The miracle of Srila Prabhupada!
→ Dandavats



The miracle of Srila Prabhupada!
“Yes, from the very beginning I went to New York because I thought that Krishna Consciousness is the most important idea in the world, so let me go to that place, New York, which is the most important city in the world, and if I am able to do anything for Krishna and my Spiritual Master, even I am at the fag-end of my life, at least let me try for it there.


Read More...

Indonesia Adds Local Flavor to ISKCON 50 Festivities
→ ISKCON News

During its ISKCON 50 festivities this month, Indonesia added some rich local culture to proceedings as its over 5,000 devotees focused on uniting together to serve Srila Prabhupada.Celebrations included a brahmachari sankirtan party touring with a Prabhupada murti through the thirty-two ISKCON temples, centers and Namahattas on the island nation; and a youth camp bringing together youth from across the island of Bali. The highlight, however, was the International Leadership Sanga (ILS) and the Bhakti Festival and Rathayatra from July 5th through 10th.

ISKCON Scarborough – 3 successive programs with Srila Prabhupada’s desciples
→ ISKCON Scarborough



Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

We are extremely pleased to announce that we will be getting the association of great personalities- all ISKCON founder Acarya AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada's disciples at ISKCON Scarborough in the next few days.


Here is the schedule of the programs at ISKCON Scarborough:

Friday - 15th July 2016 - HG Dravida das - Multimedia presentation on "The Holy name"- 7pm to 8pm
Sunday- 17th July 2016- Temple will remain closed so that all the devotees can take part in the 44th Annual Rath Yatra at the center island
Tuesday - 19th July 2016 - HH Candramauli Swami- Seminar on- "Tree of Life" - 7 pm to 9pm
Friday - 22nd July 2016 - HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj - 7 pm to 8 pm.

We warmly welcome you and your family to ISKCON Scarborough to get the association of the great Vaishnavas.


Value of association with pure devotees:

CC Madhya 22.54
The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.30.34
Even a moment's association with a pure devotee cannot be compared to being transferred to heavenly planets or even merging into the Brahman effulgence in complete liberation. For living entities who are destined to give up the body and die, association with pure devotees is the highest benediction.


More about HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj


After visiting the ISKCON temple in Montreal, Canada in September of 1967, Gopal Krishna Goswami yearned to meet a Vaishnava guru and got the opportunity to meet Srila Prabhupada there in 1968. Gopal Krishna Goswami, originally from Delhi, India had a religious background and had great respect for sadhus or saints. The combination of his family background and his search for spiritual life led him to Srila Prabhupada and he accepted initiation from him in early 1969. Gopal Krishna Goswami has served as personal secretary to Srila Prabhupada at various times.
After graduating from Delhi University in 1964, Gopal Krishna Goswami studied business management in France under a French government scholarship. He also studied for some time at Sorbonne University in Paris. While pursuing business management at McGill University in Montreal, Gopal Krishna Goswami began contributing to ISKCON by financially assisting the Montreal temple. In December of 1974 he was made a GBC member by Srila Prabhupada and then transferred to India where he initially headed projects in Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Madras, Mayapur and Kanpur. His GBC responsibilities extended to other parts of Southeast Asia as well. Entrusted by Srila Prabhupada to visit the former Soviet Union in 1976 and 1977, Gopal Krishna Goswami acted as the representative of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust to promote the placement of Srila Prabhupada’s books at fairs and in libraries. He was very well received, as were the books he was presenting. Gopal Krishna Goswami has served extensively in BBT (as chairman and trustee) in India, arranging for translation of Srila Prabhupada’s books into various regional languages and their distribution far and wide. He continues to encourage BBT book distribution in his zones, especially in India.
In 1981 Gopal Krishna Goswami took sannyasa initiation and began to extend his travels to spread Krishna consciousness more widely in parts of the USA, Canada and eventually in parts of Africa. Currently, he is GBC of over thirty temples around the world and serves as an initiating spiritual master, with disciples in Russia, America, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Gopal Krishna Goswami played a leading role in inspiring and completing several large ISKCON temples, such as the Glory of India temple in New Delhi in 1998 (inaugurated by then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee) and the Radha Bankebihari temple in Nairobi.



More about HH Candramauli Maharaj




Born in New Jersey, USA, in 1947, HH Candramauli Swami came in contact with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 24. In 1973 he began practicing Krishna Consciousness in New York City and shortly thereafter began serving at the New Vrindavan farm comunity in West Virginia. That same year he received initiation from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.


In 1986 HH Candramauli Swami accepted the sannyasa order and began preaching in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. In the early 1980's he became involved with the ISKCON Prison Ministry in the USA and began visiting prisoners and holding programs in jails, along with regularly writing letters to inmates and sending them Srila Prabhupada's books.


HH Candramauli Swami is now the leader of the ISKCON Prison Ministry and has worked tirelessly to document the spiritual progression of the world-wide inmate community. His dedication to the welfare, growth and sustainable rehabilitation of these prisoners has culminated in the book "Holy Jail", a touching compilation of the activities of the ISKCON Prison Ministry (IPM). In over thirty years of operation, the lives of hundreds of inmates have changed due to the practice of Krishna consciousness and the support received by devotees.


In 1995 he began serving as the resident sannyasi in Chicago where he was based until 2013 when he relocated to Karlovac, Croatia. At present HH Candramauli Swami offers spiritual guidance around Europe, USA and India.


HH Candramauli Swami is a disciple of ISKCON Founder Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and an initiating spiritual master within the ISKCON movement.

More about H.G.Dravida das



H.G.Dravida prabhu is a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

Dravida Prabhu joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at the age of 25 in early 1973 at the temple in Brooklyn, New York. A child of the Sixties, he'd already been exploring yoga, Vedanta, meditation, and alternative lifestyles for some time. But once he read Srila Prabhupada's "Teachings of Lord Caitanya," he knew that bhakti-yoga was the path for him. The Brooklyn temple happened to be the location of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the publishing arm of ISKCON.


He has edited Back to Godhead magazine and other books published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for over 25 years. From 1983 to 1989 he was part of the team that produced the last six 1,000-page volumes of the magnum opus of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: a commentated English translation of India's jewel of Vedic wisdom, the 18,000-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also helped produce the revised version of Srila Prabhupada’s nine-volume Caitanya-Caritamrita during 1995-96 and his Krishna book from 1994-95. In addition to his editing work, he teaches Bhakti Yoga classes at the San Diego ISKCON center. Throughout all this immersion in transcendental literature, Dravida dasa developed a love of the Sanskrit language, and especially the elaborate Sanskrit prosody of the Bhagavatam, portions of the Caitanya-caritamrita, and other bhakti literature. His devotion and expertise in chanting form a marvelous combination.


He currently resides at the New Govardhan temple in San Diego, offering regular Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam classes as well as leadership for the bhakta program there. His engaging multimedia presentations at Japa retreats and elsewhere are highlights of devotional gatherings.

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7

Email Address:

iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

website:

www.iskconscarborough.com

From this day on…
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2008 Amsterdam, Netherlands, Lecture)

SSRR_13JulyThere are devotees who live in the temple and relate to the world, and there are devotees who live out in the world and relate to the temple. Both these two situations are acceptable but in both cases one must devote their life cent percent to Krsna!

It is not just a matter of determination; we cannot just say, ‘From this day on, I will be cent percent Krsna conscious…’ It does not work like that! It is not just a decision but it is a matter of cultivation. It is a matter of serious cultivation. One can decide, ‘From this day, on I will get more serious about cultivating my Krsna consciousness!’
This we can do. We can make more arrangements to remind ourselves of Krsna – to hear more about the descriptions of Krsna, to sing more and to chant more! We can do many things to remember Krsna according to our taste and according to the prescribed rules. 

44TH Annual Festival Of India 2016-Toronto on July/17 — Sunday feast will move to Central Island.
→ ISKCON Brampton

We'll move to Centre Island 0n Sun July 17 to participate in one of the biggest festivals celebrated in North America.Please join us there with your family and friends.
 
 
When:        Saturday,July 16 and Sunday July 17
             
Where:      Central Island

Cost:          Free to attend

 

The past four decades have witnessed the Festival of India blossom into one of Toronto’s most dazzling, head-turning summer events.Some of the unique features of Toronto’s Ratha-Yatra include:

*A Parade Right Through Downtown Toronto
*A “Bhajan Kutir” with Non-Stop Kirtan
*Yoga Meltdown– A Mini Yoga Festival
*Live Cooking Demonstrations
*Internationally-Acclaimed Arts & Entertainment and much more!

The event will begin with a euphoric parade down world-famous Yonge Street (beginning at Bloor and continuing south to Queens Quay). The celebrations then will shift to Centre Island for two days of festivities expected to draw close to 40,000 people.

Schedule:

12-hr Kirtan

When: Friday, July 15 2016

Time: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Parade

When: Saturday, 16 July 2016

Where: Yonge Street (beginning at Bloor and continuing south to Queens Quay)

Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Centre Island

When: Saturday, 16 July 2016  | Sunday, 17 July 2016

Where: Centre Island

Time: 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm | 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
 

‘Oh Happy Day’: Bhaktivedanta Manor Celebrates Incorporation Day
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Zayani Bhatt

“Srila Prabhupada’s incorporation of ISKCON was more than just a gesture of creating a non-profit, it was an act of defiance, a stake in the ground against the atheists to say that this is Krishna Consciousness and it is here to change the world.” – Yogeshwara Das On the 13th of July 1966, 50 years ago, Srila Prabhupada received the certificate stating that ISKCON was officially incorporated. After having braved the tumultuous sea for thirty-five days, and two heart attacks aboard the Jaladutta, Prabhupada arrived in America with only $7 in his pocket and nowhere to stay. A year later, he had opened the first temple in a storefront on 2nd avenue New York and ISKCON was established. Devotees around the world gathered on Tuesday 13th July 2016 to mark the occasion and express their gratitude to Srila Prabhupada, for changing their lives. Continue reading "‘Oh Happy Day’: Bhaktivedanta Manor Celebrates Incorporation Day
→ Dandavats"

Resolved to Live The Life of The Soul
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Visakha Devi Dasi

What if the soul is the body’s source of life and consciousness, as the sun is the universe’s source of heat and light? What if life doesn’t come from a perishable, chance combination of material elements? As a photojournalist exploring Mumbai, these musings coaxed me from blaring car horns and teeming streets to some curious transcendent possibility. The mythical, irrelevant idea of jivatma began delicately to undermine what had been for me a lifetime of hidden hopelessness: what’s the point of life, of peace, of accomplishment of anything if everything is a fleeting combination of elements? Why distinguish evil from honorable, orderliness from mess? And why work so hard? More than a consoling theory to save me from confusion and gloom, without my intending it, the plausibility of jivatma gradually changed my perception. Early one morning, before Mumbai’s bustle began, I watched a bullock cart lumber up to one of the city’s most popular sweet shops. Immediately, four robust men from the shop began unloading the cart’s six twenty-gallon aluminum containers of fresh milk Continue reading "Resolved to Live The Life of The Soul
→ Dandavats"

“Who’s the Girl with Krishna?” Yesterday Parama Karuna,…
→ Dandavats



“Who’s the Girl with Krishna?”
Yesterday Parama Karuna, Mathuradhis and I were at a mall in San Jose reading about Radharani in the Nectar of Devotion. Srila Prabhupada (and Srila Rupa Goswami) was talking about how devotional service is greater than Krsna because it attracts Him and that the symbol of devotional service in the highest degree is Radharani.
So when we were about to distribute books again Parama turned to me and said, “Isn’t it amazing that no one here has heard of Srimati Radharani?!” Around us was the mayhem and madness of last minute shoppers bustling and jostling for last minute Christmas presents in their last minute nightmare before the clock struck twelve and the gifts they forgot to get turn them into pumpkins. It was obvious that the Hladini Shakti was not foremost on their minds.
But then Mathuradhis met a couple who were more thoughtful. They bought a book from him and went on their way. I saw them walk past me with the book in their hands and mused that I had wanted to stop them a few minutes before they met Mathura. Somehow I had missed the opportunity but Krsna hadn’t.
I guess this couple wanted to know more because moments later they were standing next to me discussing between themselves the pictures in that book. So I poked my head into their conversation and asked if they understood those pictures. A conversation ensued.
We covered the usual topics of karma and reincarnation and what Christmas means to a monk but then the girl asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks. The book they had only had pictures like changing bodies, karma and such. There were no pictures of the Spiritual World but our conversation had led me past the demigods to the real Boss, the real CEO in the sky, Krsna and His eternal abode of Goloka Vrndavana. And this lady, Sally, suddenly asked me out of the blue, “Who’s the Girl [with Krsna]?”
It seems like the secret is out. Is it really that no one knows about the real CEO in Vrndavana, Radharani? Where did Sally find out?
We may think that our efforts to give some knowledge in this world are in vein that no one really reads the books let alone understands them. We may pacify ourselves by reading the Nectar of Devotion and learning that the devotional service we are performing is attracting Krsna and therefore any other result is irrelevant. But it seems that there is some tangible result as one person yesterday inquired into Someone that even we the ones who have the most faith in trying to preach to a forgetful society may not have realized was out there preaching with us.

KK Bindu #379: How the spiritual world is manifested in the…
→ Dandavats



KK Bindu #379: How the spiritual world is manifested in the material world in the holy Dham.
The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released.
This edition includes:
* TEN CONCLUSIONS OF BHAGAVAD-GITA – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada presents a summary of Krishna’s words to Arjuna.
* UTILIZE YOUR GREED – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja speaks of the importance of spiritual greed.
* THE DIVINITY OF KRISHNA?S ABODE – This fresh translation done especially for Bindu, presents Srila Jiva Goswami’s explanation of how the spiritual world is manifest in this material world in the holy Dham.
* MAKE YOUR BHAJAN KUTIR – Another fresh translation from Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam (2.67). It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu379

​Gita 10.19 – Our eagerness to hear Krishna’s glories is auspicious for us and delightful for Krishna
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Gita verse-by-verse podcast


Download by “right-click and save content”

The post ​Gita 10.19 – Our eagerness to hear Krishna’s glories is auspicious for us and delightful for Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

TKG Academy reborn out of Dallas Gurukula – Our Humble Offering to Srila Prabhupada
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Nrtya Kisori Dasi

The Phoenix is a cyclically regenerated bird: it obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor; sometimes decomposing leads to rebirth. TKG Academy may be one such example. Srila Prabhupada desired good education and training for ISKCON’s children. He thus established Gurukulas, beginning with the Dallas Gurukula in 1972. He gave instructions for the proper care of the children, their practices and the contents of their studies. Unfortunately, imperfections in the execution of those instructions by some immature followers, to say the least, led to the failure of the program and its closure. Many lives have been negatively affected. However, visionary leaders in our society rose from those “ashes”. Gurukula education isn’t all evil. Past mistakes should be used as learning experiences and ailments should be amended. Taking the essence of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and applying them according to time, place and circumstances can lead to wonderful outcomes. Continue reading "TKG Academy reborn out of Dallas Gurukula – Our Humble Offering to Srila Prabhupada
→ Dandavats"

​Bhagavatam study 61 1.12.21-29 The prophecy of a glorious death is not inauspicious
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Podcast


Download by “right-click and save content”

The post ​Bhagavatam study 61 1.12.21-29 The prophecy of a glorious death is not inauspicious appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Hare Krishna celebrate 50 years in London
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy the BBC

Devotees of Hare Krishna have handed out cupcakes in London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. More celebrations took place at the Radha-Krishna Temple in Soho, where the Hindu-inspired spiritual movement has had a centre for 47 years. Processions of Krishna followers have become a familiar sight on streets. They chant the Hare Krishna mantra and distribute books and vegetarian food. To mark the occasion, the deities at the temple were offered new outfits and a feast was held. Continue reading "Hare Krishna celebrate 50 years in London
→ Dandavats"

Special Month of Activities at ISKCON-London to Celebrate 50th
→ ISKCON News

On a joint initiative themed “Day of Gratitude”ISKCON-London and the Bhaktivedanta Manor distributeed 5,000 cupcakes to commuters at key locations in central London on July 13th.The grand finale of the month-long celebration will be the Kirtan on the Thames Boat Event on 31st July. This National Signature Event will be a day of chanting, dancing and feasting on a cruise around the famous landmarks of London. 

Radhanath Swami Speaks About ISKCON 50
→ ISKCON News

The Inspiration Series is a set of video clips where ISKCON leaders speak about the importance of ISKCON's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2016, with a view to encouraging active participation from the worldwide community of devotees. In this episode. His Holiness Radhanatha Swami speaks about the importance of ISKCON 50.

Harinam in Prague, Czech Republic (Album with photos) Srila…
→ Dandavats



Harinam in Prague, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: By chanting the Hare Krishna mantra without offenses, one increases his love for Krishna. As stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, preme pum-artho mahan: one’s main concern should be to increase one’s attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to increase one’s love for Him. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.3.24 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/91m3YZ

E-Card Offering for 50th Aims to Break World Record
→ ISKCON News

Among their many plans for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, ISKCON Mumbai’s four temples – Juhu, Mira Road, Khargar and Chowpatty – have launched a website that allows devotees to submit their written offerings to Srila Prabhupada in the shape of e-cards. With the project they aim to collect 108,000 e-card offerings from devotees worldwide, which would shatter the previous Guiness World Record of 65,000 e-cards submitted.

Monday, July 4th, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Monday, July 4th, 2016
East Moline, Illinois

Illinois by Way of Canal

The trek on the Hannepin Canal Trail wraps up today at Cologna, a town just a few miles shy of the Mississippi River.

The solitude is unbeatable.  Even fishermen along the canal are quiet, like focused yogis.  They do give a greeting.  Also serene are the snake, the turtle, the otter, the rabbit, and the cricket-- though loud, his sound adds to the calmness.  Voiceless is the coyote.  As is the coyote scat.  It is always something to dodge and it’s interesting that coyotes eat grasses, roots, and berries.  You can tell by their stool samples.  Apparently that’s their easy-to-acquire menu.

After two and a half days by the canal you almost forget what traffic sounds like.  The canal did come to an end near Rock River and so back I went to the noisier side of life.

People are out and about.  U.S. flags are plentiful, set in front of businesses and residences alike.  No, they don’t flap.  The air is still.  It’s humid.  Yes, weather changes and it’s wet in the air.  The canal had been like a mirror.  Only the tiniest of ripples had appeared during a five-minute drizzle-- hardly noticeable.

My mantra never changes.  It’s the regular sound that I shelter myself in each morning, which is the time of my walk-- the best time.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles

ISKCON 50 Inspiration Series Videos Launched on Incorporation Day
→ ISKCON News

The ISKCON 50 Global office launched the Inspiration Series videos on July 13th, the exact day that ISKCON was incorporated as a legal entity fifty years ago in 1966. The Inspiration Series is a set of over 16 short videos that feature ISKCON leaders explaining the importance of the 50th anniversary of ISKCON and encouraging devotees to participate enthusiastically all over the world. 

ISKCON 50 Inspiration Series videos launched on Incorporation Day
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy ISKCON 50 Global Office

The ISKCON 50 Global office launched the Inspiration Series videos on July 13th, the exact day that ISKCON was incorporated as a legal entity fifty years ago in 1966. The Inspiration Series is a set of over 16 short videos that feature ISKCON leaders explaining the importance of the 50th anniversary of ISKCON and encouraging devotees to participate enthusiastically all over the world. They can be viewed on the YouTube channels of ISKCON 50 and ISKCON Desire Tree. The series which was produced by ISKCON 50 and filmed by ISKCON Desire Tree features ISKCON leaders such as Radhanatha Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami, Bhakticharu Swami, Bhakti Purushottam Swami Anuttama Das, Devakinandan Das, Rameshvara Das and several others. Continue reading "ISKCON 50 Inspiration Series videos launched on Incorporation Day
→ Dandavats"

Saturday, July 2nd, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Saturday, July 2nd, 2016
Sheffield, Illinois

Without Blessings

A police officer, on his highway patrol, stopped over and asked if I was needing anything.  I was moved by his offer.  I had to think quickly as to what to say in response to his openness.

“Water?” he asked.  This is the most common gift offered while on the road-- good old H2O.  My companion, Gopal, accepted the gesture.  My conclusion on this is, “Illinois has ‘cool’ cops.”

On the topic of water, related to this are my shoes.  As in the case of practically any new footwear, blisters become a reality.  It took a mean lance through each of the two balloon-like blisters to break open a storehouse of liquid (water mostly).  Uttama then cleaned and bandaged the big and tiny toes that were subject to blistering.

Thanks Uttama!

It was with great pleasure that we tagged on to the trail, a section of the Hemmapin Canal State Trail.  Water, in the form of the canal, accompanied Gopal and I for this stretch, which is really the road less travelled.

Another item to take note of with today’s occurrences was one motorist who, on Route 6, stopped her vehicle to say, “Thank you!  Thank you!  I wish there were more people like you.  I hope it’s alright to say, ‘God bless you!’”

I’m happy she stopped to let us know she’s appreciating the walking efforts.  And in return, we thank her for blessings.  Without blessings it is impossible to succeed in anything.

May the Source be with you!

18 miles 

Sunday, July 3rd, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Sunday, July 3rd, 2016
Atkinson, Illinois

He’s A Trip Monk

From the News Tribune an article appeared, authored by Ben Hohenstatt in the city of La Salle, Illinois.

He’s a Trip Monk

If you saw a man with a shaved head in orange robes in the Illinois Valley Thursday that wasn’t an oddly dressed flagger.

A walking journey from New York to San Francisco took Bhaktimarga Swami “The Walking Monk”, a Hare Krishna monk originally from Canada, through Ottawa, Peru and La Salle Friday.

“I’ve been to Chicago, but I’ve never been here,” he said. “We’ve met a lot of nice people…There’s a lot of sweet people…People in the Midwest carry some good values”

In the past, he has crossed Canada four times and walked across Guyana, Ireland, Israel, the Fiji islands and Trinidad and featured in documentaries.

Swami said this walk was to promote physical and spiritual health as well as to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada incorporating the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

“The walk is to encourage people to have a workout and a work-in,” the 63-year-old monk said.

Around 11 a.m. Thursday, he stopped to eat mangoes and cherries in Pulaski Park in La Salle. Swami said his day’s walk began in Ottawa around 5 a.m.

Despite covering dozens of miles a day in weather that is “almost never perfect”, encountering bears and schlepping through the Appalachians and downtown Gary, Ind., Swami said sometimes it can be tough to pause his journey.

“It gets to the point sometimes where it’s hard to stop,” he said.

Swami said he would follow U.S. 6 toward Peru before continuing west toward Davenport, Iowa, and he will be excited to continue westward and cross the Mississippi River.

“I might swim it,” he said. “We’ll see if I can swim it.”

He said he thinks he will be able to make it to the middle of Nebraska before other commitments will cause him to put his walk on hold before being resumed next year.

“Next year, I’m hoping to finish walking to San Francisco

Swami said during his cross-country trek he expects to wear out about four pairs of shoes and several robes, which become faded from sunlight.

While marathon walking, he said he encounters people, wildlife and all manner of weather and tries to engage with his surroundings.

However, the rhythm and repetition of walking also makes it easy to get lost in thought.

“It’s an everyday experience,” he said. “You are very much present, but you’re also someplace else; it’s a great time to dream. Your feet are on the ground, and you’re head definitely isn’t in the clouds.”

Thanks Ben!

May the Source be with you!

18 miles



Friday, July 1st, 2016
→ The Walking Monk

Friday, July 1st, 2016
Princeton, Illinois

Down the 6 and the 26

Well, the Midwest is what I thought it would be-- fields of corn with intermittent crops of soya beans.  It has a relatively optimistic feel here.  Homes and barns are people’s pride and joy.  Towns are quaint.  Cities are small, to the exclusion of Chicago.

As for this morning, somebody out there is letting others know about the walk.  In a shady-treed area, along Route 26, a fellow pulled over his vehicle ahead of me.  Parking was tight and I imagine he was in a hurry.  He walked across the road some distance, held a bottle of water in the air indicating, “This is for you,” and proceeded to place it on a road guard for me to see.  He then crossed the road back to his car and went on his merry way.

Nice!

While trekking with Gopal, we passed by a home at the precinct of Princeton.  An elderly couple, enjoying the lawn-chair mood in their front yard on this fine summer afternoon, waved to us passers-by.  The woman said something that was inaudible.  I wished them a happy, upcoming July the 4th.  To this she responded, “And today is Canada Day!”

The two nations, the U.S. and Canada, have enjoyed a long-standing, congenial relationship.  Let it be known that their birthdays are only three days apart.  Perhaps there’s some kind of soul connection.

May the Source be with you!

20 miles


ISKCON 50
→ Servant of the Servant

Today marks a half century for ISKCON. It is predicted to progress for 100 centuries. From that perspective, ISKCON is pretty much in its infancy. But from where we are standing, 50 years seems a long journey since its official inception July 13 1966.

I have been privileged to be a part of this esteemed institution. I have had the opportunity to meet many like minded souls and very pure souls. I cannot say I can find any other place in this entire planet earth where brilliant minds and pure souls gather in all in one place. I have made many friends in part due to this institution. For that, I am very grateful.

Initially, the incorporated ISKCON was simply a band of lose devotees in one building under an effulgent leader. Who knew, after 50 years, it would truly become a global organization that it is today. This also means global challenges. When we have devotees from diverse backgrounds gathering in one place, there is bound to be difference of opinion perhaps not in ideology but in execution of ideology. Therefore, it is necessary to have leaders who have sound management skills who can manage resources and people efficiently. As for ideological differences if any, we must go back to the books and tapes of Srila Prabhupada.

As long as ISKCON puts its Founder Acharya always in the center by following his instructions’ strictly, then I believe nothing can stop ISKCON for the next 100 centuries. I want to thank all the devotees’ who tirelessly work as a cohesive unit, despite differences, to serve the different instructions’ of Srila Prabhupada, a beacon of light for this dark age of quarrel and hypocrisy.

My humble obeisances and heartfelt gratitude to the Founder Acharya of ISKCON His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami to have the vision to establish a spiritual movement that is a receptacle for genuine seekers of truth!


Hare Krishna

“Relishing Shikshashtakam” – Course in New Raman Reti, Alachua, Florida
→ The Spiritual Scientist

September 3 – 5 (10 am – 12:30 pm and 3 – 5:30 pm each day)

The Siksastakam is one of the most important works of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, being the composition of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. It spans the entire gamut of the devotional journey from a seeker’s level to a seer’s level. In sweet and profound verses, it gives us guidelines for deepening our relationship with Krishna and His eminently accessible manifestation as the holy name.

Bhaktivinoda ThakuraBhaktivinoda Thakura considered the Siksastakam to be of such sublime importance that he wrote a full commentary on it. Drawing from his commentary, as well as the wisdom given by his preceding and succeeding acaryas, including and especially our Srila Prabhupada, this seminar will illumine the breadth and the depth of bhakti-yoga centered on the chanting of the holy names:
Breadth of bhakti in terms of how it encompasses our whole life and our attitudes towards life’s ups and downs, empowering us to go through and grow through them with humility and tolerance.
Depth of bhakti in terms of how it unleashes the strongest emotions hidden in the deepest recesses of the soul and elevates them to the loftiest level of selfless love, as manifested by Lord Caitanya while embodying the paragon of all devotion, Srimati Radharani.
Replete with practical insights, illustrated through PowerPoint slides and complemented with abundant time for discussion, this Siksastakam seminar will help devotees connect at a deeper and stronger level with Krishna and His holy names by following this natural sequence of topics:
1. The six-pronged flame of the supreme sacrifice of the holy name.
(Siksastakam text 1)
2. The mysterious non-difference of Krishna and His holy names.
(Siksastakam text 2)
3. Humility is not self-pity; tolerance is not passivity — channeling the power of humility and tolerance.
(Siksastakam text 3)
4. Rise beyond attachment and detachment to commitment.
(Siksastakam text 4)
5. We are unqualified, but we are never disqualified.
(Siksastakam text 5)
6. The transcendental is beyond the sentimental and the judgmental.
(Siksastakam text 6)
7. Love in separation is the sweetness of fullness in emptiness.
(Siksastakam text 7)
8. Selfless devotion is not less for the self, but is infinitely more
(Siksastakam text 8)
You can register for the course here:
The course will be held at:
Krishna Institute
13009 NW 151 Rd, Alachua, Fl 32615
info@krishnainstitute.org
Tel: (386) 315-2992

For more information, you can contact here:
http://krishnainstitute.org/contact/

The post “Relishing Shikshashtakam” – Course in New Raman Reti, Alachua, Florida appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhaktivedanta Manor: Today’s gratitude offering to Srila…
→ Dandavats



Bhaktivedanta Manor: Today’s gratitude offering to Srila Prabhupada (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Our centers are like the oasis in a vast desert. In the desert there is no water, but occasionally if one is fortunate he may come in contact with an oasis and he is saved. Similarly in this material world we are drying up due to a lack of spiritual knowledge. Our ISKCON centers are meant to give relief to the dried up conditioned souls who are searching after the nectar of joyful life. Letter to Bhagavan, December 18, 1970.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pkz8eC