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Berlin’s Historic Ratha Yatra (4 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Devotees in Berlin held their annual Ratha Yatra on July 30th near to Brandenburg Gate, Germany’s most famous landmark. It was an historic occasion which brought tears to the eyes of many devotees, including Sacinandana Swami who has served in the German yatra for over 40 years. Maharaja’s kirtan during the parade said it all.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/qCH39I

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. Continue reading "BHAKTIVEDANTA RESEARCH CENTRE NEWSLETTER 14, May-July 2016
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The Story Behind The Picture.
Patita Pavana dasa: It was 1971 or 1972, I had been out on the streets of New York City all day preaching, selling books, collecting and generally spreading the blessing of serving the Supreme Lord through the mercy of His representative Shrila Prabhupada. That day the Guru of the Universe was leaving New York to spread Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s divine message of Krishna consciousness all over the world.
On the street of Manhattan I had spotted a sidewalk vendor selling novelty newspapers. You tell him the headline and he would print it up for a small amount. I asked him if he would make one as service, a donation, for the pure devotee. He smiled and readily agreed. So I told him, “KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS TAKES OVER THE WORLD.” H gave it to m with a broad grin.
Later at the airport, I presented the newspaper to Shrila Prabhupada. His Divine Grace glowed golden, beaming from ear to ear. “Who has printed?” he kept asking me. “Who has printed?” I went dumb, and was too shy—or something—to explain though I should have simply confessed, “I printed it.”
Aravinda, who was his servant at the time, blurted out, “It’s a joke, it’s a joke, Prabhupada.” Shrila Prabhupada folded the paper and put it away smiling slightly in his always endearing and philosophical way. Actually as I look back, I realize that His Divine Grace would have been just as pleased had I told him that this headline represented his future vision, and all of us members of his New York sankirtan party agreed because of our faith in whatever he said.
And indeed it is true that Krishna consciousness is destined to take over the world. It is just a matter of time …
- Patita Pavana dasa
Picture: Sachisuta (in blue) smiles broadly as Romapada dasa Brahmachary (with glasses) looking on. Aravinda is in the saffron kurta on Sachisuta’s right.

Now America has millions of people and everyone goes on with their personal lives. If someone dies or is born or gets sick or grows a garden or plays the french horn in a symphony orchestra - not everyone hears about it or even cares. There are communities, towns, cities and states, functioning within themselves. Due to the multitudes everything has changed. So too has this happened to the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. We grew to a few thousand while Srila Prabhupada was still present in his vapoo form. Yet somehow there was still intimacy. Though there was no Facebook and no internet it did not take long for the ISKCON grapevine to send news around the world. ISKCON has grown exponentially. Srila Prabhupada’s books are all over the world in many languages. And the Hare Krsna Mahamantra is sung by hundreds and thousands of conditioned souls on this earth planet. Whether they understand its depth of meaning and the great benefit they are incurring just by uttering the holy name, is another thing. The transcendental vibration of Hare Krsna is purifying the world and saving millions of souls by giving an opportunity for devotional service in this life and the next. Continue reading "ISKCON and the USA
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Just as you enter the outskirts of Kathwada village, a temple known as Ramji mandir is situated in a corner of the road. In front of the temple, in the open space, our Ratha was being bedecked at 8.00 am, while a lot of amazed sparkling eyes gazed at this spectacular decoration, wondering what we were up to. Gradually, our Kirtan party commenced with some enchanting tunes of Hare Krishna Mahamantra, as Their Lordships Shri Shri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra, Sudarshana and Srila Prabhupada were getting ready for the divine expedition. The surrounding was truly mesmerizing. It was for the first time that we were to experience a Rathayatra in a village. Innocence, simplicity, faith and happiness, were the most prominent features projected by the faces around. They were so much overwhelmed by this procession that they flocked in and struggled to get a glimpse of Their Lordships. Continue reading "Rathayatra at Hare Krishna Gaushala – Kathwada
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Two Late-Comers Arrive at Ananda Ashram

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Vishvambhar from the Mayapuris gets the crowd chanting

Kulimela Blends Service, Fun, Family and Community

Written by Madhava Smullen. Published on ISKCON News June 24, 2016. See original article here.

The first Kulimela, held in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in 2006, was an effort by ISKCON’s second generation to move away from party-style gurukuli reunions and explore their identity and what they could accomplish both materially and spiritually.

The 10th anniversary of that Mela, which also took place in New Vrindaban from June 15th to 19th this year, took those themes further and showed new levels of maturity and stability amongst the Kuli community, while still being full of joy and celebration.

With a large percentage of the Kulis that attended the 2006 Mela now raising their own children, the 10thanniversary festival focused on celebrating family and building community.

Acyuta Dasi sings at the 24 Hour Kirtan

Around 700 people flooded into the emerald hills of New Vrindaban for the event. They included Kulis from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe and South and Central America; but also over 100 of the Kulis’ children, as well as a sizeable amount of first generation devotees. This was part of organizers’ efforts to broaden the meaning of the word “Kuli” which literally just means “community.”

No longer just “youth” as they’re still often erroneously known as throughout ISKCON, the second generation attendees themselves ranged in age from teens to mid-forties, many of them working professionals, parents, and valued contributors to their communities.

Ganga Sheth and Anapayini Jakupko dazzle with their Gambling Match dance from the Mahabharat

This audience, of course, was perfect for the Mela’s themes of family and community, and therefore many of its nearly thirty seminars were geared towards such themes. There were classes on parenting, homeschooling, child protection, finding the right marriage partner and permaculture.

Meanwhile two plenary sessions saw a panel of experts in their fields talking about the importance of family and community in ISKCON and how to improve it, with questions and comments from participants. There were also classes on drama, Indian classical music, Sanskrit grammar, cooking, and yoga.

Krsna Tone invites kid dancers on stage to join in with his Krsna-infused dance music

Other seminars focused on healing, taking a serious look at the trauma that ISKCON’s second generation have historically gone through and how to care for oneself. Outstanding issues of child protection and other areas of strained relationship between ISKCON’s first and second generations were also discussed, with attempts at understanding and progressing.

And in the most well-attended session of the Mela, Karnamrita Dasi and Ananta Vrindavana Das, both alumni of Dallas and New Vrindaban Gurukulas, were honored and presented with a plaque by the Kulimela Assocation for their “unique contributions and sacrifices as a pioneer member of our community.”

Kulis from the UK hard at service in the kitchen

A heartfelt affair, the ceremony was full of laughter and tears, and generated a newfound appreciation for our brothers and sisters. The hope is that it restarts a tradition born in 2006 of regularly honoring Kulis’ service, inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s assertion in the Nectar of Instruction that “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees.”

Such loving exchanges were a constant throughout the Mela, with Kulis seen throughout tightly embracing old friends, taking prasadam together and sharing their deepest thoughts in confidence. Service was also a huge part of that expression of love, with volunteers cooking and washing pots in the kitchen, giving the morning Bhagavatam class, and working crazy hours to set up the tents, stages and other facilities. Meanwhile teenagers from the Kirtan Experience tour chanted constantly in the all-day bhajan kutir.

Kulis get hot-air balloon rides over New Vrindaban

Of course, there was plenty of time to cut loose and have fun too. A sports field was active throughout, and every evening from 6:30pm till late, Kulis of every age shared their talents to entertain and uplift. There was magic by Dattatreya Yogesvara, comedy by Ekendra Das, Bharatanatyam by Anapayini, a fashion show by Kuli designers, dance music with a Krishna conscious twist by Krsna Tone and funky kirtan with the Mayapuris, among many, many more acts. All created a sense of togetherness, support and celebration, as everyone danced and sang to their heart’s content.

Caring for our children was a huge focus of the Mela and was evident during the entertainment, with Krsna Tone inviting a huge group of little kids to dance on stage with him and take bows afterwards. The Mela also featured an all-day kids camp run by Vraja Johnson with help from parent volunteers that cared for nearly 100 kids throughout, giving them arts and crafts, storytelling, a gardening experience, Prabhupada’s Palace tour, lots of play time and their own fashion show.

Getting ready to send lanterns into the sky

“There’s practically no better way to express our themes of family and community than taking care of the future generation,” says co-organizer Chaitanya Mangala Das, whose brother Bhima headed up the Mela.

Reflecting on this 10th anniversary of Kulimela, Chaitanya feels that it was a definite success. “When we look around and see elements of our four main objectives – serving together, building community, transforming hearts, and empowering each other – happening everywhere, and done with smiling faces, we know that we’ve achieved our goal,” he says.

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Written by Nandan

Morning Class: Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 13.9

Another bright and cool morning. Kadamba Kanana Swami arrived at the Manor during Guru Puja. Instead of taking the front route to the temple, Maharaj, Nimai and Krsna Kirtan Prabhu took the back route, past the kitchen where there were a great number of devotees, moving around hither and thither, engaged in an immense amount of cooking in massive cauldrons, barrels, woks and colossal pots; all in aid of the big day ahead! Whilst observing the hive of activity, Maharaj came across Sruti Dharma Prabhu, the Manor’s Temple President. After greeting each other, both went to see Parashuram Prabhu in the kitchen who was the mastermind behind all the prasadam preparations. Both Maharaj and Sruti Prabhu glorified Parashuram Prabhu for the incredible work he does every year for Ratha Yatra as well as the numerous projects he works tirelessly for throughout the year.

Soon Maharaj was in the temple room seated on the vyasasana ready to commence the Ratha Yatra class. The class was brilliant, Maharaj spoke on how before Caitanya Mahaprabhu, no one had seen someone jump so high in the Ratha Yatra kirtans, absolutely no one!!! And Lord Nityananda took up the service of catching Mahaprabhu when he was coming down.

Maharaj then reflected on Lord Jagannath; stating that wherever there is Krsna, there is all opulence and victory. So Ratha Yatra is the victory of the Supreme Lord claiming what is his. His chariot is enormous but still it is too small to capture his glories. Ratha Yatra is in the mood of separation. The separation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu for Lord Jagannath and his eagerness to see him. Lord Caitanya was bringing the Lord back to Vrindavan and everyone was in ecstasy. In the Skanda Purana, it is said that Ratha Yatra is going on yuga after yuga but when Caitanya Mahaprabhu took part in it 500 years ago, it took on a whole new dimension. Devotees were chanting prema sankirtan from Bengal to Jagannath Puri in Orissa in ecstatic love. No one ever saw anything like it before… that kind of kirtan! It just did not exist before. So many people get so much mercy in Ratha Yatra even just by touching the ropes.

Maharaj then brought the whole ecstatic scene down to the modern day saying that when we are in London, we should remember 1973 and how the newspapers said the chariots rivalled Nelson’s column. We should remember Srila Prabhupada – his mood was to simply flood London with mercy and see all the people touched by Lord Jagannath’s ecstasy.

Even though Srila Prabhupada said that London is hell, by the mercy of Lord Jagannath it can be Vaikuntha in an instant. Whether we have material desires or not, we can all act in pure devotional service. And the love of God is available to us all for we are living in an age of grace and causeless mercy. Of course we still have to give it our level best. In Kali yuga it is said that Lord Jagannath is most merciful because he can accept unlimited offerings.

 Ratha Yatra 2016

Midday, the sun was at its zenith and once again we were in Hyde Park, Central London. Finally, Ratha Yatra 2016 was here! The deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Subadhra, the weather, the devotees, the ambience; everything was just perfect and Maharaj’s morning class really inculcated the mood for the devotees. Once the parade commenced, it was truly one of the greatest experiences one could have in their Krsna consciousness. The grand, elegant empire-era buildings of Central London really helped to accentuate Lord Jagannath’s majesty and complimented the whole procession as it sauntered through the major avenues and boulevards of London such as Green Park, Picadilly, Leicester Square eventually stopping at the historical Trafalgar Square, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. The stalls, marquees and gazebos all in place ready for the throngs of visitors, tourists and local Londoners alike.

And what to speak of the kirtans! With a line-up that included Kadamba Kanana Maharaj, Maha Vishnu Maharaj, Adi Karta Prabhu, Parividha Prabhu and Sakshi Gopal Prabhu, it was only ever going to be nothing short of brilliant. A symphony for the soul, the mind and the ears. In fact the kirtans were so absorbing, that after 2 hours the whole parade felt too short. Let us pray that this parade can go on for longer in the future. But what good will come out of describing the kirtans to your dear reader!? Better you get the recordings and listen to your heart’s delight…
Ratha Yatra 2016 ki Jai! HH Kadamba Kanana Swami Maharaj ki Jai!

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TOVP Kalashes (Album with photos)
Ambarisa Das: The TOVP Kalash is the only one of a kind in the world owing to its sheer size...

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ISKCON Ratha Yatra in Zurich 2016, Switzerland (10 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna is the root of everything. If He is ple...

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“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. Continue reading "Slovenia Padayatra
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Initiations at Iskcon of San Diego, CA, United States (Album with photos)
Photos taken at this evening’s Initiation ceremony. His Holiness Bhakti Sundar Goswami awarded diksha initiation to the devotees formerly known as Bhaktin Renee and Bhaktin Carolina,. These expert photos were shot by Sri Sri Radha Giridhari’s personal photographer, His Grace Purusa prabhu.
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Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, built in 1791, is one of the best-known landmarks of Germany. Through it's existence it has often been a site for historic events. On July 30 it served as a prestigious backdrop for ISKCON Berlin's annual Ratha Yatra festival. Sacinandana Swami, of German origin, was so enlivened that ISKCON was allowed to hold Ratha Yatra in such a time-honored place, that he chanted and danced in great ecstasy throughout the day. Continue reading "Historic Berlin Ratha Yatra
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“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. Continue reading "Ratha Yatra celebrated on the streets of St. Louis County
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​Srimad Bhagavatam class on 1.9.22 at Govardhan Ecovillage, Wada, Mumbai

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Embryonic Journey (34 min audio)
Puspavan das: How does a spiritual movement begin? We will take a look at the Founder-Acarya a...

Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 30.07.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Fate can be changed by Krishna consciousness. Krishna says, “I shall give you protection from all the resultant action of your sinful life.” That is fate changed. When you surrender to Krishna, He takes charge of squaring up all your sinful activities and their reaction. Surrender to Krishna; then your fate is changed. Delhi, November 28, 1975.
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Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Pushpabhishekam (Album with photos) New Vrindavan ISKCON temple - Palace of Gold
Srila Prabhupada: When we keep our association with Krishna every activity is proper and liberating, but if we should dissociate ourselves from the Lord’s Mercy then like a hand which is severed from the body we become ugly and useless. Letter to Hrisikesa, November 26, 1968.
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Preaching program in Osaka, Japan (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: To the sincere devotee, this ocean of maya is easily crossed by the cool breeze of Krishna’s Grace. This is our business, to submit to Krishna’s desire to have us back with Him in the eternal sky of Krishna Loka. Letter to Syamasundara, November 24, 1968.
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