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Sarvabhauma saw the Lord’s six armed form as more effulgent than millions of suns. He was wonderstruck and joyfully said “today I have captured the thief who had stolen my heart! O Lord, now please grant me undeviating devotion at Your lotus feet. May my heart, like a bumblebee become deeply attracted to Your lotus […]
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TOVP e-Newsletter #8 - May - August 2016.
Plans For 2016, New TOVP Phone App Goes Live, Appreciation for Krsna Kumar prabhu and His Family, TOVP Construction Update, Progress Report on Finishing Work, Coffered Ceiling Mock Up, First Segment of West Wing Kalash Installation, Reinforcing the Domes, Art, Architecture and Design, The TOVP Masterplan, The Making of the Acharyas, TOVP ISKCON of Tomorrow, New TOVP Pictorial Video Update, U.S. TOVP Office Grand Opening, TOVP Report From Russia, ILS Conference Donation, Leaders Speak Out, Mayapur Book Download, ISKCON 50th Anniversary Video, New Photos.
To read it click here: https://goo.gl/WojN7j
The post Daily Darshan: May 23th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Gita verse-by-verse podcast
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The post Gita 10.12 – Krishna is transcendence beyond transcendence appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
A First Taste of Ecstasy
Ratha-yatra in Surabaya, Indonesia (Album with photos)
Kavicandra Swami: Surabaya is the 2nd biggest city in Indonesia. They have a yearly beautiful flower festival parade. The government is kindly allowing us to join with Jagannath Ratha Yatra. As per the rules, the Ratha is covered with flowers.
Outside of India, I have never seen so many people waiting to see the Lord’s ratha coming. The population is majority Muslim with many Christians and some Hindus. The is no racial tension and all are friendly.
Pictures are worth a thousand words so join us.
The devotees organized very nicely, with around 150 attending. The kirtans s were,sweet, loud and clear so millions heard the holy names.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ctmgJt
Harinama Sankirtana Israel (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In this age, hearing is more important than thinking, because one’s thinking may be disturbed by mental agitation, but if one concentrates on hearing, he will be forced to associate with the sound vibration of Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.24.35)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jAQEUR
Basingstoke Festival, UK - 20th May 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Those who are advanced and highly qualified and are interested in the essence of life know the good qualities of Kali-yuga. Such people worship the age of Kali because in this age, simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can advance in spiritual knowledge and thus attain life’s goal. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.5.36)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/IptpZw
May 23. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: A First Taste of Ecstasy.
In the very beginning I wasn’t completely overwhelmed by Bhagavad-gita classes by the Swami, but soon they took over my life. When I wasn’t there I was thinking about them, doing the chanting, and trying to read his book. Other things started to lose importance. It was like a magnet, heading for that storefront. In the beginning, I would do other things sometimes. One night after a delicious time at the storefront chanting and singing and getting into the atmosphere of the Swami, I left the storefront and got a pizza and a coke and thought that was also delicious. It was like a part of the same thing, to have a pizza and a coke sitting at the counter in a racy Puerto Rican neighbourhood, gobbling down a pizza in the summer and thinking, “Krishna! Krishna and everything.”
I didn’t have the whole thing together because there weren’t any rules and regulations. It wasn’t like nowadays. (If I did something like that in the later stages of knowing Prabhupada, I would think, “Boy, I was just at the temple and now I’m in maya.”) In the beginning, we had no idea what was right or wrong. It was just great to be chanting Hare Krishna. The more association I got with Swamiji, the more it got me to thinking about all those things I had done before meeting him – eating pizza, playing a jazz record … Bit by bit, Swamiji indicated that all those things should be replaced. No, I shouldn’t eat pizza, I shouldn’t drink coke, I shouldn’t listen to jazz. I shouldn’t even listen to Ravi Shankar. Those things were sense gratification. To love Krishna, I couldn’t have any sense gratification. There were right ways to do things. We innocently took to his instructions. We wanted to do what he said: “Okay, no sense gratification.”
Then I decided that there was no way to make such a transformation while living on Suffolk Street, so I moved to a new apartment. It was like a new life. A new sleeping bag (I left behind the bed, all the records, the cats, the marijuana, the LSD.) I moved in and painted the walls white, chained my typewriter to the radiator, remembered to bring my work clothes. No sense gratification. Early in the day I would make my own capātīs like crackers and put slices of tomato on them and then cover them over with a dish. Then later I would return to my own Hare Krishna lunch of a crisp capātī and slice of tomato. At night, some milk. Life was good.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 September 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Initiation Lecture)
We need are the blessings of the spiritual master. It is said that we should try to please the spiritual master. This is when we look at it from the disciple’s perspective. Now, I was thinking about it from guru’s perspective – the disciple has to please the guru, so what does that mean!? Does that mean that the guru just has to act pleased when the disciple has served up to a reasonable level which is commonly understood as acceptable behavior for a devotee? Should the spiritual master be pleased in that way or should he really be pleased in the heart?
I really thought about it and concluded that the guru-disciple relationship is based on truth and on nothing but truth. It will only work if there is truth: when the spiritual master is completely truthful and when disciple is completely truthful. That is all we have between us – the truth! So I was thinking and found that the truth is that the spiritual master has to be really pleased, pleased in the heart.
So I tell you – I am hard to please (laughter)! I have always been like that – a little spoiled, so not easy to please – as I want everything perfect and nothing else!
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Radhanatha Swami and Giriraj Swami spoke during the evening program.
“Prahlad Maharaja said. ‘I had fallen in a blind well full of snakes following the general populace. But my Spiritual master, Narada Muni, save me. Therefore my first duty is to serve him. How could I give up his service?’ Prahlad was saying this to Lord Nrismhadeva. He was speaking to the Lord face to face but still he was remembering his spiritual master who had saved him. Srila Prabhupada quoted that verse in the mood of service to his spiritual master. And we follow in the line from Srila Prabhupada—so we have the same mood—how could we give up his service?
Other verses that Prahlad spoke to Lord Nrismhadeva also exemplify the mood of Srila Prabhupada. In one of them Prahlad says. ‘Generally saintly persons go to the mountains and perform vows of silence. They are concerned with their own liberation and they don’t want to be in cities where there are materialistic people and facilities. I am not one of those saintly persons. I do not want to be liberated alone. I am always thinking how to deliver these poor fools and rascals and make them happy by bringing them to the shelter of Your lotus feet.’ And Srila Prabhupada is very much in that mood.”
—Giriraj Swami
Nrsimha-caturdasi, Radhanatha Swami
Nrsimha-caturdasi, Giriraj Swami
By Giriraj Swami When I first joined ISKCON in 1969, we all were quite young and not many of us were married. And we were so new to Krsna consciousness and so dependent on Srila Prabhupada that we asked him for guidance in every area. When one devotee, Advaita dasa, who had recently gotten married, asked Srila Prabhupada about his having loving feelings for his wife, Prabhupada replied, “One hand cannot love the other hand directly—it must go through the stomach. Similarly, one person cannot love another person unless God is in the center.” There is the right hand, and there is the left hand, but what connects them is the body. In this example, the two hands are the husband and wife, and the body is Krsna. We had to change our consciousness, Prabhupada told us, and put Krsna at the center. That, he said, would make all the difference. When our false ego is at the center, we have so many problems, but when Krsna is at the center, our relationships become harmonious. Continue reading "The Purpose of Grihastha Ashrama
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The African BBT has just published its annual report. Lots happening. Download here.
The post BBT Africa annual report — 2015 appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.
Narasimha Chaturdasi Celebration 05/20/2016 Durbar Square, Bhaktapur
[Full Album, 406 Photos]
This Festival was co-ordinated by ISKCON Kathmandu, NEPAL and organized by ISKCON Bhaktapur.
Festival took place at Bhaktapur Durbar Square that started with Sri Narasimha Yagya. As soon as Yagya completed there was a rainfall. Then continued with Maha Avisheka of Sri Nrisimha Dev .
The weather was such that there was sometime rain and sometime sun.
Then by doing Harinaam devotees headed towards Sri Jagannath Mandir to Continue Remaining Programs.
Cultural Programs and Nrisimha Katha by HG Patri Prabhu was held in Jagannath Mandir. Festival ended with Maha Feast. Jaya Nrisimha Dev!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/YxmLf0
Lord Narasimhadeva’s appearance day and Harinam in Passau (Album with photos)
Passau is a German city on the Austrian border, lies at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers. Known as the Three Rivers City.
Srila Prabhupada: When the living entity understands the target of his life, he takes the arrow of his purified life, and with the help of the bow – the transcendental chanting of pranava, or the Hare Krishna mantra – he throws himself toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.42 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UnKQ6g
Due to the recent heavy rain showers in Sri Lanka, several areas of the country are affected. Around 60 people died by floods and 130 people died in landslides. Over 350,000 people have displaced and sheltered in various camps.
ISKCON Sri Lanka has been conducting the Food For Life program as it is the desire of Srila Prabhupada to distribute vegetarian food for the needy. As the responsibility to help the flood victims, the volunteers and members of ISKCON Sri Lanka distributed cooked vegetarian food (prasadam) to the affected areas in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The food is cooked in the kitchen at the temple and the food parcels are packed and distributed by the volunteers. We are doing this food distribution for the last five days.
Below are the photos of devotees making the food parcels and distributing to the affected areas.
The program started in a small way to assist these affected people; however with the increasing requests and requirements ISKCON Sri Lanka will have to extend the program in a bigger way.
ISKCON Sri Lanka seeks the support of the devotees worldwide to support for this cause and to assist to make this program reach many needy people at this time.
Please send your donations for this cause to the below stated bank account:
Account Name: Bhaktivedanta Food For Life Program
Bank: Commercial Bank (Kotahena branch), Colombo 13, Sri Lanka
Account No: 1120017014
Swift Code: CCEYLKLX
Please contact temple office in the below number/email for more details
Number: +94-772288166; Email: iskcon@slt.lk
Or Visit www.iskcon.lk
Message from:
Mahakarta Das
Temple President– ISKCON Sri Lanka
Salila Vihara is a summer festival celebrated for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. The festival starts after Nrsimha Caturdasi and continues for 15 days. To keep the deities cool from the scorching heat of sunny days, They are seated in a water pond or ‘Salila’ where They enjoy Their pastimes or ‘Vihar’. Sri Sri […]
The post Sri Sri Radha Madhava Salila Vihar 2016 begins! appeared first on Mayapur.com.
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By Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami When we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful universe, we can see that everything is working under the control of a supreme brain. The arrangements in nature are perfectly ordered. Things would be at random without the careful planning of a scientific and engineering brain. It is a common understanding that there is a cause behind each action. A machine cannot run without an operator. Modern scientists are very proud of automation, but there is a scientific brain behind automation also. Even Albert Einstein agreed that there is a perfect brain behind all the natural physical laws. When we talk about “brain” and “operator,” these terms imply a person. They cannot be impersonal. One may inquire who this person is. He is Lord Sri Krsna, the supreme scientist and supreme engineer, under whose kind will the whole cosmos is working. Sri Krsna says: “The whole cosmic order is under Me. By My will it is manifested again and again, and by My will it is annihilated at the end.” Continue reading "Krishna, The Supreme Scientist
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By Syamananda Dasa "No one is born hating another because of the color of his skin/ his background/ or his religion. People must learn to hate/ and if they can learn to hate/ they can be taught to love/ for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. II – Nelson Mandela. How does one begin hating anything else? What is the origin of this feeling? Let us begin by trying to understand the origin of 'hate'. Hate of course is an emotion directly opposing love and therefore it is part of material nature's duality. Duality means two, or pair, as love-hate, like-dislike, day-night, birth-death, up-down, victory-loss. The Bhagavad-gita says that everywhere you look, you will find everything in two's or pairs. Why? That is the nature of this world. If it is natural for this world to have everything in two's, then why are we not happy with this arrangement? Because it is unnatural for you and me to live in this world of duality. Our constitutional position is that of being subordinate to the Supreme Lord. Continue reading "Why do we hate?
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1200 devotees gather in Kiev, Ukraine for an ecstatic festival (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Comparing one’s own suffering to the suffering of others, one should be kind to all living entities. One cannot avoid the sufferings inflicted by providence, and therefore when suffering comes one should fully absorb oneself in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.24 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/6WwHm1
Who is stronger, lord Vayu or Lord Jagannath? (video)
In this lecture Mayesvara prabhu narrates to the Los Angeles temple devotees the incredible stories which occurred behind the scenes the day before the first Rathayatra in New York.
Jayananda prabhu sees one of his 3 newly constructed carts being destroyed by the fury of the wind, hours before the parade was meant to start in the center of NY city, with Srila Prabhupada present! Exhausted by days and days of hard work gives up all hopes of fixing it and decides to use the rest of the carts. The morale of the devotees plummets deeply and then something happens!
The devotee who narrates the story was present and involved in first person and during his talk the beautiful qualities of beloved and saintly Sriman Jayananda Prabhu, are unfolded and shine with their splendor! To watch it click here: https://goo.gl/TTDi3Y
All the residents of Vraja worship the Govardhana on the advice of Sri Krishna. Nanda Maharaj hosted golden flags from every peak of the Govardhana Mountain who shone with the bright jewels on His head. This vesa was offered to Sri Madhava on the 14th day of the Chandan Yatra. The residents of Vraja all […]
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Jusaniya Devi Dasi, disciple of Srila Prabhupada left her body.
Dear disciples of Srila Prabhupada,
I am the son of your Godsister Jusaniya Devi Dasi, and I am writing you this message on her account to inform you that in the very early hours of yesterday morning my mother passed from this world, here in Phoenix, due to complications from the cancer she had been struggling with, on and off, for the past six years.
My brother, Yudistira, and myself were at her bedside as she passed, taking her last breaths, with the Holy Names sung softly to her and our prayers and love holding her as best we could.
Jusaniya was kind and warm, with a generous spirit. She was always there to take part in both the joys and sorrows of others, even in the face of personal difficulty. She was such a sincere soul. She continued to work with care to attain and deepen her most authentic spiritual experience and expression of self and love.
I am praying to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada and to the divine couple, Sri Sri Radha Krishna to please accept her and care for her. And I am begging all of you to please, please hold my mother in your prayers and bless her with the strength of your open hearts.
Iskcon Videos presents “10 million views” a video project to promote spiritual activities of devotees around the world. Please view and share to get 10 million views!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/6npZpT
Photo highlights from the Manor’s Nrsimhadeva 2016 celebrations. (Album with HR photos)
David Crick: Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrated with a full programme on Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi with a beautiful altar display, a hilarious (and at times, ad-libbed) reading by the Bhaktivedanta Players, special class by Temple President Srutidharma Prabhu and a Nrsimha Kavacha Yajna. They then joined the ISKCON-London temple for maha harinama sankirtan in central London before spending the rest of the day at an external venue where there was an abhishek by the children and a drama and dance performance by the ladies ashram. The evening was rounded off with a sumptuous prasadam feast. Please find below photos from select parts of the day. Special thanks to Bhaktin Margarita for the London pictures. Find them here: http://goo.gl/0X6RZa
New Eco-School Inaugurated In Krishna-valley, Hungary.
Krishna-valley in Somogyvamos, Hungary is one of the fastest growing villages in the area. In the past two decades, due to the hard work of the devotees, the 275 hectars of land has become Europe’s largest eco-village.
There are 50 children living in Krishna-valley, who, by know, outgrew the original school building. Therefore it was time to build a new building, which, with its 200 square meters, 3 classrooms, big communal space could accommodate an additional 48 students.
The construction was financed by ISKCON Hungary, individual sponsors, as well as by the Human Resources Ministry of Hungary.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/ITTFx7
May 22. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: The Unthinkable – “What If?…”
Prabhupada struggled to leave India for America. It is a poignant drama: the preparation, the delay, the difficulties he had to undergo. What if something had happened to prevent him coming to us? Or as Prabhupada always pointed out, no one expected such an old man to embark on such an enterprise. Everyone retires at that age. Krishna and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura could have been sufficiently pleased by the path Prabhupada had already chosen, renouncing family and social life for the full-time service of Krishna. And yet if Prabhupada hadn’t come, what would have become of us?
He wrote and struggled to get donations to publish Back to Godhead in Delhi. Then he chose to reside in a little room in the Vamsi-Gopala temple in Vrndavana. Then he immerses himself in pure devotional service in the holy dhama in the Radha-Damodara Temple. But he thought, “Why shouldn’t people all over the world have the peace they are actually hankering for?” He rarely received visitors, but stayed alone writing. He walked to visit the temples in the evening.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8
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Dear BBT Africa Supporter The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Africa herewith presents to you its Annual Report for 2015.
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The continent has recorded its best score since 1992, with 267,941 books distributed for 2015.
South Africa was the number one distributor, after chasing Kenya for top-honours in the last five years. Once again, the 6th Annual Conference in Durban, South Africa has played a significant role in galvanizing more devotees in the host country to participate in the December Book Marathon.
From a production point of view, four titles were printed, with Vanity Karma winning the Benjamin Franklin Award for best book in the religion category in 2015.
BBT Africa’s financial position remains strong, keeping it poised for fulfilling its mandate of making Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and teachings available throughout Africa in whatever language a person prefers.
Yours in the service of Śrīla Prabhupāda,
The BBT Africa Team
ISKCON at 50: How India’s bhakti movement manages its finances.
ISKCON is famous for its vegetarian food which is also distributed free on special occasions. Last year ISKCON Juhu distributed more than 10 lakh plates of prasadam meal and 60 lakh cups of halva in and outside the temple premises. The prasadam meals are also distributed to the underprivileged during several festivals, as part of Anna Dan Seva initiative during Makar Sankranti, at temple anniversary celebrations and other occasions.
“We are able to give free prasadam meals due to donations that we receive from devotees,” says Mukund Madhav Das, vice president, ISKCON, Juhu. Some of its most celebrated devotees offer their services either through dance and music and funds thus raised are donated to the temple. There are generous donations too made by the devout who visit the temple regularly either through cash or kind or by paying for services such as feeding cows, for free meals for the needy, etc. The temple also raises funds through sale of religious books, its restaurant Govinda in the premises, snacks and bakery shop and gift shop.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/BrPvRI
