Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Harinama in Vladivostok, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A girl is married to a husband. She’s hankering after a child. If she thinks, “Now I am married, I must have immediately a child.” Is it possible? Just have patience. Become a faithful wife, serve your husband and let your love grow up, and because you are husband and wife, it is sure you’ll have children. But don’t be impatient. Similarly, when you are in Krishna Consciousness, your perfection is guaranteed. But have patience, determination. “I must execute. I should not be impatient.” That impatience is due to loss of determination. And how that loss determination is there? Due to excessive sex life. Los Angeles, February 17, 1969
Find them here: https://goo.gl/xnwCUJ

A superb performance of chanting the maha-mantra with the accompaniment of a whole orchestra with classical instruments.
Observ…

Harinama in Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We are trapped souls in a state of forgetfulness of Krishna, and Kris…

Sri – Sri Radha Kunjavihari Chandan Yatra Mahotsava 2016 (Album with photos) Bali, Indonesia.
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to…

Harinama in a park of Moscow, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: How can we think mundane thoughts and at the same ti…

One cat and the Teachings of Queen Kunti.
Karuna Darini Dasi: I got my first book from a book table near the Los Angeles Ratha-yatra site. I took the Teachings of Queen Kunti home with me and read it. I liked the beautiful, classic prayers, but did not want a personal God in my life again, having renounced Christianity.
Some friends, recently turned devotees, were regularly bringing me prasada. They were patient with and kind to me, but I had a lot of excuses not to join them. One major excuse was my pregnant pet cat. One night I came home from work to find that my cat had given birth to two premature kittens — a miscarriage. The fetuses were lying on top of my stack of poetry books and quasi-spiritual art magazines. The TQK was exactly next to that mess – though untouched, as effulgent as ever. I was shocked and frightened. Then I thought, What is it with this Krishna literature? It was protected from this mess and it looks so beautiful! It seemed to say, “You can’t enjoy this pet cat! The cat is always suffering, and you are always suffering!”
I read TQK, I started to wonder what other shocks were in store for me in this lifetime. When I joined the bhaktin asrama, I was very glad to meet so many devotees.
When people ask me how I became a devotee I like to say that there is no group of people I have met throughout my life who is as amazing and intelligent as the Hare Krishna devotees.
Your servant,
Karuna Darini Dasi

A visit to the famous Radha Krishna Temple in London (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Just hours after my flight from New York had landed in London I was off to 10 Soho Street for a program at ISKCON’s famous downtown temple. The darshan of Radha London Isvara was breathtaking, the association of the British devotees sweet as it comes and the prasadam as great as ever. Good to be back in England!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/vPoN1z

June 8. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Satsvarupa dasa Brahmacari, January 1966.
Diary notes from morning lecture, Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 21.35.
Krishna is “home-ly” – He is proprietor of every place, but He has His own place. We falsely claim a piece of land as ours. Actually, nothing is ours. There is a saying, “I beg vegetables to eat, and sleep in the marketplace, so where is my home?” We claim land is ours, so there can be no peace. Goloka is His abode in the spiritual sky. Planets are round but Goloka is lotus-like. As sunlight for the universe comes from the sun, so all light comes from Goloka. All the universes come from Krishna in Goloka; this one universe we live in is insignificant. Within the earth, U.S.A. is a small part, and in U.S.A., New York City is still more insignificant, “and in that NYC, this 26 Second Avenue is insignificant, and we are sitting here. So just see how insignificant we are. And we are claiming we are God.”
We laughed when Swamiji said that, we are here at 26 Second Avenue. As he was saying it, we sensed it, getting more and more insignificant. He laughed, too. We are in one tiny corner of everything. It is wonderful that he did that – and we can know it all comes from Krishna. We get in touch with original Krishna by chanting.
I used to doodle these bass players all the time. Now that I’m in Krishna consciousness, I should give it up. Better to have them play in kirtan like the man who played bass when we had kirtan at Dr. Mishra’s asrama. Otherwise, I want to let these things go from my past. I only want to do things approved by my spiritual master.
That publisher from Chicago came to New York City. He published a segment of my novel on Svevo. He was surprised to find me a disciple of the Swami. He came and sat on the floor with me in my apartment. He wasn’t particularly impressed by my “religion.” He noticed that the thumbnail on my left hand is filled with grooves and asked me if it had been injured. “I’m not sure what it’s from,” I said, “maybe nail-biting.” It was as if he wanted to say something actual, true and meaningful, personal, and perceptive, so he chose to comment on my pitiful-looking thumbnail. But I am not this body. Talking about my thumbnail didn’t bring us much of an intimate exchange.
Anyway, I said to him, maybe I can write a sequel to the novel telling how Svevo joined the Hare Krishna movement. He said okay. Rayarama came and met him. Then the publisher left. I don’t think I even have his address. He’ll probably go see Murray and Steve and see what they’re writing. His coming here was like a visit from my past self. But I’m fixed in Krishna consciousness now. I probably won’t find time to write that sequel. I’m definitely not very interested in reliving the scenes with Eliot and Anna and all the stuff that Svevo went through. But a sequel might be good for preaching purposes.
I asked Swamiji last night about whether I should write the sequel. He said, “Yes, you can do it.” I felt foolish telling him somebody wanted to publish something that I had written. I didn’t want Swamiji to misunderstand. He understood perfectly well. He said, “But they should pay you. Just because you are religious does not mean you should get less money or no money. You should get more.” That’s all he said. So let’s see what happens about that.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=9

TOVP: Temple Room Floor and Outdoor Fence Concepts (Album with photos)
Janesvari Devi Dasi: Here are some concepts for the mai…

Summer Children’s Day Greeting in the Iskcon Temple of Budapest, Hungary (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna is everywhere. Simply you have to catch Him. And He’s also ready for being caught. Yes, if somebody wants to catch Him. Suppose you are a devotee. If you want to catch Him, He comes forward ten times than your desire. He’s so kind. Therefore, we have to simply receive Him. London, August 21, 1973.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uzYNnG

Religious Studies Project: ISKCON in Britain. (23 min podcast)
This year the ISKCON Movement (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) celebrates its 50th anniversary. Fittingly, for this podcast Professor Kim Knott, BA (Leeds), MA (Leeds), PhD (Leeds), provides an overview of the Hare Krishna movement in Britain from its inception in 1966 to the present day.
Recognisable by their distinctive appearances and chants, ISKCON practitioners grew in number in the UK due to a number of reasons, ranging from young people’s fascination with Indian spirituality in the 1960s, to its celebrity endorsements from George Harrison and the Beatles.
Knott considers the most notable events in ISKCON’s fifty year history in Britain, and discusses how the movement has adapted to British lifestyle, and what the future may hold for ISKCON education.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/RDBAeY

A super serious future kirtaniya is practicing (2 min video)
Vaikuntha children under practice to spread Krishna consciousness in the whole world! 🙂
Srila Prabhupada: Punya-sravana-kirtana refers to the process of devotional service. Even is one does not understand the meaning of the Lord’s name, pastimes or attributes, one is purified simply by hearing or chanting of them. Such purification is called sattva-bhavana. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.12 Purport).
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/3pJAJm

Ratha-yatra Festival, Rijeka, Croatia 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The tapasya of chanting and glorifying the nam…

US returns over 200 artifacts worth more than $100 million to India
The New Indian Express – June 7, 2016
The US today returned over 200 cultural artifacts estimated at $100 million to India at a ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at Washington DC.
“For some, these artifacts may be measured in monetary terms but for us this is beyond that. It’s a part of our culture and heritage,” the Prime Minister said at the ceremony held at the Blair House.
Items returned included religious statues, bronzes and terra cotta pieces, some dating back 2,000 years, looted from some of India’s most treasured religious sites.
Among the pieces returned is a statue of Saint Manikkavichavakar, a Hindu mystic and poet from the Chola period (circa 850 AD to 1250 AD) stolen from the Sivan Temple in Chennai, which is valued at $1.5 million.
Also included in the collection is a bronze sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesh estimated to be 1,000-year-old.
The artifacts that speak to India’s astounding history and beautiful culture are beginning their journey home, US Attorney General Loretta E Lynch said.
“It is my hope – and the hope of the American people– that this repatriation will serve as a sign of our great respect for India’s culture; our deep admiration for its people; and our sincere appreciation for the ties between our nations,” she said.
“Protecting the cultural heritage of our global community is important work and we are committed to identifying and returning these priceless items to their countries of origin and rightful owners,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said in a statement.
“It’s the responsibility of law enforcement worldwide to ensure criminal smuggling organizations do not profit from the theft of these culturally and historically valuable items,” he said.
The majority of the pieces repatriated in the ceremony were seized during Operation Hidden Idol, an investigation that began in 2007 after Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) special agents received a tip about a shipment of seven crates destined for the US manifested as “marble garden table sets”.
Examination of the shipment in question revealed numerous antiquities. This shipment was imported by Subhash Kapoor, owner of Art of the Past Gallery, who awaits trial in India.
HSI’s Operation Hidden Idol focused on the activities of former New York-based art dealer Kapoor, currently in custody in India awaiting trial for allegedly looting tens of millions of dollars worth of rare antiquities from several nations, a media release said.
Artifacts were also found in the Honolulu Museum and Peabody Essex, who promptly partnered with HSI to surrender illicit cultural property stemming from Kapoor.
HSI special agents have executed a series of search warrants targeting Kapoor’s New York City gallery, along with warehouses and storage facilities linked to the dealer.
Additionally, five individuals have been arrested in the US for their role in the scheme, a media release said.
More: http://goo.gl/cFcCdp

Maha-ashraya Prabhu, ACBSP, left his body while living in Manaus, Brazil. Last May 30th, close to midnight. He was born in Chicago and was 61. He surely went to Krsnaloka to take part in Krsna’s pastimes.
Srila Prabhupada: “For one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, or glorification of the name, fame and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.12).

June 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Satsvarupa dasa Brahmacari Diary, 1966.
The notes I keep on Swamiji’s lectures are an exercise to help me remember and understand Krishna consciousness. Unless you hear from a pure devotee, you cannot know Krishna. There are some books circulating in the storefront on Hinduism. Still, the all-important thing is to hear from Swamiji. I don’t know anything else. I am safe as his student. I can’t go wrong that way.
I want to read his Srimad-Bhagwatam and type for him – that is an excellent way to learn philosophy. You can’t learn philosophy unless Krishna reveals it in the heart. He will do that when you serve His realized pure devotee.
Notes from lecture of BG 6.40-43
He (the fallen yogi) takes birth in a brahmin’s family. Brahmins are very pure, very clean. Or the fallen yogi takes birth in a rich family.
Swamiji told of his own life. His father was very pious and worshiped Krishna. When Swamiji was 5 or 6 years old, he asked his father for Radha-Krishna deities. His father purchased Them, and Swamiji as a child offered his food to Them in imitation of the offerings his father made. They also visited a temple of Krishna. Swamiji as a child watched for hours. These are the gains of being born in a family like that.
Narada says even if you come to Krishna consciousness because you are crazy, all right, still it is good.
The third kind of family the fallen yogi is born into is a family of yogis. This is the best kind. The brahmin may think he has nothing to learn. The rich man’s son may become a drunkard. When you are born in one of these families, you start to remember what you learned of Krishna in the previous life.
Swamiji said: “I MAY TELL YOU THAT THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS SOCIETY, KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, VERY SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT ORDINARY PERSONS. THEY MUST HAVE HAD SUCH CULTURE IN THEIR PREVIOUS LIVES. NOW THEY ARE AGAIN TRYING TO REVIVE IT.” The asset is there.
That was very interesting that Swamiji said we must have been yogis in past lives and that is why we are taking to Krishna consciousness now. I don’t remember anything from my past life, especially about Krishna, but he said so according to the Bhagwad-gita.
I want to go on carefully listening to his lectures. Umapati keeps exact notes for publishing in BTG. Mine are more for myself. This is the only writing I am doing now.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=9

Stress Management Program for Delhi Police Officials @ ISKCON Punjabi Bagh (Album with photos)
What would you think If you see more than a dozen Police Cars/ Motor bike and over 50 Police Officials entering hurriedly in your neighborhood ?Is there a terrorist attack/ Murder/Theft/ Crime ?
This was certainly what some of neighbors of ISKCON Punjabi Bagh were thinking. But no, they were not there on any such mission. They were in fact there to learn how to Handle Stress which is an innate factor in the kind of services they render to society.
A program on “Stress Management” was organized by ACP, Delhi Police @ ISKCON Punjabi Bagh on 1st June for over 50 officials.
Atmosphere of mistrust, negative public image, irregular working hours, Dissatisfaction due to non grant of leave, death of colleague on duty, staying away from family and children, presence of weapon at home are some of the factors they have to constantly deal with among the daily hassles of stressful events.
Many down to earth, practical practices from Srimad Bhagawat Gita were discussed by HG Rukmini Krishna Pr (Temple Co-President) which would be helpful in empowering them to deal with stress. The program ended with the most effective stress buster: Ecstatic Kirtan and prasadam for all.
Many participants had genuine queries and they all finally left with Srila Prabhupada books in their hands.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qafQ0Q

Lord Krishna protects Iskcon Delhi from terroristic attack.
Times of India: NEW DELHI: In the winter of 2015, when Indian agencies were busy tracking down alQaida modules, two Jaish-eMuhammed terrorists had quietly sneaked into the capital. Intelligence sources said the duo rented a room in Lajpat Nagar, assembled six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and recced at least four places for a strike, including the Taj Mahal and two city spots -Iskcon temple and the Select Citywalk mall in Saket.
The IEDs were specially prepared, using ingredients such as shampoo, a highly placed source told TOI. By mid-December, the two were ready to carry out the strike. A control room was set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and instructions were being passed by the handler, who was in touch with the mastermind, codenamed MAR.
Fortunately, things went wrong. During a dry run a day before the attack, an IED “leaked” while being detonated in the bathroom. This led to a thick cloud of smoke in the building, caused the Jaish duo to panic and hurriedly flush the IEDs and all other material down the toilet.
Still out of the Indian agencies’ radar, the two men took a return flight to Kabul.
Their act may have remained under wraps forever. But things changed in 2016. Since January this year, the noose around Jaish tightened after the attack on the Indian consulate. Four terrorists neutralized in that attack wrote about the planned 2015 strike being a revenge for Afzal Guru, who was executed for his role in the Parliament attack of December 2000.
Two months later, around Holi, the Kabul police arrested two Jaish operatives named Ahamd Khan Durrani, an Afghan national, and Abdul Qadri, a Pakistani, and recovered explosives and ammunitions from them. During interrogation, they spilled the beans on their plot to attack the Indian capital. Their travel details corroborated their claims. The Indian consulate was informed and the intelligence establishment taken in loop.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/LWSmiQ

Rathayatra in Rome 2016 (playlist of 5 videos)
Srila Prabhupada: Instead of actively taking part in politics, saintly persons s…

West African Iskcon devotees recently visited ISKCON JUHU, Mumbai, and astonished everybody with their energetic and joyful chanting…

Vaishnava marriage in New York: Devi Kumari’s Wedding (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Some year’s ago I met a young lady from America – a spiritual seeker – who was visiting Vrindavan. I preached to her and encouraged her to take up the path of Krsna consciousness. I have enjoyed seeing her make nice spiritual progress through the years under the shelter of HH Radhanath Swami. Just this morning I learned she was getting married at the Bhakti Center in New York, so I drove 2 hours down from Newburgh to New York with several devotees and surprised her at the wedding. We could only stay for 30 minutes because of another program we had back in Newburgh. So while Ananta Vrindavan took a few photos we wished Devi Kumari dasi and Wojciech a wonderful Krsna conscious marriage and proceeded on our way. Everyone send them your blessings!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/DuRdod

A kid participates with enthusiasm in a Stockholm Harinam, Sweden (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Others, who are not devotees, may think, “How can people devote so much time simply to talks of God?” The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is simply the repetition of three words, Hare, Krishna, Rama, but still devotees can go on chanting this Hare Krishna mantra twenty-four hours a day without feeling fatigued. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.13.1Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2RGEBn

June 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Typing for the Swami, 1966 (Diary Excerpt)
If this notebook is lost, please return to:
Satsvarupa dasa Brahmacari
c/o International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.
26 Second Avenue, New York, NY
Swamiji, I am remembering you. I am here now and you are here around the corner in your room. Life is freed for me from the karma of the past. I want to learn Krishna conscious philosophy.
Should I do the typing or go see the Swami? Without any notes, I just start to remember what the Swamiji said in his lecture and I type some of it down. I can type pretty good. I don’t make mistakes. It starts to come to me, some of the things he said in his lecture. At least I remember the essence of it. I don’t attempt to write the whole thing down, just the essence as I remember it.
I don’t really do it for him, it’s more for myself. It’s not that I go to my apartment having memorized what he says, but it just comes out and keeps my head balanced. I really like to walk through the streets feeling the Hare Krishna mantra and seeing the city in the summer. I feel such a well-being as Swamiji’s boy.
My yoga is typing. I’m not just typing something for Swamiji. I’m doing yoga. It’s for myself. It’s the last kind of creative writing I’ve allowed myself. I’ve stopped all other writing – my novel-writing and my short-story writing – it was all so corrupt and egotistical. But this remembering and recording short sentences is the fruit of anything I’ve learned as a writer. I try to communicate what Swamiji said in my own voice, as concisely as possible. It’s Swamiji, but expressed in my own way. I get creative joy out of this writing. It’s a good discipline for spiritual life.
Usually as I start to type, something comes to mind. Yesterday I remembered about the three modes of nature. “There are three modes of material nature, raja-guna, tamo-guna, and sattva-guna. We are all under the modes of nature. Krishna is above the modes of nature. Surrendering to Krishna brings freedom from the modes.” Just things like that. He also said, “The donkey carries the washerman’s load. He thinks the washerman is the source of his food, but he can get grass anywhere. This is the foolishness of the ass. Materialists are like this donkey.” Typing these things down is a nice way to be with Swamiji. I’m starting to grasp the philosophy too.
I think you have to get a special, mystical revelation from Krishna to understand Swamiji. He’s incomprehensible. Swamiji said that by service the revelation will come. Note-taking helps.
I am trying to kick off my false ego. Novel and poetry-writing is false ego. I’m ready to make the break with the past for Swamiji’s sake. I throw my manuscripts into the incinerator. I had to think about that one before I did it though. What if these manuscripts were great works? What if I am a genius and I just don’t recognize it? Still, they had no Krishna consciousness. How could they help anyone? Swamiji says even great literature, if it is without Krishna consciousness, is like decoration of a dead body.
Now I only want to express Krishna-thought and read Krishna-thought. We shouldn’t have other books in the storefront.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=9

Hare Krishna – Ratha-yatra – Lexington Patriots Day Parade (brief video)
Lexington, a small city in Massachusetts and home to one of the sites where the American Revolutionary War began, enthusiastically welcomed Lord Jagannath during the Patriot’s Day Parade celebrated on April 18 this year. Devotees of the Lord participated in the parade pulling the Lord’s cart or ratha and were very warmly applauded and encouraged by the Town and the over 10,000 residents attending the parade. Lord Jagannath’s cart also won the second place in the float competition for the most beautifully decorated and attractive display. Over 80 local residents joined in partaking Lord Jagannath’s prasad and then pulling the cart for a 3-mile walk through Lexington’s downtown area. 11 little girls led the parade performing Bharatnatyam and Odissi dances for the pleasure of the Lordships. We hope Srila Prabhupada accepts this as a small offering on his 50th anniversary year. We are very encouraged by the Town and residents’ overwhelming support and enthusiasm and pray to the Lord that he continues to bless the Town and its residents.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/bvMLpa

ISKCON Baltimore – Chariot Festival (Rathyatra) 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The tapasya of chanting and glorifyi…

14th Ratha Yatra Festival in Rijeka, Croatia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna says that his devotee is never vanquished. Therefore all the disciples practicing Krishna consciousness should obediently follow the regulative principles and remain fixed in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Then there need be no fear. Otherwise, one’s position is very dangerous, especially in this Kali-yuga. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.58 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FojP4J

Bhakti Life Retreat @ Gita Nagari.
We are very happy and excited to share with you that for the very first time ISKCON of Richmond is arranging a Bhakti Life retreat (in its real sense!) with HG Radhika Ramana Prabhu at Gita Nagari Yoga Farm. Rest, the poster says it all…
Here is the link to registration: http://goo.gl/forms/IV4ntjWpkt7HvMoD2
Google directions: https://goo.gl/PjcCeu

ISKCON Hosts 2nd European Yoga Congress.
ISKCON of Radhadesh, Belgium hosted the 2nd European Yoga Congress from May 27th to 29th, sharing insights and techniques with thirteen different yoga schools from twelve countries.
The seeds of the event were sewn in November 2014, when many different yoga organizations met at Yoga Vidya in Germany, Europe’s largest yoga ashram, to explore commonalities and possibilities for cooperation.That gathering, attended by a delegation of a dozen ISKCON members, resulted in the creation of the European Yoga Confederation, and an agreement to hold a European Yoga Congress every two years.
This year’s event in Radhadesh was held in a giant nearly 1,000 square-foot tent on the grounds, as well as a satellite classroom in the temple. Some 160 to 180 people attended.
Yadunandana Swami, Rector of the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta in Spain, and Vaiyasaki Das, a Prabhupada disciple and renowned kirtaniya, represented ISKCON Belgium along with several other devotees.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/jQ8SEF

Stockholm Harinam, Sweden (11 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is always superbly…

New Bhagavad-gita Exhibit Opens at MOSA Belgium.
A brand new exhibit of artwork from Kim Waters and Chris Murray’s classic 1980 book, Illuminations from the Bhagavad-gita, opened at the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) in Radhadesh, Belgium on May 28th.
The exhibit features all Kim’s original illustrations from the book, which is illuminated with translated verses from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. The uniquely charming, colorful images depict Krishna and Arjuna, Radha Krishna, Krishna Balarama, Vishnu, Pancha-Tattva, Nrsimhadeva, Sita Rama, and more.
The exhibit also includes Kim Waters’ cut-out, stand-up illustrated altars of Vrindavana Dhama, Devi, and Buddha, as well as other assorted works.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/M3wxGe

Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 04.06.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This Krishna consciousness movement insists that …

Preaching Krishna consciousness in the prison of Huntsville, Texas.
Phalini Devi Dasi: One of the most memorable experiences during our last visit to Houston was our trip to the Estelle Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice near Huntsville, Texas on September 19, 2015.
Although we had not planned it into our schedule, Krishna apparently had, so we went along with Krishna’s plan. It’s always good to cooperate with Krishna’s plan.
We were invited to participate by Gopal Krishna Prabhu of the Houston Temple. An enthusiastic and dedicated prison-preacher and alternates with Sridhara Shyama Prabhu from the Dallas Temple, to conduct regular, open-call Hare Krishna services—which comes under the wider umbrella of “Eastern Religions.” But this was not just any ordinary program. It was their Janmastami celebration, so they had invited a huge number of inmates for the festival.
After clearing security, we entered a room full of men–maybe forty or fifty–who sat ready and waiting for the Hare Krishna Festival to begin. Comfortable sitting cushions were arranged around the edge of the room, and the devotees had set up a microphone and amplifier with speakers.
My husband started the kirtan. The inmates joined in enthusiastically from the very start, singing robustly like old kirtan veterans. As the kirtan picked up to a livelier pace, the men almost all stood up to dance. They bounced and jumped back and forth, up and down the length of the room, chanting more and more loudly and grinning from ear to ear as they felt more and more jubilant with the intoxicating sound of Lord Krishna’s holy names. Even His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami joined in the dancing. The men formed a train, each man holding onto the shoulders of the man in front of him. They weaved and hair-pinned around the room like expert dancers from the old Agnideva kirtans of the seventies.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/zMkSFi

June 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Irreplaceable Swami.
Every night we were listening to that bongo drum, Swamiji’s fingers on that drum. I remember one guy who came, that rascal named Eliot, who I knew before I started coming to the storefront. He said, “The Swami gets some good licks in; I want to hear him play.” They came to hear Swamiji just as they went to the park to hear the bongo drummers there. I used to apologize to them, “The Swami is a very proficient mrdanga player. You can’t judge him by what he’s doing now. He’s doing the best he can with this little drum. He doesn’t normally play a one-headed bongo, but we don’t have any of the drums that he plays in India.”
“All right, granted, but let’s hear what he can do with this one drum.”
So you can hear him. His fingers walk on the drum. People speak of Olantunji and his talking drums. Prabhupada’s drum talks from his walking fingers (tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick, one two, one two three four, one two.) It’s a simple thing he’s got going with his fingers on the drum, accentuating his walking beat, along with his own singing and the karatalas and tambour. It seemed that sometimes he played it strictly, like a metronome’s measured beats. But sometimes it was uneven, more human-like, hitting his fingers in rougher beats. None of it was very fast. He played that drum to accompany his own singing. I thought, “Gee, he’s over seventy years old and thumping on that drum to his own singing.” Yes, you could come to the storefront just to hear him play the drum. Of course, he had a lot more to give than that – Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna, the Hare Krishna mantra.
The drum is for kirtana. You chant over the drum, but still you can be fascinated by hearing Prabhupada’s very simple fingers walking on the head of that brownish and already worn bongo head. There will never be anything like it, even now that we have many accomplished mrdanga players in ISKCON. Nobody plays a bongo drum like Prabhupada did – simulating a mrdanga and yet not simulating a mrdanga. Just playing on that little drum.
And his voice. It was not velvety smooth like cream, but a little rough, some grating there. Not unpleasant, but like a man at the end of the day with a stubble of beard, or the way a leader of men is sometimes a little rough in his speech. It is an appealing roughness that comes from working and from singing, not a pampered, delicate thing. An old man’s singing. And not a “man” – but an aged, pure devotee. His singing has its own appeal. It goes along with the drum, the uneven finger beat, and the rough voice. We were attracted by these things, almost hypnotized by each thing he did.
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Kirtan In The Blue Ridge Mountains (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Krsna’s holy names resounded through the hills and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina at the recent Sadhu Sanga Retreat. Two thousand devotees relished each other’s association at one of ISKCON America’s biggest functions of the year, celebrating Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the country 50 years ago.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/KYNTnN

Muhammad Ali Talks About Meeting God (10 min video)
Kavicandra Swami: While distributing books in the airport of Chicago, me and other book distributers we would often meet with Muhammad Ali and we would stop him to give him a book. In 1974 I met him and gave him one of Srila Prabhupada’s books. In the beginning he thought that I wanted him to sign it but when I asked him to take it and give a donation, he immediately took out his wallet and gave a 20 dollar donation.
In many other occasions also he received Krishna conscious books from other devotees as he was quite friendly with all. Did he read them??
Judge for your self from this video where he preaches about God during a TV show, repeating almost verbatim Srila Prabhupada’s teachings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofUhct5Bk_g
Below is a brief description:
Muhammad Ali Talks About Meeting God.
A little boy asked Muhammad Ali, “I’d like to know what you’re going to do when you retire from boxing?” Ali’s answer couldn’t be more inspiring as he takes his time and gives this young fan an answer he’s sure to never forget. With news of Ali’s death, it is reassuring to know that he prepared for where he wanted to go. Ali said:
When I retire from boxing, I want to say something right here. Life is not really long. Let’s say the average person (is) 30-years-old. If you’re 30 years old you are not but about seven years old…how can I prove it? Add up all the seven, eight, nine hours you slept for 30 years. Out of all the years last night when you went to bed and woke up this morning, you don’t remember a thing. You’ve been unconscious for about eight years…if you’re 30-years-old you slept about eight years. Ok, how much traveling have you done in 30 years, from the television station to home, to another country, to another city, to school, to church…you’ve probably traveled two years your life just getting back and forth to where you’re going. So there’s eight years of sleeping, two years of traveling, There’s 30 years out of your life before you ever accomplish anything. How long do you sit in school? In America we sit in school from the 1st grade to the 12th grade. Six hours a day for 12 years, break it down, you sit in the classroom for three years! Without leaving. Ok, two years of traveling, eight years of sleeping, three years of school. Probably two years of entertainment. By the time you have children, by the time you have made a way for your children, by the time you’ve paid for your home you’re pushing 60-years-old. So…life is real short.
What am I gonna do in the next sixteen years? What’s the best thing I can do? Get ready to meet God. Owning real estate, going in business, teaching boxers…that won’t get me to heaven.
The boxing champ goes onto ask how many people in the audience believe in God, believe that a higher being is behind the earth, moon, the sun and the stars? Most raise their hands that they do. When he asks who doesn’t, not many go up. But Ali questions one of them. He holds up a glass of water and asks if she believes the glass made itself, if the tv studio and her own clothes made themselves. He talks about the moon and planets, and how someone had to have made them, and he believes that someone is God. Because of this, Ali’s mission is to help people because one day he is going to be judged. God is watching him, and he wants to do good. He said:
He wants to know how do we treat each other? How do we help each other? We need someone in the world to make peace. This is a test to see where will we spend this life, heaven or hell? This is not the life here. But your soul and your spirit never die. So God is testing us on how we treat each other and how we live to see where our real home be in heaven. So this physical stuff don’t last us so long. We don’t stay here. We’re just trustees. The most important part thing about life is what’s going to happen when you die. Are you going to heaven or hell?
Looking very serious, Ali talks about just how long forever really is, and the reality of burning in hell versus living in heaven for an eternity. It sounds like Ali has earned his way to the latter.

Muhammad Ali in 1975 was received with a flower garland by a devotee of Iskcon during his visit to Frankfurt Trade Fair.

Bhaktitirtha Swami and Brahmananda prabhu with Muhammad Ali.
Bhaktitirtha Swami had a way of striking up a spontaneous friendship with celebrities such as Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali also shared the spotlight with Srila Prabhupada, at an anti-war peace…

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) in 1975 was pleasantly surprised when he was received by a devotee of the “International Society for Krishna consciousness” during his visit to Frankfurt Trade Fair with a flower garland and was gifted Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita.

Harinama under the rain in Sydney (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: We’re chanting in the rain
Just chanting in the rain
What a glorious feelin
We’re happy again
We’re laughing at clouds

[A disciple of Prakasananda Sarasvati to an assembly of disciples]: “In this age of Kali, one cannot attain liberation without taking to the devotional service of the Lord. In this age, even if one does not chant the holy name of Krsna perfectl…