Author Archives: Dandavats

Correcting a Bengali Poem’s Refrain
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Hare KrishnaBy Tattvavit das

Recently, I took the initiative to encourage the BBT trustees to correct the translation of the refrain in Srila Prabhupada’s Bengali poem written on the Jaladuta as he arrived in America. On September 13, 1965, he wrote: “Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion, Lord Sri Krishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me in this connection.” Coincidentally — precisely fifty-one years later — on September 13, 2016, the BBT trustees discussed the proposed correction. During a Skype meeting, they decided to get the revision’s accuracy endorsed by three qualified Bengali speakers. By early December, three endorsements were obtained. So the trustees accepted the correction and passed this correspondence resolution (CP16-01)

Let’s Build the Haveli!
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The Haveli is the house that will forever sing out the glories and teachings of Shree Krishna, passing culture, traditions and the life of bhakti to each new generation. It is the completion of Srila Prabhupada’s dream for Bhaktivedanta Manor. And as Prabhupada blessed George Harrison back in 1973 for giving shelter to us, so too will he bless us with the eternal shelter of Lord Krishna for giving shelter to our next generation by building the Shree Krishna Haveli.

Lord of the Universe in the city of Semarang
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Hare KrishnaBy Hari Narayana Das

Sunday April 2, 2017, the old city in Semarang became crowded by people who wanted to watch ogoh-ogoh carnival. The Old City became witness of the diversity of the ethnic, religion, culture and faiths. Narayana Smriti Temple too was officially invited and the devotees pulled Lord Jagannath in the main streets of Semarang. “This is very good proposal. Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it” (SPL to Syamasundara, 4th May, 1967)

Bhakti blooms in Wellington
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Hare KrishnaBy ISKCON Wellington

On a warm Sunday morning, in a city bereft of people who are away to enjoy a long weekend, a stream of devotees in Vaishnava attire trickle out of a small building in a quiet Wellington suburb, carefully hugging their books. Their faces are lit with serene contentment as one more part of their existence is explained, one more aspect of their life given meaning and purpose. The devotee congregation in the ISKCON temple at Wellington, New Zealand is small, but tightly woven. The quaint single story building adorned with floral beauty is home to the deities of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. It also serves as the primary venue for the Bhakti Sastri classes. Around forty devotees are taking the next step in their spiritual growth through an in-depth study of the Bhagavad Gita, Isopanisad, the Nectar of Instruction and the Nectar of Devotion. They eagerly digest the scriptural knowledge from Srila Prabhupada’s books, clearing any doubts they have towards the goal of applying it in their lives.

Sri Ahobilam Yatra – Where Lord Nrsimhadeva Appeared
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Hare KrishnaBy Chandan Yatra Das

Ahobilam (Ahobalam) is the place where Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated Himself as Lord Nrsimhadeva to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu and save His dear-most devotee Prahlada. Here at Ahobilam, Lord Nrsimhadeva emerged from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, killed him after a fierce fight, simultaneously honouring the boons that Hiranyakasipu received from Lord Brahma. The pillar from where Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared, the ruins of the palace of Hiranyakasipu, the exact spot where Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, the pond where Lord Nrsimhadeva washed His lotus hands after killing Hiranyakasipu and the school where Prahlada studied still exist at Ahobilam. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Ahobilam during His south India pilgrimage as mentioned in Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila chapter 9 verses 16-17 and Madhya-lila chapter 1 verse 106. Lord Ramacandra also came here and sung five verses named “Narasimha Panchamritam”. Ahobilam is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh amidst the majestic hills of the Eastern Ghats range. It is 256 km from Tirupati, 110 km from Cuddapah, 68 km from Nandyal and 24 km from Allagadda. To visit Ahobilam, the best is to travel from Tirupati. It is approximately 5 hours drive from Tirupati to Ahobilam (256 km).

The Roles of Vaisnavis in ISKCON
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Hare KrishnaBy Radha dasi

Srila Prabhupäda was unapologetic and unequivocal in his statements that women need to be protected at all stages of their lives. Often, however, we make assumptions about what form that protection should take. There’s no evidence that Srila Prabhupäda intended “protection of women” to mean they could not perform Deity worship, i lead kirtans, ii speak in public, iii live in temple ashrams, iv or manage departments. v To accept that understanding we would have to accept that Srila Prabhupäda failed to protect Malati Devi Dasi, Silavati Devi Dasi, Yamuna Devi Dasi, and many others when he engaged them in such activities.

Ratha Yatra festival all over Indonesia
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Hare KrishnaBy Hari Narayana Das

The devotees in Jogjakarta jubilee received the invitation and it was announced through the social media. Blue print for the participation in the festival was brought upon the discussion table. When the all preparations were ready, the chariot was carried to Jogjakarta tourism department. Flowers for decoration arrived from Bali and devotees who help in the preparation came from all over Indonesia. Srila Prabhupada’s mercy is certainly amazing; just imagining how devotees coming from different backgrounds, from different places, who hardly knew one another some time back are coming together to participate in the Ratha Yatra festival and assist Srila Prabhupada in his preaching movement, is simply wonderful and awe inspiring. Thank you Srila Prabhupada.

Nrsimha Caturdasi, Maha Sudarshana Yajna and Harinama Yajna
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Hare KrishnaBy Sunanda das

As is our annual custom, Nrsimha Caturdasi will be observed in Sridhama Mayapur as a three day festival from May 7th – 9th. The first day will be celebrated with a huge procession throughout the ISKCON Mayapur property and on the second day we will be performing a three hour long Maha Sudarshana Homa before the Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The third day is observed as Nrsimha Caturdasi. We would like to offer you an opportunity to personally benefit from the Sudarshana Yajna by participating in the offering as explained below.

ISKCON Town Hall Meeting at Brooklyn Public Library
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Hare KrishnaBy the GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee

The pending sale of ISKCON’s Radha Govinda Mandir (“Bharati Center”) has been a matter of interest, concern and even controversy among temple board members, congregational members, devotees and interested persons in the New York metropolitan area and elsewhere, especially in light of the GBC Body’s stated opposition to this sale transaction. In order to foster openness, inclusivity and greater awareness of the current state of affairs as well as to dispel confusion and misconceptions, last year’s GBC Executive Committee (now called the “GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee”) will host an ISKCON Informational Town Hall Meeting on Mon., May 15,2017 at 7:00 PM sharp. The evening’s panel will consist of the following GBC members, assisted by legal counsel: • Bhakti Caru Swami (2017 GBC Chairman / GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee, Member) • Sesa Das (GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee, Chairman / 2016 GBC Chairman) • Praghosa Das (GBC Brooklyn Temple Sale Committee, Member / 2015 GBC Chairman) Interested persons in the New York metropokan area are cordially invited to attend. Interested persons from outside the New York metropolitan area may be seated as space permits.

Euphoric Xpressions of the Youth
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Hare KrishnaBy Radha Sakhi Dasi

8th April 2017 marked the day when over 15000 Youths from across State of Uttar Pradesh, India were blown away by spiritual serenity and positive confidence in a star studded event, ‘Xpressions 2017’ in ISKCON Kanpur. Emphasizing on De-addiction and Value Empowerment within youth, Xpressions 2017 was an effort by a team of ISKCON devotees to bring the Youth closer to their roots, re-introducing them to the rich cultural heritage they have inherited, focusing on the need for a positive approach to life, believing in themselves and working hard. It inspired youths for De-addiction through the ever joyful process of Devotion and showed them how bhakti can be Fun.

Tejomaya Das: A Diamond From the Rough
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

“Tejo made Ekadasi bearable with his fantastic breakfast tapioca,” says Advaita. “And he was well-known for his Gauranga potatoes, bharats, and palak paneer. Like the other pit cooks, he’d be cooking outdoors with nothing but a tin roof overhead in the dead of winter, starting fires from scratch with frozen wood at 3 o’clock in the morning, and dragging forty-gallon soot-covered pots to the pot room to scrub them in cold water. It was tougher than you can imagine!”

Hosting Dignitaries at Ramanavami festival
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Hare KrishnaBy Radha Mohan das

Member of Parliament Bob Blackburn, who has been coming to the Manor for the last 30 years spoke with pride about his pleasure that the “temple’s future is secure” thanks to the Haveli. Much of the Manor’s success in getting this far with the Haveli is thanks to support from significant members of society. In this vein, Kripamoya Das thanked servicemen and members of parliament for their dedication serving society, poignant on the birthday of Lord Ram who dedicated his life to serve the citizens of Ayodhya, as the ‘Maryada Purshottam’, or ideal man. Temple president Srutidharma das thanked the counsellors for their kind words and reminded the assembled devotees that the message for the festival was the importance of helping others.

Love Means To Give More Than You Take
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Hare KrishnaBy Indradyumna Swami

“The funeral ceremony of a sage who has died in the forest, a fight between two goats, a thunder clap in the morning, a quarrel between husband and wife, all begin in grand style but the outcome is insignificant.” [ Canakya Pandit, Niti Sastra ] A devotee’s life is characterized by unshakable faith in the Lord, the spiritual master and the devotees. Because in marriage a husband sees his wife as Krsna’s devotee and a wife sees her husband as Krsna’s property, their faith in each other is strong and no adverse material circumstances can break their relationship. Loving relationships in Krsna consciousness work on a different principle than mundane love. In material affairs the emphasis is on what “I” can get out of a relationship. In spiritual affairs the emphasis is on how to serve and please my beloved. The best example of spiritual love is the residents of Vrindavan—the gopis in particular—who always put Krsna’s needs and desires before their own. Such bhakti, or devotion, filters down in all Krsna conscious relationships: relationships between friend and friend, father and son, master and servant, lover and lover. If we serve without personal motivation, serve only with the desire to please the Lord and His devotees, that is the formula for success in deep long-lasting Krsna conscious relationships.

Global Duties & Responsibilities of the GBC – Performing Individual Global Duties & Responsibilities
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Hare KrishnaBy the GBC

The spiritual qualification to serve as a member of the GBC, therefore, isn’t some extraordinarily elevated inner realization but tangible following. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.18.15: “This Krsna consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature.”

First Lord Jagannath Rathyatra In Gwalior, MP, India A Raging Success
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Hare KrishnaBy Praneshwar das

We are very happy to announce that the first ever Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Rathyatra held in Gwalior City, Madhya Pradesh, India on March 26th 2017 was a raging success by the mercy of the Vaisnavas, Srila Prabhupada and their Lordships. With the blessings of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj & HG Mahaman Prabhuji, there was an overwhelming response from the pious residents of Gwalior city, most of whom often visit Vrindavan regularly and perform Govardhan Parikrama. All credit goes to the ISKCON Gwalior Rathyatra Committee comprising Praneshwar Das, Madhumangal Prabhu, Rohini Mataji, Akhilesh Prabhu, Nikhil Prabhu, Sangita Mataji, Anandswarupa Prabhu & several other devotees from Gwalior who helped make the event a grand success.

Global Duties & Responsibilities of the Governing Body Commission – Cooperating with the BBT
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Hare KrishnaBy the GBC

In the document establishing the GBC, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “So far my books are concerned, I am setting up a different body of management known as the BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST. The trustees of this body are also members of the GBC, but their function is not dependent on the GBC.” (Direction of Management, July 28, 1970) The next day, in the BBT founding document, Srila Prabhupada described that the BBT and ISKCON were indissolubly connected but legally separated: “PURPOSE OF TRUST – This trust is created and shall be operated exclusively for the benefit of the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS . . . This trust shall exist independently of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and the Trustees’ functions and duties stated herein shall be separate and not dependent on the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness . . . TERM OF TRUST – This trust shall be irrevocable. In the event of . . . dissolution of the trust, the entire Trust Fund shall, in that event, be distributed to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”

GBC: Ensuring Accountability among Its Commissioners and throughout the Society
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Hare KrishnaBy The GBC

Three months after establishing the GBC, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Formerly I issued one circular letter requesting all GBC members who are zonal secretaries also, to give me a fortnightly report of the activities in his jurisdiction, but I am not receiving. I’ve received no letter since a very long time from Karandhara, and I’m very interested to know how things are going in L.A. We have a great responsibility to pay $2,000. monthly to the church trustees.” (Letter to Rupanuga, October 28, 1970) Srila Prabhupada acted as overseer of the (then) twelve GBC members and was expecting regular reports of their zonal work. In his physical absence, the GBC should ensure that its commissioners and Zonal Secretaries fulfill their obligations and appropriately supervise and develop their zones, that its Ministers fulfill their mandates, etc.

GBC: Protecting the Reputation & Ensuring the Endurance of ISKCON
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Hare KrishnaBy the GBC

Srila Prabhupada expressed in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.3.23, purport) his own protective feelings about ISKCON: “Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva, were assured that their child was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and could not be killed by Kamsa, but because of affection, as they thought of Kamsa’s previous atrocities, they were simultaneously afraid that Krsna would be killed. This is why the word suvismita has been used. Similarly, we are also astounded upon thinking of whether this movement will be killed by the asuras or will continue to advance without fear.”