Author Archives: Dandavats

Back home, to our True Shelter
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Hare KrishnaBy Romapada Swami

We are very limited. We have tiny knowledge and tiny happiness and tiny free will. We don’t miss our free will, proof is, here we are the place people reside who misused their free will. Some few rathayatras ago I was introduced to a Chinese lady, married to an Indian man. That was a very interesting combination. An elderly, little older and when introduced to her she said I just have one question. What is that? Why creation? I said fantastic question. And the short answer is two parts. We wanted it, when we make a mistake isn’t there a good reason for wanting it? Try to come up with the good reason for wanting it, there isn’t any good reason. It was bad and its really dumb to make such a free will choice, as wanting a place of enjoyment separate from Krishna, such a place doesn’t exist there is no such thing, its illusion, its maya, that’s what maya means, that which it is not. Ma Ya, not this. Doesn’t exist, we desired it, that’s one of the reasons. Opportunity for living to try to fulfill their desire and enjoy separately from Krishna, when here is no such thing. So, the creation comes. And the other is, for Mahavishnu to provide an opportunity for the living entities to come to the position where the fullness of their happiness can be experienced, that’s the hidden purpose of creation. The misery and disappointment, when we want happiness, we get something else, is to help us have the impetus to turn to Krishna again. And there is another reason giving maya something to do. It’s compassion, compassion, and compassion.

5310 biscuits distributed to spread the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
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Hare KrishnaBy Krsangi Radhe dasi

The 531st appearance anniversary of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the inspiration for devotees from the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple in Durban, South Africa to bake, pack and distribute 5310 biscuits. The goal of the biscuit distribution was to help spread Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy to everyone and anyone. A group of devotees gathered at the temple’s Govinda’s restaurant bakery facility which holds industrial ovens to bake the biscuits. Temple President, Vibhu Caitanya dasa said that the thought behind this endeavour came after the devotees baked and distributed 5000 cupcakes for the ISKCON50 celebration last year. Vibhu Caitanya said, “We took advantage that this year the Gaura Purnima festival is on a Sunday. This meant that we could host a 3 day festival. As Srila Prabhupada blessed us with the wonderful gift of Krishna Consciousness, we would like to help him spread the mercy. A small team of 18 devotees began baking which took 18 hours to complete.”

Japa Retreat 2017 at ISKCON Houston
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Hare KrishnaBy Ravinder Yerram

Last weekend (March 3-5), 150 devotees from Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Oklahoma City and New Orleans had a joyful and spiritual Japa Retreat (Chanting of Holy Names) with His Holiness Romapada Swami and His Grace Bada Hari Prabhu at Greater Houston area, ISKCON Houston. This Japa Retreat is an annual event and for this year the theme of the Japa Retreat was “Taking Shelter of Holy Name – Saranagati!” Romapada Swami gave very informative lectures with scriptural evidences and realizations from his decades of scriptural studies and dedication to the chanting of the Holy Name, Maha mantra (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare). This retreat was a perfect opportunity to enhance the relationship with the Holy Name! The attendees were also drowned by ecstatic kirtan by world renowned devotee musician HG Bada Hari Prabhu and his students from Chicago.

A unit of activities for ages 2-18, centered around Lord Caitanya’s Appearance Day
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Hare KrishnaBy Urmila Devi Dasi

Here are dozens of activities and resources for ages 2-18 about Lord Caitanya, organized around the five most potent limbs of devotional service. It’s designed for parents who homeschool, or who have their children in non-devotee school and want to do something in the mornings, afternoons, or weekends. It can be used by devotee schools, once-a-week programs, or the festival coordinator who wants to do something special for the children for Gaura Purnima. Uses: For children being home-schooled to enrich the devotional part of the program. For regular academic schools that are related to Krishna consciousness. For once-a-week schools, children’s clubs, and similar supplementary programs. For children in non-devotee schools as a supplementary program in the morning or evening.

Lord Chaitanya’s Dancing, Vulnerability and Escapism
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Hare KrishnaBy Kesava Krsna Dasa

The dancing of Lord Chaitanya was so astounding that even the Lord of the universe, Sri Jagannatha was astonished. Lord Jagannatha who has seen the best of everything within and outside of the universes, how can He be astonished? Dance in Vaikuntha and Goloka must be beyond compare. The dance of destruction by Rudra must be inexplicably awesome. What was so unique about Lord Chaitanya’s dancing? Worldly scholars of our Gaudiya tradition will say that Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja and other Vaisnava author witnesses to such dancing have a tendency to exaggerate. After all, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is playing a ‘human’ role on earth, so should we not expect human limitations to His dancing at Ratha-yatra and elsewhere?

Horoscope of the Supreme Lord Shri Chaitanya
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By Patita Pavana das

Another fascinating aspect of Mahaprabhu’s chart is that Mercury—planet of communication, learning, literature, etc.—is debilitated in the house of death (the eighth). Shrila Prabhupada, who refused his college diploma, demonstrated that learning without Krishna consciousness is useless. And Mahaprabhu, after His meeting His spiritual master, went from the “wrangling Pandit Nimai” to an ecstatic bhakta who was simply absorbed in calling upon the sacred names of His Lord Shri Krishna, the mahamantra. This was a great shock to some pandits of Nabadwip who responded by ridiculing the Lord’s devotion (until one by one they fell under His sankirtan spell). Furthermore, whereas His followers have produced tens of thousands of volumes of sacred literature, Shriman Mahaprabhu produced only eight shlokas, the Sikshastaka verses. Technically, in Mahaprabhu’s chart, Mercury attains exaltation by the yoga called neecha-bhanga because Mercury is in an angle in relationship to the house lord Jupiter. As an example to us, the Lord demonstrated that learning is useless (as seen by a debilitated or neecha Mercury in the eighth) when it is not dovetailed into Krishna consciousness. And even one who is not learned by material standards must be considered the most intelligent and educated if he understands the science of devotional service

The Sages of Naimisaranya
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Hare KrishnaBy Krishna Dharma Das

A recent class given 19th of February 2017 in Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK. My friend I am severely struck and all my sense departs, when Krishna’s name enters my ears and lodges in my heart. And then there is another one whose flute enchants my mind, seizing it with such madness that I can no peace find. Again there is a third one, whose brilliance I see in pictures of purest beauty that are entrancing me. Shame upon my sinful self for loving all these three at once, and thus I think it best if death does now take me.

Being effulgent
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Hare KrishnaBy Sukhayanti Devi Dasi

In July of 2005, I met the devotees for the first time. I was a young hippie girl, looking for something else that life could offer without really knowing what it was. I went travelling in Europe thinking maybe it could be found there. The East Germany rainbow festival had about 3000 people attending that year, I was there too. By the end of 3 weeks in that festival I was getting tired of it. It felt so fake. All those so called transcendentalist, I felt like I was being cheated. You would see young and old westerner man walking around calling themselves “babji” while having 10 ladies following them and smoking chilom most of the day. I was just thinking how I would really like to get out of that place and go find somewhere where I can really dive deep into spirituality. I was considering asking around where I could attend a Buddhist silent meditation retreat. That is when the devotees appeared. I was in charge of the kitchen that morning and out of no where these monks walked into the kitchen asking me if I can look after their bags as they put up their tent. They were all dressed in their devotional clothes (or at least that is how I remember them), they had their shaved heads and a unique effulgence. I was drawn to them because it was clear that they were true spiritual practitioners.

From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir – Srimad Bhagavatam class, March 1, 2017
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhakti Madhurya Govinda Goswami

This is, this is the poetry and also the full knowledge of Srimad Bhagavatam, and so we can get that by milking the surabi cow of Srila Prabhupada purport. That’s what happens in the opening statement by Srila Prabhupada, it’s in once sense it’s a shocker I don’t know if you caught that. It’s a shocking statement. I will read it again because that’s why I like to go through these purports incumbently because that way we can milk the most out of it. We will cover the whole purport but want to make sure this extraordinarily points and then understand why this opening statements by Srila Prabhupada are shocker.

Gaura Purnima Message 2017 from the TOVP
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Hare KrishnaBy Braja Vilas das

Yet another year has passed in our lives as we approach Gaura Purnima 2017, and we wish to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your support and encouragement. Your dedication has inspired us spiritually, and has helped us practically to achieve our goals and maintain the construction pace over the years. In many ways this is the real New Year celebration for all ISKCON devotees, as we observe Mahaprabhu’s appearance and make our vows and commitments to continue to help expand His mission throughout the world and deepen our own Krishna consciousness.

Jagannath Ratha Yatra Solo
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Hare KrishnaBy Harinarayana Das

When all the participants performed their cultural presentations in front of the stage of honour then the devotees entered with the gopi dancers in front. The leader of ISKCON in Indonesia His Grace Vrajendra nandan prabhu presented a mahaprasad flower garland already offered to the Lord and a Bhagavad-gita to the mayor of Solo. They were delighted to receive the book. Then they were amused seeing the Lord on the chariot. The carnival finished at the mayor’s office yard. Many participants took the opportunity to take picture in front of the chariot. Many also asked for the flower garland that decorated the chariot. The prayer to the Lord Nrashinga deva concluded the ratha yatra. Devotes then took rest and prasadam was distributed to all. Book distribution team distributed 150 Srila Prabhupada’s books, and people scrambled to get Lords’ maha parasadam. An officer of Sragen regency approached Garuda Prabhu and Tapana Misra prabhu to invite the devotees to participate in the carnival in his city. It means that Lord Jagannath already captivated the heart of people in Central Java and paved His way into the next city for yet another enchanting Ratha Yatra festival.

The Unseen Universe
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Hare KrishnaBy Yogesvara Dasa

A groundbreaking museum of science – the Vedic Planetarium – seeks to reveal what the eye cannot see. Recently, the “Back To Godhead” Magazine published an article with the above title to reveal some of the facets of the planetarium within the main dome of the TOVP. (On behalf of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium Executive Committee) Illustrations by Alexey Klimenko, Duncan Smith, and Nina Tara.

From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir – Srimad Bhagavatam class, February 27, 2017
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Hare KrishnaBy Sivarama Swami

It needs to be clear for all the members of Krishna Consciousness movement, when we are talking about Srila Prabhupada as the founder Acharya, it means that Srila Prabhupada is our Mahajan, and Srila Prabhupada‘s teachings in textual for us and his teachings, his examples, his instructions, all the instructions of the other Mahajan. Otherwise Prabhupada will use the other example, you cannot jump over. Jumping over means, you think, well Srila Prabhupada said this but such and such Acharya, Jiva Goswami, Vishwanath Cakravarti Thakura, said something different. So no, Srila Prabhupada didn’t say anything different, it’s just the matter of we don’t understand the context in which Srila Prabhupada is saying the same thing as what the Acharyas say. Because ultimately that is the qualification that the Divine Grace would repeatedly emphasize, that I haven’t changed anything I just follow my spiritual master.

New Krishna Temple Takes Off in Naperville
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Hare KrishnaBy Naveen Sharma

In pursuance of the great desire of Srila Prabhupada (Founder-Acharya of ISKCON), the new temple will be a center for disseminating the profound message of Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Delivered in a modern context to people irrespective of color, nationality, background or gender, the spiritual teachings are aimed to free mankind from the sufferings of material existence and help people find everlasting peace and happiness in Krishna Consciousness. The new temple will have a beautiful deity alter with Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar and will also offer seminars, workshops, expanded Sunday school programs for children’s education, summer and winter camps for children and young adults, and congregational outreach programs for spiritual education in multiple languages.

Kolkata Fundraiser Brings Lakshmi to Narayana
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Hare KrishnaBy the TOVP team

On February 26th, under the direct inspiration and guidance of His Holiness Bhakti Caru Maharaja, the TOVP Fundraising Team consisting of Jananivas prabhu, Ambarisa prabhu, Mother Svaha and Vraja Vilas prabhu held a fundraiser at the Kolkata temple and raised an incredible $400,000 in pledges to everyone’s amazement. Led by the Lord in the form of His Padukas and Sitari, the TOVP Team inspired the devotees with the vision of this great world-changing project, bringing not only a sense of unity to all the devotees for the local preaching, but for the worldwide mission of Lord Gauranga’s samkirtan movement. Momentum is building as more and more devotees become enthused to help complete the TOVP construction and see the fulfillment of Srila Prabhupada’s vision. This is due to the fact that it is bringing the members of ISKCON together for a common worldwide cause, above and beyond their local interests, and that this worldwide cause is, in fact, inspiring the local causes to expand and grow.

Insights from insightful classes by Iskcon devotees
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Hare KrishnaBy Krishna-kripa das

Kalakantha das: Two major challenges in ISKCON: 1. Lack of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. 2. Lack of qualified leadership Solving lack of reading challenge: 1. Personal vows. 2. Study groups. 3. Bhakti Sastri courses. Lack of qualified leaders: 1. GBC College, which has been going on for three years The initial GBC was 100% American. Now it is 60% American. Of those in the GBC college now, none are Americans, yet they come from all other parts of the world.