Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Holy Name Day 2018 – Bhaktivedanta Manor – 14/01/18 (13 min…
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Holy Name Day 2018 – Bhaktivedanta Manor – 14/01/18 (13 min video)
“Devotional service begins with the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra and side by side trying to understand Krishna in truth.” – Bhagavad Gita, 9.20, Srila Prabhupada
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/p4CJhL

Group Photograph of Srila Prabhupada’s Disciples at the…
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Group Photograph of Srila Prabhupada’s Disciples at the 40th anniversary of ISKCON Juhu celebration, Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari Temple in Mumbai.
Srila Prabhupada Patita Pavan ki Jaya!

Naimisharanya Yatra – (Day-4) (Album of photos) ISKCON…
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Naimisharanya Yatra – (Day-4) (Album of photos)
ISKCON Kurukshetra extends blessings & best wishes to all its viewers & supporters straight from the land of penance – Naimisharanya. Today we’re sharing pictures from that exact place from where Lord Krishna’s Shakta Vesha Avatar (Knowledge distributor) Srila Veda Vyasa started to preach. Srila Veda Vyasa compiled the entire Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads etc. in Badrinath, Uttrakhand, India As He completed compiling all the Vedic scriptures He came to this place in order to spread this topmost Knowledge for the benefit of the entire human mankind. Let’s all fall in the lotus feet of Srila Veda Vyasa & beg that we may all become powerful preachers in the mission of Srila Prabhupada.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Hp1K8J

Why are we not fainting when we see the Deities? Kadamba Kanana…
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Why are we not fainting when we see the Deities?
Kadamba Kanana Swami: Another point that I find is very nice in the purport of Gajendra, the elephant, is how Srila Prabhupada speaks of when Gajendra assumed a spiritual body when his body was touched by the Lord. We see how Srila Prabhupada’s mind works as he describes, “Gajendra assumed a spiritual body when his body was touched by the Lord,” and immediately he writes, “Similarly, Dhruva Maharaj assumed his spiritual body in this way,” and then goes to the arcana-paddhati, the process of deity worship. He is thinking of the deity and we can see that he is so much appreciating that the deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he immediately makes the association that in deity worship, we are allowed to touch the lotus feet of the Lord. For example, when waking up the deity, one can touch the lotus feet of the Lord and thus attain a spiritual body. Prabhupada is consistent. When one touches the deity, one touches the Lord; the deity is non-different from Krsna – there is no hesitance in Srila Prabhupada on this matter.

Whereas in our case, although we know that the deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are not fainting! Maybe we would faint if Krsna personally would step in front of us. We are just taking darshan in this kind of casual way. Do we really believe that the deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Yes and no, if we really think about it. But for Srila Prabhupada, there is absolutely no question, there is no hesitance in Gajendra being touched by the Lord is similar to arcana-paddhati – touching the deity’s feet in devotion. I thought it was nice to see here how Srila Prabhupada’s mind worked and how the purity is just coming through; these things have just struck me in that way. Then Prabhupada expands on it and says, “Not only by touching the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also hearing his pastimes, chanting his glories, offering worship and any other type of devotional service is sufficient to purify us from material contamination. And we might again attract the mercy of the Lord.” So, this is wonderful!

Invitation to the VIHE International Vaishnavi Retreat….
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Invitation to the VIHE International Vaishnavi Retreat.
Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE), is heartily inviting you to take part in the forthcoming 8th Annual International Vaishnavi Retreat, which will be held on March 20-25, 2018 at Govardhana.
Our beloved teachers for this year will be Her Grace Yasomati Devi Dasi, Her Grace Kisori Devi Dasi, Her Grace Damodara Priya Devi Dasi and Her Grace Prasanta Devi Dasi
The aim of the event is to facilitate spiritual association among women in bhakti. Focused on hearing and chanting, it offers a wonderful opportunity to female sadhakas from all over the world who are eager for sadhu-sanga. The program is enhanced by the participation of many disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who generously share the lessons they have learned from him. The retreat is held under the banner of “Celebrating Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy.”

We wish to encourage you to come and experience for yourself the marvel of Vaishnavi association in this intimate and safe setting, in the Holy Land of Vrindavana. You may come for the entire program or for a few days. We shall stay all together at a welcoming guesthouse right on the lap of Sri Giriraja at Jatipura, overlooked by the temple of Gopala once established by Srila Madhavendra Puri.

Krsna-katha, philosophical presentations and practical workshops by senior vaisnavis, sharing of realizations by Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, kirtana, inspirational readings before japa, mridanga and karatala lessons, dramas, dance and more have been the regular highlights of the previous retreats.

This year the theme of the retreat is “The Art of Deity Worship.” Her Grace Damodara Priya Devi Dasi, who has been for many years the head pujari at the ISKCON temple of Goloka Dhama in Germany, will lead us through classes, demonstrations and workshops. In connection with this theme we are preparing an exhibition of pictures of Deities worldwide.

We hope that it will be possible for you to attend and are looking forward to your association.

Creating Empowered Spiritual Leaders. One of the most ambitious…
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Creating Empowered Spiritual Leaders.
One of the most ambitious and universal purposes Srila Prabhupada set for ISKCON is the very first one “To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world”
How can this be realized?
Creating partnerships and alliances with emerging spiritual networks, government, corporate and non-governmental organizations, providing spiritual solutions to material problems. Become instrumental in establishing the Golden Age in the social, educational, cultural, environmental, spiritual and welfare fields around the globe.
Read more: https://goo.gl/wzaFYL

Some serious advice for those who complain and worry even for…
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Some serious advice for those who complain and worry even for the buffalo they don’t have: Practice joy (Krishna consciousness) (2 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/sp3oBy

Co-operation – Srila Prabhupada’s key principle for ISKCON (video)
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Co-operation – Srila Prabhupada’s key principle for ISKCON. Presentation by Vraja Vihari Prabhu in Iskcon Silicon Valley (2 parts)
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The Cowherd Boy
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The Cowherd Boy
Once there was a little boy called Gopal who lived in a rural area with his mother, who was a widow. When he was five years old his mother sent him to school.
The road to the village school passed through a forest and seemed very long…

Chanting And Dancing With Abandon (Album of photos) Giridhari…
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Chanting And Dancing With Abandon (Album of photos)
Giridhari Swami: The third day of Kirtan 50 started just after Bada Haridas Prabhu’s kirtan on Dec. 30, ending at 11pm. The youth then cleaned the temple room and chanted enthusiastically until Mangala-arati. Many talented kirtaniyas continued to chant throughout the day. I was honored to be present during the kirtans of Gopi Gita Mataji and Bada Haridas Prabhu in the morning. After Gaura Arati, Niranjana Swami Maharaja, Geethika Dasi, Kirtan Premi Das, Akincana Krishna Dasa, and Kalindi Dasi chanted beautifully until 11pm. B.B. Govinda Swami Maharaja took over and ended up chanting until 2:30am on Jan. 1. That’s when things went completely wild with devotees chanting and dancing with abandon! We offer our most humble obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, who most mercifully gifted us the Holy Name on behalf of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Hare Krishna maha-mantra ki-jaya!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/h8zysC

“Bombay is my Office” Book Launched by Lokanath…
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“Bombay is my Office” Book Launched by Lokanath Swami on 14th January 2018 on the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON Juhu. (Album of photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UdB456

Bhaktivedanta Manor: The present children’s playground at…
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Bhaktivedanta Manor: The present children’s playground at Bhaktivedanta Manor is being dismantled and closed. There will be no playground for the duration of the Haveli construction. With the completion of the project in July 2019, a new playground will be opened.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
To learn more about the Haveli project: https://goo.gl/RtM8bF

13.000 youth learn how to lead a meaningful life (Album with…
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13.000 youth learn how to lead a meaningful life (Album with photos)
On 13th Jan 2018, Gaur Gopal Das addressed 13,000 youth in Nagpur on occasion of Yuva Divas. The event was organized by “Khasdar Sanskrutik Mahotsav Samiti” which is headed by Shri Nitin Gadkari. Shri Nitin Gadkari is the current Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in the Government of India.
Gaur Gopal Das inspired the youth by presenting the key principles for leading a successful and meaningful life. The event was covered by leading newspapers.
Thank you Shri Nitin Gadkari for inviting for this event.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/hJ16sk

Watching TV and Movies. Sivarama Swami: There are two main…
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Watching TV and Movies.
Sivarama Swami: There are two main defects in this activity, whether they’re done regularly or even occasionally. The first is that this media always includes intoxication, graphic sex life, violence, and gambling. Therefore watching it means to break the regulative principles. What reason do we have that we should go out of our way to observe and watch these activities of Kali-yuga when it’s already difficult enough to stay away from them? So why would I want to bring these things into my own home, to give ideas to children? Answer: because people have material desires and they give into them.
The second defect is that anything you see makes an impression on the heart. So the rampant violence, sex, intoxication, bad language, immoral behavior, fairytale worlds like Spiderman jumping off buildings and flying through the air, these make an impression in the heart, and when they do they become a source of meditation, something to meditate on, because these impressions will come out at a later time. Not only as a reflection of the mind, but something that creates seeds of material desires in the heart and which will also water existing seeds of desire in the heart. So it is a very detrimental practice.
Initiated devotees vow to follow regulative principles. When referring to brahmacaris and sannyasis in this regard, we say that even in the mind if one contemplates these things he is breaking the principles. But while grhasthas might have license, they only have that within their own marriage situation. They don’t have a license to view sexual activities or these other things. So for them to contemplate it, to view it, to enjoy it; it’s all breaking the principles. How then can an initiated devotee do these things with a clear conscience?

And what is the effect of breaking the regulative principles? We commit sin. And by committing sin, we complicate our spiritual lives, entangle ourselves in material existence, and suffer from the results of that sin. Committing sin has an effect on the mind; that is that sinful thoughts linger in the heart. They come up like bubbles from the mud and become the source of other sinful desires, which then become the result of further sinful acts. Ultimately what devotees see on TV and in movies, they’ll end up doing. If they see infidelity, they’ll end up doing it. If they see violence or other activities, they’ll do that. When they become bewildered thinking materialism, egoism, pride in the material body is the ultimate goal in life; they become more body conscious and egotistical.

All these things strangle the creeper of devotional service and make one’s devotional life more or less null and void. Why does a devotee do this? Well, obviously because they’re not doing what they should be doing. One who is not chanting Hare Krishna and hearing Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrita without offense and who is not doing them enough will not have enough spiritual strength to resist the social pressure from those who are doing these things. Devotional movies are available and will water our seed of bhakti and give further inspiration and lasting satisfaction to the heart.

Sivarama Swami

The All-india Padayatra’s December Book Marathon In…
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The All-india Padayatra’s December Book Marathon In Karnataka.
January 12, 2018 – By Acarya Dasa.
Every year all the ISKCON temples and centers worldwide hold a marathon during the month of December, which corresponds to the Christmas season in the Western world. During that time they profusely sell Srila Prabhupada’s books in order to spread the essence of Vedic wisdom. But on Padayatra India book distribution is a daily ongoing process, in fact it’s the heart of padayatra. Harinama sankirtana and book distribution go hand in hand. During this month we padayatris enhance our book distribution for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada. This year we were in the state of Karnataka in South India during the December marathon.
School students get inspired by the holy name
On December 17th we were at Subramanya where there is a school named Jnanadeep. The specialty of that school is its daily morning recitation of the Bhagavad-gita by all the students. As the school principal got news that padayatra was in town he personally came to invite us for a small school program in order to chant and also read our Bhagavad- gita As It is to the children. When we reached there we were warmly welcomed by the staff of the school. As we had gone with the cart of Their Lordships all of students assembled in the yard around the cart; the children were amazed to see our big Kankrej oxen with their huge towering horns. They danced with us to the sound of the holy name and many of them took a Bhagavad-gita. The teachers were also very much interested in the program and they also bought Bhagavad -gitas from us. In the evening the children came with their parents for the Gaura arati. The principal had also called newspaper reporters and the next day there was an article about Padayatra India in the well-known local newspapers.

The Lord sends us help in time of need

Sullia (also spelled Sulya) is a beautiful small town and the taluk headquarters in the Dakshina Kannada district. It is surrounded by the evergreen mountains of the Western Ghats range and is located at a distance of 89 Km from Mangalore. As the roads were going through hilly and jungle areas it was very difficult to walk. There were no lights on the road, it was very scary. As we reached the town at 9 pm we tried to communicate with the people there, but nobody could understand our Hindi, and no padayatri spoke Kannada. Finding no place for accommodation we were about to camp out in an open area. It was very cold also, so I was worried about the oxen who would have to stay in the cold all night long.

Suddenly a man came. He was a pharmacist by profession and fortunately he could understand Hindi. He told us to go to the Aayyapa temple. There we met Mr Madhava, who helped us with our accommodation. He was very happy to see us in his town. He had attended the religious convention at Dharmasthali in Udupi and had a desire that padayatra should come to his town. Next day he was with us in nagar sankirtana and he inspired people to buy a Bhagavad-gita. Within just one hour we distributed 500 Bhagavad-gitas, and after that, our stock of Gitas was finished. Then I went to nearby Mangalore and brought more Gitas. At 10.30 pm a few people came and asked for Bhagavad-gita. Mr Madhava had called famous news reporters and the next day news of padayatra were flashed in many newspapers. In Sullia we distributed an amazing 720 Gitas in one day. I thought this was the special mercy of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara during the month of the book marathon. I have the experience that, even though we keep distributing books throughout the year, in December some special events always take place that greatly increase our book distribution scores.

Instant Ratha-yatra and darsana of the holy river Kaveri

From December 22 to 24 we were at Madikeri, a hill station town in Madikeritaluk and a popular tourist destination. It was very cold there, the temperature was going down to about 11° C. Saciputra Dasa, a disciple of Jayapataka Maharaja preaching in that area, welcomed us. He called about 50 Nama-hatta devotees and the next day they organized a Ratha-yatra festival; many people participated in the procession and took books from us. Normally we have our own cooking team, but the devotees insisted on cooking for all of us so our padayatris were free to preach and distribute books. Saciputra Dasa also took us to Talakaveri the source of the holy river Kaveri. The river originates from a spring feeding a tank, which is considered to be a holy place to bathe on special days.The temple there is dedicated to Goddess Kaveriamma.

Buddhist monks enjoy harinama and the Bhagavad-gita

On December 28th we were in the town of Kushalnagar, 34 km from Madikeri. There is a Tibetan Monastery, locally called the Tibet Camp, around 6 kms from Kushalnagar. This Tibetan settlement at Bailkoppa or Baylkuppe is the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet, with over 7,000 monks and students. The 40 feet tall golden Buddha statues are the major attractions. As we went on sankirtana in the area many monks came forward for darsana of our Lordships, which they enjoyed a lot. They were enchanted by our harinama and dancing, and discussed with us the padayatra program and objectives.. They said, ‘we also have dedicated our lives to Lord Buddha, so we are similar.’ They also bought Bhagavad-gitas from us. Thus many books were distributed there. We had many such good experiences during this month of December, by the arrangement of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara.

December book score

Maha big books: 8440

Big books: 356

Medium books: 2

Small books: 1787

Total Books: 10,585

The top 3 book distributors during the month of December

Kaunteyasakha Dasa: 1629 books
Suryavamshi Dasa and Mangal Nitai Dasa: 724 books
Diranayak Dasa: 620 books
More photos: https://goo.gl/1ozWTb

Here’s How ISKCON Juhu Will Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary On…
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Here’s How ISKCON Juhu Will Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary On Sunday.
It’s Iskcon Juhu’s 40th anniversary on Sunday. The celebration will follow a full calendar of festivities starting from January 13-16.
Inaugurated on Makar Sankranti day, January 14, 1978, the Juhu Temple shrine is the national headquarters of the order.
A vast Jagannath Rathyatra will be carried out on Saturday at around 2:00 PM. The yatra will comprise of three chariots which will lead through Lokhandwala Complex and culminate at Jamnabai Narsee ground in Juhu at 6:00 PM.
Temple president Braj Hari Das said that the prasad meals will be served to 10,000 people at night. Plays will be performed by various ISKCON temples. Approximately 100 senior sanyasis and devotees from the USA, UK and Australia have arrived for the event.
On Sunday, the deities will be adorned in new festive clothes. The evening will mark launches of two books, Bombay is my office and ‘Chasing Rhinos with the Swami’ at Jamnabai ground. Among the attendees of this event will be Union Minister Satyapal Singh, Nagaland governor P B Acharya, and actress-MP Hema Malini.
ISKCON Juhu, the second temple of the Hare Krishna order, was opened in 1978. The movement began in Juhu, however, the first temple was built in Varanasi. The land was procured by the founder of the temple Srila Prabhupada and the construction began in 1975.
Spokesperson Parijata Devi said anywhere from 5,000-10,000 devotees visit every day. The temple has lakhs arrive over Janmashtami and new year.
Source: https://goo.gl/LKqzkd

ISKCON Youth Spend Their Holidays Helping Puerto Rico Temple….
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ISKCON Youth Spend Their Holidays Helping Puerto Rico Temple.
Three months after the category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico on September 20th, the U.S. territory’s infrastructure is still far from recovered. Only 20 per cent of traffic lights are powered; forty per cent of Puerto Ricans, especially in the countryside, are still without electricity, and many have barely any running water.
This includes the U.S. territory’s only ISKCON temple, which had its roof, veranda and porch ripped off in the storm. Devotees are still struggling to clean up and rebuild.
So from December 16th to 30th, nineteen ISKCON youth and young adults, aged 17 to 29, gave up their Christmas vacation to help clean up and repair ISKCON Puerto Rico in the wake of the hurricane.
Youth from all across the United States and Canada also paid for their own airplane tickets there, and contributed a further $300 each towards local transport and rebuilding supplies. The effort was organized by Manorama Das and Jaya Sri Radhe Dasi of ISKCON Youth Ministry, with local logistics arranged by Jaya Sita Dasi.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/81MECE

You Will Be Forgiven For Your Sinful Reactions!
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After some time, Lord Nityananda was approached by Madhai, where he said that “My Lord, You’ve pardoned me, You’ve given me Your mercy, but I am haunted by the idea that with my hand, I have struck You and I have caused You to bleed…

Krishna conscious presentation in Dubai (Album with photos) Gaur…
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Krishna conscious presentation in Dubai (Album with photos)
Gaur Gopal Das spoke on “Finding your WHY,” for a conference in Dubai. His talk was attended by an audience of 600 people comprised of lawyers, doctors and other professionals.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/GqiYWV

The Hare Krishna tree of New York in the news. At a recent New…
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The Hare Krishna tree of New York in the news.
At a recent New York Times article a famous young businessman says: “ After brunch, I go to Tompkins Square Park, where I sit on a bench underneath a tree called the Hare Krishna Tree. The Hare Krishna movement was founded in the park in the 1960s, and I am always inspired when I’m in there. ”
As Sikhi Mahiti das observes: I often judge the result of our ISKCON outreach in terms of who is coming to our temple and how many. But, Srila Prabhupada has affected the lives of millions of people in ways we don’t normally hear about.
Here is an article about a high achieving entrepreneur who takes his inspiration for business by sitting under the Hare Krishna tree in New York City: https://goo.gl/NKqMn7

Lord Caitanya in the Land of Islam (Album of photos)…
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Lord Caitanya in the Land of Islam (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: I had many wonderful and amazing experiences while living in Vrindavan the past 4 months but yesterday’s program in the United Arab Emirates was no less profound or enlightening, for yesterday in Dubai we installed the deity form of the Lord. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last; a number of devotees living here have deities. But just the fact that another two sets of Gaura Nitai deities were officially installed in the heartland of Islam was overwhelming for me. There are obviously restrictions here; mainly that we cannot preach Krsna consciousness to people of Muslim faith. But as our joyful kirtan in a small apartment merged with the sound of loudspeakers calling the faithful to the local mosques, my hair stood on end.
[ Photos by myself and Mohammed Ali Rashid ]
Find them here: https://goo.gl/nPa9bV

Srila Prabhupada: Do you think it was easy for me?
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Srila Prabhupada: Do you think it was easy for me?
“The mood was very sober, but Srila Prabhupada wanted to hear from everyone. He went around the room and asked each devotee what they thought was wrong in the temple. And each person gave their …