Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Radharani’s Home (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The other day our parikrama party visited Varsana, the home of Srimati Radharani. This beautiful photo album by Ananta Vrindavan dasa perfectly captures the mood of the people and places of this most revered village. Such photography helps to increase one’s desire to one day reside in the eternal realm Goloka Vrindavan.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UNLGed

Gopastami and Ratha Yatra at New Varshan, Iskcon New Zealand (Album with photos) All the Gopas came out to play!
ISKCON Aucklan…

Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu #363: Uddhava’s Prayers to Radharani, and more … The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes: * PRAISING GURU IS NOT ENOUGH – Instructions from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • UDDHAVA’S PRAYERS TO RADHA – In this section of Garga-samhita, Uddhava, arriving in Vrindavan after having been sent by Krishna to give a message of love to the gopis and other Vrajavasis, meets Radharani and offers prayers to her. These prayers describe the many forms that Radharani takes to accompany Krishna in his various incarnations. It can be downloaded here: https://goo.gl/UjtaEG

New issue of the Nityam Bhagavata-sevaya newsletter.
NBS # 25 Features: 1) Conversation Between Lord Krishna And Nanda Maharaja…

November 22. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada was especially uncompromising in his condemnation of materialistic activities. He used strong language to describe people who are devoid of the inclination for spiritual life, calling them dogs, hogs, camels and asses. He also referred to them as rascals. He called the leaders of the countries cheaters. He said they were all going to hell for their impious activities. By any standard, this was harsh criticism. He also protested against the government. He did it in a non-sectarian way, favoring neither the Communists nor the Capitalists. According to the scriptures, he said, “Any political leader in this age is bound to be the lowest kind of man.” In a sense, he protested against the material bonds that held families together. The devotee is described in sastra as one who doesn’t have enemies and who doesn’t cause agitation for others. Prabhupada was not a troublemaker. He simply wanted to give people the key to their own happiness, but because of their inimical attitude towards renunciation and devotion to God, there was trouble. Despite everything, Prabhupada continued distributing books and propagating the Holy Name.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2

November 18: Mukunda Goswami’s health update.
Thanks to all your prayers and good wishes, Mukunda Goswami is making a slow but steady recovery from his two surgeries.
On November 6, Mukunda Maharaja was transferred from Gold Coast University hospital to the rehabilitation facility of Murwillumbah hospital, which is a 15-minute drive from New Govardhan farm community and his residence there.
In the next 12 days that followed, the local medical staff have been doing their best to gradually encourage Mukunda Goswami towards complete recovery.
Initially Mukunda Goswami was placed in a room with two more patients. But later an intestinal infection, a highly contagious and tenacious bug, Clostridium difficile, was detected and Maharaja was shifted to a single room. This was a blessing in disguise since being alone in the room allowed Maharaja to continuously listen to Srila Prabhupada’s classes played via his loudspeaker system, chant and converse with devotee attendants. Doctors put Maharaja on a course of antibiotics, and as of yesterday, his blood markers indicated that the infection is all but gone. He will still be kept in quarantine for a few days until his recovery is confirmed microbiologically.
Although Mukunda Goswami was quite weak, dehydrated and undernourished after the surgeries, it was a challenge for doctors, nurses and devotee attendants alike to encourage Maharaja to eat more and drink more water. They even had to put him on an IV drip for two days to replenish fluids in his body. It got to the point that one nurse, an elderly lady named Jan, had to tell him: “Look, Mukunda, you Hare Krsnas are very peace-loving people, right? So if you do not drink enough, you’re gonna see one very angry woman!” The nurses also try to trick Maharaja into drinking more water each time they bring him a pill, which fortunately works. Still, Maharaja is very reluctant to drink more, joking today, a cup of water in his hand, that he feels like Socrates forced to drink hemlock. Heparin injections are given twice daily to prevent clotting as well other blood thinning medications until Maharaja starts moving more and is further reviewed by the cardiac team.
As far as nutrition, Maharaja conceded to start taking more food, and has three meals a day supplemented by a high-protein Resource drink that is put on his medication list so he cannot avoid it so easily. All his food intake is carefully logged by a dietitian and Maharaja’s attendants
Being a rehabilitation facility, the staff here are trained (and train us as well) to make sure that Mukunda Goswami feels him more like a normal healthy person than a patient. Their mantra is “You are helping him best by not helping”. They encourage Maharaja to increase his level of self-dependence each day in such basic things as getting out of or into bed, transferring himself to the chair, using toilet, showering, helping himself on water etc. As recently as one week ago Mukunda Goswami could not do much on his own, but soon he started walking using a walking frame Maharaja walks daily laps around the rehab, as much as 800 meters a day and counting. Yesterday, for the first time since his hospitalization on October 23, he went outside on a wheelchair accompanied by Krsna-kirtana Prabhu, breathed the fresh air and basked in the sun for 30 min while enjoying a beautiful view of the Tweed river commanded from the hospital deck. Whether permitting, such outings will become a daily part of his recovery. The aim is to make him secure and confident using the wheeler so he could resume his normal lifestyle at home. A local devotee, expert masseur Trayadisa Prabhu also visits Maharaja twice a week to work on his legs, which helps reduce post-operative swelling and pain .
A few words must be said about the staff. Female and male nurses, most of them in their late 50s or early 60s, are very friendly, caring and attentive. Murwillumbah being the seat of one of the largest and oldest Hare Krsna communities in Australia, most of the staff workers either have friends among devotees, live next door to one of them or in the very least have a very favorable opinion about devotees. A couple of devotees work at the hospital too, one of them, Mahavan Prabhu, serving as a security officer here. They treat Maharaja will a lot of respect and affection. One lady, Maharaja’s occupational therapist, said she was “blown away” after looking “Mukunda Goswami” up on Google and learning of his world renown. Another male nurse asked for the Hare Krsna mantra, which Maharaja had written out for him, and still another swore by “that wonderful pudding with dates” (halava) and indicated he would not mind trying it again. Mukunda Maharaja remarked that the nurses here are very positive, personal and “winsome”.
Today’s medical assessment concluded that, if all goes well, Mukunda Goswami would be discharged in a week or two, but still kept as an outpatient for some more time until they are confident that Maharaja is strong and able to walk assisted with only a walking stick. The intestinal infection quarantine forced us to discourage visitations to Maharaja for now, but hopefully the restriction will be lifted in a few days after Maharaja is ruled as C.diff.-negative. Still, devotees keep regularly sending Maharaja flowers
With Mukunda Goswami’s discharge nearing, an assessment visit to his house is scheduled by the occupational therapist for November 20 in order to identify all the necessary adjustments in his living space to enable him to resume his normal lifestyle safely and securely. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to devotees from all over the world who have generously contributed funds towards preparing the house for his rehabilitation needs.
As I said in the beginning, barring any emergency, this is the last detailed report on Mukunda Goswami’s health sent to this forum. However, we will continue regular or live updates on Mukunda Goswami’s health, recovery and service on hisTwitter account at: https://twitter.com/Mukunda_Goswami
And, again, we cannot thank enough all of you and thousands of devotees across the world for their ongoing prayers form Mukunda Maharaja’s full recovery and many more years of service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
On behalf of Mukunda Goswami’s disciples and followers
your servant, Madana-mohan das

A visit to Man Sarovar, Bhandirvan, Baelvan Karttika (Album with photos)
Last week we visited Maan Sarovar, the lake of Radharani’s tears, Bhandirvan, the place of Radha Krishna’s wedding, and Baelvan, where Sri Laksmiji resides! Visit these special forests through the pics of Vittalrukmini Das!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/8iFRme

In Every Town and Village! (12 min video)
A compilation of devotees chanting together in different remote places of the globe. Showing how the desire of Lord Chaitanya that Lord Krishna’s Name will be chanted in every town and village of the world is being realized!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kwF8xk

Meet the dancing parrot! (1 min funny video)
You may have seen parrots chanting Hare Krishna and Haribol but have you seen one …

A visit to Villaggio Hare Krishna, Milan, Italy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If a devotee once utters the holy name o…

ISKCON Temple, Dwarka: Kartik Yatra 2015 (Album with photos)
Kalavati Sundari Devi Dasi: By the grace of Srila Prabhupada, …

ISKCON Auckland, New Zealand: Rathayatra Ki Jai! (Album with photos)
As storms battered the country we started the 1st of 10 Rathayatra Xmas parades which will happen over the next 3 weeks around Auckland. In a small coastal town with a hand full of dedicated Jaganatha Bhakta’s.
It was much appreciated by the local people and the organiser, and we are all happy knowing the town has been blessed by the beautiful smiling faces of Lord Jaganatha, Baladeva ,and lady Subhadra.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/IQiJzs

November 21. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: I have my service in his movement like everyone else, but regardless of whether my service differs from yours, we are all students at the feet of the guru. I don’t want to become like a jaded sense-gratifier, always needing more and more stimulation to get the same “high.” Prabhupada is enthusing me. I collect his memories and photographs to remind myself of that. To stay alive in Prabhupada memories, while remaining free of dilettantism, is to know that he has a current connection with us. Don’t relegate Prabhupada to the museum in your mind and think that you are the antiquarian collector of rare books and artifacts. Prabhupada is out preaching. I want to serve those devotees who have that “face-to-face with-Prabhupada” realization. I am poor in Prabhupada consciousness. Am I trying to compensate for that by collecting Prabhupada memorabilia? It’s okay, it works. But let me take the dust on my head of devotees who are alive for Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2

Auckland New Zealand: Harinam under the rain! (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In old age, at the time of death, the thro…

Ecovila Goura Vrindavana (6 min video)
Ecovila e Ashram Hare Krishna “Goura Vrindavana”, Paraty RJ, Brasil.
A community project with an emphasis on contact with nature and self-sustainability, based on well-defined principles of philosophy of life and spirituality. The community has been developing since the mid-eighties. Much work has been performed in the course of these years and the practical results are evident. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. From generation to generation, the project can continue perfecting itself without limit.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/VoQan1

The Lake Of Love (9 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Prema-sarovara is a lake formed from the tears of Radha and Krsna when They …

UK Devotees Meet With Prime Ministers Cameron and Modi.
ISKCON devotees in the United Kingdom recently got the chance to meet with both British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When Srutidharma shook his hand, Cameron commented, “My kids are still eating all the sweets you left at Diwali!”
Later, at a VIP function organized by the Indian High Commissioner, three ISKCON devotees – Srutidharma, Gauri Das and Manor head of communications Vinay Tanna – were counted amongst the 1,000 VIPs.
There Gauri also got a chance to meet with Modi, and presented him with a box of Mangala-arati sweets too, saying, “These are made with milk from our own cows,” which delighted the Indian PM.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/LOsYCO

Thanksgiving Dinner & Program in Ojai, California, Nov 17.
Wonderful home program on Tuesday evening at the Ojai yatra, with a phenomenal ‘karma-free’ prasadam feast. Presentation talk given by Vasanta and dinner prepared by Mayesvara Dasa & crew. The feast was phenomenal: carrot sabji, tofu-turkey with gravy, sweet potatoes, baked persimmons, and cheesecake topped with persimmon sauce. No one left hungry….
Vasanta Prabhu (ACBSP) gave a presentation on Thanksgiving
principles, ecology and animal protection.

November 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada was the symbol of self-sacrifice. He was not overbearing, just pure. He had no desire to win respect for himself, he simply wanted people to recognize the supremacy of Krishna. This came out especially in Prabhupada’s writing. Walt Whitman said that everything one is will come out in one’s writing. If you are the kind of person who likes to have a servant stand behind you at the dinner table, that will come out in your writing. If you are cruel to your wife, that will come out in your writing. Even if you try to avoid those topics in your writing, still they find their way into your expressions. In Prabhupada’s case, we see every phrase saturated with his faithful desire to present Krishna’s message. His writing is not outstanding because he was a great Sanskrit scholar, or because he used polished prose. These things are also true, but his outstanding feature is his presentation of Krishna as He is. This is very unusual for commentators of Bhagavad-gita. Most Gita commentators cannot resist using the Gita to propound their own philosophy.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2

Devotees from Moscow, Russia, provide warm clothes to the residents of Vrindavan (Album with photos)
Today is the first day of the distribution of warm things that we’ve collected in the framework of the project “brajcare”. We gave them out at the parikrama road around Govardhana. A Full report will be at the end of the visit, until then just a few photos. We explained them (as far as our language was allowing), what is this new kind of things, which was sent to them from Russia.
We’ll do better tomorrow. Yes, winter here will come in a month, approximately, therefore, the locals with great joy take things, realizing that very soon they will need them.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UiP26J

A York University Student in Toronto, Canada, interviews the devotees (16 min video)
Back in September, the temple was contacte…

GOVINDA! (4 min video)
Beautiful song GOVINDA written and sung by Nirantara Prabhu (ACBSP).

Sastra Dana, Sweden.
Here is our Shastra Dana report for October 2015.
We have been distributiing the following books:
170 Vediska texter
2 Bhagavad gita
3 Krishna books
1 Mnstares ledning
Total 176 books
We would like to thank the following devotees:
Ella & Sune HellstrAm, Sten Bergil, Gilbert Rylander, Tomas Nilsson, Mikael Forian, Robert dkerman, Cathryn Claesson, Astasiddhdd, Smita Krishna Swami, Aja das & Pancavati dd, Yogindra das, Nama Rupa dd, Magnus HedstrAm, Bh. Jarmo, Bahulashva das, Sri Jayadeva das, samt till alla dem som Anskar attvara anonyma.

A replica of the Vrindavan forest manifested at Govardhan Ecovillage! (12 min video)
Govardhan Ecovillage is a model farm commu…

Remembering Srila Prabhupada in India, 1977.
Padmapani das: Although Srila Prabhupada’s health was not strong, he traveled to Allahabad in January of 1977 to preach at the Maha Kumbha Mela festival. Over ten million people were expected to atte…

TKG Academy: Illustrations of Creation (Album with photos)
(TKG in TKG Academy stands for His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami.)
TKG Academy is the first Gurukula school established in the Western world by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna consciousness.
“I’m a little Vaisnava, come and play with me.
When you come to my CLASS, this is what you’ll see!”
While studying the process of creation, based on an article by H.G. Urmila Devi, Upper Elementary students created illustrations of their understanding and impressions on the subject.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/vus7AC

November 19. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Sharing Prabhupada Stories with Devotees. Although a story may not be filled with so many personal exchanges where the storyteller can “dialogue” between himself and Prabhupada, and he can’t notice that his body was shivering and his hairs standing on end – still, the story has its own authentic sound. If it is told by someone who is serving within Prabhupada’s movement, who speaks his own appreciation, and who depends on the aural tradition or recorded biographical information, then we should be confident to hear and repeat such stories. Whoever shares a story like this can make as potent a presentation as the presentation of someone who happened to be there personally. The main thing is to tell authentic stories with well-placed details and to speak your own feelings from your actual position. Basically, telling stories of Prabhupada means expressing our appreciation and helping to improve Prabhupada meditation.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2

Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikram 2015 (Album with photos)
“He who lives in Navadvipa-dhama is very fortunate, for he achieves attraction for Krishna. He who happens to go there becomes freed from all offenses. What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering Navadvipa. In this way the scriptures sing. He who sees Navadvipa-dhama gets ecstatic love of Krishna birth after birth. Even one who goes to Navadvipa desiring to gain material comforts through pious activities will not take another birth. The sastras say that one who walks around Navadvipa attains the fruit of millions of asvamedha-yajnas at every step. And one who lives in Navadvipa and chants mantras obtains the sound of Caitanya as his mantra and easily gets free from maya. What yogis obtain after ten years at other tirthas is obtained in three nights at Navadvipa.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur at Sri Navadvipa Mahatmya page 3
Find them here: https://goo.gl/AjEL83

Member of Parliament and Bollywood actress Srimati Hema Malini visited Iskcon Vrindavan. (Album with photos)
Hema Malini is an …

Varsana! (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Varsana, where Srimati Radharani displayed Her childhood pastimes, is a favorite plac…

The beautiful temple of Iskcon Delhi as seen from above (3 min video)
Aerial footage of the temple compound and darshan of the …

Harinama in Mayapur (8 min video)
Beautiful recording from above while devotees from Russia perform the public chanting of the Holy Names right on Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/31YnlS

Aerial footage of Vrindavana’s Kusum Sarovara with the background music of Jahnavi Harrison. (2 min video)
Kusuma Sarovara, a beautiful sandstone monument, is a 25-minute walk from Radha Kunda. Kusuma means “flower,” and here the gopis would pick flowers for Krishna.
During Lord Caitanya’s time this place was known as Sumanah Sarovara. It is stated in the Caitanya Caritamrita that Lord Caitanya took bath here.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/S22hAu

The President of India in Vrindavan today.
President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 500th year celebrations of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s advent in Vrindavan today. He will also visit the Shri Radha Raman Temple. Security has been beefed up in the area with the deployment of NSG and PAC along with police force.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/HmOkep

November 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Telling any story is a delicate operation. We have to have faith in the story we are telling and enter into it. And it must be accurate. Sometimes we hear a devotee retell a story like this: “One time, Prabhupada said to Gurudasa, ‘You say you want to be at my lotus feet, but my lotus feet are always moving.’ When Prabhupada said that, he pushed Gurudasa away with his lotus feet.” The difficulty with that last story is that no one who was actually present for this episode said that Prabhupada actually pushed Gurudasa with his feet. In this way, stories sometimes get blown into tall tales. They may become very different from what actually happened. Therefore, it is good to be enthusiastic when telling Prabhupada stories, but we should never exaggerate or make up details. Our enthusiasm may capture the ears of some, and may even impress some people, but if the story has some untrue elements then people will have a false impression. The story has to be authentic and the storyteller has to be honest.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2