Planet ISKCON

By Gaurav Masand

Hindus have always believed in the principle of “Vasudeva Kutumbakam”, meaning the whole world is a huge family and the way to express our love is through sharing the meals we prepare.

Founded in New York by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has always been a centre for spiritual growth, promoting the philosophy that anyone who comes to the temple should not go empty handed or hungry.

The ISKCON Temple in Melbourne is continuing with this tradition through its Food for Life program, providing nutritious food to those in need.

Food for Life is the largest food relief agency in the world, serving 1.2 million free meals in India alone. It is a global network across 60 countries, and consists of huge kitchens, vans, cafes and mobile services providing free ‘prasadam’ to the homeless or those less fortunate. The organisation is also involved in rehabilitation projects during natural disasters.

Currently, the Melbourne kitchen has a distribution of 5500 meals per week, run from facilities in outdated condition and at maximum capacity.

After receiving a grant of $500,000 from the Victorian government, and planning permissions from the local council, the ISKCON Temple recently held a ‘Ground breaking Ceremony’ and has begun construction of new kitchen facilities along with a redevelopment of the dining area.

In order to support the growing needs of the community, the new kitchen will output at least 25,000 meals per week, which equates to 1.3 million meals yearly, in Melbourne alone!

On the occasion, Temple President Aniruddha Das spoke about the importance of the program for the social fabric of the society.

“Over the next five years we hope to expand our free food relief programs and further develop our collaborative outlets in Melbourne’s outlying suburbs to help even more people in the community.” This will include opening a range of Crossways Restaurants and Gopal’s style outlets.

The ground breaking ceremony was attended by the likes of Martin Foley MP, Margaret Fitzherbert MLC and other eminent supporters. All speakers congratulated ISKCON and pledged their support for this noble cause.

Ted Baillieu, former Premier of Victoria, who has been actively involved with this initiative, paid tribute to the great service provided by Food for Life Melbourne as embodying a timeless message of peace and harmony. “This project will provide a boost to a service which has contributed so much to the multicultural heart of the most livable city of the world,” he said.

Father Bob Maguire said he considers the kitchen “a boon to many poor single parents, students and those who work on low incomes”.

The ISKCON Food for Life kitchen initiative is one of the best examples of how communities can help those less fortunate to survive and perhaps get back on their feet.

The ISKCON Melbourne Temple has outlined that their strategy for the funds also includes integrating the existing rural programs with the broader community and expanding their educational facilities and programs.

It is said, when we give away the excess, be it time, money or help, it returns to us, multifold in blessings. This community kitchen is a collective effort to give a better life to fellow Australians who are living below the poverty line.

The distribution of these sanctified vegetarian meals served with love will help many. As Aniruddha Das said, “Chant Hare Rama Hare Krishna, eat Prasadam and be happy!”

Source: http://www.indianlink.com.au/food-for-life/

Lord Krishna protects Iskcon Delhi from terroristic attack.
Times of India: NEW DELHI: In the winter of 2015, when Indian agencies were busy tracking down alQaida modules, two Jaish-eMuhammed terrorists had quietly sneaked into the capital. Intelligence sources said the duo rented a room in Lajpat Nagar, assembled six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and recced at least four places for a strike, including the Taj Mahal and two city spots -Iskcon temple and the Select Citywalk mall in Saket.
The IEDs were specially prepared, using ingredients such as shampoo, a highly placed source told TOI. By mid-December, the two were ready to carry out the strike. A control room was set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and instructions were being passed by the handler, who was in touch with the mastermind, codenamed MAR.
Fortunately, things went wrong. During a dry run a day before the attack, an IED “leaked” while being detonated in the bathroom. This led to a thick cloud of smoke in the building, caused the Jaish duo to panic and hurriedly flush the IEDs and all other material down the toilet.
Still out of the Indian agencies’ radar, the two men took a return flight to Kabul.
Their act may have remained under wraps forever. But things changed in 2016. Since January this year, the noose around Jaish tightened after the attack on the Indian consulate. Four terrorists neutralized in that attack wrote about the planned 2015 strike being a revenge for Afzal Guru, who was executed for his role in the Parliament attack of December 2000.
Two months later, around Holi, the Kabul police arrested two Jaish operatives named Ahamd Khan Durrani, an Afghan national, and Abdul Qadri, a Pakistani, and recovered explosives and ammunitions from them. During interrogation, they spilled the beans on their plot to attack the Indian capital. Their travel details corroborated their claims. The Indian consulate was informed and the intelligence establishment taken in loop.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/LWSmiQ

The temple building, an old manor house, once witnessed top business families, associates of Lords and Ladies and even the famous Winston Churchill, all of whom used the scenic area of Upper Lough Erne in the border Lakelands of Ireland for hunting. Now it was claimed as a religious settlement and home for Krishna and His devotees. The year was 1986, Ireland was still in the midst of a guerrilla warfare conflict.

Small temples are where the big action is! ISKCON Nellore is famous as a fired-up preaching center in Andhra Pradesh. Under the leadership of His Holiness Sukadeva Swami Maharaj, the temple is doing exceedingly well on all grounds. Preaching is on full steam, with their large congregation now actively preparing for the upcoming “Gudur Rath Yatra,” set to happen in another one month. Devotees also distribute books regularly. During a recent program, they distributed 300 copies of Bhagavad Gita As It Is at Jammalpalem, near Kavali, on the occasion of Antyesti of late Ketureddy Kesava Reddy.

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 In the winter of 2015, when Indian agencies were busy tracking down alQaida modules, two Jaish-eMuhammed terrorists had quietly sneaked into the capital. Intelligence sources said the duo rented a room in Lajpat Nagar, assembled six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and recced at least four places for a strike, including the Taj Mahal and two city spots -Iskcon temple and the Select Citywalk mall in Saket. 

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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)
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, 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

George Harrison embraced Hinduism in 1969 after a meeting with Swami Prabhupada.. He recalled that the impact of the meeting was similar to a door opening in his sub-conscious.

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, 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

By Nate Rabe

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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Answer Podcast

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Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Nasik

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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

Typing for the Swami, 1966 (Diary Excerpt)

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.

(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 (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

https://www.flickr.com/gp/20744130@N05/c3mDDf

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Giriraj Swami and Indradymna Swami accepted disciples during the Sadhu Sanga Retreat.

 

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

By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada

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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By Niranjana Swami

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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By Giriraj Swami

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 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 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, 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 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 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

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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, 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