Author Archives: Dandavats

NYC’s Harinama Ashrama Reaches New People With Old School Formula
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

We in ISKCON may feel that times have changed; that we must use very different methods to deliver our message to people. But in New York City’s Harinama Ashrama, a group of devotees is using the most “old school” approach – simple Harinama and book distribution for hours every day – to impressive effect. And nowhere was this more evident than during the Prabhupada marathon this past Christmas. Rama Raya Das, formerly of the 24-Hour Kirtan Mandali in Vrindavana, India, started Harinama Ashrama on the instruction of his late friend and guide, Aindra Das. Aindra had said, “If you just sit on the streets of New York and do sankirtana, you’ll see where your realization will be.”

Lord Jagannatha’s 1978 Calcutta Pastimes
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Hare KrishnaBy Mayesvara das

I had watched the destruction done in less than two minutes with astonishment and disbelief and I simply had no idea what to do next. I felt like a complete failure and was so traumatized with what had just occurred, I started telling all those who were asking me what to do: “Tell everyone to go home. There isn’t going to be a parade!” I began to work my way through the crowd and eventually got back into the temple and headed straight back to the roof, which was the only place where I knew I could get some privacy and cry. I had let everyone down. Lord Jagannatha wasn’t going anywhere, and it seemed quite obvious that I was worse than a useless disciple to Srila Prabhupada because I really messed things up this time. I also felt like I had personally let down Jayananda prabhu, as well as Jayapataka Maharaja, all the currently assembled devotees as well as all three million native residents to the city of Calcutta. I mechanically put my hand in my bead bag hoping for relieve and then laid back down on the roof of the temple to try and get the world to stop spinning, but I already knew it would be an impossible task.

The Prasadam Addict: The infamous “barn crew” and the Laddu Sadhu
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Hare KrishnaBy Taru dasa

The Laddu Sadhu. Who is there who can sufficiently describe the wondrous attributes of this illustrious sweet ball? This must surely be Madhumangala, who is mentioned in many Vaisnava books and songs as a great lover of laddus. Being a brahmana boy, he used to promise to give Krishna benedictions in exchange for laddus. So if a laddu is so potent as to be able to distract the attention of one of Krishna’s most intimate friends, who can calculate its effect upon an ordinary conditioned soul in the material world? Also: Sweet Rice Glories. Srila Prabhupada tasted the sweet rice here in 1974 and said, “I haven’t had anything like I his in sixty years”

Presentation to a Church of England school in Norwood, London
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Hare Krishna Nabhinandan Das: Yesterday we were invited to make a presentation on Krishna consciousness to year 3 children (8 year olds) at a Church of England school in Norwood, London. The children loved the chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra. By the Lord’s mercy we were able to distribute 40 Higher Taste to the children, who enthusiastically accepted it. The teacher who was vegetarian herself was very pleased about the distribution of the transcendental books. She said even if one of the children becomes vegetarian, many thousands of animals would be saved.

Srimad Bhagavatam Class at Mayapur
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Hare KrishnaBy Radhanath Swami

In this age of Kali, the greatest yajna is sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave us a simple principle: trinad api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena, kirtaniyah sada harih We must be very attentive. We must be disciplined. We must be regulated in how we perform this yajna of chanting God’s names. But at the same time, Lord Caitanya gave us this verse. To the degree we are following these principles of humility and tolerance and respect to others, to that degree he is going to be pleased with our chanting. How we treat each other is going to very much determine if Krsna is going to be pleased to reveal himself in the chanting of the holy names.

Confessions of a Prasadam Addict
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Hare KrishnaBy Taru Das

In a few short years, it has all taken on the quality of a legend. Nobody really believes the stories of what we used to eat, how much we used to eat, the austerities of cooking outdoors. It all seems like a myth. Sometimes new devotees still come up to me and say, “I hear you used to eat ninety chapatis a day”. I just kind of shrug my shoulders and smile and mumble that everybody used to eat a lot more then. (The truth of the matter is that one time I kept count up to seventy and then gave up counting). But who’s going to believe that. anyways? Better to let it remain a myth.