Author Archives: Dandavats.com

HH Bhakti-Chaitanya Swami’s Srimad-Bhagavatam class from the Iskcon Ujjain Temple during the ongoing GBC Midterm meetings (video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/gdKrCh

Urgent and important!
Kadamba Kanana Swami: I would say that in our Hare Krsna Movement, one of the great causes of devotees becoming dry in their spiritual practices is because they do not get absorbed in reading. You see, chanting is something you do because we measure it – sixteen rounds; it is very clear. But we do not vow to do one hour of reading. We just do not make that vow so we do not give it the same urgency but it should have the same urgency. Reading of scripture is very important; very, very important. If we are not reading, I guarantee you that everything will become stale.

4th Oct 2017, The Economic Times, the world’s second-most widely read English-language business newspaper, did a post-event coverage of PMNC17, where Gaur Gopal das spoke on ‘Conscious Leadership for a Gracious Future.’

Hare Krishna from Fiji, Sigatoka! (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When loud chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is perfor…Read More…

“Damodara was not bound by ordinary ropes, but with the ropes of His mother’s unmatched love”
“Because mother loves the most…in this material world, there is no comparison of mother’s love. Without any exchange. Eve…

Unlock your Dharma – HH Sivarama Swami (video)
An insightful discussion on purpose and real duty.
We know we are in Dharma when we cannot think of anything else we would rather be doing with our life. —David Simon
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/h2UDeM

Krsna and His devotee give a helping hand.
Burwood is usually one of the toughest suburbs in Sydney for book distribution. I have been there a few times already. So this time I started pessimistically again, then realized that I need to be positive to start book distribution, so I went on to greet some people. Met a couple of people and had unsuccessful attempts.
Then along comes this Indian gentleman with earphones on, listening to something. I stopped him and asked whether he would be interested in taking a Bhagavad-gita. It was the quickest sale of my life.
He asked me, “Can you guess what I am listening to through the earphones?”
I said I didn’t know.
He said, “I am listening to a lecture by Gaur Gopal Dasa.”
Then he gave me a solid donation, hinting that I should distribute some books on his behalf. The rest of the day turned out well. I met a lot of people with different nationalities who were genuinely interested in our books but had only a few coins to spare. The large donation helped cover the shortages, and I ended up finishing the whole stock on the day. I was disappointed that I didn’t have more stock. I returned back home wondering where that help came from. I determined that I should be an optimist in Krishna’s service.
Your Servant,
Radhika Prasad Dasa

The All India Padayatra In Bovikanam, Kerala (Album with photos)
On September 11th our pāda-yātrā party arrived in Bovikanam, a small village in the Kasaragod Taluk in Kasaragod district, North Kerala. It is located 12 kilometers east of the district headquarters of Kasaragod. We were fortunate to have had assistance from Sanatan Sankirtana Dasa who is from Bovikanam. He walked with us from Kannur all the way to Kasaragod and assisted us during our stay in the district.
In North India Janmastami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna, was celebrated on August 15th but in Kerala Janmastami was celebrated a month later on September 12th. The dates differ because in North India it is calculated according to the Lunar Calendar and in South India it is based on the Solar Calendar. There is a small ISKCON center in Bovikanam and the devotees invited us to join them for the Janmastami celebrations which included: abhishek of the deities, katha, kīrtana, cultural programs and distribution of mahaprasadam. The temple had also organized a grand shobha-yatra held throughout the village in honor of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar.

The next day we performed splendid saṅkīrtana in different areas of the village. There were many Muslim people who participated in the kīrtana and purchased Bhagavad-gītās from us as well. The news of our arrival in the town and the powerful Harinama spread everywhere. The temple devotees were also very happy and said this year’s Janmastami was very special because Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar was with them.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ZWZ723

Radhanath Swami’s interview about the shooting in Las Vegas in which at least 59 people were killed and more than 500 injured (11 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/SjkQiW

A very pleasant drunkard!
Cittahari das: My uncle, Father Wallace, he was a Jesuit; but he was in charge of the whole of Victoria, so he was the head Jesuit. I said to my mother, “I’d like to get my uncle to meet Prabhupada.” So somehow she got that arranged. My mum was pretty good at arranging those things.
So my uncle came, and we were all sitting around in Prabhupada’s beautiful room on the beautiful blue carpet. Then he was sitting back on the chair, and he was quite an elegant sort of a guy and a very good speaker as the Jesuits are pretty well trained in philosophy. Prabhupada spoke philosophy with him quite a bit, and he seemed to be able to follow the thread of it and answer it, which most people when they met Prabhupada, they kind of lost it. Prabhupada was probing into what they understood and they couldn’t understand what they believed themselves, but he seemed to have some belief himself. Anyway, it went on for about three-quarters of an hour, having a pretty lively conversation but jokey too, a lot of laughter and so on.
Then finally the session was over, and he got up and shook hands and left. We were all sitting around Prabhupada, and Prabhupada was sitting there just kind of rocking a bit. I said, “Srila Prabhupada, what did you think of my uncle?” Prabhupada looked at us all and he smiled and he looked at me, he said, “A very pleasant drunkard.” And that was…we just all cracked up laughing because when immediately he walked in, Prabhupada must have picked up he’d had something. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a regular drinker. He had that kind of look, his face, a bit over-reddish. Yes, it was pretty well strong through the whole order at that time, I’d say, the whole Catholic church. That was the one thing the priests could do, have a good drink. The way Prabhupada could crack a joke was really amazing.

Vaishnava celebrations in Chisinau, Moldova (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Regardless of time or place, one who chants the…Read More…

Lord Krishna’s Cuisine available in ebook.
Yamuna Devi’s Lord Krishna’s Cuisine is now available in ebook format on Amazon.
Barbara Fotherby: A friend of mine made a couple of dals from this cookbook and they were exceptionally good. She had said there wasn’t a recipe she had tried that wasn’t really good, so I bought a copy and bought another for a friend who is also really pleased. If you cook with Indian spices already you won’t have to start running around looking for those “odd” ingredients. Very good instructions and well laid out.
Find it here: https://goo.gl/uXqaMS

Summer Peace March Padayatra in Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Mission: The aim of the Padayatra peace march is to spread the good mood and give people positive experiences and information leading to lasting happiness and peace in society. These days everyone is constantly running here and there. We want to make more money, be more productive, have a faster car and so on. All of this hustle is all the more stressful, for which we suffer psychologically (350 million depressed people in the world), physically (it is generally known that most diseases stem from the psyche). We hunt for the happiness that escapes between our fingers and when it seems we’ve caught it, it suddenly loses itself like a mirage. WHY?! Because we live in a world in which everything is constantly changing. Like our body. When we were born, we measured about half a meter and we weighed about three kilograms. Now? Our body has changed and the happiness that we are trying to achieve here is equally unstable. That is why we are dedicated to the distribution of eternal happiness from the spiritual world, where every step is a dance and every word is a song.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1ZZo4e

Installation of the new deities of Vijay Gauranga Nityananda Rama and Harinam Sankirtan in Panama City (Album with photos)
Sril…Read More…

A glimpse of the Second South American Farm Conference, in Nova Gokula, Brazil (Album with photos)
Read More…

How to stop the unstoppable! (Album with photos)
Mohanasini Devi Dasi: That was the challenge this weekend….people just so passionate to get to their sense gratification! Fortunately there were enough special souls who were interested in Srila Prabhupada’s books and it turned out to be a great weekend! Please click on the pics for the whole story!
Book Distribution weekend of Sept 28 – Oct 1, 2017.

Thousands Celebrate Dussehra at Hare Krishna Temple in Washington.
Potomac, Maryland, September 30, 2017 — Thousands of people clad in colorful Indian attire thronged to the Hare Krishna Temple in the Washington area on a picture-perfect day in early Fall to celebrate ‘Dussehra’, a Hindu festival signifying the triumph of good over evil. The event is now in its 36th year at the temple, also known as ISKCON of DC, and draws some 3,000 people, making it the third largest celebration following ‘Holi’, the festival of colors (4,000) and ‘Janmashtami’, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna (5,000). “Today we are celebrating Dussehra which is the day when Lord Ram rescues his wife Sita and kills the demon, Ravana”, Ananda Devi, President of the Hare Krishna Temple, said. “It’s a great part of our Hindu, Vaishnava tradition to celebrate this festival symbolizing that good always win. If you do the right thing and if you really care about people, then good will always triumph over evil”. On a deeper level, she told us, “It is a time to remember our connection with God. The idea is that when we spend time nurturing our spiritual relationship with Krishna, we get a deeper sense of happiness in life. This festival is all about awakening our pure, spiritual love for Krishna and for each other”.
Read more: https://goo.gl/D92TTM

Tom Petty: “I need you all to say: Hare Krishna!”
Legendary rock and roll star Tom Petty, a close friend of George Harrison, in this short video is asking everyone to chant Hare Krishna.Read More…(This post has been viewed 3284 times so …

Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami’s disappearance day.
Giriraj Swami: Today is Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami’s disappearance day. “Raghunatha Bhattacarya, or Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, one of the Six Gosvamis, was the son of Tapana Misra. Born in approximately 1425 Sakabda (A.D. 1503), he was expert in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in Antya-lila, Chapter Thirteen, it is stated that he was also expert in cooking; whatever he cooked would be nectarean. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was greatly pleased to accept the food that he cooked, and Raghunatha Bhatta used to take the remnants of food left by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Raghunatha Bhattacarya lived for eight months in Jagannatha Puri, after which Lord Caitanya ordered him to go to Vrndavana to join Sri Rupa Gosvami. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Raghunatha Bhattacarya not to marry but to remain a brahmacari, and He also ordered him to read Srimad-Bhagavatam constantly. Thus he went to Vrndavana, where he engaged in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam to Srila Rupa Gosvami. He was so expert in reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam that he would recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was living with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord blessed him by offering him betel nuts offered to the Jagannatha Deity and a garland of tulasi said to be as long as fourteen cubits. Under Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami’s order, one of his disciples constructed the Govinda temple. Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami supplied all the ornaments of the Govinda Deity. He never talked of nonsense or worldly matters but always engaged in hearing about Krsna twenty-four hours a day. He never cared to hear blasphemy of a Vaisnava. Even when there were points to be criticized, he used to say that since all the Vaisnavas were engaged in the service of the Lord, he did not mind their faults. Later Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami lived by Radha-kunda in a small cottage. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (185) it is said that Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami was formerly the gopi named Raga-manjari.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 10.158 purport)

Hare Krishna.

Morning Class, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.2.31 – Agnidev prabhu – 1 October 2017, ISKCON Melbourne (video)
The Vedas give the eternal regulative principles for auspicious advancement in human civilization which have been rigidly followed in the past. The str…

Festival of Fiji 2017 (Album with photos)
The best way to spend an Ekadasi!
Kalasamvara Das: Today we went to one of the larger school in Fiji in a small town called Navua with about 2500 student and distributed over 4000 plates of prasadam at the school and in the town.
Performed Harinam, and distribution Srila Prabhupada’s books and ended the day with a picnic/lunch and swimming in one of the many beautiful beaches in Fiji.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/KR6u97

Prajalpa (gossip).
Radhanath Swami: People like to hear about other people’s problems. It’s fun for some. That’s the reason why some of the most popular magazines in the world just focus on scandals. Recently, a champion golfer got i…

Departure of Srila Prabhupada’s daughter.
My dear Maharaj ji’s and prabhu ji’s!
Please accept my most humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
The daughter of Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktilata Dey left her body yesterday (Ekadashi) at 4 am. Her younger brother Vrindavan Chandra Dey performed her last rites. She was unmarried and was staying with her brother.
your servant
Radharaman Das

All India Padayatra Hosts Special Program For School Children | Kumbla, Kerala (Album with photos)
Acarya Dasa: When we visited Kumbla on September 16th, we performed saṅkīrtana in the town and the news of pāda-yātrā spread everywhere. There is a ‘Nityananda Swami Matha’ in the area which also has a school. Nityananda Swami invited us to hold a program for the school children; we agreed and all the teachers were informed. The children were called out on the school grounds where we had a grand saṅkīrtana and they danced to the Holy Names. Afterward, we gave a small talk on the glories of chanting, followed by book distribution and maha-prasādam. Nityananda Swami was very happy that pāda-yātrā had come to his town and he was especially happy that we inspired the school children. Before we left he took a Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam set from us.

If every school principal has such an attitude and wants the children in his institution to be exposed to the Holy Names, then every school will be a Gurukula with seeds of bhakti being sown in every heart.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/eKu1K9

Dusshera at Bhaktivedanta Manor (2 min video)
Yesterday, we celebrated Dusshera at Bhaktivedanta Manor with an amazing performance of the Ramayana from ISKCON Pandava Sena followed by the burning of Ravana.
The burning of the 10 headed demon, Ravana reminds us to eradicate the demons inside of us and to continue in the path of Bhakti.
If you weren’t able to join us, watch the video here: https://goo.gl/s4Sa7R

Value-based leadership in changing and challenging environments (video)
A seminar by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami in Melbourne.
…Read More…

Reasons to Continue our Spiritual Practice.
Radhanath Swami: There is a beautiful story in the Srimad Bhagavatam about Mahadev, Lord Shiva. Once upon a time when the devas and the asuras were churning the ocean of milk for nectar, massive quantities of poison came out. They were seeking nectar, but sometimes when we want nectar, first we have to remove all the poison.
That’s kind of the way our sadhana is, our spiritual practice. The real nectar of prema, or love – love for God and love for all beings – is within us. Our spiritual practice is just to remove all those things that obscure our connection to that love. So sometimes when we are doing our meditation or our chanting, a lot of poison starts coming out of us – lust, envy, anger, greed, illusion and arrogance – and we actually see all this stuff that is already there. That should not discourage us. We should not give in to those things; rather if we just tolerate them and continue with our spiritual practice, gradually it will all be removed, and then the real nectar which we are all seeking will be forever ours.

So this poison from the churning of the Milk Ocean spread everywhere and the great rishis and devas approached Lord Vishnu, who took them to Shiva. When Shiva saw the plight of all living beings on the verge of extermination, by his mystical power he took massive oceans of this poison and concentrated it so that it could fit in the palm of his hand. We can’t even imagine the power of that concentrate. And because this poison had to go somewhere, he drank it. His throat became very black in colour. This black throat is one of the features of Shiva that is most honoured, and is considered to be the ornament of his compassion. He is known as Neelkantha or Kalkantha. There in the Bhagavatam there is a beautiful verse in relationship to this story: the service that is most pleasing to Bhagavan is when we make sacrifices without selfishness, out of compassion, for others within this world. – Radhanath Swami

tapyante loka-tāpena
sādhavaḥ prāyaśo janāḥ
paramārādhanaṁ tad dhi
puruṣasyākhilātmanaḥ

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart. Srimad Bhagavatam 8.7.44

Discover India – USA 2017 (13 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: It was an honor to follow in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps with our cultural presentation of Krsna consciousness in America throughout the month of September. Sixty devotees, from 14 different countries around the world, performed almost daily in many of the prestigious universities on the east coast. Professors, students, and various dignitaries gave resounding applause for our performances which were centered around the pastimes of the Lord recounted in the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Ramayana. Other performances included bhajans, the Sankhya dance company from Mumbai, a talk on the wisdom of Bhagavad Gita and more. Everything was presented in a professional, and most important, devotional way.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ixbeC2

Jagannath Ratha yatra in Cambodia (8 min video)
Pchum Ben is a public holiday in Cambodia that follows the period called “Vassa,” a kind of “Buddhist Lent,” and has been kept with great devotion by the Khmer people for longer than anyone can remember. This tradition is quite similar with Hindu tradition called “sraddha” where hindu people offer “ Piṇḍas”- are balls of cooked rice and barley flour mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites (Antyesti) and ancestor worship (Śrāddha). Devotees in Cambodia saw this event as a chance to introduce Krishna Consciousness through Jagannath Ratha yatra.
A year before, H.H. Subhag swami maharaj asked Jagannath Ratha Yatra Nusantara team to make ratha yatra in Cambodia. Then the ratha yatra team contacted prabhu Gunaavatara in Cambodia if there was a chance to do Ratha-yatra festival there. After discussing with the devotees in Cambodia Gunaavatara prabhu said that it possible to do ratha yatra. The devotees from Yashopura ashram took this to introduce the Hare Krishna Movement in Cambodia. This Ashram is under supervision of H.H. Bhaktiraghava Maharaj.
The devotes, even small in number, led by Visnuvrata das and Gunaavatar das, were very enthusiastic doing harinama sankirtan in village of Chub Ta Trav Village, Cambodia. Knowing the annual Festival of Pchum Ben, the devotees had idea to spread the mercy of Lord Jagannath widely in this village through Jagganath ratha yatra festival. They worked hard in a week to prepare the festival. From taking care of the permits to preparing the chariot until asking the authority of the Wat Prasat Pagoda to allow Budha deity to participate on the festival. They joyfully worked for the satisfaction of the Lord.
On the day of the festival, since early morning devotees prepared the festival. Some devotees cooked, decorated the chariot and other preparation. This devotional service environment made them happy. At 09.00 Pm. local time, Lord Jagannath were carried to the pagoda using “tuk-Tuk” a traditional Cambodia public transportation and it was about 15 minutes from the center. nt of the Pagoda the Lord Jagganath along with His brother, Lord Balaram, and His Lovely sister, Subadra Devi were put on the chariot and Budha deities from the Wat Prasat Pagoda. Arati Were offer to Lords by the pujari and then the Lord chariot were pulled by devotees and local villagers. The Hare Krishna Mahamantra filled the atmosphere and all joyfully sang and dance. There was big pandal in near the center prepared for the festival. Many local villagers came to the pandal and Gunaavatar prabhu gave sort class about the glorification of Chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra in this age of Kali yuga and related it to the Pchum Ben festival. The local villager attentively listened the class. After the class, all villagers who came to the festival honoring prasadam. All credit of the Ratha yatra festival are going to Visnuvrata prabhu and Induleka mataji who bravely preach the glory of chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra, bhakta Alexi bhaktin Marsha, Bakta JayaBharat and bhakta ajay, bhakta Sharon, Bahkta jerry, bhakta Ny Chaiyya, bhakta khat Khear, bhakta Neat, bakta Min Ey Te, and Guna Avatar prabhu who organize the beautiful festival for the Lord jagannath, and all devotees who supported in many ways.
Jay Sri Jagannath, Jay Sri Balaram, Jay Subadra devi.
Jay Cambodia Gaura Bhakta Vrinda…
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2XKc6B

Sri Ramacandra Vijayotsava Celebrated in Sri Dham Mayapur.
Sri Ramacandra Vijayotsava, or Vijaya Dasami is a festival commemorating Lord Ramacandra’s victory over King Ravana. When Ravana kidnapped Sita Devi, Ramacandra set out to Lanka to punish Ravana and rescue His beloved wife Sita, and this day marks the occasion of Ravana’s defeat.
In Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila, 15.32-35, it describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mood during this festival:

Sri Jagannath Sobhayatra at ISKCON Gaya (Album with photos)
On 28th September, Thursday evening, ISKCON Gaya devotees went for Jagannath Sobhayatra among the busy markets of Gaya. The devotees from Mayapur Bhaktivriksha and Patna were also in the yatra. Lord Jagannath, Baldev & Subhadra Maharani were seated on a beautifully decorated cart. The yatra starts from ISKCON Gaya center at 5 PM with aarti and kirtan lead by Jagdish Shyam Das (Manager, ISKCON Gaya). More than 1000 worth Srila Prabhupad books distributed. People of Gaya city were amazed seeing the devotees enthusiastically chanting and dancing at Sobhayatra. Prasadam was distributed profusely. The yatra ends at Visnupad temple where the evening aarti and kirtan. Visnupad temple is the sacred place where Lord Chaitanya had manifested His devotee form.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7Bg6bb
Video at: https://goo.gl/R6cDGS

Iskcon Desire Tree receives a prize from Google.
Kavicandra Swami: I was fortunate to be with all the staff of ISKCON DESIRE TR…Read More…

Various Significance of Founder Acharya – Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, ISKCON Chowpatty (video)
Watch it here:

Brahmachari life (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We must rise early in the morning, bathe, attend mangala-arati, worship …Read More…

The glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi.
The glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi which occures during the waxing moon in the month of Septemb…Read More…

Harinama in Fiji (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In old age, at the time of death, the throat sometimes becomes choked wi…Read More…

What is Dusshera? (3 min video)
Ultimately, this fight went on for days and nights continuously. And can you imagine the emotio…Read More…

Color Galore (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday, before leaving New Vrindavan, all the members of our Discover India tour participated in a Festival of Colors near the famous Palace of Gold. Thousands of young people came throughout the day from all over the region to throw colored dyes and chant and dance in ecstasy as our bhajan band performed live on stage. Titiksava Karunika’s band also gave an amazing performance. A memorable experience on our tour through the United States of America.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/fujQdk

Harinama in Barnaul, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “As a result of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krishna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.28)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/L9fp2R