Author Archives: Dandavats

Today’s New York Times Article about the Brooklyn Temple
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Hare KrishnaBy Kaya Laterman

The poet Allen Ginsberg, an early devotee who attended some of the first outreach sessions in New York, told The Times in 1966 that the chanting “brings a state of ecstasy.” Swami Prabhupada, known to his followers as Srila Prabhupada, officially founded the Hare Krishna Society that same year. Its first temple was located in a former gift shop at 26 Second Avenue in Manhattan. Early devotees were mostly white Westerners, many of whom were disillusioned with American culture as the Vietnam War bore on.

Sankirtana Seminar Gives Alachua the Book Distribution Bug
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

The encouraging atmosphere, expert techniques and lack of pressure yielded inspirational results. One devotee who felt too shy to distribute went along just to accompany his wife, but ended up distributing a hardback Bhagavad-gita for the first time ever. A new bhakta from the Krishna House, who also had never gone on book distribution before, distributed three Bhagavad-gitas and felt so enlivened that he now wants to go out regularly. New Raman Reti’s head pujari, who had never been able to distribute big books, was thrilled that she distributed four hardbound Gitas and can’t wait to do more. After the Sankirtan Festival, while honoring first-class prasadam together – an essential part of every MSF – devotees shared realizations. “I’ve been very focused on my own devotional life,” said one new devotee. “But now I realize the importance of showing compassion to others.”

The Primary Citizens
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Hare KrishnaBy the MCO

“According to smrti regulation, the cow is the mother and the bull the father of the human being. The cow is the mother because just as one sucks the breast of one’s mother, human society takes cow’s milk. Similarly, the bull is the father of human society because the father earns for the children just as the bull tills the ground to produce food grains.”

The Simple Method
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Hare KrishnaBy Padmapani das

In November of 1969 while speaking in London’s Conway Hall, Srila Prabhupada stated the following: “The process is very simple. Just keep a picture of Lord Caitanya with His associates. Lord Caitanya is in the middle, accompanied by His principal associates—Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivasa. One simply has to keep this picture. One can keep it anywhere. It is not that one has to come to us to see this picture. Anyone can have this picture in his home, chant this Hare Krishna mantra, and thus worship Lord Caitanya. That is the simple method. But who will capture this simple method? Those who have good brains. Without much bother, if one simply keeps a picture of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at home and chants Hare Krishna, then one will realize God. Anyone can adopt this simple method. There is no expenditure, there is no tax, nor is there any need to build a very big church or temple. Anyone, anywhere, can sit down on the road or beneath a tree and chant the Hare Krishna mantra and worship God. Therefore it is a great opportunity.”

Remembering His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendra Nandan Swami
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Hare KrishnaBy Subhag Swami

I am very happy to hear that devotees are gathering together in Penang to pay their homage to His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendra Swami Maharaj and showing their love, affection, dedication and loving service to the cause of our society, mission of Sri ChaitnyaMahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. He is definitely a great soul, Mahatma… I know him from Birmingham from early 70’s. He used to come to the Birmingham centre and whatever he gets, he used to help the centre as the temple used to have hard days during that period. Later on, he came to London and used to distribute book, to work very hard and everybody appreciated his service – because Srila Prabhupada says ISKCON is a preaching movement, and ultimately book distribution. Krishna says, “No one was or will be so dear to Me than one who preaches this Krishna Consciousness.

Community by Design
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Hare KrishnaBy Danakeli dasi

Srila Prabhupada wanted us to show by example how to become freed from dependency on city life and satisfied with the village idea. “ But we are not going to develop a competitive farming enterprise for making money. The basic principle is to become independent of artificial city life …Gandhi had this idea, the one defect was that there was no Krishna in the center. So the same idea of village organization , but keeping Krishna in the center should be introduced on our farm projects . ”

Celebrities and the media along with the public, in India, thrilled by the “Hare Krishna!” film
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Hare KrishnaBy Yadubara das

Actors Namitha and Veera reviews. Financial Express article. Bhanu Swami interview. Yadubara das⁩ interview with Hrishi K on radio one. Urban Asia interview. IANS Review. Movie Talkies Review. Vivek Bindra, a well known motivational speaker, talks about movies then HARE KRISHNA!

World Enlightenment Day is December 16th
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Hare KrishnaBy Vijaya dasa

In a lecture in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada said, “If he reads one sloka, his life will be successful. If he reads one sloka, one word. This is such a nice thing. Therefore we are stressing so much: ‘Please distribute book, distribute book, distribute book.’ A greater mrdanga. We are chanting, playing our mrdanga. It is heard within this room or a little more. But this big mrdanga will go home to home, country to country, community to community.” Life is short. In the short time we’re here, let’s try to find some time when we can do what we know is very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. Why is book distribution pleasing to Krishna? Because He doesn’t like His parts and parcels to suffer, any more than a father likes to see his children suffer. Krsna is known as para dukha dukhi, because when He sees others suffer, He becomes concerned. He has come to help us to become free of the misery of material existence. Srila Prabhupada’s books have helped millions of people feel the joy of spiritual life.

Oncologist Finishes Translating All Srila Prabhupada’s Books into Georgian
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has already translated ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada’s books into 87 languages. But there are more to go. And today, dedicated servants working for the spiritual publisher in far flung corners of the world still continue to translate his works into their native languages, despite busy family lives and professional careers. On August 24th this year, for example, Nandapriya Das finished translating the last of seventeen volumes of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita into the language of his native Georgia, which is spoken by more than five million people. Nandapriya, an oncologist at one of Scandinavia’s largest hospitals, did most of the work on the train during his morning commute. He has now finished translating all of Srila Prabhupada’s books into Georgian for the first time ever, a monumental feat.

North American Temples Give Final Push This Marathon to Increase Already Burgeoning BBT Sales
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

Beyond the 2017 marathon, a goal has already been set of further 10% increases every year for the next ten years, reaching an annual remittance to the BBT of $5.2 million by 2026. If, however, goals continue to be exceeded at the rate they are currently, the remittance by 2026 will be an unprecedented $10 million. Why is remittance to the BBT so important? Well first of all, fifty per cent of all profits from the BBT go towards building ISKCON projects around the world, such as the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur – so those who remit to the BBT will be supporting these.

New York Attorney General Urges Supreme Court to Reject Pending Petition for Sale of Hare Krishna Temple in Brooklyn
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Hare KrishnaBy Jayadvaita Swami and Guru Gauranga Das

December 6, 2017 – New York Supreme Court for Kings County Room 525 was filled with Krishna devotees opposing a petition seeking approval of the sale of their temple in Brooklyn. Also appearing in court to oppose the proposed sale were attorneys for ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC), an attorney for the newly reconstituted Bharati Center board, an attorney for the temple’s congregants and a New York Assistant Attorney General. New York State law requires court approval of the sale of real property belonging to a religious society. Typically, a religious society desirous of selling its place of worship first seeks approval from the New York State Office of the Attorney General. If the Attorney General rejects a religious society’s petition to sell its place of worship, the seller’s sole recourse is to attempt to overturn that decision in New York Supreme Court.