Author Archives: Dandavats.com

ISKCON NC – New Goloka – Ratha Yatra with St Patrick’s…
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ISKCON NC – New Goloka – Ratha Yatra with St Patrick’s Parade (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Love means two persons, there is exchange. Giving something, taking something, feeding something and to eat something, and speaking everything, no secrecy, and to know everything of the other person. When these things are transacted, then there is love. Dadati pratigrhnati bhunkte bhojayate caiva guhyam akhyati prcchati. If I love you and I have got some secrecy, I don’t disclose to you, that is not perfect love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. This is one of the basic principles. -Srila Prabhupada – Evening Darshan, Tehran, 9th August 1976
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Iskcon Kurukshetra – Jagannath Rath Yatra 2018 (Album of photos)…
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Iskcon Kurukshetra – Jagannath Rath Yatra 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We have to work sincerely, and because Krishna is in everyone’s heart, there will be no difficulty to have the necessary facilities. Letter to Satsvarupa, September 14, 1969.
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Surya Kunda! (Album of photos) Indradyumna Swami: Today we…
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Surya Kunda! (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Today we visited Surya Kund, where the Sun God performed austerities to see and serve Lord Krsna. His wish was fulfilled when Srimati Radharani asked him to warm the Lord’s transcendental body with his rays after Krsna came out of the water from battling the Kaliya serpent. Radharani visits Surya-kund every Sunday to worship Surya-deva. It is also a place where Radha and Krsna meet regularly for Their pastimes. I said prayers while gazing at the beautiful lake, begging to keep Vrindavan in my heart as I head for Australia this coming Wednesday.
“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.”

[ Narada Muni, Garga Samhita 1.8.12 ]
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Protect our sacred Vrindavana from environmental disaster. H.H….
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Protect our sacred Vrindavana from environmental disaster.
H.H. Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Maharaj and H.H. Indradyumna Swami visited the VT office on Friday.
The two swamis every year bring to Vrindavan hundreds of devotees from the central Asian states, Russia, Poland and many other places around the world. They bring their followers for darshan of Braj’s Thakurjis, and to do Chaurasi Kos Parikrama.
Both swamis have had personal residences near the Parikrama Marg for several decades, and spend considerable time in the Dham every year. They have, like many of us, grown deeply concerned about the changes seen in Vrindavan over the last decade, and feel that some of the things most related to “the Vrindavan experience” are being sadly lost.
They thus feel the need to get more involved in doing something to counteract the negative developments.
A few months ago, Shailjakant Mishra, the Vice President of the Braj Tirth Vikash Parishad, for the first time met officially with leaders of the international devotional community. Many of these devotees have been here for decades, and despite coming from different, in their own words, “branches of the Gaudiya tree,” they are willing to unite as one strong front to produce solutions for the current problems of Vrindavan.

Many things were discussed at the meeting with Mr. Mishra that have not yet been acted upon. But the principal takeaway message for me was that the Government is willing to listen to the voice of the international Vaishnava community.

Mr. Mishra recognized that Vaishnavas hailing from foreign countries have adopted Vrindavan as their spiritual home, that they have aspired to Braja-vasa like all Gaudiya Vaishnavas, and indeed they are an important segment in the Vrindavan community. Having contributed to its current development, the foreigners can now help to plan Vrindavan’s future in a very practical way, yet according to Braj’s eternal culture.

The two Swamis believe it is necessary to preserve the original meaning of Vrindavan, which is a strictly spiritual place. The visitors they bring here come in expectation of the Vrindavan of the Srimad Bhagavatam, of the Krishna Book of Bhaktivedanta Swami.

During the meeting with Mr. Mishra I felt it was time that we should now unabashedly state what our vision of Vrindavan is because we are stakeholders in a very significant sense.

The Government would be very wise to recognize that the presence of influential foreign devotees, who command the respect and devotion of thousands of disciples and who bring them to Vrindavan, is an asset for the state. If the Government wants to bring in tourism, the worshipers of Braj as per the Bhagavata are precisely the best kind of tourist we could possibly have.

These “tourists” return again and again, to buy clothes at Gangotri and books at Rasa Bihari Lal and Sons. They stay for extended periods of time, to follow retreats, to go on 84-kos parikrama.

For the long-term, these are the best kinds of foreign tourists that we could hope for.

Govinda Maharaj said, “We have seen the way that the Europeans protect their heritage cities. They do not allow traffic in the old town. They do not allow environmental disasters to destroy the distinctive aesthetics of the locality. They do everything they can to enhance visitors’ experience of the place. Here, it is impossible for us to not be embarrassed at the garbage, the noise, the visual pollution that all make it difficult to stay here. The Parikrama has become almost impossible because of traffic on the Parikrama Marg. There are many issues that we feel need to be worked on and we would like to help.”

Prem Prayojan Das, another international Vaishnava preacher who also brings 50-100 people from various countries on 84-kos parikrama twice a year, also expressed his anxiety about the developments in the Dham. “The sacred power of the Dham is unbroken,” he said. “It cannot be affected by any human activities. But it is our duty to reveal the Dham to those who seek the highest perfection of spiritual life, prema. We should not allow this jewel to be covered by the ignorant activities of those who do not know its value.”

The two sannyasis have already created a popular website about Vrindavan, Vrindavan Experience. The site is principally known for the amazing professional photography and for the film Reconnection, by Govinda Maharaj’s disciple Maksim Varfolomeev. Indradyumna Swami is himself a master photographer and has been keeping a daily blog for many years called the Traveling Monk, in which he chronicles extensively his visits to Vrindavan and his personal experiences with the Dham and the Dhamvasis.

Jagannath Poddar, director of Friends of Vrindavan, a founding member of the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance, and the managing editor of Vrindavan Today pointed out that the BVHA has been using the courts as a last line of defense to prevent bureaucrats who think of short term economic development goals from creating long term damage.

“What Vrindavan Today aims to achieve,” he said, “is to create a vision for Vrindavan that enhances its prestige as a spiritual place of pilgrimage. We have to have a vision that is resilient in the long term, that attempts to recreate an atmosphere that enhances the visitor’s devotional experience. So we are combining activism with an attempt to create a vision of Vrindavan that will stand the test of time, even in these rapidly changing times.”

Govinda Maharaj also emphasized the need for cooperation. “When ISKCON was under attack in Kazakhstan,” he said, “we learned that networking with like-minded souls was a necessity. In this attack on Vraja we need to network with kindred spirits as well.”

Program with the Indian Community of Munich, Germany (Album with…
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Program with the Indian Community of Munich, Germany (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Along with the Deity worship in this temple, hold classes at least five hours. As in the schools and colleges there are regular classes, forty-five minutes’ class, then five or ten minutes’ recess, again forty-five minutes’ class, in this way, so we have got enough subject matter to study, and if we study all these books, to finish them it will take at least twenty-five years. So you are all young men. I request you to engage your time in reading books, in chanting, in Deity worshiping, in going to preach, selling books. Don’t be lazy. Always remain engaged. Then that is Krsna consciousness. (Srila Prabhupada, Arrival Lecture – Mexico, February 11, 1975)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uvYUtu

Rathayatra in Newcastle, South Africa (Album of photos) Bhakti…
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Rathayatra in Newcastle, South Africa (Album of photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: Today we had Rathayatra in Newcastle, South Africa. It’s a small town with a nice community of devotees who are enthusiastic to spread Krishna consciousness. This was the 17th annual Rathayatra here. The weather had been really bad, with lots of rain for days, but this morning the rain eased off and we managed to hold the festival with no problems.
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The Way To Gain Krishna’s Special Mercy…
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The Way To Gain Krishna’s Special Mercy (video)
Amala-bhakta Swami – Sunday Feast – 3-4-18.
Quite often I’ve been asked by devotees after lectures and classes, “How can I get Krishna’s special mercy?” In the following Sunday Feast lecture Youtube video at the Los Angeles New Dwarka temple, I answer that question directly from Shastra and from personal experience.

Safari devotees at Sylhet, Bangladesh, the birthplace of…
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Safari devotees at Sylhet, Bangladesh, the birthplace of Jagannath Mishra (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Because people are suffering for want of this knowledge, therefore our Krsna consciousness movement is the only movement – I can declare very proudly -which can actually do some benefit to the human society. It is the only movement. All other, bogus movements, I declare. Let them come and study the sastras and decide for themselves. They’re all cheating. Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.30 – Vrndavana, August 11, 1974
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Temple Opening Ceremony at Khulna, Bangladesh. March 07, 2018…
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Temple Opening Ceremony at Khulna, Bangladesh. March 07, 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Convey my ardent affection and blessings for all the boys and girls. I am very much hopeful of my movement. Please keep steady, follow all my instructions scrupulously, chant Hare Krishna and Krishna will give you all strength. (From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Brahmananda – 24 July 1967)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ytzaBg

On 15th March, Gaur Gopal das addressed 500 most influential…
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On 15th March, Gaur Gopal das addressed 500 most influential personalities from 35 different countries at the 12th Annual Mountain Partners Network Event Unternehmertag at Lake Tegernsee, Germany. He spoke on “Impactful, purpose-driven success.”
As global Company Builder headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), Mountain Partners manages more than 90 investments in the e-commerce and web services, digital payments and fintech, and technology and security sectors.
Thanks to Dr Cornelius Boersch, Founder & Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Mountain Partners Group
(Album of photos) Find them here: https://goo.gl/oSaMwB

Jaya Sri Radhe! (Album of photos) Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday…
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Jaya Sri Radhe! (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we strolled around Varsana, meeting the people who live in that sacred place and taking darshan of the deities they worship. Varsana is Srimati Radharani’s eternal home, so everywhere we went people greeted us with, “Jaya Sri Radhe!”.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VvWFdt

Harinama by ISKCON Ljubljana devotees, Slovenia, 10 March 2018…
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Harinama by ISKCON Ljubljana devotees, Slovenia, 10 March 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind to the conditioned souls that if they call upon Him by speaking His holy name, even unintentionally or unwillingly, the Lord is inclined to destroy innumerable sinful reactions in their hearts. Therefore, when a devotee who has taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet chants the holy name of Krsna with genuine love, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never give up the heart of such a devotee. One who has thus captured the Supreme Lord within his heart is to be known as bhagavata-pradhana, the most exalted devotee of the Lord. SB 11.2.55, text
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“Big Buddha Experience”, Hong Kong (Album of photos)…
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“Big Buddha Experience”, Hong Kong (Album of photos)
O Keshava! O You who assume the form of Buddha! O Jagadisha! O You who dispel atheism! O Hare! All glories to You because Your heart is so full of compassion. Therefore You advocate non-violence as the supreme religious principle. Aho! You decry the shrutis which prescribe the performance of sacrifices that inflict pain upon animals.
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MAHARASHTRA, INDIA: MALEGAON DEVOTEES ORGANIZE A ONE DAY…
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MAHARASHTRA, INDIA: MALEGAON DEVOTEES ORGANIZE A ONE DAY PADAYATRA, THUS TAKING 270 DEVOTEES OUT OF THIS WORLD
March 14, 2018
By Caitanya Jivan Dasa and Vitthala Dasa
The devotees of Malegaon nama-hatta center, under the guidance of Caitanya Jivan prabhu, Vitthala Prabhu and Vraja Prem Prabhu organized a first-ever one-day padayatra on February 11, 2018. Malegaon is village located in Muktainagar Taluka in the Jalgaon District.
Inspiration
Devotees got their inspiration from the one-day padayatra organized the previous December by nearby ISKCON Jalgaon. Ram Govinda Maharaja, who participated in that walk, urged us to do the same in Malegaon.
The Goal of Padayatra
The main goal of our padayatra was to make people aware of the importance of harinama and inspire them to take it up (Kali yuga kewalnamaaadhara). It was also to fulfill our Guru Maharaja’s desire to follow in the footsteps of the All India Padayatra by having walks in every village in India. And we wanted to distribute lots of books.

Preparations

Preparations started 15 days in advance under the guidance of the Jalgaon devotees. Sri Sri Gaura Nitai of Nasik BACE had taken their seats on the cart, ready to travel, with their cart drivers eager to serve Them. The devotees had decorated the cart and oxen with beautiful flowers and leaves.

Padayatra Day

About 270 devotees from nearby villages (Bodwad, Nimkhedi, Muktai Nagar, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Medhoda and Faizpur) assembled a the main square of Malegaon village where we had a small inaugural arati ceremony for Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, seeking their blessings for our first venture on the road. From there we walked towards Nimkhedi Jagannath Kutir. What made this padayatra special was that not only men and women were enthusiastically participating, but also many young children, jumping and dancing all the way, encouraging the adults. Onlookers were surprised to see children so happily chanting and walking; they would fold hands and pay obeisances to Their Lordships and the vaisnavas. The devotees of Nimkhedi welcomed us when we reached their village; they appreciated that we were walking on the day of Vijaya Ekadasi for the pleasure of Guru and Gauranga. After honoring some fruit prasadam and resting for some time we moved towards our destination, covering a total of about 17 kms. As we reached the Old Muktai Nagar temple at Prabhupada Niwas,Vraja Prema prabhu spoke about the glories of padayatra and how it had brought all of us together. Dhanvantari prabhu had sponsored the delicious feast that ended that blissful day, during which we distributed about 200 books.

Realizations

At the end of the day the varkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthala) shared their realizations:

– We felt like we were in the Dindi (the Padayatra of Lord Vitthala’s devotees).

– The deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai were very beautiful and this padayatra helped us remember our dear Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur.

– Padayatra filled us with enthusiasm and love for the holy names.

Acknowledgements

This padayatra was not a one man show but a joint venture of the devotees from Malegaon and Nimkhedi. It would have been impossible without the help and support of the following devotees:

Cart driving –Suryavanshi Ram prabhu, Vitthal prabhu

Kirtan singing – Aniket prabhu, Sagar prabhu, Chetan prabhu

Prasadam – Pundarikash prabhu, Umesh prabhu

Water seva – Ganesh prabhu, Malegaon devotees

Book distribution –Vitthal prabhu, Baliram prabhu and others.

Concluding words

The pleasure we derived during this padayatra was truly out of this world, and we realized why Guru Maharaja insists so much for us to organize more padayatras. We are eager to arrange many such padayatras in the near future.

More photos: https://goo.gl/dLMHMG

Arabic books from the souks of Algiers to the elegant boulevards…
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Arabic books from the souks of Algiers to the elegant boulevards de Paris (Album with photos)
Soon after setting up our BBT FEME booth recently in Mayapur, our Middle East panel draws in the crowds with Premadhan Prabhu, our Arabic translation co-ordinator from Lebanon (on the left), Rasamandala Prabhu (our well-wisher from Morocco), and finally Gaura Bhakta Prabhu from Algeria, who blissfully distributes the Arabic books from the souks of Algiers to the elegant boulevards de Paris…
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9FjPGC

What’s Death to an Atheist? Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking…
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What’s Death to an Atheist?
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking did not believe there was a need to invoke God for there to be a spontaneous creation of the universe. In his words, “Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.”
In a 2011 interview with The Guardian newspaper, Mr. Hawking was asked, “What, if anything, do you fear about death?”
He responded, “I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
As spontaneous chance may have it, the computer of a genius brain we have come to know as Stephen Hawking stopped working last night. He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, aged 76.
Mr. Hawking claimed to be an atheist and did not believe in an immaterial, intangible God, yet he had to contend with the tangible reality of death.
Krishna famously states in the Bhagavad-gita, 10.34, mrityuh sarva-haras caham, “I am all-devouring death,” who takes away everything in the end.
In a speech at the Olympia Theater in Paris, 1971, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, explained:
“If one does not see God, then, Krishna says, ‘I am death, cruel death, who takes away everything from everyone.’ The conclusion is that everyone sees God at every moment, but the atheist class, they do not accept that he is seeing God. .. The atheist can see God at his last stage as death, whereas the devotee sees God by his devotional service at every moment and every step of his life.”
In a letter to a disciple, Srila Prabhupada elaborates:
“So the atheist is a hypocrite himself when he says that he does not believe in God. He has to believe in God in the form of Death. A criminal hypocritically says that he does not believe in the Government, but a civil citizen abides by the law of the Government. The Government is present therefore both for the criminal and for the law abiding citizen. To the criminal the Government is present as force of law and order, putting the criminal in the prison house and giving the civil citizen all facilities for a peaceful life. ..“
“This appearance of God as Death before the atheist is also the kindness of the Lord. Both God’s killing and protection are the same because He is Absolute, but His mercy is shown to the atheist by killing and His mercy is shown to the theist by protecting; so both are seeing God in different features. This is the practical demonstration of the presence of God.”
This line of theistic reasoning, undoubtedly, would not have convinced the materialistic intellect of Stephen Hawking, who regarded death as no more than the sum of his brain’s neurons ceasing to fire.
Be that as it may, as fellow human beings, we wish Stephen Hawking well, whether (as he would have believed) he’s now just a particle of cosmic dust, or whether (as we believe) he’s an eternal spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna, on a grand journey, transmigrating to another body, evolving through various stages of consciousness.

GAURA PURNIMA Celebration at Istanbul, Turkey (3 min…
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GAURA PURNIMA Celebration at Istanbul, Turkey (3 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: It is very difficult to push on this movement, but still we have to do it. And this is the highest yoga. If you push on this movement of Krsna consciousness, then you’ll be performing the highest type of yoga. Don’t be misled by so-called yogas. This is yoga. Yoga means cooperation, cooperation with the Supreme. From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 – March 17, 1968, San Francisco