Author Archives: Dandavats

The Bhakti Tree, Newcastle Outreach Through Kirtan and Prasadam
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Hare KrishnaBy Amala Prema devi dasi

The Bhakti Tree has been serving prasadam and taking every opportunity to promote kirtan and prasadam through catering at Newcastle University, at public events and through its Friday kirtan evenings at the restaurant. This time, The Bhakti Tree hosted His Holiness Vedavyasapriya Swami on June 24th at its weekly Friday Fest evening. This was His Holiness Vedavyasapriya Swami’s second visit after a year. Maharaj led kirtan and gave a talk on the divinity of Supreme, the self and the Maha-mantra. Maharaj encouraged the congregational chanting of Hare Krishna to create a fast and powerful impact on our spiritual understanding. He also inspired everyone to personally practice chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. He made relevant points on the power and divinity of the maha-mantra, which is not subject to interpretation, but which can be experienced by personally taking the step to try and practice it. He gave the audience tips on how to practice mantra meditation and to practically balance daily routines and spiritual life by focusing on time management and developing the quality of being selfish for our own sadhana, especially japa.

Our prayers to Krishna
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Hare KrishnaBy Giriraj dasa

People generally pray for material benefits: “O God, give us our daily bread. Give me nice position. Give me nice wife, nice following or this or victory,” so on, so on, so on, simply for material enjoyment. My Guru Mahäräja used to say that if we pray to God for all these nonsense things, it is just like a man goes to a king and the king says, “Whatever you want you can ask from me,” and if the man says, “Kindly give me a pinch of ashes.” It is like that. If we ask from God for some material benefit, it means that I am asking from a king a pinch of ashes. When king says that “You ask whatever you want,” he can say, “So give me half the kingdom.” That should be the prayer. And why a pinch of ash? Similarly, it is our foolishness. When we ask for bread, “O God, give us our daily bread,” that means I am asking. The bread is already there. Why for you? For everyone, for all living entities, the bread is already there given by God. Eko yo bahünäà vidadhäti kämän. The elephant is not going to the church for praying, “Give me food.” He is supplied in the jungle food. A tiger is supplied food. Even ant is supplied food within the hole. Who is going to supply food there? How they are eating? How they are living? How they are begetting children? The same thing is there. Ähära-nidrä-bhaya-maithuna—everything is there in the ant, in the elephant. Who is supplying their necessities?

TOVP: The Progression of the Chatri Artisan Work Continues
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Hare KrishnaBy Ratna Devi Dasi

Chatris are elevated dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. They are commonly used to depict the elements of dignity and honor in architecture. The word chatri means “canopy” or “umbrella.” The word chatri is also used to refer to the small pavilions that mark the corners and roof of entrance of a major building. They are widely used in palaces or in forts. They originated in Rajasthani architecture and were used as memorials for kings and royalty. These pavilions are purely decorative and announce the caliber and wealth of the owner. The TOVP is a physical expression of the Perfection of our Gaudiya Vaishnava Philosophy. Thus, chatris are the ideal structural symbols of spiritual opulence to decorate our rooftop. ISKCON is an international society with the focused intention of uniting all Peoples under one umbrella with one common cause. Hence, this creative fusion of various spiritual cultural elements is easily perceived in the architecture of our chatris.

Lord Jagannath welcomed by Cultural Carnival and Ramadhan in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
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Hare KrishnaBy Hari Narayana Das

For distribution to the general public 1 tons of oranges arrived, sponsored by Dina Dharini mataji, which was offered to the Lord. Balinese and bharata natyam dances were performed by the devotee girls to open the ceremony. Speech was given by the leader of Malang Hindu Parisad, that he really appreciated the festival. Short class about the origin of ratha yatra was given by HH Kavicandra Swami Maharaj. A recorded lecture from HH Subhag Swami Maharaj covering Jagannatha’s pastimes, Prabhupada’s instructions and personal sadhana to remain fixed up in Krsna Consciousness was translated by Sachi Putra prabhu.

The Structural Gambit for Celibacy and Chastity
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By Vrndavanlila Devi Dasi

Despite this fast changing world where promiscuity encouraged by the hedonist approach to life is overtaking almost everywhere, India still preserves its age old veneration towards celibacy. The vast majority of girls and boys still remain celebate till their marriage and even post-marriage lead a regulated life. Of course in cities, this ‘conservative’ species are on the brink of extinction, and even when preserved, generally make the person a butt of ridicule and curiosity. However, fortunately in villages it is still a norm. What is it which still allows the virtue of celibacy still thrive in India? It would be interesting to know this as this would help us build a similar structure elsewhere. A country’s spiritual culture can be felt in its social structure. A broad system is supported by number of social systems that in turn help realizing the primary objective. The primary Indian philosophy rests on the principles of karma, punar janma (rebirth) and departure for param dhama when one is successfully able to break the cycle of birth-death-rebirth.

Itching Atheists
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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

With many cases of religious extremism tormenting or instilling fear into people we can hardly blame certain bright thinkers for their agnosticism: “Religion is a fashionable substitute for belief.” (Oscar Wilde) With all these quotes we can better understand the frustration of thinking people. If given a credible, intelligible presentation of genuine spirituality they may happily apply themselves. They want the truth just as much as spiritual seekers want it: “There’s something in every atheist itching to believe, and something in every believer itching to doubt.” (Mignan McClauglin) These itchy sentiments can manifest as almost religious feelings: “The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses or lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendship, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.” (Bertrand Russell) While attempting to relieve their itch for truth the usual temptations for being a controller can impede the flow. Just as the atheist was made a ‘God’ by a Hindu, Mr Russell had a bigger chance at Godhood: “I was told that the Chinese said they would bury me by the Western Lake and build a memorial to my memory. I have some slight regret that this did not happen, as I might have become a God, which would have been very chic for an atheist.”

How are we to see Krishna’s hand amidst tragic, premature death of devotees?
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By Chaitanya Charan das

Death can seem cruel when it takes away a dear one. The Bhagavad-gita may seem to add to the bewilderment when it asserts (10.34) that the death which steals away everything is a manifestation of Krishna. Why would Krishna, who is the well wisher of everyone, want to steal anything from anyone? The Gita prepares us for this discomforting assertion by first broadening our philosophical perspective of life. Many people see life as having only one dimension: the material. Within this unidimensional materialist perspective of life, death seems to be the ultimate disaster: the total irrevocable termination of our identity and destiny. Gita wisdom expands our horizons by informing us that our existence is two-dimensional: material and spiritual. We are spiritual souls residing temporarily in material bodies. In fact, Gita wisdom goes further to inform us that our real life is only spiritual: a life of eternal love and joy in relationship with Krishna. We actually have nothing to do with the material sphere where we presently reside. When contrasted with our ecstatic eternal life in the spiritual realm, the material sphere is seen as a mere distraction – and a miserable distraction at that. Gita wisdom exhorts us to enthrone the ambition of returning back to Krishna in the spiritual realm as the supreme goal of our life.

‘Walking Monk’ makes stop in Joliet during journey across America
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Hare KrishnaBy Mike Mallory

Bhaktimarga Swami sat calmly Monday morning as he rested in the grass of Joliet’s West Park with a water bottle at his side. Known as the “Walking Monk,” Swami covers about 20 miles a day with only a pair of sandals separating his feet from the ground. He’s in the middle of the second leg of his journey from New York City to San Francisco. “I started walking in Joliet today,” Swami said. “I found out the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail is here. That’s a piece of paradise. You see a heron every few minutes.” Swami hopes to promote a “greener,” healthier lifestyle in America – one that emphasizes strong morals and ethics. Through outreach efforts along his path, he spreads his message. “My purpose is to make the statement that we need to simplify life,” Swami said. “In many ways this walk reaffirms what we should be doing. Our bodies were made for walking. The question is, are we doing enough of it?” He began this portion of the trip in May in Pennsylvania and plans to finish in early August in Nebraska. Next year, he will make his way to California.

ISKCON Nellore Extension: An offering to Srila Prabhupada for ISKCONs’ 50th anniversary
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Hare KrishnaBy Sri Krishna Purusottama Das

On the occasion of Pani-hati cida dahi festival, His Holiness Sukadeva Goswami Maharaja has announced the offering of a new project for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada in this 50th year of ISKCON’s incorporation. Earlier this year, 10 acres of land with an existing ashram building in Tatipatri village, Andhra Pradesh, were donated to ISKCON Nellore. The land and ashram were cleared and prepared to take shape as a temple, which is now named ISKCON Tatipatri Village Ashrama, an extension of ISKCON Nellore. Following these preliminary preparations, on 15th June 2016, deities of Sri Gaura Nitai were installed in the ashram with elaborate abhishekam, go-puja, tree plantation, aarti, sankirtana & lunch prasadam for all. Henceforth, daily temple programs will continue & gita prachar will be conducted for the benefit of all the villagers in that area. His Holiness Sukadeva Goswami gave a talk on the occasion and invited one and all to participate in the upcoming Gudur Rath Yatra. One Mr. Krishna Reddy donated a cow and calf to the temple for the service of the deities. In tandem with the Gau-gram prachar yatra and Om Sri Surabhi campaign led by His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami, ISKCON Tatipatri Village Ashrama is all set to engage in cow protection and village preaching for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, beginning in this glorious 50th anniversary of ISKCON.

ALL-CANADIAN FESTIVAL for the 50th Anniversary: JOY OF DEVOTION – SRILA PRABHUPADA IN MONTREAL
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Hare KrishnaBy Gokul Ananda Das

JOY OF DEVOTION – SRILA PRABHUPADA IN MONTREAL. The festival is actually divided into TWO PARTS: 1. The SPECIAL CULTURAL EVENT of Friday and Saturday Sept.2-3 for the GENERAL PUBLIC as well as our devotees and members -entitled JOURNEY to the HEART of INDIA, will be held in the huge centre court of COMPLEXE DESJARDINS , one of downtown Montreal’s most well-frequented office and shopping landmarks. Please SEE the 3 ATTACHMENTS below for all the detailed features of this COLORFUL EVENT meant to attract large numbers of the Montreal population. 2. The second part of the Grand Festival will be held AT THE TEMPLE on Sunday and Monday Sept.4-5 , with the theme : JOY OF DEVOTION – SRILA PRABHUPADA IN MONTREAL, with our special guests of honor: Shyamsundar, Guru das, Malati mataji, Suresvara, and Srutirupa mataji. SUNDAY Sept.4th – Besides the regular morning program, there will be an elaborate evening program at the temple, starting with the 4 – 5 p.m. kirtan, then a Maha-Abhiseka of Srila Prabhupada with the special kalashas, followed by testimonials and remembrances (from 6- 8 p.m.) by our many guests of honor, centered on Srila Prabhupada’s historic stay here in Montreal for 3 months in the summer of 1968. During that summer, the 3 couples from San Francisco – Mukunda andJhanavi, Guru das and Yamuna, Shyamsundar and Malati -also came to visit with Srila Prabhupada, who personally trained them in the art of kirtan. He then sent them off, with his special blessings and empowerment, to amazingly conquer England and much of Europe with ecstatic waves of harinam. We will thus be privileged to hear firsthand how Srila Prabhupada set in motion so many of his miraculous achievements and his major impact on countless lives, including all of us attending this historic gathering.

Does My Spiritual Master Care For Me?
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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

The worldwide preaching mission of Iskcon is still a novelty in historical vaisnava terms. This is the first successful attempt, and still very much work in progress. Often we hear that other religious organisations have old-age homes, hospices, hospitals, schools and the rest, and they have been around for many centuries. We have a few of these amenities already, after just 40 odd years, so we’re not doing too badly so far. For a preaching mission that supposedly has little regard for “Home comforts,” it is doing even better. We again often hear the comparison that our worldwide expanse fares poorly with the traditional localised system of guru/disciple relationships. Is this true? The majority of traditional gurus were grhasthas, who for family reasons stayed local. The renounced sannyasa gurus usually wandered like mendicants and so their disciples would expect long periods of separation. It so happens that the majority of our initiating gurus are sannyasis who travel the world preaching. Even the relatively few grhastha gurus also travel and are not always localised. This difference in comparison is not a poor one. Why did Srila Prabhupada set this standard himself? There were times when communities of his disciples waited for long periods before his return from preaching duties elsewhere in the world.

NASN May 2016 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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Hare KrishnaBy Mayapur Sasi dasa

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of May. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5

Seeking the Vaisnava’s Blessings
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Hare KrishnaBy Indradyumna Swami

Dear devotees everywhere: This evening we begin a 2 1/2 month summer festival tour. Myself and a team of 300 devotees will hold a festival every day of the week, except Mondays, from now until the beginning of September. It means over 50 festival programs, including the great Woodstock festival in early July where just under a million people are expected. We are beginning here in Moldova and moving to the Baltic Sea Coast in Poland next week. This is a herculean task and we beg your blessings, along with the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya, to be successful. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we may touch the hearts of literally hundreds of thousands of conditioned souls in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you! All glories to Sri Krsna Sankirtan!

A View inside Hare Krishna
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Hare KrishnaBy Kristina Orrego

ALACHUA – It’s 4:30 a.m., and while the rest of the world is asleep, the Hare Krishna temple in Alachua is softly lit and gently buzzing. Women wearing ornate saris and men in white, flowing dhoti and kurta remove their shoes before stepping onto sacred ground. They enter, bowing their heads and prostrating their bodies in the direction of the statue of Srila Prabhupada, the pioneer of their movement that began 50 years ago. Beads in hand and eyes closed, they’re chanting the names of God and uttering the Hare Krishna mantra. This is all part of their ritual to seek Krishna and ask him to bless them before going on with the rest of their day. Then the sun comes up, and the singing in the temple becomes louder as they raise their voices in joyful and unabashed worship. The Krishna temple in Alachua was built in 1995, but the movement has been a prevalent part of the community since the early 70s, according to Krishna Keshava Das, a temple manager. He said over 400 families within a 20-mile radius are affiliated with the temple and congregate throughout the week or to observe special holidays, such as the birthdays of Lord Krishna and Lord Chaitanya.

NYC’s 5th Avenue Parade Launches ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary
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Hare KrishnaBy newsindiatimes.com

Three 40-foot high, colorfully-decorated Rathayatra carts hand-pulled by devotees and surrounded by thousands of chanting and dancing people —rolled down New York’s 5th Avenue June 11 to kickoff a national celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness better known as the Hare Krishna Movement. The Rathayatra parade began at 12 P.M. at West 45th Street and 5th Avenue, and ended at Washington Square Park where it joined the “Hare Krishna Festival” for an afternoon of free vegetarian food; stage performances of classical Bharatanatyam dance; a one hour dramatic rendition of the Ramayana performed by an theater troupe from the England; and multiple booths about reincarnation, meditation, and yoga. ISKCON’s founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, first came to New York City from India in September, 1965 to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna to the western world. “It’s very special for us to kick off the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON where he began right here in New York,” said Amrita Hari, spokeswoman for the Krishna society.

Woodstock Revisited – A review of Bhurijana das’ My Glorious Master
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Hare KrishnaBy Patita Pavana das

My Glorious Master is an excellent and well written history of an era of Krishna consciousness that would be lost to memory except for the few rare and valuable accounts scribed by far-sighted devotee-writers like Bhurijana. The author’s literary skill captures the reader’s interest in such a way that his journey into spirit is not only shared, but the reader becomes gradually Krishna-ized through the association. The book is rightly titled, for what greater glory can there be for a genuine spiritual master, than the absolute surrender of a sincere disciple? Therefore My Glorious Master is more than a great ride of spirited progress into devotional service. Indeed the author’s various guru-sevas—from driving a cab to laying bricks—represent “association in separation” with the glorious master at the highest level. As the author’s faith in his glorious master becomes strengthened, so does the reader’s.