Author Archives: Dandavats.com

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