Planet ISKCON

Thursday Feb 25th, 2016
Mayapur, India




guru/discipleship.  I also received, from the maze I was talking about, a copy of the annual Padayatra news.  From a booth, Gaurangi, from Francehanded me the glossy journal.

conducting padayatras (walking festivals) in Indiaand around the world.  There’s a forty-year history of these events which usually includes a bullock cart and a party of walking chanters.

Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
Mayapur, India



expectations.  Suffering continues for people as a residual effect from karma in the past.  As we sometimes hear Christians say, 'Accept Jesus and all your sins will go away.'  Now that may happen but it may take some time.

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016
Mayapur, India







encouragement. You do not advance on just your own strength.

Monday, February 22nd, 2016                                       
Mayapur, India

Sunday, February 21st, 2016                             
Mayapur, India

Saturday, February 20th, 2016                                      
Mayapur, India

Friday, February 19th, 2016                                                                          
Mayapur, India

Thursday, February 18th, 2016                          
Dubai, UAE

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016                         
Toronto, Ontario

Tuesday, February 16th, 2016                           
Toronto, Ontario







“The Afternoon/Forever Afternoon”

                                         I’m just beginning to see,
                                          It doesn’t matter to me,
                                          Chasing the clouds away.

                                           Something, calls to me,
                                    The trees are drawing me near,
                                           I’ve got to find out why
                                         Those gentle voices I hear
                                            Explain it all with a sigh.

                           I’m looking at myself, reflections of my mind
                            It’s just the kind of day leave myself behind,
                          So gently swaying thru the fairly-land of love,
                        If you’ll just come with me and see the beauty of

                                                 Tuesday afternoon.

Monday, February 15th, 2016                                 
Scarborough, Ontairo





             - Martin Luther King

                                                       
“Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than the silence.”

Sunday, Feb.14/2016                      
Montreal, Quebec

Speaking to Yudhisthira, the sage Vyasadeva said: “O child, there is nothing more difficult to practice than charity… It is extremely difficult to part with hard-earned wealth. But, O hero, properly earned wealth should be given away with an open heart to worthy persons.” (Mahabharata, by Krishna Dharma, P.329)

It is with deep gratitude that we receive the generous contributions from our donors. Out of kindness they choose to share their gain with our TKG Academy students. For this selfless act we are greatly thankful.

Sridhara-syama Prabhu (Sanjay Goel) and his wife Lalita Sakhi Mataji (Dr. Lalita Gupta) have been steady monthly donors of TKG Academy since several years now. When I asked Lalita Sakhi Mataji if we may write about her family for the “Donor Spotlight” she humbly declined. They have no interest in showcasing their donations or getting any recognition for it. Only when I insisted and convinced her that by doing so she will further serve our school, she reluctantly consented.

Sridhara-syama Prabhu and Lalita Sakhi Mataji met the devotees and attended classes while living in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2006 they received some books and their chanting beads and became dedicated practitioners. They have been attending the Dallas Radha Kalachandji temple since moving to Richardson in 2008.

Some years ago they considered moving closer to the temple and enrolling their son, Dhruv at TKG Academy. Plans didn’t work out as expected, and they decided to offer their support to the school by giving monthly donations instead. Lalita Sakhi Mataji also got involved with the Sunday school and enjoys sharing Krsna consciousness with the children. Her hope is that those teachings will have a strong and lasting impact on their lives.

Sridhara-syama Prabhu and his family are always engaged in service. He himself is a dedicated “Prison Ministry” preacher, going out weekly to share Krsna consciousness with inmates. He also spends several hours daily reading the philosophy and studying Srila Prabhupada’s books. He is a very renounced and enthusiastic devotee, though always maintaining a very humble mood.
His wife offers much medical advice and assistance to the devotees and has been involved in designing and sewing new outfits for the deities. Together they organize and host the Richardson Bhakti Vrksa group in their home and have thus inspired their friends on the path of devotional service.

I, too, feel inspired by their association and offer my sincere appreciation for their kind service and support.

By Jivan Mukta Dasa

When a family adheres to a spiritual program and cooperates to manage the household, the burden of stress and frustration is lightened. A disciplined devotional routine creates a more gentle flow to family life and an atmosphere where Krsna consciousness can flourish. We should regulate our play, rest, exercise, and worship in a way that will help us develop our attitude of service toward guru and Krsna. Although following a sadhana program as strictly at home as one would in a temple may be a challenge, we can stick to a modified program. Your schedule may prevent you from waking up at three or four in the morning, but your aim should be to get up before sunrise. The brahma-muhurta period, one and a half hours before sunrise, is most conducive to spiritual practices. Continue reading "Overcoming the Stumbling Blocks in Family Life
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The post Monday evening home program discourse in Dubai appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

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From Back to Godhead

We can learn to love the 
early-morning hours – the 
best time for spiritual practices.

By Urmila Devi Dasi

“No school!”

My student’s excitement ripples through his arms, which boast the muscles of early youth.

“I can sleep late!”

He smiles.

I sigh.

School for my students means not just academic study but also rising before sunrise to worship Krsna. Why doesn’t this student love the pre-dawn hours?

I look back on my life as a small child. Each morning my father would rise by 5:00 A.M. and wake me soon afterwards. Or did I wake spontaneously just to be with him? I would play in his office in our home while he showered. When I was very young we would play together, each of us with a doll. His doll told me stories of his life and taught me lessons of ethics and morality. As I got older, the play became a time to talk of the important things in our lives. My father squeezed fresh orange juice, made our breakfast, and forged our friendship. He made the early morning a time of peace, beauty, love, friendship, and understanding.

Mentally traveling forward, I remember sitting in a temple president’s office so many years later.

“I’d like to live here and dedicate myself to serving Krsna.”

“We wake up early in the morning,” he says. “Very early. Can you do that?”

I smile. “I’ve done that all my life.”

How easy now to spend the early mornings with my ultimate father, the Supreme Lord, Krsna! I sing His glories, dance to please Him, and study His philosophy. When chanting His names, I am personally with Him.

All day my father worked for our family, but the time we spent together, sometimes simply enjoying each other’s company, was often the most significant and satisfying. Now my sweetest time is spent in the morning just being with Krsna in His name, in His deity form on the altar, in the descriptions of His activities and philosophy. On days when I miss that time, I feel incomplete, even though I chant Krsna’s names and read His stories and instructions later in the day.

Rising early for prayer and study may become a chore, an obligation, as my student felt, and I wonder if I can give him the sense of wonder that my father gave me. I have read of medieval monks who woke each night at midnight for prayers and then slept a bit more until the next prayers before sunrise. They struggled sometimes, in those cold stone monasteries, to drag their sleep-heavy bodies and minds to the chapel. Some of them write of these practices as austerities or penance. We might similarly describe our Vaisnava devotions, yet are they not really rather a joy?

The ancient study of Ayurveda teaches us why the early morning so helps one’s spiritual advancement toward pure love of God. The controlling forces of the creation the three modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance affect our consciousness, activities, and even the time of day or year. In early morning we more easily achieve goodness and, beyond that, transcendence. Passion increases with the day, as we consume our time with occupations and making money. At night, ignorance prevails, inciting inclinations toward degradation and crime.

Even if we don’t understand the workings of nature’s modes, most of us find focusing the mind difficult when pressed with the day’s demands. The early-morning hours can clear our consciousness, mellow our actions.

The challenge of focusing on spiritual practices at other times of the day is like trying to travel during a traffic jam, when arriving at our destination is a protracted business at best. When everyone else is on the road, we don’t want to be there. But during the off times, the same journey is fast and easy. Similarly, while we can spend time with Lord Krsna at any time and place, the early morning is an open highway. Our devotional thoughts can move freely, unimpeded. While nothing material, including time, can hinder spiritual life, if we’re sincere about spiritual progress we’ll aim to build our day and life around the favorable circumstances.

Logic and knowledge alone may not be enough to sustain us through a lifetime of daily practice. We’re part of the Lord, the reservoir of pleasure, so we also seek pleasure. To throw off the bedcovers each morning and embrace the day, our early-morning chanting and study must be a source of pleasure.

One can say, dogmatically, that the early-morning devotions are pleasure, and that one who practices regularly will surely come to feel the pleasure. The great spiritual teacher Rupa Gosvami tells us that even if devotion to Krsna tastes bitter, by practice it will turn to sweetness. But while waiting to feel that joy, we may become discouraged, like the shopper at the end of a long line who decides to shop elsewhere. Therefore, we cannot hope to achieve perfection simply by following a formula because it is the formula. We must feel a real connection with Krsna, which is joyful even in the stage of practice.

Is the practice hard? As I look at the young student who thinks it is, I’m not sure. I pray that Krsna will awaken him to the feeling that he is truly and completely with the Lord.

We can come to love worshiping Krsna early in the morning as naturally and easily as I loved being with my father. After all, Krsna is the most lovable person. All good qualities reside unlimitedly in Him, His love for each of us is unbounded, and we know enough about Him from the Vedas to saturate our minds and hearts with love for Him and with thoughts of His greatness. If we just look at Him fully, and hear Him fully, with focus and dedication, will we not find joy in His presence?

Urmila Devi Dasi and her family run a school in North Carolina. She is the major author and compiler of Vaikuntha Children, a guide to Krsna conscious education for children.

The Early Morning Practice of Devotion

This is the general program Srila Prabhupada gave us, in line with the traditional practices of saintly, pure devotees of Lord Krsna.

• Rise before sunrise, preferably by 4:00 A.M.

• Bathe and dress in clean clothes.

• Gather with others, if possible, and spend half an hour in responsive singing of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and other glorification of the Lord. Generally, devotees gather in a special room in their home where there are pictures or deity forms of Krsna, Lord Caitanya, and Srila Prabhupada. (Many devotees travel daily to a temple outside their home.)

• If possible, worship the sacred Tulasi plant.

• Chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra quietly to oneself. Devotees usually count the number of mantras they chant on a string of 108 beads. Initiated devotees in ISKCON chant at least sixteen times around the beads daily.

• Read the scriptures and discuss their meaning and application according to the teachings of great devotees. Our main scripture for morning study is the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

By Sridhara Swami

Sex is the highest material pleasure, and love of God is the highest spiritual pleasure. For some people it's disheartening to learn that they have to make a choice. The real thing to understand is that the pleasure of sex life has a heavy downside. There's an old saying that if you pick up one end of the stick you pick up the other end of the stick too. If you want sense pleasure, then you have to take sense pain sukha and duhkha, happiness and distress. Some of us have been to the school of hard knocks and have gotten a little realization. I'm not perfect in my understanding of it, but in my heart of hearts I know that when I'm free from lust, anger, greed, envy, that kind of purity will bring me happiness beyond compare. I want that. And I'm prepared to be patient, determined, and enthusiastic to achieve it, because I've seen that in this world, practically speaking, there is only suffering. You can say something brings less suffering and therefore it's enjoyable. But I want a pleasure that is ever increasing. That plea-sure exists, but it requires effort to attain. By the process of sankirtana by chanting and taking spiritual food and living a simple life and associating with other devotees and practicing sincerely you can attain the perfection of pleasure. Continue reading "Practice Loving Krsna
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Gaura Purnima Festival at Bhaktivedanta Academy, the Hare Krishna School in Alachua, Florida.
Jaya Sri Radhe devi dasi: The students of the Krishna Sharanam classroom (7th-9th grade) at the Bhaktivedanta Academy recently put on a project to celebrate Gaura Purnima with their classroom Panca Tattva deities. Putting on a festival like Gaura Purnima helps the students build leadership and practical life skills. Each area of the project –decorations, jewelry, backdrops, and abisheka – had a student leader. The leader organized and prepared the necessary materials and engaged other students. They all collaborate together on the theme for the festival. This year’s theme was from the prayers by Queen Kunti, “As the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else.” The students also wanted to portray Mayapur Dhama village as well as the Ganges flowing to the sea. They had only a small budget so everything was made by hand. This year’s feature was handmade banana trees, and a miniature replica of Navadwip featuring Srivas Unga, Yoga Pitha, and Narasimha Palli. The day before the Festival, there was an abisheka where the school was invited to view the Deities. On the day of the Festival, the class finishes up their Holy Name marathon, and the school and parents and guests are invited to chant with them and take darshan.
Krishna Sharanam
This yearly celebration is a time when whole class gets together and works on a project centered around Krishna. The excitement builds as the students see to all the details involved in making the festival a success. Madhuri Fitch was the leader of creating the village scene, Ksina Valdez was in charge of the altar decorations, Janvi Shah was in charge of classroom decorations that included the Ganges design, Anasuya Rico painted the backdrops which featured tropical foliage and flowers, Nishtha Kowlessar designed and coordinated the jewelry making, Haridas Leslie was in charge of the abisheka, and many other students assisted such as hunting and gathering in the woods to get the raw materials to make the Navadwipa village, making garlands, etc. Everyone had a hand in it. For many students, it is the highlight of the year…they develop sincere closeness to Panca-tattva, and realize the rewards of becoming part of something bigger than themselves.

The post Daily Darshan : April 5th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Gaura Purnima in Iskcon Silicon Valley (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “You are doing your duty very nicely. That’s all right. But by doing your duty, if you do not develop your Krishna consciousness, then you are simply wasting your time.” Bombay, January 6, 1973.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/afSRhe

Cultural Iskcon program in Hungary (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “When one becomes Krishna conscious, he loves everyone. If you chant loudly Hare Krishna, even the ants and insect who is hearing, he’ll be delivered, because it is spiritual vibration.” Bombay, January 4, 1973.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/NG38b5

ISKCON 50 printed clothing.
Colourful range of t-shirts, hoodies, zipper jackets, polo shirts, caps produced by mantradesignprint.com are now available via mail order online from mantraworld-store.com. We are also supplying wholesale to temple shops. A large percentage of the profits will be donated to the TOVP Mayapur project.
Thank you for your support, Gouranga das.
Find them here: http://www.mantraworld-store.com/product/iskcon-50/

Shocked then Shocked Again!
Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books to the coal-mine workers.
The bus party of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath temple Chowpatty went to the coal mines.
After a couple of days of good book distribution we decided to try the head-office. Jagganatha Prabhu met the head officer and obtained the permission and the next day we set up a stall beside the vehicle parking inside the gate. It was 8 am and slowly the officers were trickling in. Sun had just begun to show its face dissipating the early morning fog and it was warming up. From the corner of my eye I saw a security man, who had just arrived, rush at our table. He had a fair complexion, a shikha and tilak and when he arrived nearer I noticed on his name plate a surname that showed that he was a Brahmin. But what he did next was anything but brahminical. “Stop this!” he shouted. “Stop this immediately. You are not allowed here. What do you think? Is this some vegetable market that you can enter inside and sell your stuff? Come on get out. Just get out.” Our bus had just left out of the gate, but seeing the commotion, Rupa Raghunatha Prabhu stopped. I called the man and assured him that we had the permission of the officer to do the exhibition. But he did not listen. He physically began to move the crowd away from the table and shout expletives. I got so angry that my voice choked up. I had the urge to grab his collar and give him a smack but seeing his age I checked myself. I got the permission papers and with shaking hands showed him the signature of the authorities, but he just did not listen. “You first stop this and shift your table outside the gate. Just go out,” he said. “We are not going out,” I said. “We have the permission and just now the secretary to the head officer had come and sanctioned our stall, if you have a problem you meet him.” “No, you meet him,” he shouted back, “and ask him to call me in my office.” I stormed to the office of the secretary and told him the events. “Please call your security and tell them to allow us.” “Sorry, I can not do that. You have to move out,” he said. “But we have the permission of the head officer,” I said, “We met him yesterday.” “That is ok, but some men are objecting to this religious exhibition.” “I want to speak to the head officer,” I said. “OK,” the secretary called the head officer, but before I could speak to him, he briefed him about the objection raised by a certain section of office staff against us. The head officer sympathized with me but said that he was unable to help. Crestfallen I returned to the stall and told the devotees that we had to move out of the complex. The problem was that once we moved out hardly anyone would have come to our stall. Most men had vehicles and they would speed away once out of the gate. Only a rare soul would cross the road and come to us. I explained the situation to Rupa Raghunatha Prabhu. “Just show that you are shifting,” he said. “Move some boxes and meanwhile continue to distribute on the table. If someone again comes show that you are going but since some customers are there hence you are entertaining them. Wait till 11:30 am and then shift to some other location. I will take the bus to next mine.” I did as he told me. We packed 4-5 cartons and one devotee stood with them across the road while another continued the sales on the table. Then I went to the security man who had charged at us and said that we were shifting. He called me inside his cabin. “I am extremely sorry Maharaja,” he said folding his hands. “What you are doing is a very noble thing. See I am also a Brahmin,” he took out his sacred thread, “but what to do, we have to act rough. There were certain men at your stall who are against our dharma and simply to appease them I behaved in such a bad way. I know that your man had come yesterday and got the permission, still I troubled you only to make those men go away. Now you can continue your sale. Only thing is do not keep many books on the table. You can keep the excess in my office and when you need them you can take them from here.” “Hey Dharmu!” he called his man, “go get Swamiji’s books from the road.” His men brought all our boxes from the road to the office. “And please give me a set of books,” the security man requested me. My jaw hung in sheer shock at the turn of events. I gave him the books and continued low-key distribution even when the head officer arrived. Later we met him and he gave us a vehicle on which two of us carried 12 sets and went to a peripheral office and sold all of them.
Sankirtana Yajna ki jaya!
Your Servant, Murari Gupta Das

this is text only

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Dhruva and Parijata (7 min video)
The story of how two highly successful individuals in the corporate world came to run an organic farm in Port Royal, PA.
Farm life transforms one’s conception of “success”. In this short video hear from our dear leaders, Dhruva and Parijata, how it continues to transform their hearts.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kRp1MJ

Gaura Purnima Celebration at SJMKL (Album with photos)
Gaura Purnima was attended by more than 400 guests at Sri Jagannatha Mandir Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The festival started with a beautiful abhiseka ceremony for Their Lordships and was followed by an enlightening spiritual discourse by HH Bhaktivrajendranandana Swami. The guests were then served sumptuous prasadam. The feast consists of more than 6 ekadasi preparations. The stage performance was the well coordinated by the children and youth of Jagannatha Mandir. Pastimes of ChandKazi and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came alive as the children perfectly enacted it out. The festival ended with Maha Arati and kirtan with devotees dancing in joy and bliss.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/mQzbeq

April 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Invitation Downtown.
David Allen, a twenty-one-year-old seeker who came up from the Paradox, had just moved to the City, optimistically attracted by what he had read about experimentation with drugs. He saw the old group as “a kind of fussbudgety group of older women on the West Side listening to the Swami’s lectures.”
David: We weren’t known as hippies then, but it was strange for the people who had originally been attracted to him. It was different for them to relate to this new group. I think most of the teachers from India up to that time had older followers, and sometimes wealthy widows would provide a source of income. But Swamiji changed right away to the younger, poorer group of people. The next thing that happened was that Bill Epstein and others began talking about how it would be better for the Swami to come downtown to the Lower East Side. Things were really happening down there, and somehow they weren’t happening uptown. People downtown really needed him. Downtown was right, and it was ripe. There was life down there. There was a lot of energy going around.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

Invitation Downtown

“The Hare Krishna maha mantra is reverberating throughout Vrindavan Forest!  Do you heaarr?”

All of TKG Academy students and Vedic Kids Sunday School presented a beautiful drama on Sunday, March 20 for the Gaura Purnima Festival.

Why did we hear echos of “It was the best drama we have ever seen!”  With Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental voice booming throughout the temple, gorgeously decorated gopis, Sri Panca Tattva dancing to Hari Haraye Namah, cute demigods engaged in battle, and even a fearsome Nawab Hussein Shah, the audience was literally spell-bound.  The students depicted the journey of Sri Nam Prabhu, the sweet holy name, from the transcendental lips of Lord Caitanya, traveling through the hands of Sri Rupa & Sri Sanatan Goswami, and all the way to Tompkins Square Park, where Srila Prabhupada’s illuminating presence tormented blinded Kali and his minions: lust, anger, greed and false ego.

Take a look at the pictures!

Students are immersed.  The room is quiet.  Partnered groups speak in hushed whispers.  Math Journals in hand, they log all the problems they are mastering.   Move the clothespin to the next activity that needs practice.  Lay out a red mat.  Set up the animal objects.  Match fraction cards.  Practice borrowing in Subtraction.  Line up the big division hexagon.   Play the Roll-It Rounding Bingo Game.

In all these years of teaching and tutoring Math, I’ve never seen a child so excited about dividing 5,879,192 by 9.  I’ve rarely seen high-fives and total immersion.  I’ve definitely never seen students so motivated to master their Math objectives.

Individual Work.  Self-paced.  Self Corrected.  Hands-on.  Engaging.  Exciting!

Check out some of the Math Centers we’ve been working on this Spring in Middle Elementary.

Chef Mother Manjuali walks the Upper Elementary students through a step-by-step instruction and demonstration of making Masala Puris. They got to make, offer and eat them! Yum!

In their Cooking Classes this year, they’ve also learned to make Fettucini Alfredo, Puffed Cheese Balls,  Vegetables &  Gravy, Bread-Tomato Casserole and more. Lucky kids!

Photoset not found

 

The Sacred Sound Kirtan retreat was held at the beautiful New Govardhana farm in Murwillumbah during the Easter long weekend. It was a huge gathering with more than 500 people registered. The atmosphere was incredibly vibrant, thanks to the line-up of world class kirtaneers such as Madhava, Bada Hari and our own Sri Prahlada. Each festival day […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 January 2015, Soho Temple, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.77.33-37)

I was reading a verse where it says, “Not by any means nor by any weapon, can one take away the possessions of a devotee.” That was interesting because I do watch over my electronics and do not leave them lying around because things sort of move in different directions. But, the possessions of a devotee cannot be taken away by any means because the true possession of a devotee is Krsna and devotional service; and devotional service cannot be taken away! Devotional service is always there. It is something we can always do, a little service to Krsna and no one can take that away!

In South Africa, where I regularly visit, every year they celebrate a very large Ratha Yatra. Every year for the Ratha Yatra, the deputy mayor of Durban attends and he gives a speech and the speech is the same every year. He talks about the apartheid days where he was part of the forbidden political party and all the leaders of that party were jailed, so this man was also in jail. He was put into solitary confinement and he was allowed to have one book. He asked for a Bhagavad-gita, and he was given a Bhagavad-gita As It Is and for three years, he was locked up in jail with Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita.

You can understand that there was nothing else to read – no newspaper, no internet, nothing else to read – but Prabhupada’s Gita! That jail sentence, in one way, was a blessing because it changed his life… I mean, three years with just Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita. He can never forget it and therefore, every year he has to come to Ratha Yatra and tell that story. Although we have heard it a hundred times, it does not matter, every time the story has power… three years with just Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita! What an amazing blessing he got! In that way, we can never take away the possessions of a devotee; it is not possible because no matter what we do, devotional service remains.

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016                         
Mayapur, India

Monday, March 7th, 2016                                                 
Mayapur, India