Planet ISKCON

2015 - 2016.

Suresh Prabhu (India’s Railway Minister) tweets about ISKCON:
Wndrful 2 visit ISKCON temple at Sarajevo,capital city of Bosnia & Herzegovina along wth Indian Amb Rahul Chhabra.
ISKCON’s effort 2 tk Indian spiritual culture 2 the world is laudable.Our spirituality gives msg of world peace nd universal brotherhood.
To read them: https://goo.gl/BrqvFQ

By Mahatma das

Many times Srila Prabhupada said "Love and trust." I think we need a lot more of this. Vengeance, envy, anger,and discord are often higher within religious groups than elsewhere (“We have enough religion to hate, but not enough to love”). We need to be careful about this in Iskcon. Recently I came across this quote. "Religious people often become self righteous, judgmental, resentful, condemning, etc. as they see more faults in man than other's see. Psychologists have noted that piety can easily become an unhealthy form of neurosis rather than a healthy form of religion." As devotees we are given standards to follow, standards which can backfire by becoming a criteria upon which we judge others. This will make us more judgmental , critical and sarcastic than before we joined Iskcon. Of course, if we are advancing properly we will become more introspective about our own need to improve. But the judgment of others often happens before the introspection kicks in. Continue reading "Can We Be Worse Now Than Before We Joined?
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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

If a devotee were to ask, “Please bless me so that I’ll never take birth again in this horrible material world,” would this be asking for some kind of liberation? Hundreds of times, Srila Prabhupada encouraged us to “Go Back home, back to Godhead.” Would it be a form of boldness or naiveté to desire to come back to this world and serve by preaching? That would depend on our level of perception and spiritual progress. There were times when some disciples indicated to Srila Prabhupada that they would perhaps like to take birth again and help with preaching Krishna consciousness. Even then Srila Prabhupada would variously say, “Don’t try to come back…simply go back to Godhead.” If going back to Godhead is what we must seek, then does this fare somewhat less to an ideal expressed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, as paraphrased by Srila Prabhupada: Nitya-dasa prati tuwa adhikara: “You have got every right to do whatever You think right in relation with Your servant. I am Your eternal servant.” Janmaobi moe iccha jadi tor: “If you so desire” — because a devotee goes back to Home, goes back to Godhead - therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura proposes, “If You like that I shall again take birth, it doesn’t matter.” Bhakta—grhe jani janma hau mor: “The only request is that if I have to take my birth, please kindly give me the chance of taking my birth in a devotee’s house.” Kita—janma hau jatha tuwa das: “I don’t mind if I am born as an insect, but I must be in the house of a devotee.” Bahir mukha brahma-janme nahi as: “I do not like non—devotee life. Continue reading "Back To Godhead, or Back To Serve?
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THE IMPORTANCE OF OPPOSITION AND LIFE REVERSES: In the lives of great persons there is always opposition and apparent road blocks in accomplishing their goals or mission in life. Whether through another person, an accident, their own body or mind, or some natural disturbance, what appears on the surface to be an impediment is passed through and the glory of the person is revealed.

Practically we can see that great success in any undertaking or field is not accomplished without passing through many setbacks and even failure. In the personal growth or success literature such perseverance and determination in the face of what seem insurmountable odds are part of any great person’s story.

In Christianity we have Judas who betrayed Christ but was actually a facilitator of his mission to sacrifice his life to benefit others. Haridas Thakur being whipped in 21 market places, or being tempted by a prostitute sent by a envious person, only added to his glory as the great teacher of the holy name.

Without the atrocities of Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad’s glories would not have been revealed, and we would have never heard of him. Dhurva Maharaja’s step mother forbidding him to be favored by his father helped him realize the strength of his determination and his eventual favor by the Lord. What would have happened if Krishnadas Kaviraja, the author of Chaitanya Charitamrita, had not left his brother's home? Without the devastating rains sent be Indra, Krishna would have had no necessity to lift Govardhan Hill.

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By Kasya das

Krishna selected banyan tree, the example of nature, to make easier our understanding how material entanglement is intricate. Banyan has one unique feature – from its branches grow secondary roots, which in time grow down to the ground to grow in the ground. In this way, in due course of time, from one tree whole forest will grow, so that the original trunk of the tree and the original root, from which everythinng grew up, can not be found any more. Similarly, living entities falling into material world loose orientation very soon, which way is root of their existence. Original root of this asvattha tree is on Brahmaloka or Satyaloka. Secondary roots extend everywhere (anusantatani), in the direction of planets of humans, down (adhah) under Brahmaloka, and they cause cycle in implication of activities (karmanubandhini). It means that after exhausting accumulated pious or sinful fruits of own activities, living entities return via these secondary roots to human spheres, where by their own action (karma) sink many further secondary roots due to no interest for finding out original main root and extricating from this forest of implication – therefore karmanubandhini. Continue reading "Functional freedom
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Czech Summer Camp 2016 (Album with photos)
Dharmatma Das: A wonderful Vaisnava family mood at this 22nd annual gathering at a beautiful, remote, full facillity campground. Something special about the Czeck and other devotees here. Enlightening Seminars and classes given by Danavir, Bhakti Vaibhava, Bhakti Gauravani, Kadamba Kanana and Bhakti Prabhava Swami’s. And of course fabulous Prasadam. Went to a local town yesterday. Shops were closed and the town empty but the ecstatic Harinam magically brought them out. Recently arrived Janananda maharaja and Prithu prabhu and more nectar Harinam. Then sent Danavir Maharaja off and took over a old time Hippie Underground Music Festival. Talk about deja-vu!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/rxdS4J

By Bhurijana Dasa

With the help of Krsna. who lives within everyone's heart, all impediments to this pure consciousness will be overcome. If we are eager to hear about Krsna, well learn from the scriptures how to recognize His existence everywhere. While drinking water we'll reflect that He's the taste that quenches our thirst. If we gaze upon a flock of birds in graceful flight well appreciate Krsna's artistic sense. Well see ability as His gift, wisdom as a particle of His knowledge, and death as His unavoidable representative. All that is glorious within this world we will see as a minute fragment of Krsna's energy, as we understand that the entire universe is sustained by His potencies. As we hear about Krsna. we'll also learn that as the supremely powerful controller. He has full capacity to perfectly please, maintain, and serve all His devotees. Thus we will clearly see the folly of limiting our love to the faulty relationships cramped within our workaday purview. And naturally our yearning to uncover our forgotten personal relationship with Krsna will increase. Continue reading "Renunciation In Royal Dress
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Harinama in a park of Moscow (Album with photos)
The devotees there are praying that the new very restrictive law, which may go...

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The highlights of the Jagannatha Ratha Yatra in Puri (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended five ...

Harinama in Florence, Italy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The devotee can constantly think of the object of worship, the Supreme Lord, in any of His features—Narayana, Krishna, Rama, etc. – by chanting Hare Krishna. This practice will purify him, and at the end of his life, due to his constant chanting, he will be transferred to the kingdom of God. Bhagavad-Gita 8.8 Purport.
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Russia: Waiting list of 80 people to read the Sri Isopanisad!
While in Warsaw, Poland, I asked a devotee how he came to Krishna consciousness. At that time it was still a communist country so book distribution wasn’t allowed, but somehow books would get into places around communist countries. This devotee tells how he came across one of Prabhupada’s books.

ISKCON Baltimore: Srila Prabhupada visiting New Temple Project. (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The holy name of the Lor...

Peter Max (the world famous artist) gets Srila Prabhupada’s books!
Drumila Dasa: I was talking to a woman outside the famous Omni Hotel. She had contributed to our Food for Life program here in New Orleans. She was so nice I asked if I could take her picture and put her on my Facebook page holding her book. To reassure her I showed her some of the famous people that have gotten books from me. She said, “You know, I’m here with Peter Max.” I said, “You’re here with Peter Max!?”
I said, “Can I go in and give them a book, and take my picture with him?” She said, “I’ll bring him out to you!” I said, “Really!?” She said, “Sure.”
He’s a very famous illustrator from the 60’s and 70’s, whose work was on the Beatles album ‘Yellow Submarine’.
Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a Jewish German-born American illustrator and graphic artist currently living in New York City. He’s known for his use of psychedelic shapes and color palettes, spectra in his work, and the counter-culture, pop-art-focused nature of his art.
His work has been featured in various popular publications, events, and various museums and galleries worldwide. Examples of his commissions include being the official artist of the 1994 World Cup, painting of the hull art of a Norwegian Cruise Line, and border murals along entry points to the USA from Canada and Mexico.

LA Sankirtan Team Initiations (Album with photos)
Bhakta Jay Khush & Bhakta Storm get initiated by HH Radhanath Swami and become Jaya Caitanya Das & Sri Nitai Das!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1BGRrH

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July 8. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Dynamic Preacher on the Streets of New York.
“Yes, from the very beginning I went to New York City 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.” (Letter, December 23, 1972)
New York City was the only city in America where Prabhupada walked the streets alone. It is hard for us to conceive of now. We see pictures of Prabhupada sitting on a large vyasasana and speaking to hundreds of devotees, but in Manhattan in 1965-66, no one was his follower. He walked the streets and thought, “How can I spread Krishna consciousness here?”
In a 1965 lecture, Prabhupada gave an analogy to explain that Krishna is not alone. He said, “All day I am in this room alone, but when you come in the evening, I become more enlivened.” He was like a hermit in the city. He typed Srimad-Bhagavatam and chanted alone, even when the lights went out.
“When I was alone in your New York, I was thinking, who will listen to me in this horrible, sinful place? All right, I shall stay a little longer, at least I can distribute a few of my books, that is something. But Krishna was all along preparing something I could not see, and He brought you to me one by one, sincere American boys and girls, to be trained-up for doing the work of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now I can see that it is a miracle. Otherwise, your city of New York, one single old man, with only a few books to sell for barely getting eatables, how he can survive, what to speak of introducing God consciousness movement for saving humankind? That is Krishna’s miracle. Now I can see it.” (Letter, December 23, 1972)
Srila Prabhupada had no romantic notions about Manhattan. He commiserated with the human suffering that he saw here. He spoke about the heavy snowfall, and compared the dirt on the streets to the dirt in the heart. He saw the city as big maya, and he wanted to give us shelter.
When Prabhupada revisited Manhattan in 1976, he reminisced about the old days. He said, “When I came here no one cared for me, but now I have so many sons; it is Krishna’s mercy.”
He also wrote in one letter:
“New York is very special to me because I started there without anything except faith in my spiritual master and Lord Krishna. I am very glad to see that things are developing there nicely.” (Letter, October 17, 1975)
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=10

Dynamic Preacher on the Streets of New York

Some of the Indonesian devotees thought that it would be a good idea to have an ISKCON Leadership Sanga in Bali. Many had been to Mayapur and were enthused by the ILS there.

The event was organised and experienced speakers from various countries came to give seminars on topics like: “Srila Prabhupada – the great communicator,” “Management in ISKCON,” “Deity Worship,” etc.

Kavicandra Maharaja and I, as GBCs for the area, opened the event and participated in the activities.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2016, Durban, South Africa, Sunday Lecture at NJP)

Life after life, we are adding more building blocks of karma, and more and more, we are adding to our material identity, that material destiny which will bind us deeply into so many complexities. So, we find everything difficult. “Do I really have to rise early in the morning? Oh! Just open my eyes! Ah! Lift a finger! Oh, do I have to WORK? All these things, and so few holidays! Do I have to go through all of this?”

Yes, we have to, because it is part of the karmic jail sentence that we are experiencing in the material world. The Vedic point of the view is that the material world is like a jail, a fort, where we are captured against our will. 

But Srila Prabhupada describes an interesting phenomenon. He said there is a bird that has been kept in a cage for a long time, and one day you carry out the cage to the open field. You open the door of the cage and say to the bird, “You are free to go!” So the bird flies around in the sky for a little while, in a few circles enjoying the freedom, only to fly right back down into the cage. The door is still open, but the bird goes back into the cage, because it is comfy. Everything is there – you know what I mean… your lettuce leaf and other things you get as a bird, your seeds and everything else are all in the cage. Thus we voluntarily go back into our imprisonment.

By Drutakarma Dasa

King Prthu and Queen Arci ascended to the spiritual world, Vaikuntha, in spiritual airplanes. They ascended in spiritual bodies, their material bodies having been consumed by the fire of the funeral pyre. The sage Maitreya, narrating this history in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, said, "Any person who describes the great characteristics of King Prthu with faith and determination whether he reads of them himself or helps others to hear of them is certain to attain the very planet Maharaja Prthu attained. In other words, such a person also returns home to the Vaikuntha planets, back to Godhead." Continue reading "First Among Kings
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By Dvarakadhisa Devi Dasi

PRAYER, OR vandanam, is the sixth of the nine processes of devotional service. An intensely personal process, it may also be the most universal, for prayers fill the traditions of religions and cultures of the world, creating our most ancient ties and our most common language. Scriptures are filled with prayers that become our friends and companions for life. Nearly everyone has felt the comfort of a childhood prayer, or the companionable stir of belonging when familiar prayers are quoted. Prayer is often the very first way children learn about God. Parents teach their children simple prayers for bedtime or mealtimes. These early prayers teach children much about the way to approach the Lord. There are simple prayers of gratitude, prayers for the welfare of loved ones, and, of course, prayers for some coveted desire to be fulfilled. Childhood prayers often express fear of the wicked or of God's wrath. They set up theological principles, such as eternal heaven and hell, that shape the behavior of entire cultures. Continue reading "Turning to Prayer
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By Pratik Mohapatra

Ratha Jatra of Lord Jagannath being one of the largest religious festivals of India, is not just limited to its borders but also hugely celebrated outside India. Iconic cities like San Francisco, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and even the remote corners of Russia celebrate Ratha Jatra in its full glory. By tracing some of the best Ratha Jatra celebrations held across the world, we can deduce that Lord Jagannath is undoubtedly the supreme Lord of the Universe! Continue reading "10 Iconic Places Outside India Where Ratha Yatra Is Celebrated
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For a preacher, there are four things:

īśvare tad-adhīneṣu
bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca
prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā
yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ -SB 11.2.46

When in the lower stage of devotional service, he cannot become preacher. When he's in a little upper, second stage, he can become preacher. So preacher has to see four things. First of all God, īśvara, and tad-adhīneṣu, and those who are devotee. God, His devotees, and bāliśa, innocent, he does not know anything about... So three = God, devotee, and the innocent. And dviṣat, and envious, atheist class. He has to see four things, and he has to deal with four persons differently.

1. With God, īśvare prema: how to advance my love for God, these dealings. 
2. Prema-maitrī: and to the devotees, we have to make friendship with them. Prema-maitrī. 
3. And to the innocent, we have to preach, kṛpā: "Oh, here is an innocent person. He does not know; he's eager to learn." There teaching is required. Teaching, you cannot teach God or you cannot teach God's devotee. But you can teach only the innocent. 
4. And those who are dviṣat, atheist, upekṣā, don't go there, save yourself. These are the four things. So when one is not open to hear, then don't bother yourself. That requires very strong preacher to convince the atheist class, provided he is reasonable also. If he's stubborn, obstinate, then it is also very difficult. 

But preaching is meant, innocent; that one who is actually sincere but he does not know what is God, what is my relationship with God, there is necessity of preaching. Not to the envious or those who are already advanced, or to God.

- Lecture July 5 1976, Washington DC, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.100 by Srila Prabhupada

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Harinama in Bologna, Italy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: As far as possible, therefore, the devotees in the Krishna con...

“The Walking Monk”: Swami Embarks on Transnational Walk Across the USA to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of the Hare Krishna Tradition.
Urvashi Verma: Chicago, Il: Bhaktimarga Swami, a 63 year old Canadian born monk has embarked on a transnational walk of 3,000 miles across the United States from New York City to San Francisco to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the coming of the Hare Krishna Tradition to the West and to promote a more green style of living in America.
Swami who has arrived in Chicago, Il on June 11 has traversed open plains, highways, and landmarks. For the general public, Bhaktimarga Swami is best known as “the walking monk”. To share his message of peace and gratitude he has already crossed Canada four times covering over 17,000 miles on foot.
The Swami is walking to draw attention to the contributions of his own spiritual teacher, or guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada arrived in the USA 50 years ago, on September 17, 1965. He came practically penniless from India at the age of 70 on the order of his teacher to promote God consciousness, or devotional bhakti-yoga, to the English-speaking world.
“In the broader sense I’m walking to honor all our teachers,” Swami says. “Our teachers open the doors to the world for us, and to other worlds as well. I hope to remind us all how grateful we should be to those who give us knowledge, especially knowledge about our inner potential, ” he says.
Each day Swami, donned in monastic orange garb and his favorite crocs he walks 20 miles each day along path chartered by his companion assistant Gopala and returns to the same spot where he left the next day to complete another 20 miles.
Source: http://goo.gl/0f4xMy