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Thursday evening in Moscow
Daily Darshan: April 15th, 2016
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All glories to Lord Ramacandra (English/Russian)
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Suitable Husband Suitable Wife (video-lecture with Mahatma das…
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Suitable Husband Suitable Wife (video-lecture with Mahatma das given 2016-04-13, at ISKCON Chowpatty)
Srila Prabhupada: In this material world, we are trying to be happy in society, friendship and love. But the happiness we are getting, that is compared to a drop of water in the desert. Our heart desires real pleasure, transcendental bliss. We are hankering after Krishna. That is our inner desire. We are trying to get eternal happiness. Vrindavan, April 17, 1975.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/TEfAEU
Bhakti Immersion at Govardhan Eco-Village
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Over one hundred participants from five yoga and kirtan groups joined for the Bhakti Immersion Retreat held at Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) from January 25 to January 29, 2016. In the words of Vishvambhar Sheth, who headed one of the groups, the retreat consisted of “Bhakti teachings, yoga asana classes, Ayurveda and of course dancing and chanting!”
Another group leader John Smritic shared on social media a picture of Radhanath Swami addressing the participants of the retreat (John included) and texted his experience, “360° mountain surround, golden setting sun, warm Indian countryside air… A talk on the very essence of Bhakti Yoga and Bhakti philosophy. The satsang gave way to ecstatic kirtan as day turned dusk turned the most transcendental starlight sky I have ever seen. Humbled, honored and grateful beyond words.” Yoga teacher Gopi Kinnicut posted a similar picture on the internet and added, “What a heart filled evening!”
After three days at the retreat, Vishvambhar posted on Facebook, “We’ve only been at the Govardhan Eco Village for less than 3 days, but we feel completely at home…our eternal home, GolokaVrindavan, planet of cows. The spiritual vibrations of this place is beyond this world in all aspects.”
At the end of the retreat, Gaura Vani, leader of the kirtan group Hanumen, said “We gathered this year – 108 enthusiastic friends – at the Govardhan Eco Village. We brought our students, guests, pilgrims and even our families and children. We studied yoga, Mantra Music, sacred stories, ayurveda. We ate together, sang and danced, served with local villagers. It was a beautiful home-coming. Like friends and relatives who didn’t know each other were being introduced for the first time. Under the guidance of the beautiful and dedicated devotees at GEV a home is being created for all of us. For the animals. For the environment. For the monks and villagers. A place where sincere spiritual seekers can go to find their inner holy land. Their inner Vrindavan. That’s why we all return each year to this village deep in the drought-stricken Maharastrian countryside. To learn how to harvest the rain and fill our thirsty heart-wells with sweet sacred water.”
999th Birthday! Kripamoya das: April 10 is the birthday of…
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999th Birthday!
Kripamoya das: April 10 is the birthday of Ramanujacarya, the great teacher and organiser of the Sri Sampradaya, the human vehicle of Laxmi Devi’s teachings within this world. Actually, this is his 999th birthday, which means that next year will be his millennial celebration. For someone’s teachings to endure for a thousand years and to be an unfailing source of inspiration for millions of people after all that time – means that what he wrote, and what he did, are of perennial use – practically and spiritually.
Ramanuja is remembered for his contributions to an already-existing tradition; contributions that rendered it possible for that tradition to endure through many generations. The world does not always care for spiritual thinkers and leaders. In fact, it is because spiritual leaders often present intellectual challenges to political leaders of the day that they are first to be persecuted.
Ramanuja had to go into hiding for several years when the king of the region saw him as his biggest threat. His followers were persecuted and cruelly tortured. Thousands were slaughtered in one city, years later, in a religious ethnic cleansing that it would serve us well to remember more often.
The great saint wrote books of amazing clarity and logical argumentation, poetry and devotion. He reorganised and upgraded temple worship in hundreds of towns, and created an India-wide human network of teachers and spiritual preceptors. Above all, he was an affectionate guardian to those who took shelter of him; who served him with dedication and love for many years until his passing in 1137 at the grand age of 120.
Sri Rama Navami – Lord Rama in Navadvipa
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All the incarnations of Sri Krsna that appeared in different yugas eternally reside here, in Navadvipa Dham and all the holy places in the universe also reside in Navadvipa. The island of Modaruma is non-different from Ayodhya dham. Lord Ramchandra along with Sita Devi and Lakshman came here during His exile. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur describes […]
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ISKCON Kolkata’s musical venture ‘Krishna Sudha Ras’ wins “BEST DEVOTIONAL ALBUM” of the year at GIMA Awards 2016
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By Patita Pavana Dasa
ISKCON Kolkata’s debut musical album Krishna Sudha Ras released on the eve of 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada leaving to West has won most prestigious GIMA (Global Indian Musical Awards) Award for the year 2016 under “BEST DEVOTIONAL ALBUM” category
The album contains 10 songs, all of them are either Vaishnava Bhajans or the Hare Krishna maha mantra tracks except for one which is composed to glorify Srila Prabhupada. The track was named as “Tribute to Srila Prabhupada”, since the album is a memorial to the historic Jaladuta Yatra. The album is targeted mainly towards the main stream music market and for those listeners who are not much familiar towards ISKCON. It features 6 singers and 6 music directors, most of them are highly rated professionals like Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan, SP Balasubrahmaniyam, Rickey Kej (Grammy Award 2014 Winner), Bikram Ghosh, Akriti Kakkar to name a few. The album was jointly produced by ISKCON and STRUMM, one of the leading production house in the Devotional music industry. Patita Pavana Das(CFA) and Chakradhari Das(IIT Graduate) were involved in this project.
“Although we have huge collection of bhajans and kirtans available for spiritual seekers, they are mostly confined to ISKCON stalls and in the music players of the devotees” says Chakradhari das. “When I visited all the major music shops across Kolkata as a part of the research, I didn’t find a single album belonging to ISKCON or even Hare Krishna maha-mantra while there are so many albums from other spiritual organizations or solo spiritual albums. It broke my heart to see that there are so many devotional music lovers outside but we have hardly any presence there, although ISKCON is the best in it and known for it. So, we thought it would be a good idea to come up with one album primarily targeted towards mass outreach and that would be a wonderful offering to Srila Prabhupada on his 50th Jaladuta Anniversary” he further adds.
The album was launched on the day of “Jaladuta Yatra” celebrations on 13th August 2015 in Kolkata in the presence of many senior leaders of ISKCON. The event which was attended by many politicians, VIPs, more than 25,000 people across 120 countries was a huge hit and it attracted great appreciation from both devotes and common masses alike.
Upon release, the album turned out to be an instant hit and topped the charts in ITunes. And it remained amongst the Top for many weeks. Especially 3 tunes in the album became enormously popular. “What thrilled me the most in this entire episode is that the Tribute song to Srila Prabhupada found place in the most popular tracks of the year in ITunes”, says Patita Pavan Dasa. “Initially we thought the lyrics for glorifying Prabhupada could be outsourced to someone best in the industry since we wanted this track to be the best. Later we felt that someone who has really received the mercy of Srila Prabhupada could glorify him the best. And we asked one of the brahmachari in our ashram to come up with a poem explaining the mood of Prabhupada while boarding Jaladuta and he came up with something so special, so special that we all realized Srila Prabhupada has accepted our project, else such a lyric wouldn’t have been possible”, shares these 2 devotees, who are serving in the role of council members of ISKCON Kolkata management.
The album was generously endorsed by Sonu Nigam and Shankar Mahadevan, who shared 4 tracks amongst them. These 2 are amongst most followed personalities in entire India in social media and they expressed their happiness having associated with ISKCON project and having sung the Hare Krishna maha mantra. Their posts in facebook requesting all their fans to hear Hare Krishna maha matra from the album became viral and it attracted so much appreciation from 1000s of music lovers.
“Certainly, spreading the holy name and spreading the glories of Srila Prabhupada are the two objectives of this album, and we are extremely pleased with the outcome” says RadhaRaman Das, General Manager of ISKCON Kolkata, who is the chief advisor and inspiration behind this project. “The album successfully distributed the holy name. It established ISKCON’s strong foothold in main stream music industry. It has fulfilled all the objectives that we have set for ourselves. Even at a personal level, I find this album as one of the best in my list and I keep hearing it and share it with others whenever possible”, he further adds.
The album was nominated for GIMA awards a month ago around March in the Best Devotional Album category competing with hundreds of other albums by some of the biggest names in the industry. “When we received the mail mentioning about the nomination, we just couldn’t believe ourselves. We know how difficult it is and that too we got it in our debut album itself. And since it is our offering to Srila Prabhupada on the 50th Anniversary, emotions associated with the album are also quite high. We prayed for the best and today we have received the call from the co-producer that our album “KRISHNA SUDHA RAS” has finally won the award! It is ISKCON’s success and the Holy name has found itself once again to share Their mercy upon one and all” says Patita Pavana dasa. “I am happy that I can find our ISKCON’s album in all major outlets now! And with this award, we hope ISKCON can penetrate more in devotional music field and thus the holy name would spread further” he concludes
Devotees who want to purchase this album in bulk can contact us at sankirtan@iskconkolkata.com. This album is available in all the leading stores across India.
(For more information about GiMA Awards, visit www.gima.co.in)
Lord Rama Is Ideal In All Respect
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Lord Rama Is Ideal In All Respect.
A video-lecture on the glories of Lord Ramacandra given by Gour Govinda Swami on 1 April 199...
Amazing India: The Holy Places of Lord Rama (15 min video)
This…
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Amazing India: The Holy Places of Lord Rama (15 min video)
This video takes us to the holy places of Lord Rama in India, where events from the Ramayana have taken place. We visit Ayodhya, Chitrakut, Nasik, Hampi, and Ramesvaram, and see the major holy sights and temples in those places. It is a travel meditation on Lord Rama.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/j8OU7M
Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka
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Compiled by Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp)
Though some people do not believe that the present Sri Lanka is the one mentioned in the Ramayana, when we investigate the area, there is still much convincing tradition therein and many sites identified with the Ramayana. A rich legacy of locations and temples can be found in the country where the most significant events of this epic are supposed to have taken place. In fact, you can go on what is called the Ramayana tour and visit so many of these places, many of which we will describe herein.
Sri Lanka is the proud custodian of more than 50 Ramayana sites from the place of Sita Devi’s captivity to the battlefields where vast armies clashed, to the groves of exotic herbs dropped by Hanuman, to the ultimate theater of war where Lord Rama slew Ravana, the ten-headed demon-king.
People living in the areas where great events took place remember to this day the connection of their soil to the great epic. An oath taken at the spot where Sita Devi undertook “Agni Pariksha” is still considered valid in village courts or grama sabhas. The color of the soil of the ancient battlefield is still red today, and is still surrounded by lighter colored earth. One of the airports of Ravana, torched by Hanuman when he came looking for Sita Devi, still has a scorched-earth look. A patch of darker soil surrounded by brown earth. Exotic alpine Himalayan species are found suddenly amidst tropical Sri Lankan vegetation, the legacy of Hanuman’s heroic voyage carrying a mountain with life-restoring herbs.
Incredibly, the names of places have come down to modern times unchanged. Though great social, cultural and religious changes have taken place in Sri Lanka since.
Sri Lanka shares a special bond with India geographically, historically, culturally and spiritually. The Ramayana begins with Ayodhya in India and climaxes at Lankapura.
People in Sri Lanka through generations believed that king Ravana ruled this country. There are many sites in Sri Lanka which are connected to the Ramayana. Below is a list of places which have been identified as connected to the Ramayana and listed in sequential order.
The Kidnapping of Sita by Ravana
Ravana was the king of Lanka and another 9 kingdoms. He was known as Dasis (or Dasa Shirsha) meaning 10 heads, because he had ten crowns, one each for his ten kingdoms.
His sister Surpanakha went to Jambudweepa for some business. Surpanakha chanced upon Rama at his hermitage and became enamored with the handsome prince. Rama being faithful to his wife, Sita, did not respond and asked Surpanakha to approach Lakshmana who was unmarried. Surpanakha, who felt humiliated by this, tried to attack Sita in anger saying Sita was the cause of the men’s contempt for her. Lakshmana then intervened and cut off Surpanakha’s nose.
Surpanakha, terrified and in pain, flew at once to Lanka to seek the protection of Ravana. When Ravana asked his sister for the cause, Surpanakha said that she had seen Sita, a lady of incomparable beauty, and wanted to bring her for Ravana. Ravana resolved to take revenge for the insult his sister had suffered, as well as to get lovely Sita for him self, and set out to abduct Sita and bring her to Lanka.
Ravana, using a golden deer as a decoy, visited Sita when she was alone. In the guise of an old sage, he abducted and brought her to Weragantota in Lanka in his plane, the Pushpaka vimana.
Weragantota means the “place of aircraft landing” in Sinhala. This is the first place Sita Devi was brought to Lankapura (capita city of king Ravana). These jungles are the place where the city of Lankapura once stood. The city had a beautiful palace for Queen Mandothari surrounded by waterfalls, streams and varieties of flora and fauna. Sita Devi was kept at Queen Mandothari’s palace at Lankapura. The place Sita was held captive is called Sita Kotuwa, which means “Sita’s Fort” in Sinhala. It is believed Ravana had an aircraft repair center at Gurulupotha close to Sita Kotuwa. Sita devi was kept in queen Mandothari’s palace until she was moved to Sita Kotuwa and then on to Ashoka Vatika. The remains that are found here are the remnants of later civilizations. In Valmiki’s depiction, King Ravana’s vimana resembled a huge peacock. The vimana in Sinhala language means “Dhandu Monara” which is known as “flying peacock,” and hence the name Gurulupotha, which means “parts of birds” in Sinhala. This is also called Gavagala.
Sita Taken from Sita Kotuwa to Ashok Vatika (also known as Ashoka / Asoka Vanam)
Ravana moved Sita from Sita Kotuwa to Ashok Vatika the salubrious garden in the mountains. The route too was said to be spectacularly beautiful, as Ravana wanted to show Sita the beauty of his kingdom. The barren land atop the mountain range is believed to be the route in which King Ravana took Sita devi from his capital city Lankapura to Ashoka Vatika, which was a paradise on earth. The Chariot Path atop the mountain range is still visible. Till date no vegetation grows on this passage except grass. King Ravana is believed to have taken this passage on top of these hills to show Sita devi the beauty of his kingdom.
Ashok Vatika
is the garden where Ravana held Sita captive. This is in the area of Sita Eliya, close to the city of Nuwara Eliya. The stream that runs from the hill catered to the needs of Sita devi during her stay at Ashok Vatika. She is said to have bathed in this stream. The Hakgala Gardens located at the base of the Hakgala Rock forms part of the famed Ashok Vatika. The Sita Pokuna is a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle where Sita was kept captive. The Sita Amman Temple is located at this spot. It is interesting to note that foot prints akin to Hanuman’s are found by this river and some are of small size and some are of large size, which tells us of the immense powers of Hanuman transforming himself into any size.
About a century ago three images were discovered in the stream, one of which was that of Sita. It is believed that the deities have been worshipped at this spot for centuries. Now there is temple for Lord Rama, Sitadevi, Lakshmana, and Hanuman by the side of this stream.
The summit of the mountain next to the mountain range overlooking Frotoft Estate in Pussallawa is the place where Hanuman first set his foot on mainland Lanka. This mountain known as Pawala Malai is visible from this mountain range. These hills stand tall in-between King Ravana’s capital city and Ashoka Vatika.
The Sita tear pond is found en route by the chariot route, and is believed to have been formed by the tears of Sita devi. It has not dried up since, even during severe droughts when the adjoining rivers dry up. Visitors could also see the famed Sita Flowers which are endemic to this area. In this area there are many large trees whose bright red blooms add color to the scenery. These flowers are called Sita flowers. The peculiarity of these flowers is the configuration of the petal’s, stamen and pistils, which resemble a human figure carrying a bow, and is said to represent Lord Rama. These flowers are unique only to this area in the whole of Sri Lanka.
Search for Sita
Sugriva, ruler of the Vanara or special monkey kingdom, ordered his monkey armies to search for Sita in all four corners of the earth. Hanuman, Angada, Jambavan and other heroes traveled southwards. Hanuman was the only one strong enough to cross the ocean to reach Lanka. Whilst crossing the ocean, Hanuman was tested by Surasa Devi, the Naga maiden en-route to Lanka. This place is now called Nagadipa.
Hanuman meets Sita at Ashok Vatika and is Captured by Ravana
Hanuman after meeting Sita at Ashok Vatika, decided to test the strength of King Ravana and his army of Rakshasas. He invited battle by uprooting trees and destroying the garden. Upon being captured by the Rakshasa guards, Hanuman was brought in the presence of Ravana. As a punishment, Hanuman’s tail was set on fire. Hanuman in turn set fire to the houses in the city. Ussangoda is one such torched area.
On the way back to India Hanuman rested at Mani Kattuthar. The hilltop where Hanuman is believed to have rested after meeting Sita devi is known as Mani Kattuthar. This is a rock in the Labookelle estate. Hanuman met Sita devi and on his way to announce this happy information to Lord Rama, rested on this hilltop. Today an open temple with statues of Lord Rama, Sita devi, Lakshmana, and Hanuman stands on top of it. Locals visit the temple often.
Near by is the village of Kondagala, known as Kondakalai in Tamil, where Sita is said to have deranged her hair whilst passing the place. Kondakalai (Kondagala), like many other cities and villages in Sri Lanka, also derives its name from the Ramayana. When King Ravana took Sita devi in a chariot to Ashoka Vatika, her hairs got deranged because of the speed of the chariot. “Konda kalai” in Tamil means “deranging of hair.” Till date the villagers live with the legacy of this event.
The village also contains Sita Gooli which are rice balls offered by Ravana to Sita; which she refused and threw away. When King Ravana carried Sita devi on his chariot to Ashoka Vatika, he provided her with vitaminized rice balls for refreshment. But Sita devi who did not want to consume anything provided by King Ravana, scattered the rice balls all over the place during her journey, and they are found till date along the chariot track. The local people call these rice balls Sita Gooli and they prescribe them for their children as a cure for stomach disorders and headaches. The farmers too keep them in their cash boxes or grain pots for prosperity. It is claimed that carbon dated testing has been done in Tokyo and Delhi on these rice balls and ascertained them to be more than five thousand years old.
Sita is Hidden after the visit of Hanuman
Upon hearing Hanuman’s threat and seeing his capabilities, King Ravana decided to hide Sita at various secret locations as a precautionary measure. Ravanagoda, which means Ravana’s place in the Kotmale area, is one such complex of tunnels and caves.
Istripura is another ingenious network of paths which are interconnected with all major areas of king Ravana’s city. Istripura means “Area of Women” in Sinhala. This refers to the retinue of ladies Ravana made available to look after Sita.
Konda Kattu Gala
refers to the many intruding tunnels and caves in this area. This seems to be a part of a great ingenious network of paths, which is interconnected to all the major areas of King Ravana’s city. Sita devi took bath in this very stream and had dried her hair sitting on a rock and put clips to her hair, hence this rock is known as Konda Kattu Gala. This is situated in the Welimada Area.
Tunnel Network
This tunnel network proves beyond doubt the architectural brilliance of King Ravana. These tunnels served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as a secret passage and networked all the important cities, airports and dairy farms. A close look at these tunnels indicates that they are man-made and not natural formations. The Buddhist shrine at Kalutara was once where King Ravana’s palace and a tunnel existed. Additional existing tunnel mouths are situated at Welimada, Ravana cave at Bandarawela, Senapitiya at Halagala, Ramboda, Labookelle, Wariyapola/Matale, and Sitakotuwa/Hasalaka, along with many more tunnels. Some have also said that Ravana had a tunnel that went all the way to South America, in which he had stored much of his gold and treasury.
Preparing for Battle
Gayathri Peedum
is believed to be the place from where King Ravana’s son Meghanath propitiated Lord Shiva with penance and pujas, and in turn was granted super natural powers by Lord Shiva prior to the battle. Neelawari is located in the North of the country in the Jaffna peninsula and is where Lord Rama shot an arrow to the ground to obtain water for his army upon arriving at Lanka.
Dondra, Seenigama & Hikkaduwa are places in the South of Lanka where Sugriva (king of Vanaras, the special species of monkeys) prepared for his onslaught on King Ravana’s forces from the Southern flank.
War Breaks Out
During the height of the battle Indrajit, elder son of Ravana beheaded a lookalike of Sita Devi in front of Hanuman to break his spirit. This place is known as Sitawaka in the Avissawella area.
Yudhaganawa, meaning battlefield in Sinhala, is a place in Wasgamuwa where the major battles took place.
Upon being hit by Indrajit’s Brahmastra, both Rama, Lakshmana and the monkey army lay unconscious on the battle field. To cure them, Jambavan the veteran monkey instructed Hanuman to go to Sanjeevani Parvatha, the hill of herbs between Rishhaba and Kilasa peaks in the Himalayas and bring the necessary medicinal herbs. As he could not identify which herbs to select, Hanuman uprooted the entire peak with all the herbs growing there from the mountain and returned to Lanka.
Parts of the hill fell on five places in Sri Lanka; namely Rumassala in Galle, Dolukanda in Hiripitiya, Ritigala close to Habarana on the Habarana Anuradhapura road, Talladi in Mannar, and Katchchathivu in the north.
Lord Karthikaya Subramaniyam was requested to go to battle by Lord Indra to protect Lord Rama from king Ravana’s Brahmastra. This was at Kataragama, which is now a very popular place for worship among Sri Lankans.
The Fall of Ravana
Dunuvila lake is a place from which Lord Rama fired the Brahmastra arrow at king Ravana who was directing the war from Laggala. It is here that King Ravana was killed by Lord Rama’s brahmastharam. The top of Laggala is flat and is believed to have been affected by the power of the brahmastharam. “Dhunu” means “arrow” and “Vila” means “Lake,” so it gets its name from this pastime.
The name Laggala is derived from the Sinhala term “Elakke Gala”, which means Target Rock. Laggala served as a sentry point to observe Lord Rama’s army. The cartels behind the Dunuvila lake are called Laggala. It was from this rock the first glimpse of Lord Rama’s army was sighted and informed to King Ravana. This hill is geographically the highest part of the northern region of King Ravana’s city and on a clear day the north east side that is Thiru Koneshwaran and north west side that is Talai Mannar can be seen even today. King Ravana is believed to have done meditation on this rock and prayed to Lord Shiva at Thiru Koneshwaran from this point.
After Ravana’s death, his body was kept at Yahangala, meaning “Bed Rock” in Sinhala. This is situated along the Mahiyanganaya – Wasgamuwa road. King Ravana’s body was kept upon this rock so his countrymen could pay their last respects to their dear departed king. Geographically this rock is visible from miles away on its 3 sides.
After the War
Sita met Rama after the war, and Divurumpola is the place she under went the “Agni” test of fire where she proved her innocence and purity to Rama. Divurumpola means the “Place of Oath” in Sinhala. She came out unscathed and proved her innocence and purity.
The message of Rama’s victory over Ravana was sent to Sita. After a bath and adorned with jewels she was taken on a palanquin before Rama. Meeting her husband after such a long time she was overcome with emotion, but Rama seemed lost in thought. At length he spoke, “I have killed my enemy. I have done my duty as a true king. But you have lived for a year in the enemy’s abode. It is not proper I take you back now.”
Sita was shocked. “You have broken my heart” she said, “only the uncultured speak like this. Have you forgotten the noble family I come from? Is it my fault Ravana carried me off by force? All the time, my mind, my heart, and soul were fixed on you alone, my lord!”
She turned to Lakshmana and said with tears streaming from her eyes, “prepare for me a fire. That is the only remedy for this sorrow of mine.” Lakshmana, in suppressed anger, looked at Rama’s face, but there was no softening, he lighted a big fire. Sita reverently went round her husband and approached the blazing fire. Joining her palms in salutation, she said, “if I am pure, O fire, protect me.” With these words she jumped into the flames. Then arose from out of the flames, Agni the fire-god, whom she had invoked. He lifted Sita from the flames unharmed, and presented her to Rama. “Don’t I know that she is spotless and pure at heart?” cried Rama, standing up to receive her. “It’s for the sake of the world that I made her go through this ordeal of fire, so that the truth may be known to all.”
The spot was initially fenced and walled to protect it from the surrounding wilderness. Then a sapling of the Anuradhapura bodhi tree (one of the 30 original saplings) was planted as a mark of respect for the place. A small pagoda was built subsequently under the Bodhi tree. The temple depicts paintings of the Ramayana epic.
Today the temple is revered for the oath taken by Sita devi and even the legal system permits and accepts the swearing done at this temple while settling disputes between parties.
Vantharamulai is a place that Lord Rama, Sita Devi, Lakshmana, and Hanuman rested after the turmoil of the war. Amaranthakali is believed to be the place where they had the first meal after the war.
When returning to India in one of King Ravana’s vimanas, Rama felt he was followed by a Brahmahasti Dhosham, a malevolent black shadow or dark cloud capable of taking His life, as He had killed Ravana, a Brahmin. When the vimana was passing over Munneswaram, He felt the vimana vibrating, and at Muneswaram realized the “Brahmaasthi Dosham” was not following him at this particular point. So Rama felt safe from the “Brahmahasti Dhosham” at Munneswaram. So Lord Rama stopped the vimana at this juncture and asked Lord Shiva for a remedy. This is the place where Lord Rama prayed to Lord Shiva and where Shiva blessed Lord Rama and advised installing and praying to four lingams to get rid of the Dhosham. The first Lingam was installed at Manavari about 5 Km from here, near the banks of Deduru Oya. This was followed by the lingams at Thiru Koheneshwaram, Thiru Ketheshwaram, and Rameshwaram in India.
It is believed that Munneswaram predates the Ramayana and a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was located here. Munneswaram means the first temple for Shiva (Munnu + Easwaran). A Shiva Lingam was already here when lord Rama visited the place.
After King Ravana’s death, Ravana’s brother Vibhishana was coroneted as a king of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya. Kelaniya is the closest site to Colombo connected to the Ramayana.
There exists a Buddhist temple, the Kelaniya Buddhist Temple and shrine for King Vibishana. There are murals enshrined outside the Buddhist temple depicting the crowning of Vibishana. Vibishana is considered one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka, and temples for Vibishana are found throughout Sri Lanka. A painting of King Vibishana also adorns the new Parliament of Sri Lanka. In fact, there are no temples dedicated for Ravana, but many exist for Vibishana; this goes to prove that his stand towards Vedic Dharma & justice made people to revere him as a god in Sri Lanka.
The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana and Vibishana’s palace was said to be on the banks of this river. The reason Lakshmana crowned Vibishana was because Lord Rama had to return to India to continue his self-exile of 14 years to honor the commitment to His father, King Dasarath of Ayodhya. King Vibishana was considered a fair king, as he supported Rama against his own brother’s injustice. Many devotees that visit King Vibishana’s shrine pray to him asking his intervention to a fair recourse to their problems.
Other Places of Interests Connected to the Ramayana in Sri Lanka
1. Kanniya
– The place where King Ravana carried out the last rites for his mother.
2. Gavagala or Ghoushala
– King Ravana’s dairy farm.
3. Airports of King Ravana:
Thotupolakanda (means “Mountain Port” in Sinhala) at Horton plains
Weragantota (means “Place of Aircraft” landing in Sinhala) in Mahiyangana
Ussangoda (means “Area of Lift” in Sinhala) in the Southern coast
Wariapola (means “Aircraft Port” in Sinhala) in Matale and Kurunagala.
4. Neelawari
— A place where Lord Rama aimed an arrow to obtain water.
5. Panchamukha Anjanaya Temple, Kalubowila
– This is the first Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka and also the only Panchamukha (five faced) Anjaneyar Temple in Sri Lanka. It is the only temple in the world to have a chariot for Ajanyar. The chariot festival is held annually at end of December to the beginning of January. Hanuman’s mother is Anjan. Hanuman is known as Anjan + Aiyar = Anjaneyar in South India (Hamuman in North India).
6. Rama Temple at Rattota
— One of the few Rama’s temple in Sri Lanka.
7. Maha Ravanagoda / Kuda Ravanagoda
— Ravana’s places in the south.
8. Veedurupola
– Buddhist temple dedicated to research on Ramayana.
9. Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple —
on the hills of Ramboda is a place where Hanuman was searching for Sita Devi. The name is also associated with Rama’s army. Rampadai means Rama’s force in Tamil. The Chinmaya mission of Sri Lanka built a temple with Hanuman as the presiding deity. On every full moon day special pujas are conducted and witnessed by thousands of devotees.
10. Manavari Temple is the first lingam installed and prayed to Lord Rama and till date this lingam is called as Ramalinga Shivan. Rameshwaram is the only other lingam in the world named after Lord Rama.
11. Rama Temple – Rattota. There are a few Rama temples in Sri Lanka, this is one of them. This is the only Rama temple in this area. This is a privately managed temple. This is one of the most scenic routes to travel from Matale to visit Laggala (on the northern side of Knuckles).
12. Kataragama Temple – This is the temple of Lord Karthikeya Subramaniam at Kataragama. Lord Karthikeya was requested to go to the battlefield by Lord Indra on the last day of war. This was done to protect Lord Rama from the wrath of the Brahmastra aimed by King Ravana which otherwise would have weakened Lord Rama. The benefit was that the most powerful brahmasthra weapon aimed at Lord Rama for the second time was rendered useless by the presence of Lord Karthikeya.
13. Ussangoda – According to the Ramayana, after meeting Sita devi, Hanuman dedicated to test the strength of the mighty King Ravana and his army of Rakshasas. In the events that unfolded, Hanuman’s tail was set on fire by the Rakshasas, who in turn went on to torch some parts of King Ravana’s empire. Ussangoda is one of the torched areas, which is said to have been an airport used by King Ravana.
14. Vishnu Devala, Dondra – These are the places from where King Sugriva of the Vanara’s started his onslaught on King Ravana’s force.
15. Ravana Goda – This is a place where Sita devi stayed during her transit. This area is also linked with tunnels and caves, which runs through to other parts of King Ravana’s kingdom. This is situated in the Kotmala area opposite to Ramboda rock. The main cave entrance was closed by an earth-slip in 1947. Locals believe this part of the complex was used as a prison by Ravana. The cave complex has not been fully explored.
16. Ravana’s mummy – An additional site connected to local belief, but yet to be discovered is the place where locals believe Ravana’s mummified body is hidden within the mountain range of Harasbatha, Ragala and Walapane.
References include:
http://www.sltda.gov.lk/ramayana and
http://www.tourslanka.com/ramayana-sri-lanka/tours/ramayana-site-tours-excursions.php
Also found at: www.stephen-knapp.com
Mysteries of the Ramayana: The Real Reason Sita was Exiled by Rama
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Shyamasundara Dasa: For some people the episode of Rama exiling Sita to the forest, while she was five months pregnant, is one of the most disturbing and incomprehensible events in the RamayanaRead More...(This post has been viewed 1291 times so far)
Showing The Way (5 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: The formula of…
→ Dandavats
Showing The Way (5 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: The formula of chanting Hare Krishna and dancing in ecstasy was introduced 500 years ago by Lord Caitanya. Here in Beijing, China we are showing the way by introducing the chanting almost every day in public programs. More than any other place I have been the effect here is immediate; people easily throw their arms into the air and chant with abandon. Often they cry with their new found freedom. Such is the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/dqIWNt
Nasik Tour Schedule
→ The Spiritual Scientist
15-4-16, Friday: Ramnavmi class at ISKCON, Nasik from 8 pm to 9.30 pm
17-4-16. Sunday: Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Nasik from 8.30 to 10.30 am
The post Nasik Tour Schedule appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
April 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa…
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April 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Evening Kirtanas.
Prabhupada held his evening meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, just as he had uptown. The loft was out of the way for most of his acquaintances and it was on the Bowery. A cluster of sleeping derelicts regularly blocked the street-level entrance, and the visitors would find as many as half a dozen bums to step over before climbing the four flights of stairs. But it was something new; you could go and sit with a group of hip people and watch the Swami lead kirtana. The room was dimly lit, and Prabhupada would burn incense. Many casual visitors came and went. One of them – Gunther – had vivid impressions.
Gunther: You walked right off the Bowery into a room filled with incense. It was quiet. Everyone was talking in hushed tones, not really talking at all. Swamiji was sitting in the front of the room in meditation. There was a tremendous feeling of peace, which I had never had before. I happened to have studied for two years to become a minister and was into meditation, study and prayer, but this was my first time to do anything Eastern or Hindu. There were lots of pillows around and mats on the floor for people to sit on. I don’t think there were any pictures of statues. It was just Swamiji, incense and mats, and obviously the respect of the people in the room for him.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7
ISKCON 50 Meditations: April 15, 2016
→ ISKCON News
Evening Kirtanas
LAST NIGHT THE GRIM REAPER CAME FOR ME
→ Karnamrita's blog
(reposted from 4-14-16)
I saw the grim reaper in my dream,
feeling no fear, I was curious to see him.
Coming near, he pointed his bony, pale hand toward me.
His other palm raised in blessing pose
where it was written, the number 65—my age!
Then with both hands, he pointed to the sky, and shrugged.
Zen Master’s Home
→ travelingmonk.com
Last night we entertained the elite of Beijing in the home of a famous Zen Master. Charmed by our philosophy, our talented musicians and the holy names people were swept off their feet and chanted and danced in great happiness in the courtyard of that prestigious residence.
Sunday Love Feast – Special Guest – His Grace Rohini Priya prabhu.
→ ISKCON Brampton
Over 20 years he has not only been practising Krishna Conciousness but has been actively distributing the message of Bhagavad Gita to thousands of Engineering , Medical students and other professionals all over India.
He also travels widely to USA, UK and Canada and delivers various seminars on Krishna Conciousness.
Programs:
11:00am - 11:15am Tulsi Puja
11:15am - 11:30am Guru Puja
11:30am - 11:55am Aarti & Kirtan
11:55am - 12:00pm Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers
12:00pm - 1:00pm Vedic discourse
1:00pm - 1:30pm Closing Kirtan
1:30pm - 2:00pm Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast
Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)
Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishna consciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and make Srila Prabhupada happy.
Please contact:
Rasaraj Dasa-rajrushika@yahoo.com/ 647.887.5736(Mississauga and Brampton regions)
Narahari Dev Dasa- naraharidev@gmail.com (
COMING UP AHEAD
Fasting For Kamada EkadasiFasting.....................on Sun Apr 17th,2016
Breakfast.................on Mon Apr 18th,2016 b/w 6.29am-11.01am
Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds through regular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.
English audio glorification of all Ekadasis is available here
Sunday SchoolTo register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.
Call:647.893.9363
The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. School
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).
Gift ShopOur boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your visit. It offers textiles, jewellery, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant and Be happy
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant and Be happy
Video: Gaura Purnima Festivities
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!
Fast Friends
→ travelingmonk.com
Yesterday we visited the famous Llama Temple in downtown Beijing. While there we met with several of the resident Buddhist monks and discussed philosophy and the similarities of our lifestyles. Later, the senior monk saw me praying to Lord Buddha at the main alter and inquired why I was doing so. I explained that we [...]
Blissful, Beautiful, Merciful Rama
Giriraj Swami
On Friday I will celebrate Sri Rama-navami at ISKCON-LA, with the procession, fire ceremony, puspanjali, and abhiseka beginning at 3:00, my talk at 5:30, arati and kirtana at 6:30, and the feast at 7:00. Please do join us, in person or through the Internet.
“Although the sight of Lord Ramacandra is naturally blissful, when He is with His beloved Janaki, with Laksmana, and with His best servant Hanuman, His beauty increases manyfold, and whoever sees Him becomes immersed in the most exceptional ecstasy. This picture of Lord Ramacandra together with Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman depicts the Supreme Lord in His especially compassionate mood of reciprocating with His intimate servants.” (Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta, 2.4.259 commentary)
Hare Krishna, Hare Rama.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
Sannyasa Ministry Request
→ Dandavats
By Bhakti Prabhava Swami
To expand ISKCON’s preaching mission Srila Prabhupada created sannyasis. Thus the Ministry for Sannyasa Service has established a website to provide information about potential sannyasis to the ISKCON community and to get feedback in order to help in the candidate’s training.
The website is: sannyasacandidates.com
The waiting list 2016 is available on: http://sannyasacandidates.com/?page_id=293
The site contains a page “Candidates,” directly accessible via the link:
http://sannyasacandidates.com/?page_id=170
On this page is the personal data and the devotional history of the Present sannyasa candidates.
If you know any of these candidates and would like to express something positive or negative pertaining to their candidacy to the Sannyasa Committee, please send us your comments via e-mail to our secretary
(Bhakti.Prabhava.Swami@gmail.com) or to His Holiness Prahladananda Swami (Prahladananda.Swami@pamho.net).
NASN March 2016 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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March 2016 4/13/2016
For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this file contains
the following North American results for the month of March:
North American Totals
Monthly Temples
Monthly Weekend Warriors etc.
Monthly Top 100 Individuals
Monthly Top 5
Cumulative Countries
Cumulative Temples
Cumulative Top 100 Individuals
Cumulative Top 5
This file is best viewed and printed using a fixed pitch font. In WinCOM
select Options, General, and change to Fixed pitch. In a word processor
chose Edit, Select All, and select a fixed pitch font such as Courier.
All glories to your service,
Your servant, Mayapur Sasi dasa
Scores received thru 04/13/2016
North American offering to Srila Prabhupada
MahaBig Big Medium Small BTGs Total Total % Templ/
Books Books Books Books Mags Books Points Change Devote
--------------------------------------------------------------------
January 13086 7181 7058 17156 4382 48863 41631.20 +10% 22/ 86
February 13040 10977 11687 20764 5770 62238 48721.30 +39% 22/ 89
March 13836 6442 6969 20321 4824 52392 43187.55 +11% 18/ 62
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 39962 24600 25714 58241 14976 163493 133540.05 +19% 28/124
(%)Change compared
to last year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
ALL TEMPLES
March 2016
% M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
Temples (size) Points Change Books Books Books Books Mags
_______________________________________________________________________
1 Los Angeles (L) US 14653.50* +9% 3184 3654* 3424 11158* 1300*
2 Baltimore (MS) US 4243.00*+304% 2121* 0 2 0 0
3 TBB TSKP (MS) US 4187.25 0% 112 1959* 2365 3287* 0
4 Denver (M) US 2904.25* +40% 1026* 273 227 1051 2030*
5 Silicon Valley(ISV US 2531.50*+167% 1210* 1* 0 442* 0
6 Chicago (S) US 1916.95 +39% 622* 163 394* 1245* 17
7 Laguna Beach (S) US 1102.60 +25% 421 62 19 630* 316*
8 Sacramento/TYM (S) US 674.85*+182% 272* 41* 41 271* 16
9 Hillsborough, NC ( US 639.85 -5% 107 39 20* 1267* 601*
10 Dallas (M) US 564.85 +23% 181 73 132* 177 196*
11 Hartford (MS) US 464.35* +45% 179* 40* 14 115 42
12 Montreal TSKP (S) Can 74.50 na 0 2 6 278 0
13 San Diego (M) US 69.75 na 14 22 25 29 0
14 Vancouver (S) Can 50.50 -50% 5 4 35 76* 0
15 RupanugaVedicColle US 43.75 -100% 10 8 30 3 0
16 Arkadelphia (S) US 14.25*+338% 5* 2 4* 1 0
(%)Change compared (*)New record
to monthly average for this year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
WEEKEND WARRIORS ETC
March 2016
% M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
Individuals or Group Points Change Books Books Books Books Mags
_______________________________________________________________________
1 WW Baltimore Jiv Bal US 4243.00*+112% 2121* 0 2 0 0
2 WW Team ISV Week Sil US 2531.50*+167% 1210* 1* 0 442* 0
3 CP LA Sastra Dan LA US 256.00 na 0 40 432 0 0
4 WW Dallas Dal US 126.75 -17% 24 34* 67* 45 0
5 WW Arkadelphia W Ark US 14.25*+338% 5* 2 4* 1 0
(%)Change compared (*)New record
to monthly average for this year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
TOP 100 INDIVIDUALS
March 2016
% M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
Individuals Points Change Books Books Books Books Mags
_______________________________________________________________________
1 Prema Sankirtan LA US 2063.75* +50% 485* 740* 193* 993 90
2 Bk Storm LA US 1901.65* +5% 539 336* 369 1037 439*
3 Bhrgupati d LA US 1801.50*+772% 353* 634* 405* 1036* 0
4 Nidra dd Den US 1297.25* +78% 512* 158* 62 337* 0
5 Gauranga Prema d LA US 1152.25* +29% 219* 366* 663* 67 0
6 Raya Nitai d TBB US 1142.75 +16% 10 543* 761 797* 0
7 Bk Carlos TBB US 911.75 -11% 31 399* 505 793* 0
8 Bk Karim TBB US 901.75*+125% 1 460* 507* 745* 0
9 Bk Joey TBB US 610.75* +24% 44 200* 451* 389* 0
10 Bk Oscar LA US 521.00*+999% 97* 127 161 478* 0
11 Parama Karuna d Chi US 470.50*+999% 121* 99* 124 270* 0
12 Radha Krishna d LA US 468.95* +55% 135* 115* 60* 209* 17*
13 Shastra-krt d LA US 448.50 na 128 0 180 410 0
14 Bk Allen TBB US 375.50 na 21 178 127 368 0
15 Prana Hari d Den US 256.75 -30% 100 18 0 155 0
16 Krsna Kumar d TBB US 244.75 -33% 5 179 14 195 0
17 Akshay Hil US 238.50*+155% 86* 35 12* 102* 0
18 Nanda Suno d Den US 198.75 -15% 59 43* 42 67 0
19 Bk Himanshu Chi US 180.00 -55% 48 24 120* 0 0
20 Cakri d Dallas Dal US 172.65 -32% 68 0 0 117 74*
21 Amala Purana d Den US 168.25 +21% 68* 0 34 61 0
22 Aditya Narayan d Hil US 152.25 -8% 61 3 12 85* 0
23 Svavasa d LA US 144.00 na 72 0 0 0 0
24 Shankar Pandit d Chi US 140.25*+576% 45* 0 0 201* 0
25 Ananda Kirtan d LA US 104.90 -97% 21 35 17 72 14
26 Vinoda Kovida d Den US 104.50 -18% 31 28* 6 46* 0
27 Bk Mitch Rampp Chi US 96.00*+999% 48* 0 0 0 0
28 Ananda Murari d Den US 88.50 -10% 28 11* 36 14 0
29 Bk Matsu Den US 80.25 na 29 6 20 25 0
30 Ekatvam d Gur US 75.00 -14% 0 0 80 140* 0
31 Samyaprasa d Den US 72.25 -26% 25 6 27 11 0
32 Shivani dd Chi US 65.25 na 5 20 12 117 0
33 Babhru d LA US 64.25 -21% 3* 25 40* 53 0
34 NityanandaChandr Dal US 56.00 na 28 0 0 0 0
35 Karuna Dharini LA US 54.50* +95% 19* 6* 10* 22* 0
36 Advaita Caran d Chi US 48.00 na 24 0 0 0 0
37 Dvijamani Gaura RVC US 43.75 -31% 10 8 30 3 0
38 Bk Chang SD US 41.50 na 12 10 10 10 0
39 Syama dd LA US 39.00 -18% 0 0 0 156* 0
40 Bk Sebastian LA US 27.75 -47% 0 0 4 103 0
41 Sridhar Syama d Dal US 27.75 na 6 6 12 15 0
42 Vaisnava Sevanan Chi US 20.85 na 4 4 7 21 1
43 Banke Bihari dd Van Can 18.50 -30% 4 0 8 26 0
44 Ramanuja d Van Can 18.00*+350% 1 2 8 40 0
45 Bk Sonny Chi US 14.50*+115% 3 2 2* 22 0
46 Radharani dd LA US 12.75 -64% 0 0 5 41 0
47 Tulasi Vallabha Den US 10.25 -33% 3 3* 0 5* 0
48 Gopi Gita dd LA US 10.00 -30% 0 0 0 40 0
49 Balaram d SD US 8.75 na 0 6 3 5 0
50 Bk Eric LA US 7.50 -98% 0 0 15 0 0
51 Jagatpati d Van Can 7.00 -53% 0 0 12 4 0
52 Arjuna Gopa d Chi US 6.00 na 3 0 0 0 0
53 Visnu Gada d Van Can 4.25 -89% 0 2 2 5 0
54 Haridham d Van Can 2.00 -91% 0 0 4 0 0
55 Ankit Vora Chi US 1.50 na 0 0 2 2 0
56 Tadiya dd Den US 0.75 -40% 0 0 0 3 0
57 Bk Peter Van Can 0.50 -60% 0 0 1 0 0
(%)Change compared (*)New record
to monthly average for this year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
MONTHLY TOP 5 TEMPLES AND INDIVIDUALS
March 2016
-------- Points -------- ----------- Points -----------
1 Los Angeles 14653.50 1 Prema Sankirtan d LA 2063.75
2 Baltimore 4243.00 2 Bk Storm LA 1901.65
3 TBB TSKP 4187.25 3 Bhrgupati d LA 1801.50
4 Denver 2904.25 4 Nidra dd Denver 1297.25
5 Silicon Valley(ISV) 2531.50 5 Gauranga Prema dChinLA 1152.25
----- (%)Increase ------ -------- (%)Increase ---------
1 Arkadelphia +338% 1 Bk Oscar LA +999%
2 Baltimore +304% 2 Parama Karuna d Chicago +999%
3 Sacramento/TYM +182% 3 Bk Mitch Rampp Chicago +999%
4 Silicon Valley(ISV) +167% 4 Bhrgupati d LA +772%
5 Hartford +45% 5 Shankar Pandit d Chicago +576%
---- Maha-Big Books ---- ------- Maha-Big Books -------
1 Los Angeles 3184 1 Bk Storm LA 539
2 Baltimore 2121 2 Nidra dd Denver 512
3 Silicon Valley(ISV) 1210 3 Prema Sankirtan d LA 485
4 Denver 1026 4 Bhrgupati d LA 353
5 Chicago 622 5 Gauranga Prema dChinLA 219
------ Big Books ------- ---------- Big Books ---------
1 Los Angeles 3654 1 Prema Sankirtan d LA 740
2 TBB TSKP 1959 2 Bhrgupati d LA 634
3 Denver 273 3 Raya Nitai d TBB TSKP 543
4 Chicago 163 4 Bk Karim TBB TSKP 460
5 Dallas 73 5 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 399
----- Medium Books ----- -------- Medium Books --------
1 Los Angeles 3424 1 Raya Nitai d TBB TSKP 761
2 TBB TSKP 2365 2 Gauranga Prema dChinLA 663
3 Chicago 394 3 Bk Karim TBB TSKP 507
4 Denver 227 4 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 505
5 Dallas 132 5 Bk Joey TBB TSKP 451
----- Small Books ------ -------- Small Books ---------
1 Los Angeles 11158 1 Bk Storm LA 1037
2 TBB TSKP 3287 2 Bhrgupati d LA 1036
3 Hillsborough, NC 1267 3 Prema Sankirtan d LA 993
4 Chicago 1245 4 Raya Nitai d TBB TSKP 797
5 Denver 1051 5 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 793
------ Magazines ------- --------- Magazines ----------
1 Denver 2030 1 Bk Storm LA 439
2 Los Angeles 1300 2 Prema Sankirtan d LA 90
3 Hillsborough, NC 601 3 Cakri d Dallas Dallas 74
4 Laguna Beach 316 4 Radha Krishna d LA 17
5 Dallas 196 5 Ananda Kirtan d LA 14
------ Full Sets ------- --------- Full Sets ----------
1 Baltimore 48 1 Nidra dd Denver 11
2 Silicon Valley(ISV) 46 2 Aditya Narayan d Hillsboro 4
3 Denver 22 3 Svavasa d LA 4
4 Hartford 11 4 Shastra-krt d LA 1
5 Laguna Beach 8 5 NityanandaChandra d Dallas 1
----- BBT Payments ----- ------ Matajis - Points ------
1 Chicago 25539 1 Nidra dd Denver 1297.25
2 Los Angeles 20605 2 Shivani dd Chicago 65.25
3 TBB TSKP 5732 3 Karuna Dharini dd LA 54.50
4 Hillsborough, NC 4656 4 Syama dd LA 39.00
5 Denver 4341 5 Banke Bihari dd Vancouver 18.50
--- Bhaktas - Points --- ----- Bhaktins - Points ------
1 Bk Storm LA 1901.65 1 0.00
2 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 911.75 2 0.00
3 Bk Karim TBB TSKP 901.75 3 0.00
4 Bk Joey TBB TSKP 610.75 4 0.00
5 Bk Oscar LA 521.00 5 0.00
Veteran Men(20+yrs) Points -Veteran Women(20+yrs) Points-
1 Prema Sankirt LA 2063.75 1 Nidra dd Denver 1297.25
2 Bhrgupati d LA 1801.50 2 Karuna Dharini dd LA 54.50
3 Cakri d Dalla Dallas 172.65 3 Radharani dd LA 12.75
4 Svavasa d LA 144.00
5 Shankar Pandi Chicago 140.25
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
COUNTRIES (CUMULATIVE)
January thru March, 2016
Country % Total M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
(Temples) Points Change Books Books Books Books Books Mags
_________________________________________________________________________
1 USA (25) 131949.50 +24% 161505 39462 24475 25268 57382 14918
2 Canada (3) 1590.55 -72% 1988 500 125 446 859 58
(%)Change compared to Jan-Mar 2015
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
TEMPLES (CUMULATIVE)
January thru March, 2016
% M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
Temples (size) Points Change Books Books Books Books Mags
_______________________________________________________________________
1 Los Angeles (L) US 41489.40 +27% 9628 9456 10420 29202 2669
2 RupanugaVedicColle US 21222.30 +48% 7434 5207 353 1376 6268
3 TBB TSKP (MS) US 12577.50 +598% 1549 4427 7252 5698 20
4 Seattle (S) US 8803.50* na 4290* 93 118 166 300
5 Denver (M) US 7048.95 0% 2234 798 1503 3305 2052
6 Gainesville (M) US 6954.75 +75% 1998 1725 1434 2067 0
7 Baltimore (MS) US 6344.60 +318% 3149 6 22 114 11
8 Chicago (S) US 4678.95 -3% 1297 871 775 2655 1627*
9 Silicon Valley(ISV US 4431.00 -47% 2125 2 0 716 0
10 New York Harinam ( US 3113.50 +51% 787 802 317 2316 0
11 Laguna Beach (S) US 2866.00 +48% 1185 153 120 910 555
12 New Talavan (S) US 2522.75 -54% 966 22 1032 211 0
13 Hillsborough, NC ( US 1982.20 +23% 476 221 47 2796 867
14 Dallas (M) US 1485.85 -66% 492 243 221 505 221
15 Toronto (S) Can 1263.05 -60% 452 93 316 381 40
16 Farmington Hills, US 1229.00* na 509* 9* 404* 0 0
17 New Orleans (S) US 1158.50 -44% 80 0 668 2658 0
18 Sacramento/TYM (S) US 1153.10 +49% 480 52 106 346 16
19 Miami (S) US 1150.85 -27% 213 221 167* 1623 58
20 Hartford (MS) US 1106.60 +568% 417 88 40 306 177*
21 Vancouver (S) Can 253.00 -43% 48 30 124 200 18
22 Krishna Culture (S US 248.35 na 77 6 113 125 6
23 Berkeley (S) US 219.60 -50% 37 30 108 218 71
24 Montreal TSKP (S) Can 74.50 na 0 2 6 278* 0
25 St. Louis (S) US 71.50 na 18 19 18 30 0
26 San Diego (M) US 69.75 -79% 14 22 25 29 0
27 Arkadelphia (S) US 17.50 +204% 6 2 5 4 0
28 Texarkana (S) US 3.50 -71% 1 0 0 6 0
29 Boston (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
30 New York City (M) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
31 New Vrindavan (L) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
32 Honolulu (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
33 Washington D.C. (M US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
34 Atlanta (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
35 Detroit (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
36 BTG/Krishna.com (S US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
37 Philadelphia (M) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
38 Alachua (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
39 Portland (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
40 New Jersey-Edison US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
41 Tucson (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
42 New York 26 2nd Av US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
43 Murari Sevak (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
44 Ottawa (MS) Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
45 New Jersey-Towaco US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
46 Houston (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
47 Columbus (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
48 New York Queens (S US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
49 Naperville (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
50 Tampa Bay (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
51 Orlando (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
52 San Francisco (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
53 Cintamani Dhama KY US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
54 Halifax (MS) Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
55 San Antonio (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
56 Austin (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
57 World Harinama Par US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
58 Calgary (MS) Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
59 Boise (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
60 Tallahassee (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
61 Winnipeg (MS) Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
62 Bhakti Lounge (Phi US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
63 Bhakti Lounge (Tor Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
64 Gita-nagari (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
65 Ann Harbor (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
66 Saranagati Farm (M Can 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
67 Santa Cruz (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
68 Minneapolis (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
69 Hale Krishna Hawai US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
70 Santa Barbara (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
71 Spanish Fork KHQN US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
72 Palm Beach (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
73 Las Vegas (S) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
74 Carpinteria (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
75 Birmingham(USA) (M US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
76 Albuquerque (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
77 Louisville (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
78 Naples (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
79 Harrisburg (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
80 Oklahoma City (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
81 Boulder (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
82 Phoenix(AZ) (MS) US 0.00 na 0 0 0 0 0
(%)Change compared (*)Better than
to Jan-Mar 2015 last year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
TOP 100 INDIVIDUALS (CUMULATIVE)
January thru March, 2016
% M-Big Big Medium Small BTGs
Individuals Points Change Books Books Books Books Mags
_______________________________________________________________________
1 Ananda Kirtan d LA US 6350.10 +21% 1965 979 530 4648 141*
2 Bk Jay Khush LA US 6273.20 +13% 1758 891 900 5560* 262
3 Bk Storm LA US 5511.85 +234% 1649 796 1160 3119* 581*
4 Krishna Bhagavan RVC US 5443.40 +138% 1910 1280 3 408 2399
5 Paramesvara d RVC US 5353.25 +14% 1731 1458 0 367 3415
6 Prema Sankirtan LA US 4812.75 +354% 1236 1367 304 3251 90*
7 Gaur Sundar d LA US 3401.10 na 1580 160 113 92 16
8 Deva Krsna d RVC US 3258.00 +28% 1326 542 0 256 0
9 Raya Nitai d TBB US 3118.25 +73% 223 1171 2356 1293 0
10 Bk Carlos TBB US 2963.25 na 407 812 1792 1765 0
11 Gauranga Prema d LA US 2943.75 na 463 928 1891 577 0
12 Nidra dd Den US 2758.75 +17% 982 353 462 843 0
13 Brajananda d RVC US 2471.25 +223% 845 714 85 99 0
14 Bk Carlos Gai US 2408.50 +41% 796 582 98 742 0
15 Mohanasini dd New US 2405.25 -55% 966 22 797 211 0
16 Dasya Prema d RVC US 2374.65 +28% 892 466 119 81 449
17 Bhrgupati d LA US 2214.50 -11% 473 755 428 1188 25
18 Dharmaraja d RVC US 2118.50 +62% 689 686 42 134 0
19 Bk Karim TBB US 1703.25 na 50* 861 962* 1045 0
20 Kalki d(2 Kimani Gai US 1664.25 +2% 483 574 182 133 0
21 Bk Joey TBB US 1592.75* na 272* 396 1037* 537 0
22 Bn Karly Gai US 1248.75* na 224* 114* 988* 771* 0
23 Radha Krishna d LA US 1072.30* na 335* 219* 113* 500* 18*
24 Madhava Puri d TBB US 1015.75 na 174 324 616 143 0
25 Sacitanoy d LA US 991.25 +48% 230 433 0 393 0
26 Prana Hari d Den US 990.45 -21% 374 115 17 471 12*
27 Krsna Kumar d TBB US 971.50 na 5 682 320 470 20
28 Madhukari d TBB US 837.25 -15% 397 3 42* 77 0
29 Bk Eric LA US 722.25 -66% 36 3 1181 227 0
30 Nanda Suno d Den US 668.75 na 218 103 139 241 0
31 Drumila d New US 604.00 -60% 10* 0 448 1440 0
32 Prabhu Hari d Mia US 598.00*+468% 73* 147* 160* 900* 0
33 Bk Himanshu Chi US 583.00 +65% 120 143 240* 320* 0
34 Abhimanyu d Gai US 556.25* na 196* 80* 54* 229* 0
35 Parama Karuna d Chi US 536.75 na 144 108 124 315 0
36 Bk Oscar LA US 526.25* na 99* 127* 161 483* 0
37 Adi Karta d Gai US 512.00* na 143* 196* 40* 40* 0
38 Caitanya dd Gai US 510.50 +56% 155 163 50 50 0
39 Aditya Narayan d Hil US 482.25 +84% 205 24 12 169 0
40 Shastra-krt d LA US 448.50 -84% 128 0 180* 410* 0
41 Amala Purana d Den US 445.50 na 145 44 125 196 0
42 Akshay Hil US 425.50* na 145* 77* 15* 204* 0
43 Cakri d Dallas Dal US 424.90 +1% 170 0 0 300 99
44 Bk Allen TBB US 375.50 na 21 178 127 368 0
45 Vinoda Kovida d Den US 359.25 -35% 128 55 59 75 0
46 Bhismadeva d Dal US 313.75 na 98 111 1 25 0
47 Visala d Mia US 309.00 -29% 82 21 6* 482 5
48 Samyaprasa d Den US 266.25 -33% 84 39 97 43 0
49 Ekatvam d Gur US 250.00 na 0 45 240 340 0
50 Cakri d Chi US 228.00 na 0 188* 80 0 0
51 Lilakara d Mia US 222.50 -39% 56 49 1* 204 12
52 Sarvatarak d New US 207.00 -6% 20 0 0 668 0
53 Sacidulal d LA US 200.25 na 82 0 0 145 0
54 Ananda Murari d Den US 186.75 -60% 59 22 79 29 0
55 Bk Joe B. Chi US 184.00* na 72* 40* 0 0 0
56 Dinabandhu Guru Ber US 182.85 -35% 31 25 86 187 61
57 Shankar Pandit d Chi US 181.75 +323% 50 0 0 327 0
58 Dvijamani Gaura RVC US 169.75 na 35 53 84 19 0
59 Govinda Datta d LA US 164.25*+481% 44* 0 80* 145* 0
60 Rohini Nandan d New US 150.00 -30% 0 0 80* 440 0
61 Babhru d LA US 145.75 na 6 63* 76 131 0
62 Svavasa d LA US 144.00 na 72 0 0 0 0
63 Ananta Gopal d New US 137.50 na 50 0 50 50 0
64 Bk Sebastian LA US 132.00 -32% 0 4 15 482 0
65 Jaya Gauranga d Den US 121.25* na 30* 48* 0 53* 0
66 Kaivalya dd New US 117.50 na 0 0 235 0 0
67 Karuna Dharini LA US 110.50 +47% 41 9 23 32 0
68 Bk Mitch Rampp Chi US 101.50 na 50 0 2 2 0
69 Karuna Nidhi d Chi US 96.25*+817% 40* 0 0 25 100
70 Syama dd LA US 86.75 -16% 0 0 0 295 130*
71 Gaura Candra d Tor Can 83.25 -9% 39 0 5 11 0
72 Radharani dd LA US 82.75* na 3 0 46 215* 0
73 Bk Matsu Den US 80.25 na 29 6 20 25 0
74 Banke Bihari dd Van Can 71.50 -40% 14 11 24 82 0
75 Visva dd Chi US 70.00 -73% 20 10 13 54 0
76 Shivani dd Chi US 65.25 +110% 5 20* 12 117* 0
77 Uttamananda d Tor Can 58.00* na 24* 10* 0 0 0
78 NityanandaChandr Dal US 56.00* na 28 0 0 0 0
79 Advaita Caran d Chi US 48.00*+380% 24 0 0 0 0
80 Haridham d Van Can 45.50* na 18* 0 19* 0 0
81 Bn Demi Tor Can 45.50 -52% 14 6 13 8 30
82 Visnu Gada d Van Can 44.50 -9% 3 14 10 18 18*
83 Bk Chang SD US 41.50 na 12 10 10 10 0
84 Bk Deano New US 40.00 -33% 0 0 80 0 0
85 Naimisaranya d Dal US 39.00* na 19* 1* 0 0 0
86 Gopi Gita dd LA US 38.75 -43% 0 0 20 115 0
87 Nikunja Bihari d Den US 38.25* na 0 3* 33* 75* 0
88 Bhargavi dd Chi US 38.00* na 10* 5* 14* 20* 10*
89 Jagatpati d Van Can 36.75 +96% 0 0 56 35 0
90 Lalita dd Ber US 36.45 -31% 6 5 22 31 7
91 Bk Sonny Chi US 28.00 na 3 2 3* 74 0
92 Sridhar Syama d Dal US 27.75 na 6* 6 12 15 0
93 Bk Jonathon Gai US 25.75* na 1* 16* 8* 15* 0
94 Tulasi Vallabha Den US 25.50* na 9* 5* 0 10* 0
95 Ramanuja d Van Can 22.00 0% 3 2 8 40* 0
96 Bk Nick Den US 21.75* na 2* 2* 16* 31* 0
97 Vaisnava Sevanan Chi US 20.85 na 4 4 7 21 1
98 Bn Tessa Gai US 20.00 -32% 0 0 10 60 0
99 Madhava d New US 20.00* na 0 0 10* 60* 0
100 Prajapati d Mia US 17.35 na 2 4 0 37 1*
(%)Change compared (*)Better than
to Jan-Mar 2015 last year
North American Sankirtan Newsletter
CUMULATIVE TOP 5 TEMPLES AND INDIVIDUALS
January thru March 2016
----- Points(Cum) ------ -------- Points(Cum) ---------
1 Los Angeles 41489.40 1 Ananda Kirtan d LA 6350.10
2 RupanugaVedicCollege 21222.30 2 Bk Jay Khush LA 6273.20
3 TBB TSKP 12577.50 3 Bk Storm LA 5511.85
4 Seattle 8803.50 4 Krishna Bhagavan d RVC 5443.40
5 Denver 7048.95 5 Paramesvara d RVC 5353.25
--- (%)Increase(Cum) --- ------ (%)Increase(Cum) ------
1 TBB TSKP +598% 1 Karuna Nidhi d Chicago +817%
2 Hartford +568% 2 Govinda Datta d LA +481%
3 Baltimore +318% 3 Prabhu Hari d Miami +468%
4 Arkadelphia +204% 4 Prema Sankirtan d LA +354%
5 Gainesville +75% 5 Shankar Pandit d Chicago +323%
-- Maha-Big Books(Cum) -- ----- Maha-Big Books(Cum) -----
1 Los Angeles 9628 1 Ananda Kirtan d LA 1965
2 RupanugaVedicCollege 7434 2 Krishna Bhagavan d RVC 1910
3 Seattle 4290 3 Bk Jay Khush LA 1758
4 Baltimore 3149 4 Paramesvara d RVC 1731
5 Denver 2234 5 Bk Storm LA 1649
---- Big Books(Cum) ---- ------- Big Books(Cum) -------
1 Los Angeles 9456 1 Paramesvara d RVC 1458
2 RupanugaVedicCollege 5207 2 Prema Sankirtan d LA 1367
3 TBB TSKP 4427 3 Krishna Bhagavan d RVC 1280
4 Gainesville 1725 4 Raya Nitai d TBB TSKP 1171
5 Chicago 871 5 Ananda Kirtan d LA 979
--- Medium Books(Cum) --- ------ Medium Books(Cum) ------
1 Los Angeles 10420 1 Raya Nitai d TBB TSKP 2356
2 TBB TSKP 7252 2 Gauranga Prema dChinLA 1891
3 Denver 1503 3 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 1792
4 Gainesville 1434 4 Bk Eric LA 1181
5 New Talavan 1032 5 Bk Storm LA 1160
--- Small Books(Cum) --- ------ Small Books(Cum) ------
1 Los Angeles 29202 1 Bk Jay Khush LA 5560
2 TBB TSKP 5698 2 Ananda Kirtan d LA 4648
3 Denver 3305 3 Prema Sankirtan d LA 3251
4 Hillsborough, NC 2796 4 Bk Storm LA 3119
5 New Orleans 2658 5 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 1765
---- Magazines(Cum) ---- ------- Magazines(Cum) -------
1 RupanugaVedicCollege 6268 1 Paramesvara d RVC 3415
2 Los Angeles 2669 2 Krishna Bhagavan d RVC 2399
3 Denver 2052 3 Bk Storm LA 581
4 Chicago 1627 4 Dasya Prema d RVC 449
5 Hillsborough, NC 867 5 Bk Jay Khush LA 262
---- Full Sets(Cum) ---- ------- Full Sets(Cum) -------
1 Silicon Valley(ISV) 80 1 Gaur Sundar d LA 32
2 Baltimore 61 2 Nidra dd Denver 18
3 Los Angeles 43 3 Aditya Narayan d Hillsboro 14
4 Denver 29 4 Bk Jay Khush LA 4
5 Hartford 25 5 Svavasa d LA 4
--- BBT Payments(Cum) --- ---- Matajis - Points(Cum) ----
1 Los Angeles 66552 1 Nidra dd Denver 2758.75
2 Silicon Valley(ISV) 32379 2 Mohanasini dd New Tala 2405.25
3 Chicago 25539 3 Caitanya dd Gainsvil 510.50
4 TBB TSKP 20674 4 Kaivalya dd New Tala 117.50
5 Farmington Hills, MI 13690 5 Karuna Dharini dd LA 110.50
Bhaktas - Points(Cum) --- Bhaktins - Points(Cum) ---
1 Bk Jay Khush LA 6273.20 1 Bn Karly Gainesvil1248.75
2 Bk Storm LA 5511.85 2 Bn Demi Toronto 45.50
3 Bk Carlos TBB TSKP 2963.25 3 Bn Tessa Gainesvil 20.00
4 Bk Carlos Gainesvil2408.50 4 Bn Jyoti Denver 3.00
5 Bk Karim TBB TSKP 1703.25 5 0.00
Veteran Men(20+yrs) Points Veteran Women(20+yrs) Points
1 Prema Sankirt LA 4812.75 1 Nidra dd Denver 2758.75
2 Gaur Sundar d LA 3401.10 2 Mohanasini dd New Talav2405.25
3 Bhrgupati d LA 2214.50 3 Karuna Dharini dd LA 110.50
4 Sacitanoy d LA 991.25 4 Radharani dd LA 82.75
5 Drumila d New Orlea 604.00 5 Lalita dd Berkeley 36.45
HOW TO SEND IN SCORES
Monthly scores can still be sent the usual ways: fax, phone,
snail mail and e-mail. Please send them before the 7th of the
next month.
When sending scores by e-mail, please use the same basic format
as the printed scoresheet:
Temple: (Important!) Month: (Important!)
(Enter BOOKS below--NOT points)
SUB M1 S1 H1 S2 H2 S3 H3 S4 H4 SETS
Temple totals x x xx x x xx x xx x xx x
Top devotees:
Bk Mike x x x x x x x x x x x
Krsna d x x x x x x x x xx xx x
Radha dd xx xx x x x xx xxx x x
etc.
Please...
Try to limit each line to 80 characters maximum.
You can omit the codes you don't use. You can start with H4 if you wish.
Make sure the columns line up properly when viewed with a
fixed pitch font.
Use spaces (not tabs) between columns.
Include your temple's name!
Include the month the scores are for!
Include temple totals for the month.
List each month separately. Don't combine two or more months together.
Don't just report Small, Big, Mahabig, etc.--->Use the codes S1,S2 etc.
or make sure you specify hard or soft cover books
Don't send every devotee's score. Just the top devotees who will
have a chance to appear in the newsletter.
Send scores to Mayapur@aol.com
--- Please observe the Fair Play rules ---
DEADLINE for scores is the 7th of the following month!
Why did Rama not consult Vashishtha when sending Sita away?
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Answer Podcast
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The post Why did Rama not consult Vashishtha when sending Sita away? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
How can we infer that we are advancing spiritually?
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The post How can we infer that we are advancing spiritually? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
If Krishna is reciprocal, why does Shikshashtakam call for loving Krishna even if he neglects us?
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Hidden Treasures in Vrindavan
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A video by Ananta Vrindavan.
Devotee-Run Health Center Delivers Natural Cures
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Nestled in the beautiful hill country of Bulgarian resort village Emona, and overlooking the Black Sea and Irakli beach, is Vita Rama Health Center. Every summer, the Mediterranean-style building becomes home to around 500 people, as they soak up the peaceful countryside and clean air, healing their bodies and spirits. The Center is becoming more and more popular with its claims – backed up by customer testimonies – that it can cure heartburn, herniated discs, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even cancer.
Video coverage of St. Augustine Ratha Yatra
Festival of…
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Video coverage of St. Augustine Ratha Yatra
Festival of Chariots, or Rathayatra, is an annual event celebrating Indian and Hindu culture. The festival was celebrated in St. Augustine on Saturday, April 9, 2016, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It featured two colorful parades, live entertainment, vegetarian food, dancing, art vendors, and more. The Festival of the Chariots, also known as Ratha Yatra, is a timeless festival, originating in the ancient city of Jagannatha Puri in India. Today, this festival, which celebrates an invitation to the Lord of the Universe to enter our hearts, is held in many major cities across the globe. Here in Florida there are 8 Ratha Yatras (Festival of the Chariots) hosted each year.
Residents and visitors viewed the vibrant Festival of Chariots parade in the downtown area from 10:30 a.m. to noon along King Street, beginning and ending at the Plaza de la Constitucion.
At 1 p.m., a walking procession called Harinam began along St. George Street, with colorfully-garbed participants singing and dancing as they proceed down to Cathedral Place and the Plaza, where a cultural program took place from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
In addition to the parades and other festivities, the festival featured a vegetarian feast highlighting Indian cuisine, music, a dramatic presentation, art vendors, a magic show, face painting, henna tattoos, and much more.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/dJ87Sm
Scenes of Gaura’s tirobhava ceremony
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Scenes from the altar in Krsna Valley
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The post Scenes from the altar in Krsna Valley appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Stone-Alive
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By Abhijit Tolley Suppose for a moment this stone has life. It still has all the characteristics of a stone, but now it knows it exists. No matter how many trucks choose to run over it, it feels no pain. It is, after all, just a stone. And, just as befits a stone, it doesn’t feel joy when spring is right round the corner. Isn’t that a most coveted state of existence? Granted, there’s no exhilaration in life, but not a bad price to pay for escaping the agony of being crushed under the nonchalant tires of some nameless truck. Yes, the stone is happy to be alive! Wait! This does not sound right. Are we saying a stone’s life is better than ours? Suppose you go and open your heart to someone: “I have a problem. Why am I suffering like this?” and that someone replies: “Because you’re not dead.” This is not an answer that will fill your heart with happiness. Neither will such a stone hearted reply help you.Yet, there are many philosophers who say this-perhaps not as bluntly, but it is pretty much the essence of their philosophies. You are suffering, yes. Suffering is because of your desires. Put an end to your desires; do not rejoice for anything, and do not lament for anything. And so on. What they are suggesting, really, is that you must eventually (not immediately) develop the qualities of a stone. Continue reading "Stone-Alive
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Modern government? Their only business is how to collect tax and…
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Modern government? Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants!
Srila Prabhupada: So there are some remarkable points in this verse. Dasyu-prayesu rajasu. Rajasu means government. Raja, king, or government. So monarchy is now abolished practically all over the world. Now it is democratic government. So this so-called democratic government or Communist government, as they are going on, they will become rogues and thieves, dasyu-prayesu. All the rogues, thieves, plunderers, they will capture. Because it is by vote. So dasyu… Just like plunderers, rogues, they on the point of revolver, they take away your money, so they will take vote on the point of revolver. Actually, it is happening. In Korea it so happened, that sometimes the Communists are coming in power, and sometimes the capitalists coming in power, America and Russia. So poor people, as soon as there is Communist government, they are under the influence: “If you don’t do this, then you’ll be shot.” By force. The people do not know what is government generally. They want to live peacefully. They want a secure place. So that is not their business, modern government. Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants. That’s all. SB 1.3.25 class
Don’t be attached to being detached
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Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Chowpatty
Podcast
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Do we need diksha guru – is shiksha guru enough?
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How to continue bhakti when we don’t have devotee association?
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Why did Rama not obey Vashishtha when asked to return to Ayodhya?
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If all devotees will go to Krishna, what benefit do more dedicated devotees get?
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Is there a purpose for punishment?
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