Author Archives: Dandavats

First Jagannath Ratha yatra Kediri, East Java, Indonesia
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Hare KrishnaBy Hari Narayana das

In the 11th century AD, emperor Majapahit, ruling from Java, spread his kingdom upto Madagascar Island. During his rule, Kediri, in East Java, was famed as the centre of vedic culture, from where all the great sages appeared who are revered till the present day all over Indonesia. Archaeological findings in 2007 revealed a rich vedic cultural heritage of the region. Detailed stone images of Lord Narasimha deva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu; Lord Visnu Himself seated on His bird-carrier Garuda; Ganesha, Harihara and many other similar specimens takes one on a time travel into the past….giving a vivid picture of what Indonesia was like back then. All these images and statues are now kept in the local Majapahit Museum.

Be A Monk?
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Hare KrishnaBy Krishna Monks

Would you care to know a long-forgotten secret, not even guessed at by the greatest thinkers of the modern era? It’s a simple truth that’s been continuously shrouded by the relentless, disquieting whirlwind of madness presently sweeping over the entire world. It’s this: there is no happier lifestyle than that of a celibate monk! Or, more broadly understood, accepting a simple life, beginning with a lifestyle of celibacy, for the purpose of increasing one’s love for God leads to greater happiness. This path can be taken up by any person in any walk of life. Here, however, we will examine some of the benefits of life as a monk. Monks aren’t all quiet and distant. The typical image is that of a person living alone in the forest, or away from the commoners, and having no excitement in his expression. That is one type of monk. But there are various traditions imbued with diverse moods. For example, the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which is being carried forward by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, fosters a mood of joyful song and dance, and colorful festivity, even among its monastic order. Such a disposition reflects the basic understanding that spiritual life is vibrant and celebratory, not staid or stagnant.

My experience at this year’s Woodstock Festival in Poland
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Hare KrishnaBy Syamanandi Dasi

Woodstock is not for us. It is not for the devotees; it is not for the volunteers. It is not for our own spiritual advancement; it is not for our immersion in Krishna consciousness. It’s not. Krishna’s Village of Peace at Woodstock is wholly and entirely for the benefit of those who attend. It is about the hundreds of thousands of young adults who walk through our site. It is for the hundreds of thousands of people who relish the hot prasadam, who dance in the kirtan tent, who ask questions they didn’t know they had as they explore Vedic philosophy, Srila Prabhupada’s, astrology, yoga, and Indian culture. It is about their exposure to Krishna. It is about awakening in them their innate desire to know the Lord and to say his Holy Names and to sing his glories. Every day I was there, I felt insanely blessed to be in the presence of such exalted souls, souls who had traveled so far over multiple lifetimes to arrive here and experience and interact with Krishna consciousness in such an innocent, ecstatic way. The looks on their faces as they chanted the mantra for the first time, the way they danced with abandon, and their pure inquisitiveness were all incredibly inspiring. Their appreciation and love for Krishna increased my own, tenfold. And that is the most amazing thing about Woodstock.

Instructions to the Mind
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Hare KrishnaBy Urmila Devi Dasi

O mind, I grasp your feet and beg you with sweet words: Please cast away all hypocrisy and develop intense, unprecedented love for my spiritual master, Vrajabhumi, the people of Vraja, the Vaishnavas, the brahmanas, the Gayatri mantra, the holy name, and the transcendental shelter that is the fresh young couple of Vraja, Radha and Krishna. O Mind, don’t concern yourself with the pious and impious deeds described in the Vedas. Rather, intently serve Shri Shri Radha-Krishna in Vraja. Always remember that Lord Chaitanya is the son of Maharaja Nanda and that my guru is most dear to Lord Mukunda.

Disease of Envy
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhakti Vijnana Goswami

Here in this material world, everyone is envious of someone else. Even in religious life, it is sometimes found that if one devotee has advanced in spiritual activities, other devotees are envious of him. Such envious devotees are not completely freed from the bondage of birth and death. As long as one is not completely free from the cause of birth and death, one cannot enter the sanātana-dhāma or the eternal pastimes of the Lord. One becomes envious because of being influenced by the designations of the body, but the liberated devotee has nothing to do with the body, and therefore he is completely on the transcendental platform. A devotee is never envious of anyone, even his enemy. Because the devotee knows that the Lord is his supreme protector, he thinks, “What harm can the so-called enemy do?” Thus a devotee is confident about his protection.

Krishna is always victorious!
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Hare KrishnaBy Krishna Kshetra Swami

“The Radharamana temple as embodied community”: Details about the daily worship at the ancient Radharamana temple in Vrindavana. “I spent four months living next door to the temple, because I had learned that [ISKCON’s founder] Srila Prabhupada had instructed some of his pujari disciples to study how they do deity worship there,”. “No one had really done that yet, so I thought, let me do this as a service for ISKCON. While there, I was able to get a copy of their daily worship procedure, which is only eight pages long and is in handwritten Brajabasha Hindi.

Love of God-Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Jesus Christ – 2nd Avenue
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Hare KrishnaBy Dr. Graham M. Schweig

His Grace Garuda Prabhu is a disciple of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada and known as Dr. Graham M. Schweig, at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Christopher Newport University in Virginia. Garuda was one of the first ISKCON devotees to pursue a formal education. He saw a great opportunity to reach educated circles by inaugurating the field of Vaishnava studies. He earned his doctorate in Comparative Religion from Harvard University. Recently, Princeton University Press published his thesis under the title “Dance of Divine Love- India’s Classic Sacred Love Story: The Rasa Lila of Krishna.”

Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute attains NABH Accreditation – A hallmark of excellence in patient safety & quality
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhavananda Das

Our Founder Acharya A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada often emphasised that health should be a key priority for all of us. In today’s age, everyone is talking about holistic health which means taking care of the needs of the body, mind and soul. This was the vision of Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute when it was founded 18 years ago. With inspiration from and under the guidance of HH Radhanath Swami, the 80,000 sq. ft. Bhaktivedanta Hospital was established at Mira Bhayandar, a suburb near Mumbai, in 1998. Today, it is the only hospital in the whole of Maharashtra that provides its patients holistic healthcare services based on true awareness and understanding of the needs of the body, mind and soul. Recently, it achieved the hallmark of becoming an NABH accredited hospital offering world-class super speciality service.

La Reunion: Three Day Padayatra Celebrate ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary
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Hare KrishnaBy Narasimha Tirtha Dasa

La Reunion Island is located southwest of Mauritius and forms part of a region of France. The La Reunion padayatra lasted a total of three days and traveled through the towns of Saint Pierre and Saint Louis located in the southern part of the island. The organizers were myself, Narasimha Tirtha Dasa from Mauritius, APREVA (Association Pour le Rayonnement des Enseignements Vediques Authentique) and a group of nama-hatta devotees from the island lead by Bhakta Jean Marc. In total we were a group of 15 devotees, all grhasthas including one young child, a baby and two teenagers. There were some devotees who stayed throughout the padayatra and others who joined from time to time during all three days. We set off on July 15th which coincided with the auspicious occasion of Lokanath Swami’s vyasa puja. A group of 10 of us started at the front of the Saint Pierre Municipality building; we then proceeded to walk for 3 hours in and around the town of Saint Pierre. I led the first hour of kirtana, thereafter we all took turns to lead kirtana during the padayatra. All of Bhakta Jean Marc’s nama-hatta group carried maha-mantra banners, and Srila Prabhupada posters throughout the walk.

Chariot Inauguration Ceremony Commences Countdown To First Festival Of India In Nigeria
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Hare KrishnaBy Atmarama Das

In the final countdown to the much anticipated first-ever Festival of India in Nigeria, hundreds of thrilled Indians and Nigerians witnessed the colourful Chariot Inauguration Ceremony which took place at the expansive compound of Gaurapad Charities, an ISKCON affiliated Non-Governmental Governmental Organization (NGO), at Maryland, Lagos on Sunday the 31st of July 2016. The three towering, beautifully decorated Chariots are the central spectacle of the Festival of India which has an unforgettable impact on the minds and hearts of its countless visitors and active participants in major cities worldwide. In celebration of ISKCON’s 50th year anniversary, devotees in Nigeria have planned for this year’s Ratha Yatra Festival to be an “international media event for distributing Lord Jagannatha’s Mercy, centred around Vaisnava seva, preaching and entertainment.” The proposed venue for the 2016 Festival is the historic landmark Tafawa Balewa Square, Race Course, Lagos Island where the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode is participating as the Chief Host.

It’s not so hard to learn Sanskrit, says Bhanu Swami
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Hare KrishnaBy Tan Sin Chow

Sanskrit is Greek to most people but for Bhanu Swami Maharaj (pic) the ancient language is a cinch to master. The Canadian of Japanese descent said the sacred language of Hinduism may seem complicated but it was easier than most languages because it was phonetic-based. “There are vowels and consonants but you only have to memorise 60. Reading it is easy. It is unlike the character-based Chinese or Japanese languages where you have to remember 6,000 to 10,000 characters,” said the scholar, 67. However, he said that while Sanskrit words were pronounced exactly as they were written, “it can also be difficult as there are many conjugation and declension of nouns and verbs”.

Govindas– A Cuisine with a Philosophy
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By Premanjana das

Govinda’s —the restaurant is located at the ‘Heaven on earth complex’ in the Juhu temple. A large glass wall shows the temple in the background. The restaurant is off the foyer, a large air-conditioned room with wooden paneling and Gujarati lacquered chairs and tables. The maitre d’ takes you to a vacant table. The extensive buffet is spread out at one end and the dishes are neatly labeled. There is a very fine music, the Hare Krishna mahamantra which is played in the background mostly in the transcendental voice of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON Founder-Acharya). A notice on the wall states, “Krishna Prasad is non-different from Krishna. Please do not waste the food.”

To Be Heavy, Without The Weight
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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

Some devotees are concerned that Iskcon’s overall preaching has gone ‘soft,’ thus compromising true standards. They say we must be more ‘Strong’, ‘heavy’ and ‘bold.’ Sentiments of “See how Srila Prabhupada flayed those mayavadis… and how he blasted that individual… and oh how he smashed that perception…” add excitement to the cause. Let us examine what it really takes to be ‘heavy.’ There is excitement in reading of Lord Chaitanya’s conversion of Sri Prakasananda Sarasvati and his many followers, His tactful defeat of Keshava Kashmiri, and His extremely patient transformation of the heart of Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, what to speak of the martial-like preaching exploits of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. It would be prudent to note how most of the above was aimed at the deeply entrenched ‘Hindu-Vedantic’ mix of pancopasana and other diversions created by their own countrymen, and who are the real unscrupulous thought-leaders of innocent people. Srila Prabhupada came West and worldwide to encounter additional preaching challenges.

Money is the Honey (when used in Krsna’s service; managing money in Iskcon)
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By Praghosa Dasa

A paper commissioned by the GBC Finance Committee and the GBC Organizational Development Committee. How ISKCON devotees collect, manage, and spend Krishna’s laxmi generates much discussion, especially because we have little precedent as to how a structured Vaisnava organization conducts such matters. That said, few, if any, would argue the importance of the twin principles of accountability and using all monies received directly in the service of Krishna and ISKCON’s preaching mission

How Hare Krishna Restaurants Promote Vegetarian Cuisine
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Hare KrishnaBy Amy McCarthy

Food and the Hare Krishna movement are intrinsically linked. “The Krishna movement has always been interested in food,” says Graham M. Schweig, a professor of religion at Virginia’s Christopher Newport University. “It’s a natural consequence of the temples opening their doors to the public every Sunday for a feast.” In the 1960s, Prabhupada taught his first disciples how to prepare Indian dishes that follow the Krishnas’ strict dietary guidelines (including an adherence to a vegetarian diet and use of ingredients considered “sattvic” — those that promote “purity, strength, and clearness of the mind” like fresh fruits, vegetables, rice, legumes, and dairy products).

Boat Festival in London, 31 July 2016
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Hare KrishnaBy Nimai das

In honour of ISKCON’s 50 year anniversary, ISKCON London organized a Boat Festival on the River Thames this past Sunday (31 July). Over 500 guests boarded the Dixie Queen at midday and for six hours we sailed up and down the Thames, with a nonstop kirtan taking place. The festival was advertised as a “Chant for Peace” campaign and it was covered in the media. While we travelled on the subway to the city centre to board the Dixie Queen, people recognised us as Hare Krsnas and greeted us very warm-heartedly! One of the touristic highlights of the cruise was when the Dixie Queen approached the famous London Tower Bridge, which then opened for the boat to pass through. Devotees were waving from the bridge with “Chant for Peace” signs in hand and many other people were watching.

A series of new ISKCON 50 Vyasa-puja posters, designed by Bhaktivaibhava Swami has been released
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Hare KrishnaBy Kamala Sundari devi dasi

Exalting the festivities of Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja would provide more opportunities for present and future generations of devotees to nurture and strengthen their individual relationship with His Divine Grace, and further secure the understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s pre-eminent position in our movement. By producing a Vyasa-puja pack, with its booklet, posters, postcards, banners, videos and more (www.founderacarya.com/vp), the Srila Prabhupada Position Committee aims to inspire and facilitate ISKCON temples and communities worldwide to enhance the celebration of Srila Prabhupada’s annual Vyasa-puja festivities for years to come and to encourage ongoing exchange among devotees. A series of new ISKCON 50 Vyasa-puja posters, designed by Bhaktivaibhava Swami has been released. “Please make good use of the help offered for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada”, Bhakti Charu Swami

The Power of the Holy Names Turns Gobhakshaka to Gorakshaka
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Hare KrishnaBy Acarya Dasa

On July 31st padayatra camped on the outskirts of the Manalmedu Village, 10 kilometers away from Karrur. There was an old age home nearby where many disabled, diseased and elderly people lived. We thought because they could not walk to come see us that we would go to them. So, we went there and had a wonderful kirtana and katha for the residents. When we were leaving the old age home we noticed a man very cruelly dragging a cow to his village. It was painful to watch and we understood by the manner in which he was treating her that he was going to kill her for sure. A few of us followed him as he entered his village. When he reached his house we saw a large pile of cow flesh. It was very evident that he was preparing to kill the cow that he had hauled to his home. We were both horrified and really scared when we saw that he had a big sharp instrument that he was going to use to cut the cow’s head.

BHAKTIVEDANTA RESEARCH CENTRE NEWSLETTER 14, May-July 2016
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhaktivedanta Research Centre

BRC wishes to express thanks to Sri M.K. Goswami and Srimati Priti Rekha Goswami of Bangalore. The Goswami family, who are directly descended from Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu, gifted over 40 rare manuscripts to the library last February. They made another generous donation last May– a rare set of Srimad Bhagavatam originally commissioned by the King of Tripura, known as the Murshidabad edition. On a recent visit to Mayapur, Hari Sauri made a received a special addition to the Research Library’s catalogue. A century old Bhagavad Gita with commentary in the Urdu language was donated by Ravanari Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada’s first Middle Eastern disciple (Please read next article). Urdu is a Persian influenced dialect spoken primarily by Muslims in India and Pakistan. It was originally published by a Pandit named Rai Bahadur Madan Dehlavi from Kashmir.It is replete with several beautiful illustrations, including many esoteric looking maps depicting various aspects of Vedic Cosmology annotated in the Urdu language.

Slovenia Padayatra
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhagavata Dharma Dasa

“Padayatra helps devotees to present Krishna consciousness to people in a perfect way. We should try to appreciate people even if they are not favourable to our mission. This helps devotees to create (the) right attitude and environment towards people with the theoretical understanding that we are all part and parcel of Krishna. (In this way) genuine love towards people and other living beings can be attained.” Mitja, a new devotee joining padayatra for the second time said, “My original plan was to stay only a few days just to check but after (the) first morning lecture I decided to stay a few days more. I felt such a good energy among devotees that I stayed all 18 days. Being in devotees’ association is really mercy. My experience was (that) when (a) devotee smiles at you the day changes.” Padayatra revives the universal principal, “in giving you receive”. Devotees agree that padayatra is an excellent spiritual experience and worthwhile time spent in devotional service.

Ratha Yatra celebrated on the streets of St. Louis County
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Hare KrishnaBy Jack Suntrup

“To gain connection with God, we go to a place of worship,” said Yamuna Jivana Das, an event organizer. “One of the things this festival represents is that deities, instead of staying in temple, are taken out in public for the purpose of everyone and anyone being able to see them.” The holiday got its start in Orissa, India, according to the Krishna Balaram Temple of St. Louis. Organizers said Rath Yatra — or “Chariot Festival” — is now celebrated in cities all over the world. Lal Gopal Das, an organizer, said festivals in India can draw millions of people. “What we have is a little peanut compared to that,” he said of the celebration in West County. That didn’t mean participants in the local event were any less faithful. Even as devotees pulled the chariot down the road — uphill in certain areas — there was little sign of displeasure.