The post Daily Darshan: June 6th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Daily Darshan: June 6th, 2016
A Statement on Child Protection within ISKCON
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The one-hour film “Cost of Silence,” that was released on Nrisimha Caturdasi, raises serious questions for the ISKCON society and its leadership in regards to child abuse and child protection, as well as the authority and effectiveness of the ISKCON Child Protection Office. These are important questions and deserve thoughtful reflection and an energetic response.
Rathayatra in Rome 2016 (playlist of 5 videos)
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Rathayatra in Rome 2016 (playlist of 5 videos)
Srila Prabhupada: Instead of actively taking part in politics, saintly persons should engage in the chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. By the grace of Lord Caitanya, by simply chanting this Hare Krishna maha-mantra, the general populace can derive all benefits without political implications. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.14.12 Purport)
Warch them below or here: https://huzzaz.com/collection/rathayatra-in-rome-italy-2016
West African Iskcon devotees recently visited ISKCON JUHU,…
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West African Iskcon devotees recently visited ISKCON JUHU, Mumbai, and astonished everybody with their energetic and joyful chanting and dancing. You have to see it to believe it :-) (2 videos 3 and 4 min each)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/nR28T5 and here: https://goo.gl/3l4cyK
Temple Room Floor and Outdoor Fence Concepts
- TOVP.org
Here are some concepts for the main temple room floor design and outdoor fences, designed by our Russian architect Rangavati Dasi.
Temple Room Floor Design Concepts
[See image gallery at tovp.org]
Outdoor Fence Concepts
The post Temple Room Floor and Outdoor Fence Concepts appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Six Lesser-known Spiritual Songs of George Harrison, the Hindu Beatle
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Vaishnava marriage in New York: Devi Kumari’s Wedding…
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Vaishnava marriage in New York: Devi Kumari’s Wedding (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Some year’s ago I met a young lady from America - a spiritual seeker - who was visiting Vrindavan. I preached to her and encouraged her to take up the path of Krsna consciousness. I have enjoyed seeing her make nice spiritual progress through the years under the shelter of HH Radhanath Swami. Just this morning I learned she was getting married at the Bhakti Center in New York, so I drove 2 hours down from Newburgh to New York with several devotees and surprised her at the wedding. We could only stay for 30 minutes because of another program we had back in Newburgh. So while Ananta Vrindavan took a few photos we wished Devi Kumari dasi and Wojciech a wonderful Krsna conscious marriage and proceeded on our way. Everyone send them your blessings!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/DuRdod
A kid participates with enthusiasm in a Stockholm Harinam,…
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A kid participates with enthusiasm in a Stockholm Harinam, Sweden (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Others, who are not devotees, may think, “How can people devote so much time simply to talks of God?” The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is simply the repetition of three words, Hare, Krishna, Rama, but still devotees can go on chanting this Hare Krishna mantra twenty-four hours a day without feeling fatigued. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.13.1Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2RGEBn
Six lesser-known spiritual songs of George Harrison, the Hindu Beatle
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George Harrison embraced Hinduism in 1969 after a meeting with Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the international Hare Krishna movement. He recalled that the impact of the meeting was similar to a door opening in his sub-conscious. Once he stepped through, everything changed. Referring to himself thereafter as "Closet Krishna", Harrison continued to visit India regularly throughout his life and never lost faith in the simple message of love of Lord Krishna. After his spiritual awakening, Harrison’s music took on a strong spiritual aspect. Often combining elements of American religious music, such as gospel choirs, with Sanskrit lyrics and Indian instruments, the songs he wrote in the 1970s are among the more beautiful and melodic expressions of spiritual longing in all of popular music. While his first solo album,1970’s All Things Must Pass, is perhaps the most "spiritual" of his many records, yielding classic cuts such as What is Life and My Sweet Lord, Harrison’s India/Hindu oeuvre is far richer than that one album. This week we take a look at several other lesser-known compositions that every Harrison fan should be familiar with. Continue reading "Six lesser-known spiritual songs of George Harrison, the Hindu Beatle
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Are we bound by the modes like a cow bound by a rope?
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Answer Podcast
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Is our temperament determined by the modes?
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Answer Podcast
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When certain services are considered higher than others, should we choose the higher or the natural for us?
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Answer Podcast
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The post When certain services are considered higher than others, should we choose the higher or the natural for us? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
When we focus on one area of our life, other areas get neglected – how to balance?
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Answer Podcast
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Devotion is a progression from our past, not a rejection of the past
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Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Nasik
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June 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa…
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June 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Typing for the Swami, 1966 (Diary Excerpt)
If this notebook is lost, please return to:
Satsvarupa dasa Brahmacari
c/o International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc.
26 Second Avenue, New York, NY
Swamiji, I am remembering you. I am here now and you are here around the corner in your room. Life is freed for me from the karma of the past. I want to learn Krishna conscious philosophy.
Should I do the typing or go see the Swami? Without any notes, I just start to remember what the Swamiji said in his lecture and I type some of it down. I can type pretty good. I don’t make mistakes. It starts to come to me, some of the things he said in his lecture. At least I remember the essence of it. I don’t attempt to write the whole thing down, just the essence as I remember it.
I don’t really do it for him, it’s more for myself. It’s not that I go to my apartment having memorized what he says, but it just comes out and keeps my head balanced. I really like to walk through the streets feeling the Hare Krishna mantra and seeing the city in the summer. I feel such a well-being as Swamiji’s boy.
My yoga is typing. I’m not just typing something for Swamiji. I’m doing yoga. It’s for myself. It’s the last kind of creative writing I’ve allowed myself. I’ve stopped all other writing – my novel-writing and my short-story writing – it was all so corrupt and egotistical. But this remembering and recording short sentences is the fruit of anything I’ve learned as a writer. I try to communicate what Swamiji said in my own voice, as concisely as possible. It’s Swamiji, but expressed in my own way. I get creative joy out of this writing. It’s a good discipline for spiritual life.
Usually as I start to type, something comes to mind. Yesterday I remembered about the three modes of nature. “There are three modes of material nature, raja-guna, tamo-guna, and sattva-guna. We are all under the modes of nature. Krishna is above the modes of nature. Surrendering to Krishna brings freedom from the modes.” Just things like that. He also said, “The donkey carries the washerman’s load. He thinks the washerman is the source of his food, but he can get grass anywhere. This is the foolishness of the ass. Materialists are like this donkey.” Typing these things down is a nice way to be with Swamiji. I’m starting to grasp the philosophy too.
I think you have to get a special, mystical revelation from Krishna to understand Swamiji. He’s incomprehensible. Swamiji said that by service the revelation will come. Note-taking helps.
I am trying to kick off my false ego. Novel and poetry-writing is false ego. I’m ready to make the break with the past for Swamiji’s sake. I throw my manuscripts into the incinerator. I had to think about that one before I did it though. What if these manuscripts were great works? What if I am a genius and I just don’t recognize it? Still, they had no Krishna consciousness. How could they help anyone? Swamiji says even great literature, if it is without Krishna consciousness, is like decoration of a dead body.
Now I only want to express Krishna-thought and read Krishna-thought. We shouldn’t have other books in the storefront.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=9
ISKCON 50 Meditations: June 6, 2016
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Vrndavan Das Thakur Appearance
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Vedavyasa described Krishna-lila in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Non-different from Vyasa, Vrindavan Das Thakur described Mahaprabhu’s lila in his Chaitanya Bhagavat.
His book was first called Chaitanya Mangala, but when Locana Das gave the same name to his biography of the Lord, it was dubbed “Chaitanya Bhagavat”.
Vrindavan Das was born on the Krishna-dvadashi in 1507. Some say he was born in Mamgachi in the Navadvipa area, others say his birthplace was in Kumarahatta.
His father was Vaikunthanatha Vipra, who originally came from Sylhet, his mother Narayani Devi. Narayani was the daughter of Srivasa Pandit’s elder brother, Shrinalina Pandit.
A heavy issue!
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 17 January 2012, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.9)
The movement of Lord Caitanya is accommodating all kinds of people but that is not an excuse to stay how we are. We bring all this negative stuff with us, in our hand luggage… just like how when you fly on Ryanair, you put on a coat with big pockets and stuff each possible pocket because you not going to let them cheat you out of your money for that extra little kilo. No way! There are devotees who have special vests with special pockets; like a forty kilo vest. Anyway, that is going on and at one point we say, “Do we really need that much luggage?”
If you are a regular traveller and every time you have some extra kilos, you got to cheat! You put your suitcase on the scale for it to be weighed and meanwhile you keep the end hanging over a little bit and with your foot you lift the suitcase… and there five kilos saved, just like that! And if you are strong, then even more. There are so many tricks being employed when boarding a plane when we want to bring on extra luggage.
That is what we are doing here in this movement also, in our spiritual life – we are just bringing on this extra luggage which is causing lots of extra dead weight. So in our movement, there is a lot of dead weight. I know people who are perfect in saying, “Haribol, jaya, nectar, bliss prabhu!” And who can offer the flowers at exactly the right moment but they are not chanting sixteen rounds. That is ballast, dead weight, and that kind of association makes our movement heavy. When we are living in a community and there are lots of people who are not very much into actively cultivating the spiritual activities then that creates a burden on the community and weighs down the community.
Hare Krishna – Ratha-yatra – Lexington Patriots Day Parade…
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Hare Krishna - Ratha-yatra - Lexington Patriots Day Parade (brief video)
Lexington, a small city in Massachusetts and home to one of the sites where the American Revolutionary War began, enthusiastically welcomed Lord Jagannath during the Patriot’s Day Parade celebrated on April 18 this year. Devotees of the Lord participated in the parade pulling the Lord’s cart or ratha and were very warmly applauded and encouraged by the Town and the over 10,000 residents attending the parade. Lord Jagannath’s cart also won the second place in the float competition for the most beautifully decorated and attractive display. Over 80 local residents joined in partaking Lord Jagannath’s prasad and then pulling the cart for a 3-mile walk through Lexington’s downtown area. 11 little girls led the parade performing Bharatnatyam and Odissi dances for the pleasure of the Lordships. We hope Srila Prabhupada accepts this as a small offering on his 50th anniversary year. We are very encouraged by the Town and residents’ overwhelming support and enthusiasm and pray to the Lord that he continues to bless the Town and its residents.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/bvMLpa
Children’s Day in Budapest
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https://www.flickr.com/gp/20744130@N05/c3mDDf
The post Children’s Day in Budapest appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Initiation Ceremony, May 29, Sadhu Sanga Retreat, Boone, North Carolina
Giriraj Swami
ISKCON Baltimore – Chariot Festival (Rathyatra) 2016 (Album with…
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ISKCON Baltimore - Chariot Festival (Rathyatra) 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The tapasya of chanting and glorifying the name, fame and attributes of the Lord is a very easy purifying process by which everyone can be happy. Therefore everyone who desires the ultimate cleansing of his heart must adopt this process. Other processes, such as karma, jnana and yoga, cannot cleanse the heart absolutely. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.12 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/lUc3UA
Compassion Well Placed
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When a person is advanced in spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, he naturally becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world. Naturally such an advanced person thinks of the suffering of the people in general. However, if one does not know of the material sufferings of fallen souls and becomes sympathetic because of bodily comforts, … such sympathy or compassion is the cause of one's downfall. If one is actually sympathetic to fallen, suffering humanity, he should try to elevate people from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. … As far as the material body is concerned, we cannot do anything for anyone. Continue reading "Compassion Well Placed
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Vaishnava Compassion
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Much can be said about compassion, and although we’ve covered many of its different facets, there is still much more that can be said, specifically in terms of our relationships with each other as practitioners of Krsna consciousness. This whole theme expands from one line in The Nectar of Devotion—that one should not give unnecessary trouble to any living entity. This is a principle of Krsna consciousness that every Vaisnava should aspire to achieve because, as we say every day, vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca, krpa-sindhubhya eva ca/ patitanam pavanebhyo, vaisnavebhyo namo namah. “We offer obeisances to the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord, who are full of compassion for the fallen, conditioned souls.” It is a very important quality of a Vaisnava to be compassionate with others. And one of the symptoms of this compassion is that a devotee cannot tolerate seeing others suffer. It is extremely important to not criticize others. Criticizing causes unnecessary disturbance, not only to those whom we are criticizing, but also to others who have to hear it. Of course, there may be some who are not disturbed—who actually relish hearing others criticized. In a letter, Srila Prabhupada compares such persons to flies, who like to go into sores. So, some may not be disturbed, but inevitably criticism of other will cause some disturbance. Continue reading "Vaishnava Compassion
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Vaishnava Compassion and Srila Prabhupada
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An instructive incident that took place in Calcutta. The temple president there became very preoccupied in a business that he had started to raise funds for the temple, and meanwhile the temple had almost no money. Somehow, in the course of his absorption in the business, there was some neglect of the devotees in the temple. They were barely surviving. A strong-bodied devotee named Sudama Vipra, who had belonged to the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, was so famished that he would take the remnants of the ghee wicks that had been burned in the arati and squeeze out whatever little ghee was left, just to get a little more nutrition. The devotees were just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come so they could explain the situation to him and get some help. There were not very many devotees in India then, and Prabhupada allowed them to meet him quite freely. And when he came, devotees did meet with him and speak with him. Eventually Prabhupada called a meeting of all the devotees to give them a chance to express themselves. One by one, they spoke about their difficulties. At one stage Tamal Krishna Goswami, the GBC for India, protested: “Srila Prabhupada, my only intention was to execute Your Divine Grace’s will.” And Prabhupada replied a little sarcastically, “Is it My Divine Grace’s will that the devotees should be disturbed?” Continue reading "Vaishnava Compassion and Srila Prabhupada
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14th Ratha Yatra Festival in Rijeka, Croatia (Album with…
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14th Ratha Yatra Festival in Rijeka, Croatia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna says that his devotee is never vanquished. Therefore all the disciples practicing Krishna consciousness should obediently follow the regulative principles and remain fixed in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Then there need be no fear. Otherwise, one’s position is very dangerous, especially in this Kali-yuga. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.58 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FojP4J
Bhakti Life Retreat @ Gita Nagari.
We are very happy and…
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Bhakti Life Retreat @ Gita Nagari.
We are very happy and excited to share with you that for the very first time ISKCON of Richmond is arranging a Bhakti Life retreat (in its real sense!) with HG Radhika Ramana Prabhu at Gita Nagari Yoga Farm. Rest, the poster says it all…
Here is the link to registration: http://goo.gl/forms/IV4ntjWpkt7HvMoD2
Google directions: https://goo.gl/PjcCeu
ISKCON Hosts 2nd European Yoga Congress.
ISKCON of Radhadesh,…
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ISKCON Hosts 2nd European Yoga Congress.
ISKCON of Radhadesh, Belgium hosted the 2nd European Yoga Congress from May 27th to 29th, sharing insights and techniques with thirteen different yoga schools from twelve countries.
The seeds of the event were sewn in November 2014, when many different yoga organizations met at Yoga Vidya in Germany, Europe’s largest yoga ashram, to explore commonalities and possibilities for cooperation.That gathering, attended by a delegation of a dozen ISKCON members, resulted in the creation of the European Yoga Confederation, and an agreement to hold a European Yoga Congress every two years.
This year’s event in Radhadesh was held in a giant nearly 1,000 square-foot tent on the grounds, as well as a satellite classroom in the temple. Some 160 to 180 people attended.
Yadunandana Swami, Rector of the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta in Spain, and Vaiyasaki Das, a Prabhupada disciple and renowned kirtaniya, represented ISKCON Belgium along with several other devotees.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/jQ8SEF
Stockholm Harinam, Sweden (11 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The…
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Stockholm Harinam, Sweden (11 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is always superbly effective, but it is especially effective in this age of Kali. All the great authorities of bhakti-yoga recommend the devotional process beginning with the chanting of the holy name of Krishna (tan-nama-grahanadibhih). (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.21 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kToauE
New Bhagavad-gita Exhibit Opens at MOSA Belgium.
A brand new…
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New Bhagavad-gita Exhibit Opens at MOSA Belgium.
A brand new exhibit of artwork from Kim Waters and Chris Murray’s classic 1980 book, Illuminations from the Bhagavad-gita, opened at the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) in Radhadesh, Belgium on May 28th.
The exhibit features all Kim’s original illustrations from the book, which is illuminated with translated verses from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. The uniquely charming, colorful images depict Krishna and Arjuna, Radha Krishna, Krishna Balarama, Vishnu, Pancha-Tattva, Nrsimhadeva, Sita Rama, and more.
The exhibit also includes Kim Waters’ cut-out, stand-up illustrated altars of Vrindavana Dhama, Devi, and Buddha, as well as other assorted works.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/M3wxGe
We would call out: Hare Krsna Champ
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Daily Darshan: June 5th, 2016
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Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 04.06.2016 (Album with…
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Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 04.06.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This Krishna consciousness movement insists that everyone take to this path by adopting the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The preachers of Krishna consciousness go from door to door to inform people how they can be relieved from the miserable conditions of material life. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.14.39 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/f8GpiW
Preaching Krishna consciousness in the prison of Huntsville,…
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Preaching Krishna consciousness in the prison of Huntsville, Texas.
Phalini Devi Dasi: One of the most memorable experiences during our last visit to Houston was our trip to the Estelle Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice near Huntsville, Texas on September 19, 2015.
Although we had not planned it into our schedule, Krishna apparently had, so we went along with Krishna’s plan. It’s always good to cooperate with Krishna’s plan.
We were invited to participate by Gopal Krishna Prabhu of the Houston Temple. An enthusiastic and dedicated prison-preacher and alternates with Sridhara Shyama Prabhu from the Dallas Temple, to conduct regular, open-call Hare Krishna services—which comes under the wider umbrella of “Eastern Religions.” But this was not just any ordinary program. It was their Janmastami celebration, so they had invited a huge number of inmates for the festival.
After clearing security, we entered a room full of men–maybe forty or fifty–who sat ready and waiting for the Hare Krishna Festival to begin. Comfortable sitting cushions were arranged around the edge of the room, and the devotees had set up a microphone and amplifier with speakers.
My husband started the kirtan. The inmates joined in enthusiastically from the very start, singing robustly like old kirtan veterans. As the kirtan picked up to a livelier pace, the men almost all stood up to dance. They bounced and jumped back and forth, up and down the length of the room, chanting more and more loudly and grinning from ear to ear as they felt more and more jubilant with the intoxicating sound of Lord Krishna’s holy names. Even His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami joined in the dancing. The men formed a train, each man holding onto the shoulders of the man in front of him. They weaved and hair-pinned around the room like expert dancers from the old Agnideva kirtans of the seventies.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/zMkSFi
Govinda Valley Australia
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Kirtan In The Blue Ridge Mountains
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Krsna’s holy names resounded through the hills and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina at the recent Sadhu Sanga Retreat. Two thousand devotees relished each other’s association at one of ISKCON America's biggest functions of the year, celebrating Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the country 50 years ago. A video by Ananta Vrindavan.
June 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa…
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June 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Irreplaceable Swami.
Every night we were listening to that bongo drum, Swamiji’s fingers on that drum. I remember one guy who came, that rascal named Eliot, who I knew before I started coming to the storefront. He said, “The Swami gets some good licks in; I want to hear him play.” They came to hear Swamiji just as they went to the park to hear the bongo drummers there. I used to apologize to them, “The Swami is a very proficient mrdanga player. You can’t judge him by what he’s doing now. He’s doing the best he can with this little drum. He doesn’t normally play a one-headed bongo, but we don’t have any of the drums that he plays in India.”
“All right, granted, but let’s hear what he can do with this one drum.”
So you can hear him. His fingers walk on the drum. People speak of Olantunji and his talking drums. Prabhupada’s drum talks from his walking fingers (tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick, one two, one two three four, one two.) It’s a simple thing he’s got going with his fingers on the drum, accentuating his walking beat, along with his own singing and the karatalas and tambour. It seemed that sometimes he played it strictly, like a metronome’s measured beats. But sometimes it was uneven, more human-like, hitting his fingers in rougher beats. None of it was very fast. He played that drum to accompany his own singing. I thought, “Gee, he’s over seventy years old and thumping on that drum to his own singing.” Yes, you could come to the storefront just to hear him play the drum. Of course, he had a lot more to give than that – Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna, the Hare Krishna mantra.
The drum is for kirtana. You chant over the drum, but still you can be fascinated by hearing Prabhupada’s very simple fingers walking on the head of that brownish and already worn bongo head. There will never be anything like it, even now that we have many accomplished mrdanga players in ISKCON. Nobody plays a bongo drum like Prabhupada did – simulating a mrdanga and yet not simulating a mrdanga. Just playing on that little drum.
And his voice. It was not velvety smooth like cream, but a little rough, some grating there. Not unpleasant, but like a man at the end of the day with a stubble of beard, or the way a leader of men is sometimes a little rough in his speech. It is an appealing roughness that comes from working and from singing, not a pampered, delicate thing. An old man’s singing. And not a “man” – but an aged, pure devotee. His singing has its own appeal. It goes along with the drum, the uneven finger beat, and the rough voice. We were attracted by these things, almost hypnotized by each thing he did.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=9
ISKCON 50 Meditations: June 5, 2016
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In Memoriam and book review
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My dear god brother H H Purna Candra Goswami went to his samadhi some time back and we heard many praises. HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami was lamenting that Purna Candra Prabhu was not so well known world wide since he had much to offer. He did leave us a very beautiful book that I think should be studied by anyone who is serious about spiritual advancement while serving, in any position, within ISKCON. The book is titled, UNSPOKEN OBSTACLES ON THE PATH TO BHAKTI. The title says a lot. Most of the devotees who spoke at his samadhi function mentioned his deep philosophical thinking extensive scriptural knowledge. HH Sivaram Swami mentioned that his meetings with Purna Candra Goswami were always refreshing since the talks were always philosophical. In this books he has spoken out very frankly, sometimes it seems to be very much criticizing, but looking carefully we find compassion and a helping hand. Continue reading "In Memoriam and book review
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ISKCON-London Open Day – May 2016
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By: ISKCON-London Communications
On Saturday 28th May, ISKCON-London had our first Open Day event of the year. Every year, we organise several Open Days during the summer months to welcome new and inquisitive souls to the Temple.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, and to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation of the movement, the theme for this year’s Open Days is “50 Years of Contribution to the Global Community”. Attendees start a journey of self-discovery and gain insight into topics including the science of the soul, attaining inner and world peace, mantra meditation, yoga and vegetarianism – many of these being new concepts for the attendees.
Whilst we welcome new guests to the Temple on a daily basis, the Open Days provide a structured series of interactive sessions for the public to learn about our philosophy and culture. It provides an opportunity to answer questions such as what goes on inside a Hare Krishna Temple, what are the Hare Krishnas’ beliefs and other questions that often cross the minds of passers-by or the spiritual seeker.
Our first Open Day of the year had over 80 guests attending, the majority who had never visited a Hare Krishna Temple before. They attended sessions based on the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, mantra meditation and a Questions & Answers Hub where they could stay for as long as they liked and ask questions to a resident senior monk. Attendees also had the opportunity to join the 6 Hour Kirtan in the Temple Room to put into application the power of chanting the holy names.
Feedback from attendees have been positive:
“I can’t wait to come for next one.”
“It was wonderful and peaceful.”
“I like the music and looking forward to come for Sunday programme.”
Attendees left with a complimentary copy of Higher Taste and a prasadam sweet and several attendees were interested in buying further books.
Looking to introduce a friend, family or colleague based in London to our beautiful philosophy? You can invite them to one of our Open Days.
Dates: 25th June, 30th July, 20th August, 17th September.
For more information or if you wish to volunteer, please email events@iskcon-london.org.
Your servant,
Bhaktin Natasha
ISKCON-London Communications Secretary