,
Vijaya Dasa

Radha Kunda Seva – November 2017 Photos and Updates (Album with…
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Radha Kunda Seva – November 2017 Photos and Updates (Album with photos)
As the air turns crisp and cool, and the flurry of Kartika returns to a normal flow, we have our sights set on the south side of Govardhan. There are two kundas, or lakes at the puchari, or tail of Govardhan. These kundas, called Apsara Kunda and Navala Kunda are the Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda of the southern tip of Govardhan, and they are badly in need of care. An initial deep clean is under way with daily maintenance cleaning to begin shortly. We are hoping to soon expand our cleaning efforts to other kundas around Govardhan too and will keep you posted about our progress in this endeavor. There is even a possibility that the Forestry Department will give us stretch of land to develop as a lush, clean and green forest right near Govardhan Hill. Meanwhile, we are networking with specialists to find ways to treat the kundas’ waters in order to balance and nullify the effects of sewage seepage. Prasadam distribution and cleaning continue. Thank you for your continued support! Please browse our latest photos and join our efforts by visiting www.radharani.com . Your servants, Campakalata Devi dasi, Padma Gopi Devi dasi, Sri Arjuna dasa, Urmila Devi Dasi, and Mayapurcandra dasa.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FBZFMm

GAURANGA MEDITATION. When will Lord Gaurahari appear in my…
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GAURANGA MEDITATION.
When will Lord Gaurahari appear in my meditation and lovingly place His lotus feet in my heart?
His golden effulgence eclipses the splendor of one million lightning flashes. His face is so stunningly beautiful that the full autumn moon wants to hide in embarrassment immediately after it has arisen.
His eyes are like two bumblebees, who feel irresistibly drawn to land on the glistening lotus flower of Lord Jagannatha’s smiling face.
As He ecstatically chants the Holy Name of Lord Krishna, He is tossed about by high waves of ecstasy in the ocean of love.
Streams of tears flow from His eyes while wave after wave draws Him deeper into the kirtan of His own names and qualities.
When He dances, the restless movements of His feet amaze even Lord Shiva, the supreme dancer. The dust arisen from the earth covers Sri Gauracandra as Bhumi’s beautiful offering of flowers… What a nectar shower for the mind!
Again and again He calls out with His hands gesturing towards the Lord of the spiritual sky: “O Krishna, O Mukunda, Murari, O Vanamali – where are You now?”
The light radiating from His lotus toenails uproots the darkness in the hearts of everyone in the universe who remembers Him even slightly, bringing waves of bliss from the ocean of His love. His compassionate words and glance completely drive out all the fear of material existence.
Lord Gaurahari is more purifying than the celestial Yamuna. He is sweeter than madhuka nectar. And more cooling than the winds from the Ganga.
Like a mother who does not distinguish between her various children, He is full of affection for everyone who merely turns to Him.
When will that Lord appear in my meditation and lovingly place His lotus feet within my darkened heart?
Sacinandana Swami

The mercy of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish. I had promised our…
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The mercy of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish.
I had promised our head pujari in New Dwaraka, “My marathon this year is to worship the Deities,” because so many regular pujaris are sick or traveling. However, this week I went out to do books in spite of having to dress Deities morning and evening. I set up my table at the college with Prabhupada’s books decorating it and it was simply effulgent, it was simply an altar. As punctual as an excellent pujari, Lord Jagannatha sent five sincere conditioned souls to approach this pristine altar, one after another.
1. The first student bought a Gita and described how he had been to a small preaching center in Chile and was very impressed with the treatment he got there and the prasada.
2. Next a boy came by who had chanted and danced with us in the Martin Luther King Parade and he took a Science of Self-Realization.
3. The next student said he was riding his bike on Watseka Ave. and one devotee, Sastra-Krit prabhu, greeted him and brought him into the Bhakti House. He said, “Since then I know I don’t like the way my life is going. I need to go there again.” I invited him to our new version of Bhakti House, called Mantra House.
4. Next, a woman came by who wanted a Science of Self Realization. She said she had the book twice previously and wanted to read it again.
5. One nice girl came by to buy a Gita and she asked, “Do you guys do any rituals where you sit or dance around a fire together and sing? Like American Indians or something?” I replied, “As a matter of fact we are having a huge fire sacrifice this Sunday,” (Gita Jayanta). She was excited hearing about throwing grains into the fire while we chant all the slokas together.
So even though I am technically not doing the book marathon because of tripled Deity worship, due to the Deities’ intense mercy I am on fire, dull iron placed in a fire.
I am an extremely fortunate soul due to the environment of New Dwaraka and blessings and tolerance of the many senior Srila Prabhupada disciples in New Dwaraka.
Your servant,
Karuna Dharini Dasi
Los Angeles

Looking for sadhus, and found one! I usually pray before I…
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Looking for sadhus, and found one!
I usually pray before I leave for book distribution. I pray that I meet at least one sadhu who I can learn something from, and usually it happens. As I was getting ready and packing my books, about to head for the densely populated (by Arabics) Merrylands in Sydney, I was wondering, “Who is that sadhu I will meet today?”
I hung my Arabic caption around my collar and began searching for the sadhu of my day as I showed books to everybody I met.
There was a nice rhythm going on as well as decent conversations, with a reasonable number of books flying into merry hands in Merrylands. About close to finish time, Billal comes by with his mate and almost says no, but returns for a second look.
After a quick conversation, he says, “I promise to return after a cash withdrawal. Could you wait?” I told him that my car was parked close to ATM, and I suggested that we chat and walk. On the way Billal told me, “The reason I got interested in your books is that we Egyptians long ago used to be a very spiritual people and had a wealth of knowledge about the body, mind, chakras, and the soul. However, in time the succession was broken, and we lost it. It appears in your discipline that the succession has not broken. And I want to read all about it and reestablish this connection.”
I didn’t find out how he seemed to know about that verse in the Gita he alluded to.
His mate listening to our conversation got seriously interested, and they walked me to my car boot after the ATM visit, and both took enough books to fill their hands, along with my contact details for further enquiries on Srimad Bhagavatam.
After the happy encounter and the chat, my little daughter and my 69-year-old mother-in-law, who both went with me to distribute books said, “Well, it looks like you met your sadhu of the day.” Attached are pictures of Billal and his mates. My Arabic caption really works well! Just say Marhaba and see the magic.
Your servants,
Radhika Prasad Dasa

DEC 2017 – JAN 2018 ISSUE of THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE…
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DEC 2017 – JAN 2018 ISSUE of THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ISKCON NEW GOVARDHANA (KRISHNA FARM)
Whether you live locally or further afield. the Conch is a great way for you to keep inspired and remain connected to the New Govardhana community.
Updates on coming festivals and events
Reviews of those which have recently passed
Find out who is visiting New Govardhana
Keep informed about new initiatives
Catch up with other devotees
Get seva opportunities
Inspiration from Vedic philosophy and teachings
About the Vedic lifestyle and more…
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
The Glorious Appearance of Lord Nityananda
Caranaravinda dasa and Vaisnavi devi dasi get married
Departure of Bhusaya dasa
Departure of Braja Vallabhi devi dasi
Krishna-izing Our Ecological Footprint
The Distress of Mother Earth
Upcoming Events
Events
Calendar
To read the Newsletter: https://goo.gl/eik9U2

WORLD HOLY NAMES WEEK PADAYATRA –VALLABH VIDYANAGAR TO…
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WORLD HOLY NAMES WEEK PADAYATRA –VALLABH VIDYANAGAR TO DAKOR
December 4, 2017 – By Adi Guru Dasa
The devotees of ISKCON Vallabh Vidyanagar Temple successfully completed our second padayatra on September 13th. The five-day walk started on September 9th from the Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat, and ended at the Sri Ranchor Rai temple in Dakor. During his vyasa-puja celebrations in Pandhapur, Lokanath Swami had inspired us to organize regular padayatras. Later, with this is mind we approached Siddhanta Dasa, a very experienced padayatri who once served on the ‘All India Padayatra’ team and who now serves at the Vallabh Vidyanagar temple. He took charge of organizing the event –trying out various routes months before the walk before finally settling on one that would take us five days. Last year we did a three-day padayatra but this year we decided to extend this walk in honour of ‘World Holy Names Week.’ After putting together a plan we presented the idea to Sachinandana Dasa, president of the Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple. As soon as he approved of the walk we began to advertise it as ‘The World Holy Names Padayatra’.
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First day: September 9th
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On the first day we installed the Sri Sri Gaura Nitai on Their simhasana and offered Them bhoga and arati. Saccidanand Prabhu led the kirtana and with a joyful heart all the devotees started dancing as the procession was proceeding. Our team consisted of temple devotees, congregation members and ‘ISKCON Youth Forum’ students who all participated with great enthusiasm. We covered 12 kms and reached the village of Narsanda. After taking a little rest we did harinama and invited all the villagers for Gaura Arati and pravachan. When the harinama party returned to our camp so many villagers had joined our procession. At the end of the program we distributed khichari prasadam to all the villagers.

Second day : September 10th

We started the day with mangala arati at 4:30 a.m. and left the village of Narsanda at 6 a.m. Three hours later our team reached the village of Uttarsanda, where Sachinandana Dasa to give a wonderful morning class on the importance of harinama and padayatra. After the pravachan we all had breakfast and headed towards the city of Nadiad, having walked 12 kms. Later that evening we performed harinama in the market and surrounding residential areas.

Third day: September 11th

After walking 15 kilometres we reached the village of Selun. There we heard that Asit Krishna Maharaja would be joining us and would give the evening class. He joined us for our harinam after which he gave a simple but delightful class –everyone was very happy. Maharaja encouraged us very much on our mission and said that padayatra is a very important program for all of humanity.

Fourth day: September 12th Realization session

It was a very hot day as we walked 14 kilometres to the village of Lingda, and all the padayatris had become quite tired. As soon as we reached the village rain started and welcomed Sri Sri Gaura Nitai with pleasing weather, much to everyone’s relief. Like usual we performed harinama and Gaura arati.

During our walk everyone had started talking about how the next day would be, as it would be our last day on padayatra. We decided that we would hold a small isthagosthi that night to share our padayatra realizations. Everyone shared amazing insights. Two elderly matajis said that previously they could not walk long distances but, now due to the mercy of Sri Gaura Nitai, they had completed the entire padayatara. Another mataji recounted how she distributed Bhagavad-Gitas to three Muslims who promised her that they would read it daily. Another lady said that she would never forget this wonderful experience. Afterwards we were all filled with feelings of separation and we decided to sing the ‘Parama Karuna Pahui Dui Jana’ (Sri GauraNityanandaDaya) bhajana written by Locana Dasa Thakura. We were all sitting in a small room of a primary school with just one low hanging light bulb and even though we could not physically see very well at that moment our internal vision -the vision of our heart-, was clear. We all prayed together: ‘Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar, please accept us in Your eternal sankirtana yatra–we are not interested in doing any other yatra if You are not present.’

Fifth and last day: September 13th

Early that morning, right after mangala arati, we started walking towards Dakor Dham so we could reach on time to have darsana of Sri Ranchor Rai during the raj bhoga arati. At 9 am we arrived in Meethi Leemada, the place where Lord Dwarkadish had once stayed. It is said that there He touched the branch of a neem tree and that that branch had become sweet due to the Lord’s touch. We all know that neem is known for its bitter taste, but the sweetness of the Lord is such that whoever and whatever comes in contact with Him becomes sweet. There we received the balya bhoga maha-prasadam of Lord Ranchor Rai; after honouring prasadam we continued on our way ,enthusiastically performing sankirtana in the city till we reached the temple of Lord Ranchor Rai. When we reached the temple the ‘Narasimha Sankirtana’ party performed a special kirtana for the pleasure of the Lord. We also did a parikrama of the temple while chanting the holy names before taking darsana of Sri Ranchor Rai. Afterwards all the padayatris honoured the deities’ raj bhoga maha-prasdam together.

Special Thanks

We are all very thankful to Lokanath Swami, Asit Krishna Swami and Sachinandana Dasa for inspiring and guiding us. We would also like to thank the ‘Narasimha Sankirtana’ party comprising of Prayas Dasa, Yoga Narasimha Dasa, Partha Dasa and ShyamDasa for the wonderful kirtanas they performed at every village during every evening program. Last but not least we want to thank all the devotees who participated in this padayatra.

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai ki Jai!

World Holy Names Week ki Jai!

Sankirtana Padayatra ki Jai!

Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
More photos here: https://goo.gl/9yEEnw

PADAYATRA LITHUANIA: Making plans to please Lord Jagannath by…
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PADAYATRA LITHUANIA: Making plans to please Lord Jagannath by organizing more Padayatra/Ratha-yatra festivals
December 5, 2017 – By Ananda Gaurangi Dasi.
The 2017 Padayatra Lithuania took place on June 13-18. We were blessed with the presence of Niranjana Swami for the second time and of Dhirasanta Das Goswami for the first time as well as of our regular special guests: Bhakti Caitanya Swami, Bhakti Saran Santa Goswami and Bhakti Svarupa Caitanya Swami. Madhavananda prabhu joined us for a couple of times during the Padayatra week. It was such an incredible opportunity to hear the glories of Lord Jagannath from this Vaisnava. He gave an enlightening class about Lord Jagannath at the beginning of the festival, and all of them were really inspired by his talk during the whole padayatra.
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Taking risks with a new Ratha-yatra in the small city of Mazeikiai
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Our program was as usual: Ratha-yatra in Vilnius, the capital city, in Kaunas, the second biggest city, in Siauliai, and the final festival in Palanga, a beautiful resort city. This year, however, the first Ratha-yatra organized in the small town of Mazeikiai was the highlight; it was also the most impressive of many padayatras we had done in the past. For a couple of years devotees of the Mazeikiai yatra had been desiring for Padayatra to come and have Ratha-yatra in their city. As it is a really small city, we were having some doubts whether we should go there or not because usually in smaller cities we meet only few people during the procession. Devotees from Mazeikiai also were having fears whether they were able to organize everything properly or not. Guided by Bhakti Caitanya Swami we decided to take the risk.

All our doubts vanished in seconds as soon as we entered the square with the Ratha-yatra chariot. Some devotees were thinking that our Ratha-yatra was taking place at the same time as some other local event. Others were simply shocked to see so many people. It seemed that the whole city had gathered there for the Ratha-yatra. And if that wasn’t enough of a shock for us, the local devotees had organized tents with prasadam, henna tattoos, sari photo shoots, books and yoga stands and a tent for children. It was the festival of Indian culture in this small Lithuanian city. Something they had never seen before.

Actually, it was something that we also had never seen before. It was everything we dreamed to have in all the cities for so many years but couldn’t achieve due to the lack of different resources. The Mazeikiai yatra had done it! In such a small city we even had doubts about visiting our own festival! The local devotees demonstrated the power of blessings, the power of cooperation, and the power of friendship and love! When we asked devotees how they achieved such a result, that so many people not just came to the festival but also joined the procession by pulling ropes of the chariot, dancing on the sidewalks and just staring from their windows, they told us, that everything they did was done by the mercy of Guru and senior devotees. They were really united in purpose and were so eager to make this happen and share this mercy with the people of Mazeikiai.

We haven’t seen so many lucky souls in any other town that we visited, especially taking in consideration the number of population of the bigger towns. So, proportionally, there were the biggest number of people, who got the mercy of Lord Jagannath for the first time and who had never even seen devotees in their lives before.

Niranjana Swami: “This is what Prabhupada really wants”

In his class the next morning Niranjana Swami shared his experience and realizations:

“I was thinking about yesterday. Yesterday we were in Mazeikiai. It was the first time I was coming to Mazeikiai. I was asking Bhakti Svarupa Caitanya Maharaja, ‘what’s the population in Mazeikiai?’ And I was guessing. Is it about 20 000? He said it was about 40 000. I asked what’s the population in Siauliai? 60 000. What’s the population in Vilnius? 700 000. So I was just asking about the populations trying to get the picture of Lithuania. And then we walked to the festival side… And we saw all these people! Why? I was thinking, ‘What is the event going on here?’ I turned to Maharaja and asked him what all these people were doing there. ‘We’re having a Ratha-yatra and this event?’Then Maharaja told me, ‘No, this IS the Ratha-yatra!’ With all these people! They all came for Ratha-yatra! I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is amazing! How did this happen?’ It just happens because there were some devotees who really wanted to glorify the Lord of the Universe. And they engaged so much of their energy to glorify the Lord of the Universe. I’ve been to other cities before on Ratha-yatras but I’ve never seen so many people come to see Lord Jagannath for the first time, take the ropes and join the whole procession. Usually I NEVER take pictures, but this time I pulled my mobile phone out and took those pictures. All those people! They are pulling Lord Jagannath! Then I went to the side and watched all those people who were walking on the sidewalk with Lord Jagannath. I just started crying. This is what Prabhupada really wants!

Actually I was just reading last week how much Prabhupada wanted that first Ratha-yatra in San Francisco. I was reading Syamasundar’s book “Chasing Rhinos with the Swami”. Syamasundar was telling the whole story about Prabhupada, how he drew the picture of the cart he wanted Syamasundar to make. First it was a truck, then it was a cart. And then he had Syamasundar carve the Deities of Lord Jagannath. Prabhupada was just so eager to give others the opportunity to come in contact with the Holy Name of the Lord and to serve the Lord by pulling His cart. Certainly there is an inner mood that a devotee meditates on with Ratha-yatra: Krishna leaving Kuruksetra and going to Vrindavan. This inner mood is also relished by the devotees. But also, devotees are so eager to give others the opportunity to come in contact with the Lord of the Universe. Devotees should be meditating in all these different cities how to have an event like Mazeikiai. How to bring those unfortunate conditioned souls who don’t know anything about the Lord of the Universe. How to bring them out and get the mercy. 40 000 people in Mazeikiai! There are big cities with hundreds and thousands of people. They need mercy too. Who is going to be meditating on this? Doubtless there were some devotees who were meditating on this in Mazeikiai. My gratitude knows no bounds. Plan a ratha-yatra in every city. That’s what householders have to be doing: planning how to get people to bring Lord Jagannath’s mercy. Tell everybody what they have to do to contribute, to take part in this wonderful pastime. They should plan to please the Lord, they should plan to glorify the Lord.

I was giving the talk in Moscow and the whole lecture was about how Prabhupada was talking about making plans. Prabhupada was explaining how everybody in this world has to live by making plans. And he said everybody is making plans for happiness in this world. This is the symptom of life, making plans. And we were quoting the verse from the commentary on Bhagavatam where Prabhupada talks about how in the material world people are making plans for their own happiness. But he said that this is like a person who goes to a river and is being swept away by the waves of the river. Because no matter how many plans one makes for his own happiness in this world he is going to be driven by his own material desires. And there is no stopping of these material desires. Therefore people are making plan after plan after plan how to be happy and it only leads to frustration. But Prabhupada said, when the waves of the river go down to the ocean and enter the ocean, then the waves of the ocean become more powerful and they push back the waves of the river. Since plan making is the symptom of life, devotees make plans for Krishna’s pleasure. And by making plans for Krishna’s pleasure the small waves of the river are pushed back by the waves of the ocean. We should be making plans for Krishna’s pleasure. Everybody should have a plan of what they are doing for Krishna’s pleasure. But it’s not realized immediately. It may take some time to realize. But a good plan is the plan that keeps one absorbed and that is satisfying the Lord.

In the same way devotees have to make plans how to glorify Lord Jagannath. Lord Caitanya told Kurma the brahmana that there would be no obstacles in his household life, that they would meet again and that he would never loose His company. This is the way to satisfy the Lord. This Ratha-yatra is a very wonderful festival which gives so many devotees the opportunity to plan from one year to the next how to glorify the Lord. I thank all of you for giving me this opportunity, and I pray that all of you would also be encouraged and inspired to expand it unlimitedly and give Lord Jagannath’s mercy to everyone.”

We really hope that this example, by seeing what a strong desire to please Guru, Krishna and devotees can do, will inspire devotees all over the world to join their local padayatras by helping with its organization and, most importantly, by taking part in it. They will feel unlimited bliss and dive into the spiritual realm, which will keep them enthusiastic during the whole year. Until the next Padayatra.

Our Padayatra Lithuania 2018 will take part from June 25 to July 1st. Please, come and join us. More information will be posted soon on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PadayatraLithuania/

English Bhakti Sastri 2017 closing ceremony (Album with…
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English Bhakti Sastri 2017 closing ceremony (Album with photos)
Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education – VIHE: The last day of the course is the time for all the students and teachers to gather together and exchange their realizations. Students are receiving further blessings from teachers and senior devotees. And teachers in response are being filled with enthusiasm seeing the graduates full of determination to share all they have gained during the last four months carefuly studying and living Srila Prabhupada’s books here in Vrindavan Dham
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FsFMdE

ALIGNING BODY, MIND AND HEART IN THE PROCESS OF CHANTING By…
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ALIGNING BODY, MIND AND HEART IN THE PROCESS OF CHANTING
By Sacinandana Swami
Step 1:
ALIGN THE BODY AND YOUR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT
Watch your posture and more important your pronunciation. Sit in a supportive environment (before the deities, sacred pictures, tulasi, in the company of the devotees and whoever and whatever else helps). Make sure you chant the entire mantra without missing even one syllable. If you chant on your prayers beads (japa), make sure you complete each round in the proper time, not missing any mantra.
Step 2:
ALIGN THE MIND
In order to concentrate on the sound vibration of the holy name, “enter” or totally connect with the mantra through the first “Hare”. After bringing the mind back to the first “Hare” again and again, you will find that your mind has developed the ability to stay with the entire mantra—each single name! Be patient – it will work! Give it your best—the Lord rewards those who try and surrender.
Step 3:
ALIGN THE HEART
Attentive chanting can bring blessings to your life that are hard to imagine. By such chanting all obstacles to the pure name (shuddha-nama) can be effectively removed if one more thing (the most important) is added. Namacharya Haridasa Thakura says (Hari-nama-cintamani, chapter 12):
Simply by one’s own endeavor, no one in this world can overcome distractedness. Such victory can only come about by your merciful blessings. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to beg for your grace.
After all, deep experiences can only happen if the heart is involved. Thus chanting in a devotional and prayerful mood will attract the mercy of the Lord in his magnanimous form of the holy name. Please don’t be hesitant to give your heart to the chanting.
In one of his songs, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura praises the mercy of the holy name by saying that just like the sun which rises in the East destroys all darkness, the holy name in his mercy, continuously rises on the horizon of the heart of the chanter and thus removes the beginningless avidya (inner darkness), which is the source of material existence.

10,000 fluent speakers of Sanskrit in the United States! New…
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10,000 fluent speakers of Sanskrit in the United States!
New York: With a long red “tilak” on his forehead, lighter skin and rare name, Bhima-Karma Saragrahi was a cynosure of many eyes at a recent Sanskrit residential camp-cum-convention held in Parsippany, New Jersey. Though it was his first time at such an event, the 40-year-old felt at ease because of his familiarity with the ancient language.
After studying up to the 10th grade and undergoing a course on the Bhagavad-Gita, he left the US for India at age 21. Saragrahi believes that the “esoteric and deep culture” of Hinduism required the study of Sanskrit. He spent several years in India learning Hindi and further improving his Sanskrit.
Based in Boston, he makes a living working in real estate. He is good with Indian musical instruments, including “mridangam” which he played at the convention last month. During his spare time, he offers music lessons.
His parents converted to Hinduism through ISKCON founder Swami Prabhupada when they were teenagers. “I am the second-generation follower of the Sanatana Dharma,” Saragrahi says
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/Q4gs1e

Ratha Yatra festival in Santiago de Chile (Album with…
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Ratha Yatra festival in Santiago de Chile (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Krishna stresses the importance of remembering Him. One‘s memory of Krishna is revived by chanting the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna. By this practice of chanting and hearing the sound vibration of the Supreme Lord, one’s ear, tongue and mind are engaged. This mystic meditation is very easy to practice, and it helps one attain the Supreme Lord. (Bhagavad-Gita 8.8 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sn19ut

ISKCON Auckland NZ: 2017 (Album with photos) Kalasamvara Das:…
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ISKCON Auckland NZ: 2017 (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: Today we celebrated Rathyatra and Gita Jayanti!!
By giving out the mercy on this beautiful summers day by being part of the Xmas parades which are full of transcendental fun and are so easy to arrange.
One just has to turn up and take part the people are already there, (that’s hundreds and thousands) who turn up for there annual Xmas parade.
But the difference is that by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada who wanted this Rathyatra festival in all the cities around the world they get the opportunity to see the wonderful devotees dancing in ecstasy hear the holy names receive transcendental literature take prasadam and become liberated just by seeing the beautiful forms of Lord Jagannath, lady Subhudra and Baladev riding through the streets on there beautiful Rath cart.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/dga59W

The Secret Of Chanting With Bhakti. Sacinandana Swami: It’s…
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The Secret Of Chanting With Bhakti.
Sacinandana Swami: It’s almost a paradox – only when you stop wanting to enjoy chanting for yourself will the chanting produce unlimited nectar. To understand this mystery we must ask: “What is bhakti? What is devotional chanting?”
It means you chant, not for yourself, but for Krishna. “In what way?” Anukulyena! You do it with a favorable mood – that of wanting to give pleasure to Krishna. In this way a kirtana leader can think: “I want the devotees to chant nicely and for Krishna to relish their call.” Thus, activity for Krishna is not done mindlessly.
Krishna has many expansions; you can chant for Nrsimhadeva’s pleasure or for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara, etc.
In general, devotional service means that you must learn to absorb your consciousness in three things so that your activity becomes bhakti (bhakti yoga or devotional service in Krishna consciousness).
What are the secrets of bhakti?
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ�
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam�
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-�
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
(Brs. 1.1.11)
Devotional service or bhakti means:
i. Activity
ii. For Krishna
iii. In a favorable mood
This you have to learn.
This is called bhakti. Such activities are not jnana (to gain knowledge), nor for our liberation, and they are also not karma (for our sense enjoyment). They are for Krishna.
When you do this, then your practice becomes very sweet, full of taste and you will be able to give up material sense enjoyment even though you may be surrounded by cars, mobile phones and computers.
It is important to perform our devotional practice in this way, for as Srila Prabhupada said:
“Only by drinking the nectar of chanting and hearing the pastimes of the Lord can one forget the intoxication of material existence.” (SB 3.21.17 pp):