Author Archives: Dandavats

After 50 years, Hare Krishnas are no longer white hippies who proselytize in airports
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Hare KrishnaBy Julie Zauzmer

Washingtonpost.com: “We used to worship different forms of God, all the forms of God. … We were like a supermarket of gods,” said Manoharan, an IT contractor for the Department of Homeland Security . Not long after Manoharan and Jeyabalan moved to the United States in the late 1990s, they were told by a relative about a palace in West Virginia built in the style of an Indian shrine. So they decided to take a sightseeing trip. “And right in this place,” Manoharan says, pointing at the ground in the West Virginia temple, he picked up his first copy of one of Prabhupada’s many books. Now, standing in the same spot years later, he points out the book that changed his life to his 10-year-old daughter Hamsika. He came to believe what the book said, he tells Hamsika — that there was only one God, Krishna, and that he should worship only the deities who are forms of Krishna.

ISKCON Celebrates 50 Years Since Its Founding
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Hare KrishnaBy Ronak D. Desai

Anuttama Dasa, the gala’s primary organizer who serves as ISKCON’s Communications Minister and Governing Body Commissioner, noted “It was humbling to see government officials, religious leaders, and academic scholars all come together to honor Swami Prabhupada and the religious society he began that has made significant contributions to the areas of philosophy, culture, literature, religious freedom, and social welfare in the last 50 years.” ISKCON’s followers include some of the country’s most prominent figures. Alfred B. Ford, great-grandson of car magnate Henry Ford, is one of the organization’s leading figures and addressed the gala regarding ISKCON’s landmark spiritual project in West Bengal inspired by the teachings of Swami Prabhupada, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Former Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs recounted in his famous 2005 commencement speech to Stanford University how he relied on ISKCON temples to feed himself: “I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms. I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it.”

Srila Prabhupada’s blessing to Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute
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Hare KrishnaBy Kiranbala Lakhmania

H. G. Brindaban Chandra De, the youngest son of Srila Prabhupada, had a blockage in the Left Coronary Artery of his heart which resulted in chest pain. After undergoing Angiography in Kolkata he entrusted Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute with the responsibility of caring for his heart and restoring him to health. Accompanied by his wife H. G. Chhobi De and their son H. G. Shashank De, he travelled all the way from Kolkata to Mumbai to undergo treatment by our team of expert medical professionals. On 1st October 2016 the De family arrived at the Hospital and were welcomed with garlands by Dr. V. G. Shanbhag, Deputy Director – Spiritual Care Training & Education.

How Shri Krishna Calls Us Back
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By Abhaya Mudra Dasi

By enacting His intimate pastimes, Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, evokes deep primeval emotions in the hearts of the sleeping souls. Generally, when the Lord displays His pastimes in the material world the mood is one of separation. This mood of separation is very important for the conditioned living entities who are dwelling in this material world. Not only they have forgotten their eternal identities as Shri Krishna’s servants but they have fallen into the mode of unrealistic feelings. All their sentiments are masked by the false pursuance of temporary happiness. The Supreme Lord comes to shake the rusty and crude feelings of the conditioned living entities whose hearts have become like stones. He knows exactly how to call the ones that are ready to come back to Him by playing the deepest sentiment of disconnection. This mode of separation is the surest attracting factor that propels the living entity to realize that he needs to reunite with the Supreme Lord as His eternal loving servant. The Supreme Lord plays the lila of separation although in fact He is never separated from the living entity. He is all-cognizant at all times and at the same time He is in everyone’s heart.

Bonds of Love: Racitambara Devi Dasi
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Hare KrishnaBy Iskcon Vaishnavi Ministry

In early ’77, when Prabhupada came to Juhu for the last time, I was at the back of the crowd thinking, “Oh, Srila Prabhupada, you have so many disciples. I’m also your disciple, but do you know me?” Srila Prabhupada got out of his car and instead of sweeping into the building as we expected, he stopped, looked over the crowd, and saw me. He looked deep into my eyes, into the soul, gave me a smile as if a million suns had come out at once, and nodded his head. I clearly heard him say, “Of course, I know you. We have an eternal relationship.” Since then I’ve always felt Prabhupada is with me and knows me, for we have an eternal relationship.

Minister of Education-Sri Lanka received the Bhagavad Gita As It Is
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Hare KrishnaBy Sudarshan Cakra dasa

National Institute of Education (NIE) – Sri Lanka celebrated the annual Navaratri festival during the first week of October. Participants were the Minister of Education Mr. Radhakrishnan and all leading educational officers from different districts of the country. On this occasion, ISKCON devotees were invited as guests along with Buddhist head-monks and Christian priest. As ISKCON’s representative, Vasudeva Datta Prabhu spoke in length on the importance of adding the study of Bhagavad Gita As It Is in the religious school curriculum in Sri Lanka. He stressed that the students are the future of the country, so it is great responsibility on the teachers, professors and government officers to give proper spiritual guidance to their pupils. Not only this, they should first teach by their good example – yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah. He explained the word “acharya” and cautioned the esteemed audience not to be like his European teacher who would with a cigarette in his hand say to the students – “It is not good to smoke”.

Damodara 2016 Sastra Dana and Anna Dana in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Hare KrishnaBy Simheswara Dasa

21OCT’16 Hare Krishna. Today we began the DAMODARA 2016 SASTRA DANA & ANNA DANA, one book & one meal program at “SJKT Bangsar” for the KL – KLANG VALLEY zone. We are to reach “20 schools and 15,000 students.” A total of 120 students and 16 teachers received books and respected prasadam today. May Lord Sri Krishna bless Sriman Logenthiran and family for sponsoring prasadam meals and books for today’s programme and may the Lord also bless today’s volunteers for their dedicated services.

$3 Krishna lunches hit spot
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Hare KrishnaBy Ortago Daily Times

University of Otago – Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. After moving to Dunedin to retire, Jane Beecroft soon found herself with more on her plate than she first anticipated. “I came here hoping to take it easy. “Then I started teaching vegetarian cooking; soon enough word got out and it turned into the lunches.” The numbers • 500,000 meals served since 1997 • 250 The approximate number of students fed daily • 150 samosas handed out daily • 20kg of rice dished out daily This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Hare Krishna vegetarian lunches on campus at the University of Otago, an initiative started by Ms Beecroft in 1997. On a busy day more than 300 students could arrive for a meal in the space of two hours. The $3 main courses are served four days a week, Monday to Thursday, with Wednesday’s fresh bread and soup a favourite.

Writing for Krishna: The Price and the Prize
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Hare KrishnaBy Chaitanya Charana Dasa

Srila Prabhupada has expressed his fond dream for BTG: “As I have told you several times, I am awaiting for the day when this paper will take the shape of Life magazine or similar other magazines in the matter of its popularity.” (Letter dated June 1968) The popularity of BTG depends on many factors: for example, the reach and appeal of our movement; the magnitude of the efforts to distribute BTG; the format, feel, and cost of the issues. But the most important factor, the factor I can influence, is its core content—the quality of its articles. The only way I can improve the quality of my articles is by improving the quality of my writing.

In Glory of Sri Nathji Das
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Hare KrishnaBy Ranjit das

Due to his exemplary example, Back to Godhead magazine published an article on him in the May 1981 issue. With his strong business mind and very gentle Vaisnava heart, he never missed an opportunity to help any individual soul or project that needed his expert guidance and financial support. He strongly believed in helping anyone who sincerely expressed a desire to serve Krishna and fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s mission. In that mood he stepped forward to help and ensure financial stability when Back to Godhead in Mumbai began printing in 1995.

Srila Prabhupada’s Concern For Russia
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Hare KrishnaBy Govinda Dasi

Srila Prabhupada sat in the front passenger seat, and we all sat in the back. Shyamsundar read Mondokini’s letter aloud, and when Srila Prabhupada heard that she was ready to depart for Russia and marry this young man, his joy knew no bounds! “While this letter was being read, I snapped two pictures of Prabhupada. He was smiling the biggest smile I had ever seen! He was so overjoyed to hear her reply! To him, this was the beginning of the conquest of the demonic atheism that had invaded the land of the rishis, Rishiya.”

Tuscon’s Iskcon 50 Gala
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Hare KrishnaBy Sandamini devi dasi

On Saturday, October 15th, under a brilliant Karttika moon, sixty-plus devotees and VIP guests celebrated ISKCON’s 50th anniversary in the courtyard of Govinda’s Natural Foods Buffet. The setting couldn’t have been more fitting. For thirty years Govinda’s has served as the temple’s portal to Lord Krsna’s sublime food, music, wisdom, and dear devotees—a spiritual oasis in the Arizona desert—what everyone had come to celebrate. As a harpist stroked heavenly notes, devotees and guests feasted on Govinda’s prasadam, forging new friendships and renewing old ones, for one thing was clear: practically everyone had been here before, setting the stage for the tributes.

Lokanath Swami’s offering to Srinathji Prabhu
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Hare KrishnaBy Lokanath Swami

Srinathji: So I was thinking, ‘Why is Prabhupada talking so much? There must be some hidden agenda coming up soon.’ Prabhupada knew that my father was treasurer of the Congress party. And sure enough, Prabhupada said, ‘I need visas for all my disciples’. First thing, please realize they are not CIA. You must see that in parliament they stop the inquiry against my pupils and me. My father said that he had a friend who was the minister in charge and he would talk to him and definitely do something. The third bombshell wiped Mr Desai off his feet. Prabhupada wanted American born Jayapataka who was in his early twenties to be given Indian citizenship. Prabhupada: I want you to adopt him. There is a procedure for making a foreigner an Indian citizen. You have to stand guarantee.

Damodara Janani – all the details of the Damodara lila as you have never heard them before!
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Hare KrishnaBy Sivarama Swami

On my request in the spring of 1999, Gopi-paranadhana prabhu translated all the Acharyas’ Sanskrit commentaries to the verses relevant to the damodara-lila as an audio recording. Incorporating these recordings and scriptural references from Padma Purana, Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Brhad-bhagavatamrta, Ananda-vrndavana-champu, Sanatana Gosvami’s commentary on Sri Damodarashtakam, and Gopala-champu, I am retelling this special pastime as a wonderful narrative like the Krishna Book and it’s a flood of sweet nectar. There is also a fresh rendering of the Damodarashtaka prayer.

Playlist of All Videos Recorded of Sriman Srinathji Prabhu
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Hare KrishnaBy the Iskcondesiretree team

Srinathji Prabhu has been a prominent all-India industry leader and was the past President of ELCOMA (Electrical Lamp and Component Manufacturers Association), AMPS (Association of Manufacturers of Petroleum Specialties) and many other associations. Dr. Desai was the Chairman of DGTD ( Govt. of India) Panel for Light Electrical Industry and was a member of the Managing Committee of Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA). He had twice been the Secretary General of International Interfaith Conferences, which were attended by Nobel Laureates such as Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, etc. to promote world peace, human welfare and religious understanding. In May 2011, he was invited by Milken Institute, Los Angeles, USA, to speak in a Global Conference on “India: The Tiger Economy is Roaring”.

His Grace Sri Nathji Das – A Hero of the TOVP Departs
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Hare KrishnaBy the TOVP team

On behalf of Jananivas, Ambarisa, Svaha and Braja Vilas prabhus and the entire TOVP Team, it is with great sorrow and bereavement that we have learned of the passing of one of the TOVP’s first heroes, His Grace Sri Nathji prabhu (Dr. N.D. Desai) yesterday, October 17th. We are in shock at his sudden departure at the age of 76 due to heart failure during a visit to Bhutan. It is truly a dark day of loss for the TOVP and for his family. We offer our condolences to his wife, two sons and daughter during this challenging time. His cremation ceremony will be held on October 18th in India. He will be greatly missed by us all.

New Vrindaban Devotees Serve Prabhupada at His Palace With Renewed Enthusiasm
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhava Smullen

Overall tourism at Prabhupada’s Palace has increased from 20,000 annually to approximately 30,000. One woman took the tour this summer after she saw the Palace in a commercial. During the tour, she was listening very intently, really absorbing all the information. Then, when we turned the corner, entered Srila Prabhupada’s study, and saw him behind his desk writing in his murti form, she began to cry. Tears were running down her face, and she was overwhelmed with emotion. The others on the tour felt it too. And at that moment I knew that Srila Prabhupada is here – and that although he might physically appear to be absent, he will always be in his Palace.