Author Archives: Hina S

"Nach Re Amar Man": A Festival for the Heart (Dec 20- 24th)
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

It has gotten pretty chilly in the last couple of days, but guess who’s bringing in a heat wave all the way from Northern California? As most of you must have guessed by now, His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu and Her Grace Nirakula Mataji will be in town next week (Dec 20th to 24th) with a line up of fun-filled events. 

So what is this nāch re āmār man (prounounced näch-ray-ämär-mun), you ask? Since 2009, these beloved disciples of Srila Prabhupada have been making their semi-annual / annual visits to Toronto which are always a beautiful package-deal of fun things: singing, dancing, practical seminars with useful tips on how to bring a change in consciousness, and lessons about how to interact with the environment – the spirit of giving and sharing (Srimad Bhagavatam classes in temple packaged with application outside the temple). In short- its a festival for the heart! Hence, we thought of officially giving their visits this name.

Does this excite you? Here is their tentative schedule:

Friday, December 20th to Tuesday, December 24th: 
7:30 am to 9:00 am DAILY
Special Bhagavatam Classes on the theme ‘Preaching is the Essence’ which is one of the 4 primary principles that Srila Prabhupada used to quote (Books are the Basis, Purity is the Force, Preaching is the Essence and Utility is the Principle). 
Come out for these very interactive classes as we hear and discuss how sharing enriches our lives!
Note: Sunday Dec 22nd: Harinama Initiation Ceremony for Bhakta Sam (instead of class)

Friday, December 20th:
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm 
Finding the Perfect Balance
How can I balance my spiritual practices with my material obligations? Where do I draw the line? Should I really spend time planning my material goals?  Join in for this special Friday night seminar where you will learn the delicate art of balancing spiritual and material priorities. 

Saturday, December 21st
12:00 pm – Honouring Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Disappearance Day
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – Downtown Street Sankirtan with Vaisesika Prabhu
6:30 pm to 9:00 pm – The famous Bhajan Night 

Sunday, December 22nd
6:30 pm to 7:30pm – Sunday Feast Class
8:00 pm to 9:00pm – Kirtan

Please mark these dates and try to make the most of their really special association! Help spread the word and please invite anyone and everyone!

It’s a Pizza Party Kind of Day! Join Us for Kirtan and Pizza Tonight!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!


“You can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink; you can give a man the wisdom but you can’t make him think.”

The Friday seminar with His Grace Vaisesika prabhu and Her Grace Nirakula mataji was adorned with such pearls of wisdom, morning to night. Both the morning class as well as the evening seminar on “Finding the Perfect Balance” were phenomenal and very well attended worldwide!

What’s on the menu today? Here’s the itinerary:


Saturday, December 21st
7:30am to 9:00am – Second session on the Srimad Bhagavatam series, “Preaching is the Essence” (daily, until 24th Dec)


12:00pm – Honouring Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Disappearance Day

1:00pm to 4:00pm – Downtown Street Sankirtan with Vaisesika Prabhu

6:30pm to 9:00pm – The famous Bhajan Night (a.k.a the pizza party; you don’t want to miss this one)

For further information on this ecstatic festival, click here


*** ALL classes and programs to broadcast live at www.mayapur.tv (look for “Toronto” channel under Live Broadcast)

Your heart isn’t dancing because it hasn’t been there yet!

It Just Got Warmer Here in Toronto!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

Guess who’s back with a storm!!!! None other than 
His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu and Her Grace Nirakula Mataji!


So what’s on the menu today, 20th Dec?

1- First session on the Bhagavatam series, ‘Preaching is the Essence’ starting 7:30am (DAILY, until 24th Dec)

2- Interactive seminar on ‘Finding the Perfect Balance’ 
6:30pm – 8:30pm

For further information on what’s in store this power-packed-weekend, click here


Come feed your soul this festive season!
It just got warmer here in Toronto; spread the word!!


*** ALL classes and programs to broadcast live at www.mayapur.tv (look for “Toronto” channel under Live Broadcast)
*** NOT TO BE MISSED EVENT: the now famous Bhajan Night on Saturday, December 21st, 6:30pm onwards at ISKCON Toronto!



Gita Jayanti Celebrations – Thursday, December 12, 2013
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

The ancient spiritual text, the Bhagavad-Gita, which translates to “Song of God”, was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna some five thousand years ago. The teachings that were imparted deal with topics like how to live a peaceful life in a chaotic world, why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), and can help us answer questions like “whether purchasing the latest iPhone 5S will really make me happy”!

Gita Jayanti, a festival which marks the speaking of this profound knowledge, falls on Thursday, December 12th this year and is celebrated by millions around the world; people get together, read the verses of the Gita and are left feeling uplifted and fulfilled. 

How can you participate? There are a few ways:

  1. Celebrations commence on Thursday, December 12th at 6:00pm and will involve the reading of both the Sanskrit texts and English translations; feel free to bring in your personal copy of the Gita to join in or you can earn your copy especially blessed by the Deities by sitting through the entire reading that will go until around 9:00pm.
  2. On this auspicious occasion, many well-wishers sponsor copies of the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, which is Srila Prabhupada’s translation of the original Sanskrit text, to be distributed to hotels, hospitals, shelters, and other welfare organizations. You’re welcome to help us in this capacity if you can. 
  3. A tentative second reading might happen on the Sunday that follows Gita Jayanti; stay tuned for more information on that.
Also, check out this cool trailer!

Prabhupada Marathon 2013
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

It’s that time of the year again!! The much anticipated Prabhupada Marathon will be launched tomorrow, Sunday November 17th, and will continue until the early hours of January 1st, 2014. What better way to end this auspicious month of Kartik that we have been celebrating with much gusto!

Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution marathon is that time when hundreds of temples around the globe bring the holiday spirit alive by channeling their energy to sharing and distributing as many gifts as possible with the public. This may be in the form of a book, mantra card, lollypop, cookies, carolling, or just a smile!

Our target is steep and it gets steeper each year. We need over 20,000 books to meet our goal of 50,000 for the year 2013. It is no small feat. Your generous contribution each year, in line with our marathon slogan of, “EVERYONE Matters, Every BIT Counts”, has helped in many ways, including placing over thousands of these books in various shelters, hotels, and prisons in the GTA. Please continue to enthusiastically support us this season in our attempts to share this ancient and spiritual wisdom with all. There are many ways in which you can assist us- you can join forces with our teams heading out, set up book tables at prominent festivals, events and gatherings in your community or sponsor books. For further information, please speak to a friendly person at our book table.

Spoilers alert: Watch out for our beloved walking Bhagavad Gita!!

Here is our inspirational video from three years ago. It’s so heartwarming to know that our Marathon goal has quadrupled over the years!