Websites from the ISKCON Universe
https://www.createspace.com/6251033 <– you can get the paperback here, now. If you are going to see me in May, it’ll be cheaper to buy it directly from me. If you want a kindle or pdf, please hang on till June. Rādhe Rādhe Śyāma !
By Madhava Smullen
For thirty years, a very special Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity has protected the devotees of New Vrindaban and all of North America, and received their love and service.
Now, residents of the West Virginia village want to invite people from all over North America to come celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of His installation, and to behold the only full-size Nrsimha Deity on the continent, on His sacred appearance day.
Sculpted by artist Soma Das in New Vrindaban and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man, half-lion Lord with his deep black skin and golden mane stands at a towering seven feet tall next to his boy devotee Prahlad – so the celebration is sure to be an awe-inspiring spectacle.
Although the original installation was on January 6th, this year’s epic three-day anniversary festival will run from Friday May 20th – Nrsimha Chaturdasi – to Sunday May 22nd.
On the first day, all the devotees will bathe the full-size Deities with a variety of liquids including milk, yoghurt and ghee from New Vindaban’s own protected cows. During this maha-abhisekha, one thousand Nrsimha Kavachas will also be knotted together into one huge garland, and offered to the Lord.
On Saturday, the Nrsimha Kavacha mantra will be chanted 108 times during a fire sacrifice to invoke the feral Lord’s protection, and the thousand Kavachas will be distributed to the guests.
And on both days, there will be dramatic retellings of the story of Nrsimhadeva and Prahlad by award-winning storyteller Sankirtan Das; roaring kirtans, special Nrsimha aratis; and delectable feasts – with many of the community devotees bringing offerings from their homes. Sunday, meanwhile, will wrap things up with a Govardhana parikrama and Sunday Feast.
But perhaps one of the biggest treats of the festival will be the Nrsimha Katha on both Friday and Saturday. Senior Prabhupada disciples Urmila Dasi and Srutakirti Das will speak about Lord Nrsimhadeva’s loving pastimes; Soma Das and other early New Vrindaban devotees will share their memories of sculpting and installing the Lord thirty years ago.
Back then, Soma recalls, New Vrindaban devotees had longed to install Nrsimhadeva for protection for many years.
“Then one day, I was walking from Prabhupada’s Palace down to the old temple at Bahulaban,” he says. “I had already finished my japa, and I remembered reading in the Nectar of Devotion that performing service in your mind is as good as performing it in real life. I started to meditate on making a beautiful Nrsimhadeva Deity, and installing Him in a wonderful temple. So when I was asked later if I wanted to sculpt Him, I was over the moon!”
Like most of the pioneering devotees building up New Vrindaban at the time, Soma, then 32, had no professional experience or education in sculpting. Instead, he had learned on the job; his many sculptures, including a giant Gaura-Nitai and bas relief forms of Jaya and Vijaya, already adorned the community.
Beginning work on Lord Nrsimhadeva and Prahlad Maharaj in October 1985, he first formed the Lord from clay. While doing so, he consulted the Shilpa Shastra and other Vedic texts, particularly the descriptions of Nrsimha in Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam.
He also consulted Sri Vaishnava priest Sampat Kumar Bhattacharya, head of the Tirupati temple authority TTD, who had been personally praised for his expertise by Srila Prabhupada.
It “just so happened” that as Soma was sculpting Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Bhattacharya was visiting nearby Pittsburgh to open a South Indian temple there – the first time a Sri Vaishnava priest had ever done so outside of India.
“He came by, approved my work, and answered all my questions,” Soma says. “Like the whole process, it seemed like divine arrangement. It really felt like Lord Nrsimhadeva wanted to appear in New Vrindaban, and I was just working for Him. It didn’t even feel like I made Him.”
The Deity was completed quickly, in only three months. Kumar, Sudhanu and their mold shop crew made plaster molds from Soma’s clay original and poured in epoxy resin mixed with granite dust and ground-up West Virginia coal for the jet black color. Prahlad, meanwhile, was cast out of cultured white marble.
Although the devotees were pensive because there was only one chance for the cast to work, they breathed a sigh of relief and awe when on the fateful day, Kumar opened the molds to reveal the beautiful Deities of the Lord and His devotee.
“I remember we all ran over to see Him come out of the mold,” recalls Madhurya-lila Dasi. “It was amazing.”
Meanwhile, all the different Deity worship departments at New Vrindaban were in marathon mode as the installation date loomed.
Ishani headed up the jewelry workshop with a small core group, including Madhurya-lila, Gopi, and Janaki, and got help from anyone else she could. Her team created pieces by soldering brass or copper jewelry findings together, electroplating, cutting crystals to create jewels, and hammering relief designs by hand – all of it learned through books and on the job.
“We were working from 7 in the morning until probably 10 or 11 at night,” says Madhurya-lila. “And I’m pretty sure all of us pulled at least one all-nighter.”
Despite this, Madhurya-lila – who will also create the Lord’s jewelry for the 30th anniversary -- says she loved it. “There was a team spirit that I’ve rarely experienced anywhere else in my life. I would go back to that jewelry shop in a heartbeat. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
The result of all this dedicated teamwork was a gorgeous full set of golden jewelry set with red and green jewels for Prahlad and Nrsimhadeva: a large tubular crown, sudarshan chakra, conchshell, earrings, necklaces, arm and ankle bracelets, and tilak and belt. Ishani created the Lord’s eyes as well, along with Kuladri Das.
The Deity Sewing Department, headed by Adhara Dasi and her dedicated crew of women, also worked around the clock in the months leading up to the installation day, creating new outfits for the Lord and His boy devotee. These included a beautiful yellow dhoti and crimson chaddar lined with gold for the Lord, a purple dhoti with violet chaddar for Prahlad, and a velvet backdrop adorned with winding flowered vines.
For the installation on January 6th, 1986 and surrounding three-day festival, hundreds of devotees from all over North America gathered for ecstatic chanting, dancing, feasting, dramas and more – just as they will on the 30th anniversary celebration.
Gaura Keshava Das, a brahamana priest who had been trained in South India by Sampat Kumar amongst others, performed the elaborate installation rituals, including fire sacrifices in the yajnashala outside the temple, and Prana Pratistha.
“This involved touching the heart of the Deity, and inviting the Lord to please expand His heart and reside within the Deity, and accept the worship of the devotees,” Gaura Keshava recalls.
During this process, four strong devotees carried the 400-pound Lord into the temple room. A blindfold was removed and His eyes were ceremonially opened. He was then installed with much pomp upon a beautiful golden altar and throne cast by Kumar in New Vrindaban.
From then on, Lord Nrsimhadeva was very merciful to all the New Vrindaban devotees, and especially the Prahlad-like children – in the 1980s, the older gurukula boys would perform all His morning aratis, while once a week the women and younger boys and girls would worship Him.
Today, His early servants such as Srimati, Jayasri and Lokadristi continue to worship Him alongside new pujaris like Abhinandana Das.
And now, at this May’s unmissable 30th anniversary celebration, we’ll all get to feel His love and protection, as we hear from those who were there how He appeared all those years ago in New Vrindaban.
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.54
“The basic principle of Deity worship is that one must understand oneself to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. One who is addicted to sexual gratification, foolishly identifying himself with the external material body, cannot change his conception of himself from that of an enjoyer to that of the enjoyed. Such a person interprets the word tan-mayam to mean that the worshiper is himself also the worshipable object. Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhupada has written in his Durga-sangamani, his commentary on Sri Rupa Gosvami Prabhu’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, that ahangrahopasana, or the process of worshiping oneself as the Supreme, is a gross misidentification of one’s own self with the Supreme, who is actually one’s eternal shelter. The Six Gosvamis have repeatedly clarified this point. But unintelligent persons within the prakrta-sahajiya community become influenced by the bogus ideas of the Mayavadi philosophers and thus display the deluded misconception that the worshiper becomes the supreme shelter. Such a hallucination is an aparadha, an offense against the Lord. Therefore the word tan-maya in this verse should not be offensively understood to mean that the worshiper becomes equal to his eternal worshipable object.” (SB 11.3.54 purport)
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.52-53.
“Srila Prabhupada says that if you dress the deity in beautiful garments you will lose the desire to dress yourself in beautiful garments. In other words by engaging in the service of the senses of the Lord, our senses will become so satisfied transcendentally that we will not want to indulge our senses materially. So, the process of deity worship is very important. Srila Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura in his book Madhurya Kadambani explains that the different stages of devotional service are diferent degrees of changing the emphasis or focus from one’s own self to Krishna.”
ISKCON Mayapur Boat Festival (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krishna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 20.12)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/j30XNg
By Bharat Chandra das Unless we simplify our dietary habits, it is not possible to achieve self-sufficiency in our village community projects and it is not possible to become simple. Our conditioning with opulent food that comes from three thousand different destinations is what we look to replicate in our agricultural practices. Even if by some intelligent arrangement if this is possible, we loose the purpose - the simplicity. How much true is Srila Prabhupada's statement - "Use ONLY what you produce, produce ONLY what you need"! Our conditioning, thanks to "Green revolution" and other ongoing efforts by corporates and corrupt governments combined, is due to brainwashing about nutrition, diet and supplements. But when we go back to nature, everything makes sense. The first thing to do is willing to simplify our diet. Continue reading "“Simplicity Diet”
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By Amogha das A few years ago I presented a photo table at a Sunday feast at one of our temples. One devotee came up to the table and held a photo of Lord Nrsimhadev in his hands. I encouraged him to take Lord Nrsimhadev home, but he said, "If I was qualified to worship Him!" and quickly walked away. He seemed to be afraid of Lord Nrsimhadev. More recently my daughter and her husband removed the photo of Lord Nrsimhadev from their altar because they heard that some couples had been devastated by worshiping an Ugra Nrsimha Deity in their home. Ugra Nrsimha is the terrifying form of the Lord standing ready to attack the demons and totally destroy them, in order to save His devotee Prahlad. To worship Him in His Deity form one must be strictly celibate, and there are many strict rules and methods of worship. One point is that having a photo of a Deity on an altar is not the same as having a Deity, but more importantly, Lord Nrsimhadev in Mayapur is extremely merciful. Continue reading "Merciful Nrsimhadev
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ISKCON to Open First Ever Temple in Guyanese Capital.
Devotees are set to open their first ever temple in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, this July as an offering to Srila Prabhupada for the 50th anniversary of his ISKCON.
The temple, located in an extremely sought-after area, will receive its grand opening during a five-day festival beginning on July 13th, the day Prabhupada incorporated his society.
It’s set to be a pinnacle for ISKCON Guyana, which is already one of the most active ISKCON congregations in the world per capita.
“The country has a population of only 750,000 people, but we now have five temples and six annual Rathayatras,” says temple board chairman Prabhupada Deva Das.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/wbsUqQ
namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya
govindaya namo namah
My Lord, you are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and the of the entire world.
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.16 Purport: For the cowherd men and the cows, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend. Therefore He is worshiped by the prayer namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. His pastimes in Gokula, His dhāma, are always favorable to the brāhmaṇas and the cows. His first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brāhmaṇas. In fact, comfort for the brāhmaṇas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern. Because of His presence, all people would overcome all difficulties and always be situated in transcendental bliss.
Mahaprabhu’s cows at Yoga-Pith need a bigger gosala. The old shelter they have is too small for the amount of cows there. They need a comfortable shelter.
I have put together this fundraising to help the devotees at Mahaprahu’s birth place to finish building a bigger gosala. The rainy season in Mayapur is coming so the cows need a shelter.
I’m approaching the vaishnava community to please help us in this mission of keeping mother cow protected.
https://www.youcaring.com/hindu-temple-yoga-pitha-566356
Thank you for your service to mother cow and the holy dham.
Your servant,
Isvari Priya DD
From the day of Akshaya Tritya, when the Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panca-tattva and Lord Narasimha deva are covered in chandan, the small Radha Madhava deities enjoy a boat festival and swing festival for 7 days. The Lordships are carried in a Palanquin by the devotees led by a kirtan party to the Prabhupada Pushpa […]
The post Mayapur Boat festival 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Often, the competitive desire to “be the best” can carry over into our divine pursuit. We mentally create a spiritual CV and proceed to judge our success based on the achievements, recognition and respect that we can build up within our spiritual circle.
By Giriraj dasa A few months back I had the good fortune to get association of a senior Vaishanava. During the lecture one line that really touched my heart was the advice that we should daily pray to Prabhupada to ‘make me an instrument of your compassion in this very life time’. It was seemingly a simple statement but it touched my heart and I started following it since then. Just by praying like this daily to Srila Prabhupada had some effect on my dull consciousness, inspired me to some act and brought newer realisations. I searched for this topic and found some very inspiring statements in scriptures, and particularly by Srila Prabhupada. I pray that below quotes will help every single follower of Srila Prabhupada to aspire to become his instrument of compassion in this very life time. What was Srila Prabhupada’s mood? Continue reading "Make me an instrument of your compassion!
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Nearly 20 diverse civil rights and religious groups today asked a court to support a community of Muslims in New Jersey who have been trying to build a house of worship for almost a decade.
For thirty years, a very special Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity has protected the devotees of New Vrindaban and all of North America, and received their love and service. Now, residents of the West Virginia village want to invite people from all over North America to come celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of His installation, and to behold the only full-size Nrsimha Deity on the continent, on His sacred appearance day.
Mayapur Institute: Unfolding Srila Prabhupada’s biggest vision on Education.
To fulfill this vision of Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur Institute (MI) was established in the year 2000. Since the launch of the Institute in 2000, over 2500 students of various religion, caste, creed and sex coming from various places like USA, UK, Russia, China, Australia, Africa, Europe, etc. have benefited from these programs.
Due to growth in student enrollment every year, the current classrooms and offices are inadequate. Hence, MI has embarked on setting up an exclusive campus at Mayapur.
The Project
Mayapur Institute Campus project, located behind the Gurukul and conceived from the fabulous architectural style of the ancient Dwaraka city is spread over 10 acres surrounded by the green space bursting with fields and forests. Situated on the banks of Ganga, it is ideal for those with a taste for walking through lovely natural areas. The entire campus and all the buildings will be fully vastu compliant with a general slope from SW to NE.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/6CYf0A
The post Daily Darshan: May 13th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Vana – Bihari – Frolicking in the forest The cows take the lead directed by Madhava’s flute song- kicking their hind legs in the air, shaking their necks, and repeatedly lowing as they turn their heads to glance lovingly at the divine brothers. The cowherd boys play flute, blow horns and sing about Madhava’s victories […]
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A modern cartoon interpretation of the Ramayana by American artist Nina Paley.
Harinama and book distribution in Tel Aviv, Israel (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krishna. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 20.11)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/K2BLPf
After his Vyasa Puja festival in Radhadesh, Kadamba Kanana Swami travelled to India for a one month stay. We arrived in Vrindavan on 30 April and spent a week there. We welcomed heat after it had been snowing in Radhadesh. Maharaj took a few days off to recover from the journey and the recent events. On Monday (02 May), the disappearance day of Srila Vrindavan das Thakur, Maharaj gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class at the Krsna Balaram temple based on verse 6.9.36. He spoke about the different expansions of the Lord and also explained how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from Krsna. Maharaj went on to tell stories from the Caitanya Bhagavat, which was written by Srila Vrindavan das Thakur. He mentioned the occasion where Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Jagai and went blackish for a moment from all the sinful activities of Jagai which were absorbed; the Lord was displaying his non-difference from Krsna in this way. Watch the video on Youtube here.
On the next day, Maharaj gave an evening class based on Bhagavad-gita 3.34. The verse described lust and envy. Maharaj quoted Srila Baladev Vidyabusan, who said that these two (lust and envy) are thieves because they steal our pious activities if we give into them, and our consciousness will be plundered. Later on Maharaj pacified the audience though, by saying that even if we may not be pure devotees yet, we do have some love and taste for devotional service, for we do it voluntarily and this is what will carry us in our spiritual life. Watch the video on Youtube here.
Indradyumna Swami was also in Vrindavan during this time and Kadamba Kanana Swami went to meet him one day, to speak to him personally – they both went through some similar health problems and have a long-standing friendship. Indradyumna Swami was celebrating his Vyasa Puja the next day and Maharaj attended and spoke some words of glorification. There were many nice offerings by the disciples of Indradyumna Swami and he would often make some funny comment in response or glorify them back. Bada Hari Prabhu was also there and Indradyumna Swami said, “We would ask Bada Hari Prabhu to speak, but you must understand, he has to go through this six more times,” (referring to Vyasa Puja) and went on to say speak some sweet words about Bada Hari Prabhu, explaining that they have been travelling together for the last four years.
Maharaj and I kept up our daily 5km walk and on one evening, after the heat had gone down a bit, we visited the Radha Raman deity to take darshan. Maharaj also led kirtan in front of Krsna Balaram on another evening after the weekend was over and the temple wasn’t so crowded. Many devotees had been asking Maharaj to sing since the first day, so they were very pleased when he did. On the last days, many disciples came to see Maharaj, and he gave them a lot of personal time. There were also aspiring devotees, whom Maharaj accepted to our god-family.
From Vrindavan we travelled to the Delhi temple to stay for a night. Maharaj would’ve sang a fired up mangal arati for them, if our flight to South India hadn’t been so early in the morning. We arrived at the Ayurvedic clinic in Coimbatore on 06 May, Maharaj will be undergoing Ayurvedic treatment here for three weeks before returning to Europe.
Devotees are set to open their first ever temple in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, this July as an offering to Srila Prabhupada for the 50th anniversary of his ISKCON. The temple, located in an extremely sought-after area, will receive its grand opening during a five-day festival beginning on July 13th, the day Prabhupada incorporated his society.
ISKCON Pandava Sena, the dynamic youth organisation of the UK, will be visiting Goloka Dhama Temple in Germany this July, as part of its annual “Senagetaway” trip. The trip not only provides a spiritual break for many young members of ISKCON in the UK and abroad, but also allows them to expand their horizons and take the sentiment of service into the real world and apply it in their lives.
Sri Jahnu muni resided in Navadvipa. The Island is named after him as Jahnu dvip. When, Bhagirath from the ikswaku dynasty brought Ganga to earthly planet by great penance to deliver his ancestors he passed by Jahnu muni’s ashram in Navadvipa. Ganga Devi who was following Bhagirath with great force washed away the sage’s hut. […]
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An unmissable spiritual retreat for youth to Goloka Dhama, Germany with Kadamba Kanana Swami and Gaur Gopal Das.
To sign up, visit: http://psena.com/senagetaway/journey-...
Vastra Harana – Stealing the clothes of the gopis O best of those who give blessings, you were pleased by the vow of the cowherd maidens. Please be satisfied with me. You thief, you stole the clothes of the gopis engrossed in playing in the water. I offer my homage to you, who climbed the […]
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Lord Jesus: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
Srila Prabhupada: “Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate with each other after I am gone.”
“Our movement is based on love and trust, so if we do not co-operate, then how is that love and trust? 750116 - Letter to Krsnavesa
Pandava Sena retreat 2016 in Germany.
ISKCON Pandava Sena, the dynamic youth organisation of the UK, will be visiting Goloka Dhama Temple in Germany this July, as part of its annual “Senagetaway” trip. The trip not only provides a spiritual break for many young members of ISKCON in the UK and abroad, but also allows us to expand our horizons and take the sentiment of service into the real world and apply it in our lives.
This is our request to any ISKCON youth that want to join us, whether in the UK, Europe or around the world! We believe this is a great opportunity to develop deep friendships with each other, dive deeper into spiritual practices, and empower each other in collectively serving in Srila Prabhupada’s movement!
Promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYMa1EEl_-s
The annual trip has been held in a plethora of locations such as Belgium, Spain, Italy and France in the past with a variety of themes such as the Mahabharata, and this year we plan to visit Germany with the theme of “Vrindavan" - How to manifest Vrindavan consciousness in our hearts. Not only will the trip be full of exciting activities such as a day out to Europe’s biggest theme park, but we’ll be absorbed in ecstatic kirtans, interactive seminars, Q&A sessions and service opportunities in store.
This year, we’re fortunate to have the most incredible guests! We’ll be joined by: HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, HH Sacinandana Swami and HG Gaur Gopal Prabhu - all experts at making Krishna Consciousness relevant to the next generation.
If you would like to find out more (or want to sign up straight away!), please visit out website at http://www.psena.com/senagetaway/journey-home/ and do not hesitate to contact us via email at senagetaway@gmail.com with any questions. More information about our wonderful location, Goloka Dhama, can be found on their website at http://www.goloka-dhama.de.
Your Servants,
ISKCON Pandava Sena.
Jananivas Prabhu’s service was to bring frankincense to Srila Prabhupada’s room in the evening. He mentioned that usually after you fill a room with frankincense, you open the doors and windows so that the mosquitos go out with the smoke. Srila Prabhupada however liked to keep the smoke within the room and stopped Jananivas Prabhu […]
The post An Unexpected Encounter appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Beautiful letter of “Thank you”.
Adikarta Das: This is a very nice letter from a young girl in Jacksonville, Florida. It shows the importance of book distribution, and the potency of Srila Prabhupada’s books. I am sending it to encourage the devotees to make book distribution a priority.
—–
Hello! My name is Savannah. You gave my boyfriend and I books at art walk–I was the girl with the short blonde hair and he was the one who told you that he was from Venezuela and ended up owing me five dollars.
I started reading the “Self Realization” book in school the next day, and instantly began highlighting. I’ve just started reading, but so much has clicked with me already. I am finishing my junior year in high school, and have always struggled with not fitting in with my family’s religion. They are all Christians, my parents incredibly disappointed that I’m not constantly involved in their church. The truth is, there is so much hypocrisy with how their faith has presented itself, that I’ve claimed to be an atheist every since the eighth grade. This is primarily due to their beliefs and judgements on other individuals. (Yes, sadly, they are voting for trump and I may or may not have multiple Bernie stickers on my car.) But I have longed for a sense of spirituality, feeling as if I am missing out on a lifestyle that is right for me and meets my beliefs and views. I have always been interested in different religions and known that one day I would like to help others, aspiring to get my Master’s in mental health counseling. I’ve also recently taken up yoga and meditation, finding those tools to work wonders for the mind. This book immediately hooked me through mentioning the use of meditation and yoga as techniques to clear the mind, as well as going on to doing things for others, and even proceeded to mention the hypocrisy in many other common religions today, primarily, Christianity. I have already related and fallen in love with so many statements made in this book, and am definitely planning on finishing it. I’m also going vegetarian!
I just wanted to say thank you, and let you know that you are doing a really great thing for America by spreading this positive energy. I feel like, this year especially, our country has become incredibly divided with hatred and judgements on other human beings. Religions have definitely become more of a brand name than a kind, loving belief system, and I’m so happy that has been admitted and changed. I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting you, and can’t wait to finish reading. Thank you, I’m very happy I have found this book, as well as Krishna Consciousness. Have a blessed day!
Savannah :-)
Sri Harinam Sankirtan Nectar: Sydney, 12-05-16 (Album with photos)
It’s Thursday night and once again Sri Harinam came to the streets of the city of Sydney. Tonight we all experienced another very beautiful Harinam. Thanks to the 20 devotees who came along to make Harinam a regular event on Sydney’s streets.
We had a wonderful start to the evening and there were many adventures along the way. One lady told us she wanted us to to chant Hare Krishna in English. We said we are chanting in English and she stayed with us and made videos of the Harinam.
Then there was a young man who came along and he wanted to sing. He looked like he was African but when we let him have a turn he was singing a Hindi bhajan, glorifying Lord Rama. It was wild and crazy.
Tonight we sang and danced along George street and then back to Town Hall by the Event cinema.
Whilst we were chanting at an intersection two guys came along and started chanting with us. They stayed with us for the rest of the night. They really enjoyed the chanting and dancing and the end they asked where we were from because they really loved it and wanted more. You can see them in a couple of photos.
Thanks to Radha Vinod Prabhu who distributed two books.
And don’t forget, we are chanting and dancing in the street every Thursday in the City of Sydney. We meet at 6.30pm to 8pm at Town Hall.
Please join us whenever you can, we have so much fun and so does everyone else. See you next Thursday.
Sri Harinam Sankirtan ki jaya.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/QYr5A8
May 13. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Worshiping Memories of Swamiji.
In our own little way, we are worshiping the hours and minutes when we were with Srila Prabhupada. One way to worship sacred time is to ask it, “Please come forward so that we may praise you with words and tell the world what it was like. Kindly come forward and reveal yourself, minutes and hours in which I was with Prabhupada.”
Almost as soon as I began seeing Srila Prabhupada, I also began fondly remembering him and what he said. After attending his morning class at 26 Second Avenue, I would walk east one block to First Avenue and then walk north to the Fifth Street Welfare Office. Just before Fifth Street was a very big apartment building where I used to stand in the entranceway under a roof and “kill time” before going in to punch the clock. I remember standing there and reviewing some of the philosophy that Prabhupada had spoken. He had said that any activity, if coated with bhakti, becomes a type of yoga. When fruitive activities are coated with bhakti, they become karma-yoga. Philosophical speculation coated with bhakti becomes jñāna-yoga, and pure devotional service activities are bhakti-yoga. What a wonderful philosophy!
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8
Worshiping Memories of Swamiji
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“Although the Bhakti movement has spread far and wide, not many people know its founder Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – even in India,” says ISKCON’s communications director in North India, Yudhistira Govinda Das. With the Festival of Inspiration in New Delhi this May 28th, he hopes to begin changing that. Supported by the Government of India’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium near Parliament. It’s expected to draw a full house.
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At the heart of the school are the students, of course. Directly nurturing them are our wonderful teachers. Ultimately, it is thanks to them that our students are happy and successful. It’s their hard work and dedication that drive everything. It’s their daily, personal interactions, their care and attention, their patience and love which directly affect the children’s learning experience.
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While we deeply appreciate their hard work year-around, on Friday, May 6th, we observed “Teachers’ Appreciation Day” at TKG Academy, to express our immense gratitude. Under Krishna Mangala Mataji’s coordination, parents brought elaborate lunch preparations. Many students wrote cards to their teachers and some brought gifts.
This year we included our volunteer teachers as well. Each teacher received a personalized gift, related to their subject of instruction. It was a lovely celebration of appreciation, marking an outstanding year of steadfast service.
WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT? I have thought about and discussed this general idea many times, yet to me, it is always super essential, as what is important to us--really, really important, not just in theory, but what we feel in our heart and emotions--defines us and tells us where we are going in life. At one point in my life, having a relationship was my all defining absorption, and I was always on the lookout for that. At another time, finding myself materially--who I was in this body and what kind of work I should do, consumed my thinking and hankering.
Now, after many years of living, of finding what for me as been an ideal loving relationship, and my work as a writer, speaker, and healer, now, as I still meditate on death, even as my tumor is shrinking, I look into my heart beyond just wanting material desires that just go with my conditioned identity, or the lusts of the flesh, which I acknowledge as one part of me, but have done my best to make it only muzak in the background, I have to say that my devotion to Krishna is the most important aspect of my life.
I consider this the fruit of my years of practice, even though it has not reached the pitch of an all-encompassing, self-defining state, I still feel it, as I do during my worship and at times throughout the day as I pray and call out, "Please help me," or "Let me realize my full devotional potential and my service to others," etc, and it gives me hope of the person I am becoming. I want to give this energy and focus, and not merely the insanity and scandals of the larger world, or our devotional world. While I acknowledge that there are many important causes that need to be addressed, and I am glad that some people are,
