Author Archives: Dandavats

By James Cooper In 1786 Sir William Jones, a Welsh philologist and judge of the supreme court of Bengal, sent shock waves throughout Europe with the following speech he gave in his address to the Asiatic society of Bengal. “The Sanskrit language, …

By Bhaktividya Purna Swami

Today, we’ll try to look at a different angle or go a step a little further in trying to understand the culture. If we’re accepting our premise that culture means following the Vedic rules and regulations with a desire to please the Lord and these rules and regulations then come to us in the form of this varnasrama culture –this dharma. Things become a little bit more easy to categorize if you have a framework to work in. Dealing with varnas and asramas. Now then the difficulty comes in. We have these varnas, we have these asramas and then were trying to establish our self within these. The asramas side is not so difficult, generally it’s quite easy. We’re either married or not married. If we’re not married, either we wanted to get married or did not want to get married or we’ve been married and now we’re through with being married, so it kind of comes quite easily and then if you’re through with being married, then you’re still either with the wife or you have not spent so much time together or once taken sannyasa or gone to Vrindavana, just living as a recluse, so that it becomes a little bit more obvious. But then when we’re dealing with varnas that’s generally where all the problem comes.

By ISKCON 50 Global Office

“We have just crossed 3000 likes this month, but that is just not enough,” said Romapada Das, International Coordinator for the 50th anniversary. “For a milestone of this magnitude, we should at least have 100,000 likes from the devotee community worldwide. Moreover, if you like the page, you will get regular updates about what is happening worldwide for the 50th. We appeal to all devotees to visit the Facebook page and like it. You should also urge your friends on Facebook to like this page.” The ISKCON 50 Global Office is planning to release a series of posters in time for the official start of the year-long celebrations from 1st January 2016.

By Madhava Smullen

A world-class show celebrating ISKCON’s 50th anniversary entitled “Transcendental Journey: Krishna 50 Years On” is set to play at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia on Saturday August 20th, 2016. Transcendental Journey will repeat twice, with a matinee performance at 2pm and an evening one at 7:30pm in one of the Sydney Opera House’s state-of-the art theaters, “The Studio.” With sophisticated sound and lighting systems, its comfortable crimson-red tiered seats will sit 350 each time for a total of 700. Organizers hope that about thirty per cent of the audience will be members of the general public attracted by a high-quality show, while ISKCON devotees and the wider Indian congregation will make up the rest. VIPs such as the Prime Minister of Australia Mr. Michael Turnbull and High Commissioner of India in Australia Mr. Navdeep Suri are being invited, along with other senior politicians and famous actors and musicians. One of Srila Prabhupada’s seniormost disciples and most renowned ISKCON pioneers, Mukunda Goswami, is expected to attend, health permitting. Australian kirtan singer Sri Prahlad Das has confirmed. And ISKCON gurus Radhanath Swami and Bhaktimarga Swami, as well as GBCs for Australia Ramai Swami and Devamrita Swami, are also being invited.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa The opening salvo of the preface for The Nectar of Instruction begins thus: “The Krsna consciousness movement is conducted under the supervision of Srila Rupa Goswami.” What does it mean to have this role? How actively involved is …

By Urmila devi dasi It is not from any deliberate opposition to the ordained clergy that these observations are made. The original purpose of the established churches of the world may not be always objectionable. But no stable religious arrangement fo…

By Dinatarini Devi Dasi

Yamuna and I had spoken about the devotees of the Chowpatty RadhaGopinatha Temple so often over the years that in a sense our young friends felt they knew them already. Yet, nothing can prepare one for the actual experience of being in the company of Radhanath Swami and the sincere and dedicated devotees there. We traveled by train, with the addition of Amala Harinama and Nadia to our group, and were received with such warmth and enthusiasm in Mumbai that it was both heartwarming and overwhelming. Because of her natural humility, Yamuna did not like to be distinguished or set apart from others, and she often commented that as much as she appreciated and respected the Chowpatty devotees, it was also difficult to be there because of how much they served and honored her. Of course, they follow the example of Radhanath Swami, who regularly welcomes guests and Prabhupada disciples to the temple with lengthy encomiums. Yamuna could not exalt that quality of Radhanath Swami enough—that he exemplified the importance of respecting Vaishnavas and taught his followers by his example. Yet, when she was the object of that respect, she was uncomfortable with it.

By Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami

So basically what we would like to discuss, with the blessings from the assembled devotees and Maharaja, is that in approaching or understanding the Sadhana or the culture of Krishna consciousness there’s some basic philosophical points on which it’s all based and by understanding those then the rest of it becomes quite easy. If one understands the principles, then the details underlining those principles become clear and very practical, because otherwise we get caught up in details and we think that the details is the important element. Details of course are important. But what is more important is applying the details. This way one knows how to apply a principle in so many different situations, otherwise we will find in one situation we are performing an activity and it works very nicely but then we do the same in another situation it doesn’t work. That is because the principle behind it is not understood. If we understand the principle then the details are very easily applied. So this subject can be approached in so many different angles. So we will try one of them now.

By ISKCON 50 Global Office

Supporters and well-wishers of ISKCON who attended a 50th Anniversary gala event in Ahmedabad on 19th December sponsored over 12,500 Bhagavad-gitas as part of the December marathon in India. Devotees at the Ahmedabad temple had organised an event to celebrate Gita Jayanti at Regenta Hotel, which was attended by over 200 business leaders. The event was hosted by Rajesh Karia, owner of Regenta Hotel, who is a member of the local congregation. While releasing a special souvenir on the occasion, titled ‘A legacy of 50 years: a tribute to Srila Prabhupada’, Jasomatinandan Das, a senior disciple of Prabhupada, and President of the Ahmedabad temple described why the Gita was the foremost of scriptures and said, “At the age of 69, when most people retire from active life, Srila Prabhupada left the comforts of India and traveled across half the globe to create a spiritual revolution that changed the face of the world.”

By Brijabasi das

There is a Sanskrit poem describing the glories of the holy name which is quite well-known in ISKCON by the name “Sri Kevalastakam”. Each verse of the poem ends with “harer namaiva kevalam” (“Only the holy name of Lord Hari”). It appears in the songbook called “More Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas”. Its authorship has been a mystery and it was described as “An Anonymous Sanskrit Poem”. Recently, while reading one of the old “Sajjana-tosani” magazines published by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the late 19th century, I came across one interesting item, where the Thakura reviews this very poem: We have received a small booklet entitled “Nama-kaivalya-sataka”, composed by Sriyuta Prabhu Nilakanta Gosvami. Each verse of the book ends with the line “harer namaiva kevalam”. To reveal the glories of the holy name in this way is the utmost duty of the descendants of the Lord. The composition is excellent. The mood is beautiful everywhere. The glories of the holy name are described in detail.

By Taraka das

Recently I have travelled to a number of ISKCON centres. The place that stood out for me as welcoming and warm was New Vrindavan. Every devotee that I encountered said, “Haribol. How are you?” or similar or just smiled. This really warmed my heart as I have often been to a new place and devotees did not acknowledge my presence At all. I know I am not alone in this experience, and may even be guilty of ignoring guests myself from time To time. The question to ask ourselves is – what impression do we give our guests? Devotees in our ranks are surrendering to distribute books on the street and are inviting people back to the temple for a festival or weekend program. Some Of the people they contact, actually take up the invitation. Some people read a book or go to one of our restaurants, or yoga classes, meet a devotee or read Something on the internet to find out about our temples. There are many ways people contact the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So when they pluck up enough courage to visit a temple, and then they spend some money and time getting there and walk in the door, if they are ignored it may result in them never coming again. If they are met by a new devotee and told they should give up everything and move into the temple (I heard a new devotee tell an elderly couple this at his first meeting of them as the couple were putting on their shoes, oh so slowly.

By Sri Nandanandana dasa More devotees should know about the holy town of Shukratal. Shukratal is the place where Shukadeva Goswami spoke the sacred Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) to Maharaja Pariksit 5000 years ago. It is located about half way …

By Dayananda das Today, most Vaishnavas make efforts to lead a theo-centric life. They struggle to remember that they are souls who are equal to the plants and animals, and that they are not their bodies, with the associated desires to exploit and kill…

Bhakti Raghava Swami: As part of the on-going efforts to establish Varnasrama Colleges in different parts of India, IDVM-India will be inaugurating the ISKCON Varnasrama College (IVC) on Monday.

By Murari Gupta Dasa “Please cancel my tickets,” I said to my friend on the phone. “I won’t be able to go.” I hung up the phone and sank down onto my bed, my head in my hands. My friend had arranged my tickets for the trip to Jagannatha Puri and Mayap…

By Satyaraja Dasa “The Bhagavad-gita teaches a pantheistic view of God,” he said, his confidence and years of learning clear from his authoritative tone. “The massive vishvarupa—Krishna’s universal form, which encompasses all material phenomena, includ…

By Visakha Devi Dasi ‘In a restaurant or place for drinking cold water, many travelers are brought together, and after drinking water they continue to their respective destinations. Similarly, living entities join together in a family, and later, as a …

“If you simply remember how Krishna is teaching Arjuna and Arjuna is hearing—if you simply remember the picture—that is sufficient. Even if you think that you cannot read. Because after all, we have to become Krishna conscious. We don’t have to become…

By Mayesvara dasa

The Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal, India (presently well under construction as of December 2015), is an attempt to depict the map of the Universe according to the ancient Vedic literature, primarily the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam as translated and presented by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Canto 1, chapter 5, verse 11 of Srimad-Bhagavatam predicts that this literature will bring about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization (janatagha-viplavo). To this end, the Mayapur Vedic Planetarium, which is based on the Srimad Bhagavatam’s cosmography, is one of Srila Prabhupada’s main projects to counteract the prevailing materialistic world view of life and the cosmos. The Srimad-Bhagavatam’s depiction of the universe,however, immediately creates a clash of world-views that most people may prefer to avoid, and that includes many of the followers of the Vedas who either don’t understand, or can’t conceptualize the Srimad-Bhagavatam’s depiction of Earth and its relation to the greater universe. We have all grown up with an image of Earth as a rotating ball in space, and we’re pretty happy with that.

NabhiNandan Das: ISKCON South London is looking for candidates who are able to work and help growing the temple membership and temple activities.

By Hari Narayana Das

Kota Agung is a small town located in Tanggamus, Lampung. Being the capital, it is also the most important city in Lampung. Situated at the foot of Mount Tanggamus and nearby the Gulf Coast Semaka it stands as a beautiful location for tourists. At present there are no devotees living in Tanggamus. Those who do live in Lampung, live in the ‘Gita Nagari Baru’ farm community established by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, a five hours drive from Tanggamus! Devotees in Indonesia received an invitation from the Tanggamus Government a few weeks prior, requesting to hold a Ratha Yatra festival there. The Government were to hold a public festival called ‘Teluk Semaka’ on the 21st Of November. The aim of the festival was to promote tourism and cultural diversity in Lampung.

By Mohan Sunder Das

With a pure desire in their heart to spread Lord Sri Chaitanya’s message to one and all, Aligarh devotees worked day in and day out on the land donated by Dr. Maheshwar Pratap Varshney. Dr. Varshney, an ardent follower of the Bhagwad Gita, donated 4 acres of land to ISKCON because he had firm faith on ISKCON for spreading Lord Sri Hari’s ‘Gita’, Bhagwad Gita. The devotees worked very hard and finally saw the very eventful day of ‘Ground Breaking Ceremony’ on 13th November’2015 in the auspicious presence of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, HH Navyogendra Swami Maharaj, HG Devakinandan Das and HH Kratu Maharaj himself. The preparations started for the event started three days before it where the members of IYF-C2C distributed invitations in all parts of Aligarh by performing Nagar Kirtan’s in various places, markets and localities. A beautiful house programme was also organised by Mr. Kalyan Singh, who happens to be the Governor Rajasthan and Himachal pradesh. The previous night of the programme, disciples of HH Kratu Maharaj themselves dug the land for Lord Ananta Shesha to rest in it.

By Vijaya Dasa

In November, the most improved temple throughout the world was Toronto, with a 492% increase and 6,144 book points. In Toronto, in November, it’s cold, but still the devotees did the yajna and had a huge increase. All glories to their determination to get Krishna’s message out to people despite the cold weather! Of course, other places also get cold, like parts of Europe and Asia where the temperature falls below freezing. It may be cold in these places, but there are devotees with such warm pearts that they aren’t affected by the cold and they melt the hearts of the people they meet. Krsna says, “Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.” (Bg. 18.5)

By Shyama Krishna dasa and Vraja Vihari dasa

There are many ways to study the Bhagavad-gita. Recently, devotees have considered the Gita from the point of view of what essential values/principles Krishna teaches in this sacred book. They chose six key points: 1. Dharma (right action) 2. Sama Darshana (equal vision) 3. amanitva (humility) 4. iccha (choice/desire) 5. Ahimsa (without cruelty) 6. Priti (affection)

By Vani Devi Dasi

Four years ago I got a phone call at three in the morning. Minutes later I couldn’t control my tears and the only thing I knew to do was to take shelter of Panca Tattva. Standing in front of their Lordships in a daze the tears came again as I felt your absence. My heart hurt, my heart still hurts. Your love for Krsna, Prabhupada, and all of us met no bounds, and a moment with you was like a hundred as time stood still and I couldn’t take my eyes from you. Your love was real, your spiritual vision was real, your taste for the holy name was real, your Bhakti was real, your loyalty to Prabhupada was real, and sitting at your feet experiencing all this I couldn’t move, completely overwhelmed. But Aunty, four years later and I feel your absence less and less because my memories of you are ever strong. Whatever glimpses of taste you gave me burn ever encouraging in my heart, glimpses of a goal I one day desire to reach. I feel you present in my japa and kirtan. I feel you present in my relationship with my spiritual master, as your instructions guided me and your presence with Gurudev and I during those special moments completed my spiritual family.

By Vrajendranandan Das

Recently, we had a big networking opportunity as ISKCON was officially invited to attend the birth day celebration event of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, who turned 81 on Dec 11th, 2015. The august gathering witnessed presence of many matteraties, including the Prime Minister and other dignitaries from far flung areas of the country. .As a gesture of mercy and blessing, we gave Mahaprasad of Shri Shri Radhaparth Sarthi and Pushp Guchcha of Lord Narshimha deva to the president which he warmly received and reciprocated with delight and appreciation. For ISKCON, he has been supportive and largely appreciative of our initiatives. Occasions such as these help us mark our presence amongst those who matter. And by Srila Prabhupada’s grace we get recognized as a peaceful organization focused on spreading the Holy name.

By Sivarama Swami Krsi goraksya vanijya. Krsi means ploughing or agriculture and goraksya, cow protection. These are the staples of society, this is what people live on. All living entities subsist on grains. So the ksatriyas may direct and instruct pe…

By Shubha Vilas Das In the Ramayana, Rama was chasing the golden deer and realizing that it was a demon in disguise, He shot it down. The demon died calling out to Sita and Lakshmana mimicking the voice of Rama. Sita panicked while Lakshmana remained c…

By Saradiya dasi As I cleaned Srila Prabhupada’s rooms, I noticed the clothesline in the kitchen was still there, but not much else, except my memories and the sense of his presence. Then, unexpectedly, I saw a small Indian print on the counter. Pickin…

By Bhakti Raghava Swami

To invoke global auspiciousness and increased awareness about the need to protect Mother Cow and to gradually introduce the culture of Cow Care in our daily lives, we would like to invite all ISKCON Temples and ISKCON Centers to perform a special Go-Puja to Mother Surabhi on January 1, 2016, in addition to perform Harinam. In order to carry this mood during the Golden Jubilee year of 2016, I would like to further submit the following 3 proposals to ISKCON Leaders and ISKCON Temples within our Society: 1. That on January first of every year we all perform a Go-Puja. 2. That all temples perform a Monthly Go-Puja on every Purnima day. 3. That all ISKCON centers offer only pure milk (ahimsa) from protected cows to the presiding Deities in our respective temples/centers.

Samita Sarkar: When I say I’m vegetarian, a common reaction from some religious people is, “But didn’t God put animals on Earth for us to eat?”

By Iskcon Mayapur

If you had served as a resident devotee at an ISKCON temple for five years during any period of time in your life, even if you are not a residential devotee now, still you can avail this facility. ISKCON Mayapur appreciates your dedicated service to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON by bestowing you the honor of residing at Mayapur for 15 days free stay in a year at Vamsi Bhavan guest house and providing you 7 days free prasadam (see note below). Guided tour service to holy places around Navadvipa is also available. This facility is not available during Gaura Purnima festival period for a month. These facilities are available to all the visiting foreign devotees (except from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka).

By Deva Madhava das

‘You were on Mayapur TV…!’ ‘What’s that Mata?’ I was calling one of our congregation members to coordinate her contribution to our first major infrastructure purchase, a restaurant fridge… which was being gotten rid of cheap by a local Indian store that was closing down. ‘Yes, yes, Mayapur TV. I watch the LA Temple Bhagavatam class every morning and today the devotee speaking mentioned your center!’ ‘Oh, well that’s exciting. Do you happen to know the reason?’ I wondered out loud. ‘Oh Yes, he was making the wonderful point that Mahaprabhu has said His Holy Name will be spread to every town and village… so he asked all the devotees if they’d heard of an ‘Ypsilanti’ Michigan. Of course no one had, and then he happily declared that Srila Prabhupada now has a temple in Ypsilanti Michigan… That’s you!’ For a moment I wasn’t sure whether to be inspired or insulted, but given the circumstances I took it as an auspicious sign that settlement of the yatra into our new home was pleasing news to Vaisnavas near and far, however humble a space and place it might be situated in.

By Abhaya Mudra Dasi

In popular historical accounts the word democracy was first used in ancient Greece denoting a contemporary system of governing. In ancient Athens the word democracy was a compound term which could be broken into two parts: demos meaning people and kratein to rule. This ideal of governing inspires us even today. Democracy echoes the ancient ideals of equality and freedom into the modern governing systems. Some authors like John Keane (author of Life and Death of Democracy) think that democracy has much older origins. He traces the meaning of the word democracy back to the Mycenaean period which preceded the rule of Greece in the Mediterranean region. There the word demos (a person) is slightly changed to be pronounced damos. John Keane discovered the word demos in the Sumerian language as well where it is pronounced dunu meaning ‘inhabitants of a designated region.’ In the ancient world the many of the different languages enjoyed a greater connection to one another than they do today. That is due to the fact that they all kept close phonetic link to their unifying origin, the prototypic Sanskrit. In Sanskrit or devanagari (lit. “language spoken in the cities of the demigods”) dham means “place.” Dhamu means “one who hails from a particular region.” Kratu implies intellectual ability. It becomes apparent that in ancient time dhemokrat meant to employ the thinking ability of every man and utilize it for the welfare of the total society.

By Sita Rama das

Democratization is an attempt to counteract the tyranny of powerful men by transferring power to the people. It tries to make all people equal but it leads to the degradation of all the people, by all the people. Vedic Society does not try to equalize material power; it is designed to facilitate, in all people, the realization that we are equal on the spiritual level. ISKCON wants to be a society which counteracts the degradation of people in modern democracy in order to facilitate spiritual realization. But there are possible pitfalls when trying to reestablish the Vedic model. We analyze this with the help of the scholar, Alexis DeTocqueville, who came to America, from France, in the early 1800’s. In his book, Democracy in America, he contrasted American Democracy with French Aristocracy. He gives a brilliant description of how democracy narrows our consciousness to the small world of our own sense pleasure.

By Sri Bhakti Das

Hare Krishna dear vaisnavas, please accept my humble obeisances!!! This program was held at the juvenile prison (3 Alamos) in Santiago- Chile. It consists of 4 sessions in 4 different days with yoga, vegetarian cooking, music, philosophy. Children cooked, offered and took prasad. They received books of Srila Prabhupada, chanted the Maha Mantra and danced. They also saw a video of Vrindavan Parikrama. They were sincerely happy and were very receptive.

By Mayapur Sasi dasa

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of November. 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

By Sankirtana Das

500 years ago Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the religious leader of the Bhakti Movement, implored us to be as tolerant as the tree which patiently endures the rain and cold and heat. Another time, Caitanya declared to his followers “take the fruits from the Tree of Devotion and give them away freely to all people, in all directions, all over the world. Do not consider who is fit or unfit, let people take these fruits (being the names of God) and become free from old age and death.” Symbols of spirituality and peace from whatever tradition can surely be revered by all.

By Sanjay Krsnacandra das

Phase 1: Make a list of 10-15 very close people from your CoI contact, with whom you can freely talk. Call 3-5 people from that list daily. The list will be exhausted in 3-4 days. Phase 2: By now, you would have gained some confidence. Now increase the CoI list to be as exhaustive as possible. Do NOT discriminate or speculate if the person would be interested or not. Just list people whom you know. Call fixed number of people every day in the descending order of your comfort level. If some are not interested you may ask for references whom you can contact. This can create good leads. Phase 3: Identify the leaders in CoI contacts: Like chairman/secretary/president of any business, philanthropic, religious organizations, housing society, clubs, etc. Seek their guidance to increase Gita distribution within their circle of influence. They can give referrals, table space or stage time in their events, etc.