Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Preaching program with BB Govinda Swami in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Sri Krishna Caitanya, who was outwardly very fair, with a complexion like molten gold, simultaneously manifested His eternal associates, opulences, expansions and incarnations. He preached the process of chanting Hare Krishna and those who are under His lotus feet are glorious. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.79 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/oF1Hbx

Presentation From the TOVP Architecture and Design Department in Pune, India, with Sadbhuja Prabhu (7 min video)
Sadbhuja prabhu discusses the systematic procedure for the next stage of the embellishments for the TOVP with the architecture & design department in Pune.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2hbiiy

Always remember Krishna and never forget Him!
Srila Prabhupada: Pious activity is on the material platform, but chanting of the…

Sankirtan on 3rd St Promenade, LA (Album with HR photos)
Devotees of New Dwaraka, Los Angeles temple, go out on harinam sankirt…

May 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: The Swami’s Arrival Went Mostly Unnoticed.
The Swami’s arrival went unnoticed. The neighbors said someone new had taken the gift shop next to the laundry. There was a strange picture in the window now but no one knew what to make of it. Some passers-by noticed a piece of paper announcing classes in Bhagavad-gita taped to the window. A few stopped to read it, but no one knew what to make of it. They didn’t know what Bhagavad-gita was, and the few who did thought, “Maybe a yoga bookstore or something.” The Puerto Ricans in the neighbourhood would look in the window at Harvey Cohen’s painting and then blankly walk away. The manager of the Mobil gas station next door couldn’t care less who had moved in – it just didn’t make any difference. The tombstone-sellers and undertakers across the street didn’t care. And for the drivers of the countless cars and trucks that passed by, Swamiji’s place didn’t even exist. But there were young people around who had been intrigued with the painting, who went up to the window to read the little piece of paper. Some of them even knew about the Bhagavad-gita, although the painting of Lord Caitanya and the dancers didn’t seem to fit. A few thought maybe they would attend Swami Bhaktivedanta’s classes and check out the scene.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

NITAYOGA World peace yoga festival in Budapest (Album with photos)
1200 happy people together! 🙂 Yoga, lectures, kirtan and p…

Harinam Makes Every Soul Dance With Love Of Godhead!
On the 11th of April our party traveled to Paksi-tirtha also known as Tirukalukundram. Bhakivinod Thakur sings in the 3rd verse of ‘Suddha Bhakata Carana Renu’
se-saba sthana, heribo ami,
pranayi-bhakata-sange
Which translates as: ‘May I always visit all the holy places associated with the lila of Lord Caitanya and His devotees.’
We are all very fortunate to be on padayatra here in India because in this way during our travels we can take darsana of some of the tirthas visited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the acaryas. In this way we are not just traveling here and there –instead wherever we go we always try to hear more about the glories of the dhama from the dhama gurus.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/DfVPWu

The Radha-Madhava Deities in Mayapur: what are they made of?
“Jananivasa told me about a conversation he had had in the temple with a middle-aged Bengali guest who had asked him, “Are Radha-Madhava made of brass or gold?”
“Well, what are you made of?” Jananivasa replied.
After a pause, the gentleman answered, “Flesh and blood.”
Jananivasa told him, “As long as you think you’re made of flesh and blood, then you’ll think the Deity is made of one metal or another. But if you can understand that you’re not the body, that you’re spirit soul, and also that the soul is part and parcel of God, then you’ll understand that you’re of the same nature as Krishna.”
The man wasn’t sure that he had understood, so Jananivasa continued, “Do you accept that God is in your heart?”
“Yes.”
“So what’s He made of there, brass or gold?”
The man didn’t know.
“On the basis of the revealed scriptures,” Jananivasa said, “we can understand that God’s form is eternal and full of bliss and knowledge. That form, which is present in the heart of every living entity, is made of pure spirit, and that is what the Deity in the temple is also made of. You can’t see the Deity in your heart,” he explained as the gentleman nodded in agreement, “you don’t know who He is. So the Lord comes in a form you can see. Radha-Madhava appear to be material, but They are purely spiritual, and to the extent that you realize your nature is spiritual, to that extent you will understand that Krishna Himself is personally on the altar.”

Did you know about the “connective” beads and the “protective” beads? Watch this inspiring class by Brighupati prabhu given yesterday at the Iskcon Los Angeles temple and find out.
With many amazing book distribution stories which show how many people are waiting to be introduced to Lord Chaitanya’s movement!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/HIBIJq

My path to yoga – an academic essay by Priscilla Black.
My Journey with wellness and yoga began 2 years ago. I was a social alcoholic, recently divorced and had just moved back to my hometown in Kentucky. I had been back home for about 6 months before I became pregnant. I lost the false sense of direction I had and knew that I needed to make changes. I was smoking about a pack a day and blacking out almost every night. As soon as I became pregnant I lost everything and anyone I thought was a friend. I made a decision to move to Dallas to live with my parents so that I could concentrate on the tiny human growing inside of me. I had no aspirations of keeping the child. I knew that I would give her up for adoption but still I wanted to make sure that I was the healthiest that I could be. I wanted Her to be healthy.
…I decided to attend a Wednesday program. I remember being nervous. Wondering, if anyone could sense my anxious energy. I was told that there was going to be kirtan. “What is Kirtan?” Kirtan is the chanting of the holy names of God. So I chanted. ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama. Rama Rama Hare Hare.’ Everyone in the room was so happy and blissful. So at peace. This felt right. I could sense that She was happy. After kirtan was a lecture. This lecture was about Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti yoga, like any other form of yoga, is a path to self-realization, to having an experience of oneness with everything. This is what I was longing for. This is what my soul needed. I took notes and listened more intently than I ever have. I learned this lifestyle of non-violence and self-realization and love. After this night at Kalachandji’s, I never left.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/wWruD3

Mark Your Calendars!
The Prabhupada Festival is just around the corner. Free for all to attend and to glorify His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the festival takes place over Memorial Day Weekend at the ISKCON Los Angeles Temple. Please visit www.PrabhupadaFestival.com for more info and discover ways you can participate in this year’s festivities. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

May 4. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Srila Prabhupada’s Mission on the Lower East Side.
Prabhupada had not made a study of the youth movement in America before moving to the Lower East Side. He had never even made specific plans to come here amid so many young people. But in the ten months since Calcutta he had been moved by force of circumstances, or, as he understood it, “by Krishna’s will,” from one place to another. On the order of his spiritual master he had come to America, and by Krsna’s will he had come to the Lower East Side. His mission here was the same as it had been on the Bowery or uptown or even in India. He was fixed in the order of his spiritual master and the Vedic view, a view that wasn’t going to be influenced by the radical changes of the 1960s. Now, if it so happened that these young people because of some change in the American cultural climate were to prove more receptive to him, then that would be welcome. And that would also be by Krishna’s will.
Actually, because of the ominous influence of the Kali millennium, this was historically the worst of times for spiritual cultivation – hippie revolution or not. And Srila Prabhupada was trying to transplant Vedic culture into a more alien ground than had any previous spiritual master. So he expected to find his work extremely difficult. Yet in this generally bad age, just prior to Prabhupada’s arrival on the Lower East Side, tremors of dissatisfaction and revolt against the Kali-yuga culture itself began vibrating through American society, sending waves of young people to wander the streets of New York’s Lower East Side in search of something beyond the ordinary life, looking for alternatives, seeking spiritual fulfillment. These young people, broken from their stereotyped materialistic backgrounds and drawn together now on New York’s Lower East Side, were the ones who were by chance or choice or destiny to become the congregation for the Swami’s storefront offerings of kirtana and spiritual guidance.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

NBS#36 Daksa, Sati and Lord Shiva – Part 2
Continuing from the previous issue, NBS # 36 covers the plight of Daksa and his associates who committed an offense at the lotus feet of Lord Shiva.
We pray that this issue brings some pleasure to the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
NBS # 36 Features: 1) What Caused Sati To Destroy Her Body?
His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
2) Virabhadra Beheads Daksa
Conversation between Maitreya and Vidura
3) Lord Shiva’s Mercy On Daksa
Sriman Purnaprajna Dasa
4) Re-birth Of Sati And Daksa
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura
This issue can be viewed through these links:
ISSUU: http://issuu.com/nbsmag/docs/nbs_36
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/doc/311331475/NBS-36

The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released.
KK Bindu #374 includes: Never before translated prayers to Gadadhar Pandit, and a story of Krishna and Arjuna talking with a wise jackal. In honor of the upcoming festival for the appearance of Srila Gadadhar Pandit this edition includes some special prayers to him. Contents of this edition includes:
* AVOID BEING MISLED – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada speaks about the importance for devotees to know siddhanta.
* EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE – Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada speaks about the universality of chanting the Lord’s names.
* KRISHNA CRUSHES THE DEVOTEE’S PRIDE – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja tells a story about a corpse, a jackal, and Krishna and Arjuna.
* PRAYERS TO SRI GADADHAR PANDIT – A collection of various meditations and prayers, translated for the first time especially for this issue of Bindu.
It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu374

Harinama in Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, a central park in Moscow (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting …

Simhastha Kumbh Ujjain – 2016 (Album with 63 photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: The Babas at Simhasta Kumbha Mela Ujjain! On one side o…

Until We Meet Again (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: This morning we went on parikrama all the way around the sacred town of Vrindavan. After many years of circumambulating this holy abode many of the places, as well as the Vrajavasis who live here, are familiar to me. Tonight I leave for Russia, but I will carry Vrindavan within my heart wherever I go in service to my spiritual master.
“I wander over this earth meditating on Her, who is a moon shining in the rasa-dance arena, who is a host of bright lamps in Vrsabhanu’s palace, and who is the central jewel in the necklace of Goloka.”
sri rasa rangasya vikasa candrika
dipavalir ya vrsabhanu mandire
goloka cuda mani kantha bhusanam
dhyatvaparam tam bhuvi paryatamy aham
[ Narada Muni, Garga Samhita 1.8.12 ]
Find them here: https://goo.gl/j96Tff

A-Z of Things Unseen: Y is for Yamuna (5 min audio)
The Yamuna is one of the many rivers in India that are sacred to Hindus. On its banks lies the city of Vrindavan, believed to be the birthplace of the Lord Krishna.
Shaunaka Rishi Das from the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies has visited the Yamuna many times over several decades. In this edition of the A-Z of Things Unseen, he recalls some key moments of spiritual awakening and growth which he experienced on the banks of the sacred river.
Among them is a challenge thrown out by an old man during his first ever bath in the Yamuna with a group of devotees from Ireland. Other seminal experiences include a close encounter with a snake, and the insights Shaunaka gained after he scattered his wife’s ashes in the sacred river: rather than him returning his wife to Krishna, he realized, she had been his all along and only shared her husband’s life “as a loan” from God. With that insight came acceptance of her death.
The A-Z of Things Unseen is an eclectic mix of voices from different faiths (as well as some doubters), each tackling a concept of their choice from a personal perspective.
Listen to it here: http://goo.gl/w3Ely4

The mind traps us materially and trips us spiritually.
Chaitanya Charan Das: We like our job one day and detest it the next day; we feel excited about our devotional activities sometimes and bored at other times.
Why does our mind oscillate like this?
Because it has learnt from experience that the charm of worldly objects doesn’t last for long.
This lesson can help us realize that no material object can ever offer us lasting satisfaction. However, the mind evades this realization by imagining that the past worldly objects were not enjoyable because something was wrong in the practical details. “I don’t like my job because my boss is lousy.” Due to this blunder of judgment, the mind keeps us entrapped at the material level with the futile hope that we will become happy if we just get the next worldly object alluring us from round the corner.
More damagingly, the mind doesn’t let us stay fixed when we do contact the one object that can offer lasting satisfaction: Krishna. He is eternal and eternally enchanting. Yet due to its default oscillatory habit, the mind imagines that the charm of Krishna will also not last long. So it starts looking for something externally new in devotional service without going deep into the remembrance of Krishna. The mind thus causes us to look here and there and everywhere –except straight towards Krishna. No wonder that we frequently trip on our devotional path, and thereby suffer unnecessary slips and falls.
If we strengthen our intelligence by deep deliberation on the nature of the mind, then the Bhagavad-gita (03.43) assures us that we won’t fall for its traps and trips.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 03 Text 43
“Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence [Krishna consciousness] and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.”

May 3. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: The Lower East Side in the 1960s.
By the summer of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival at 26 Second Avenue, the first front in the great youth rebellion of the sixties had already entered the Lower East Side. Here they were free – free to live in simple poverty and express themselves through art, music, drugs and sex. The talk was of spiritual searching. LSD and marijuana were the keys opening new realms of awareness. Notions about Eastern cultures and Eastern religions were in vogue. Through drugs, yoga, brotherhood, or just by being free – somehow they would attain enlightenment. Everyone was being free – somehow they would attain enlightenment. Everyone was supposed to keep an open mind and develop his own cosmic philosophy by direct experience and drug-expanded consciousness, blended with his own eclectic readings. And if their lives appeared aimless, at least they had dropped out of a pointless game where the player sells his soul for material goods and in this way supports a system that is already rotten.
So it was that in 1966 thousands of young people were walking the streets of the Lower East Side, not simply intoxicated or crazy (though they often were), but in search of life’s ultimate answers, in complete disregard of “the establishment” and the day-to-day life pursued by millions of “straight” Americans.
That the prosperous land of America could breed so many discontented youths surprised Prabhupada. Of course, it also further proved that material well-being, the hallmark of American life, couldn’t make people happy. Prabhupada did not see the unhappiness around him in terms of the immediate social, political, economic and cultural causes. Neither slum conditions nor youth rebellions were the all-important realities. These were mere symptoms of a universal unhappiness to which the only cure was Krishna consciousness. He sympathized with the miseries of everyone, but he saw the universal solution.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Narayanpur (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Not far from the Ujjain Kumbha Mela is the forest where Krishna and Sudama we…

Temple of Vedic Planetarium – May 2016 TOVP construction updates (Album with photos)
We are happy to share these beautiful new…

Harinama in the park of Stromovka, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One may live in a cave, in a cottage be…

The Mayor of Hertsmere auditions for the part of Hanuman, during last month’s Ramanavami festival….:-)
Hertsmere is a local government district and borough in Hertfordshire, England. This is where the Bhaktivedanta Manor is situated.

“Ask a monk” (4 min video)
Ter Kadamba Das presents his “Ask a monk” new video channel, website and project.
Ter Kadamba Das: Some of you have asked about the questions I received. Here are a few of the more entertaining ones (paraphrasing of cause):
Atheist: When will I die?
Monk: Any moment now, because whenever an old person looks back on his life, he always thinks it went by in a moment, so regardless of how long it will be, compared to eternity, it will still only be a moment. Therefore you should enquire about your real identity now, instead of wasting time with external things.
Teenage boy with flashy sunglasses: Will I ever find love again?
Monk: You are made of love, that is what you are, so you don’t need to find it, it is already there. The reason you are not in touch with it, is because you are focusing on these external things you see around you. When we focus your energy on making other people happy, then love will naturally flow through us uninterrupted. But if you are thinking of beautiful girls, then that is not love but lust. The two are not the same, and they are mutually exclusive.
Well dressed elderly man: What can you tell me about the stock-market?
I can tell you that whether you win or lose has nothing to do with how happy you will be. You have rich people who are happy and rich people who are miserable. You also have poor people who are happy and poor people who are miserable. These things are not related.
Well dressed elderly man: What a sophisticated answer.
Elderly lady: What do you ask a monk?
Monk: Okay, I guess that is also a question… You can ask him anything. Like what is the meaning of life? You see, many people think the meaning of life is something beyond our reach, but it is actually very simple. If we stop being selfish and devote our life to God, then our lives are meaningful. Now, devoting our lives to God means devoting our lives to Gods creation, because that is how He manifests, so basically just make sure that everything you do, you do for the benefit of others. Then you will be happy for the rest of your life, and it is completely free of charge.
Man: What is the northern most town in the world?
Monk: Since our perception of this world is illusory, the question is equivalent to asking how many drops of water there are in a mirage. Since it doesn’t really exist, the question is superfluous. If something should be said to exist, then it must be eternal. Consciousness is eternal, not these temporary forms of matter we see around us, so we should focus our attention on that. (He then told me about “Longyearbyen”, which is a town on the island of Svalbart north of Norway. He happened to live there).
Woman: Who will win the world cup in football?
Monk: Nobody. Those who are engaged in the world cup are chasing after a temporary result. Everybody knows it will be taken away from them again, so in the end they will all lose. Monks only work for spiritual results because spiritual results are eternal. Anything material is temporary and therefore not worth the effort.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Xjnl3b

Divine Intervention.
Sutapa Das: On recent travels around the country I met a lady who expressed frustration in her attempts to find God. She told me her story: two years of spiritual travels, countless nights of prayer, careful scriptural exploration and persistent introspection, but still no sign! “Will I ever find Him?” she asked. “I’m beginning to question whether He even exists.” What to speak of the ‘searchers,’ even the faithful often doubt that their Supreme friend is actually alive and active. A seeming lack of reciprocation and intervention can discourage even the most devout spiritualist. Where is God when you need Him?!
While desiring a divine audience, we’d do well to bear the following in mind:
Action – internal yearning should be accompanied by external endeavour. When the man made a diligent daily prayer to win the lottery, God was more than willing to acquiesce – if only he actually went out and bought a ticket. Thus, it could also be that God wants to see a practical demonstration of our eagerness to see Him. What are we willing to sacrifice and what tangible efforts will we make to search Him out?
Reaction – we are not dealing with a cosmic order supplier, but with a person. As persons, we don’t mechanize our reciprocation, but rather operate on the basis of feelings and inspiration. Thus, one cannot force open the doors to see God, but simply engage themselves with enthusiasm and determination. We should eagerly anticipate a divine audience, but simultaneously be willing to patiently wait.
Perception – maybe God has already intervened in our life, but not in the way we were expecting. Often times we don’t see things as they are, but rather we see things as we are. When we carry stereotyped perceptions of how God should deal with us, we leave little room to witness how He is expertly working on a bigger and better plan that will satisfy our needs and desires.
The ability to witness the wonders of God is the unique gift of the most advanced spirituality in existence. The Bhagavad-gita doesn’t simply deliver a philosophy which convinces one to believe in God, but actually equips one with the tools and techniques to dynamically perceive Him at every moment.

Photos from ISKCON-London’s grand reopening (Album with 40 HR photos)
The ISKCON-London Radha-Krishna Temple re-opened to the public on1st May after being closed for refurbishment. With best wishes, Hare Krishna, David.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/4Bxn60

Children Program Pictures at ISKCON Mira Road (Album with photos)
Today ISKCON Mira Road organised Children Exhibition. More t…

May 2. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Moving Into His New Apartment.
Overlooking the courtyard from the rear building of 26 Second Avenue was Prabhupada’s second floor apartment, where he would now live, work, and worship. With help from his Bowery friends, he had cleaned and settled into his new home. In the back room – his office – he had placed against one wall a thin cushion with an elephant-print cover and, in front of the cushion, his unpainted metal suitcase served as a desk. He had set his typewriter on the desk with his papers and books on either side. This became his work area. His manuscripts bundled in saffron cloth, his stock of Srimad-Bhagavatams, and his few personal effects he kept in the closet opposite his desk. On the wall above his sitting place he hung an Indian calendar print of Lord Krishna. (Krishna, as a youth, was playing on His flute with a cow close behind Him. Lord Krishna was standing on the planet Earth, which curved like the top of a small hill beneath His feet.) There were two windows on the east wall and the dappled morning sunlight filtering in through the fire escape fell across the floor.
The next room was bare except for a fancy coffee table, which became Prabhupada’s altar. Here he placed a framed picture of Lord Caitanya and His associates. On the wall he hung an Indian calendar print of four-armed Lord Visnu and Ananta Sesa, the celestial snake. And, as in the Bowery loft, he put up a clothesline.
Both rooms were freshly painted and the floors were clean hardwood parquet. The bathroom was clean and serviceable, as was the narrow furnished kitchen. Prabhupada would sometimes stand by the kitchen window gazing beyond the courtyard wall. He had moved here without any prospects of paying the next month’s rent.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

ISKCON-Delhi – Govinda Restaurant Inauguration : 30-04-2016 (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/aooNFM

ISKCON Auckland NZ: 40th-anniversary Ratha-yatra (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name o…

By the blessings of all of you My ‘little boy’ now is a full-fledged Vaisnava Brahmin, a servant of the servants of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I can’t ask for more.
Prahlad Nrsmha Das Adhikari: In my way to Sridham Mayapur for the graduation of Sri Paramahansa Goura from Gurukul, he has been since 6 years old under the guidance and care of Srila Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami and his dear disciples. Sri Goura presently is the Head Boy in the Gurukula, he is graduating as a student and becoming a teacher. He loves his service, so will remain as a full-time Brahmin and part of the Team. I am eternally in debt with Maharaj and his disciples for shaping the Spiritual life of Sri Goura his strength in sadhana and determination to serve the mission of Guru and Gouranga is an example for me and for many.
Please extend your blessings to this wonderful devotee!

The 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival (4 of 4) (17 min video)
Seventeen golden Nityananda Awards were granted to recipients of special achievements and lifetime achievements, in an exciting 90 minutes ceremony, on the stage of Mayapur Festival’s main entertainments pandal. Ground-breaking new videos were shown, each before it’s respective producer/director was honored by this rare event’s formal recognition. No doubt this 2nd Award’s Festival is setting a trend that is likely to perdure and grow in popularity in ISKCON. So is the wish of organiser Nrsimhananda Das of Iskcon Television, who was assisted this year by Vasudeva Das, of BhakTV and VANDE (Vaisnava Arts For A New Devotional Era). The Awards Night was filmed by Subuddhi Ray Das, and edited with the original HD clips by Vasudeva Das.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/wEcfY8

Initiation Ceremony and Cultural Program at Radhadesh, Belgium (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One should be a devotee an…

ISKCON Auckland NZ: 40th-anniversary boat festival (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This Krishna consciousness movement i…

ISKCON-Delhi – 7th Boat Festival : 30-04-2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A devotee always thinks of the Lord continuously. While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the words Krishna and Hare immediately remind him of all the Lord’s activities. Since his entire life is engaged n the service of the Lord, a devotee cannot forget the Lord at any time. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.6 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uvtPXb

May 1. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Swamiji Moves.
Now it was time to move the Swami into his new place. A few friends who were on hand accompanied the Swami over to the Bowery loft. Maybe they weren’t prepared to become his surrendered disciples, but contributing toward the first month’s rent and volunteering a few hours of work to help set up his place were exactly the kinds of things they could do very willingly.
At the loft, they all gathered up portions of the Swami’s belongings, and then they started out on foot up Bowery. It was like a safari, a caravan of half a dozen men loaded with Prabhupada’s things. Michael carried the heavy Roberts reel-to-reel, and even the swami carried two suitcases. They did everything so quickly that it wasn’t until they were well on their way and Mike’s arm began to ache that he realized, “Why didn’t we bring a car?”
It was the end of June, and a hazy summer sun poured its heat down into the Bowery jungle. Starting and stopping, the strange safari, stretching for over a block, slowly trekked along. Prabhupada struggled with his suitcases, past the seemingly unending row of restaurant supply shops and lamp stores between Grand, Broome, and Spring streets. Sometimes he paused and rested, setting his suitcases down. He was finally moving from the Bowery. His electrician friend on Seventy-second Street would have been relieved, although perhaps he would have disapproved of the Second Avenue address also. At least he was finished residing on Skid Row. He walked on, past the homeless men outside the Salvation Army shelter, past the open-door taverns, stopping at streetlights, standing alongside total strangers, keeping an eye on the progress of his procession of friends who struggled along behind him.
The Bowery artists and musicians saw him as “highly evolved.” They felt that the spirit was moving him and were eager to help him set up his own place so that he could do his valuable spiritual thing and spread it to others. He was depending on them for help, yet they knew he was “on a higher level”; he was his own protector, or as he said, God protected him.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Translated Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Lalita Prasad Thakur (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s son)
National Hotel, Red park, Moscow, Russia
21st June, 1971.
My dear uncle Prabhupada Lalita Prasad Thakur,
Kindly accept my humble obeisance to your lotus feet. At present I am staying at the above mentioned hotel in Moscow, Room No. 356. With me there are two American disciples.
Here the preaching subject will be 1. Vedic Conception of Communism, 2. Knowledge derived from authoritative tradition, 3. Scientific classless society. Now with your blessing in this severely atheistic country the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu will be preached.
Here many local and foreigner girls and boys have visited. I advise them to do the Bhajana of the Lord. A few boys of this place have become very much impressed after listening to our Harinama. They want to join us. But the laws of this country are so tough that they cannot go against them. Here discussions are going on to meet many reputable professors and there will be the arrangement of lecture in the Indian Embassy. You bless me.
From here I will go to Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London etc. This is the first time I came to Moscow. If you want to write to me, send it to this address—3764 Watseka Avenue.
Yours affectionately, Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami
(from Bhaktivedanta Research Centre’s Birnagar Collection)

Experiencing happiness within devotional service: Is that considered selfish?
Question: Experiencing happiness within devotional service: Is that considered selfish? I get so much happiness with devotional service. However, I fear that if it is a selfish desire rather sincere motivation to please Krsna. How can I differentiate and improve where I am not focusing on my happiness, but rather making Krsna happy?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Feeling happiness in relation to Krishna is good! As you mature in Krishna consciousness, however, gradually and deliberately shift your attention away from viewing yourself at the center; instead become ever-increasingly aware of the reality that Krishna is at the center of our exchange with Him, that’s all.
In fact, Krishna is the only Enjoyer or Master; others are to be enjoyed by Him. He is Purusa, we are prakrti. We are His servants, per our constitutional position. When we are situated in our loving relationship with Krishna, we experience a sublime quality of happiness — we experience being connected with Krishna’s happiness! He is enjoying, and we experience His happiness through the medium of His devotional service.
Devotional service means trying to please the Lord. It is meant to give Krishna happiness, not to give happiness to ourselves. Devotional service means activities performed for the pleasure of Lord Krishna, with devotion, and ultimately not mixed with any desire for personal pleasure.
[NOD Chapter 1] “In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is stated that Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee of the Lord, prayed to Narsimhadeva (the half-lion, half-man incarnation), as follows: ‘My dear Lord, I repeatedly pray unto Your lotus feet that I may simply be stronger in devotional service. I simply pray that my Krsna consciousness may be more strong and steady, because happiness derived out of Krsna consciousness and devotional service is so powerful that with it one can have all the other perfections of religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and even the attainment of liberation from material existence.’ Actually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these perfections because the happiness derived from devotional service in Krsna consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that no other happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one drop of happiness in Krsna consciousness stands beyond comparison with an ocean of happiness derived from any other activity. Thus, any person who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotional service can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.“
Below are some of the following few ways to practically apply and understand whether the happiness experienced is for own satisfaction or for the satisfaction of the Lord:
1. We can check our internal consciousness when we experience happiness (i.e. introspect). Ask yourself “Is this experience based on a selfish motivation, e.g. derived from an activity that we love to do, or perhaps an activity which will put us in the forefront, making us more noticeable thus helping us to gain appreciation from others?”
2. Do we do the activity only when we are noticed by others, and when there is nobody to see us we are little easy going and not do it with the same care and sincerity? [Supersoul is the witness of our motives and our consistency, so best to be self-honest in this regard!]
3. Inconsistency in service as well as service mood in general is a sign of being materially dependent or with mixed motives; real devotion, and in turn real happiness, is not created or interrupted by circumstance. See SB 1.2.6
4. It is always good to check with the Spiritual Master.

Hare Krishna Culture Growing In Cuba! (Album with photos)
For the last several months, one of our dear Canadian brahmacaris (renunciate monks) has been in Cuba helping to share our wonderful Hare Krishna culture! Below is a (slightly edited) report given by Hayagriva das along with some amazing pictures:
Our Cuban journey is now finished. We were very privileged to be able to share Krishna Consciousness in Cuba. A few things we really appreciated about the Cubans is that they are very warm people, they are kindhearted and have quite a natural service attitude.
We were able to do harinama (outdoor chanting and dancing) regularly, we organized around 40 programs, six retreats and distributed over 100 of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
One story: we were chanting in the “Plaza Central” in La Habana when one young girl (who had autism) came to us and started to dance ecstatically, smiling, with our Harinama Party. Her mother (in tears) came to us afterwards and shared that she never saw her daughter so happy in a very long time. Usually, her daughter is very introverted and neutral. Definitely, her soul was awakened by the irresistibly sweet sound of the kirtan!
We really hope that you can one day visit the Cuban devotees. After all, we are the International Society for Krishna Consciousness!
Your servant
Hayagriva dasa
Find them here: http://goo.gl/vwuJ6N