England, February 2016: Recordings
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Kadamba Kanana Swami visited England from 01-08 February. Please find recordings below. 

Visit Flickr to see the photos.

Download ALL.

KKS_UK_02Feb2016_ChineseSanga_Lecture

KKS_UK_02Feb2016_ChineseSanga_Kirtan

KKS_UK_03Feb2016_HomeProgram_Kirtan

KKS_UK_03Feb2016_HomeProgram_Lecture

KKS_UK_04Feb2016_Manor_SB_10.2.21_Little-Kamsas

KKS_UK_04Feb2016_Soho_LunchProgram

KKS_UK_05Feb2016_Crawley_Kirtan

KKS_UK_05Feb2016_Crawley_Lecture

KKS_UK_05Feb2016_Manor_SB_10.2.22_More-Kamsa

KKS_UK_07Feb2016_Leicester_Morning_Kirtan

KKS_UK_07Feb2016_Leicester_Morning_Lecture_5.14.2_Finding-the-right-position-in-KC

KKS_UK_07Feb2016_Leicester_TempleProgram_Lecture_SB_1.3.28_Start-a-revolution

 

Thrilling To See!
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On Vijaya ekadasi we visited Nityananda vat, near Madan Modan temple, on the banks of the Yamuna river. My old friend, Anup Goswami, who is a direct descendent of Lord Nityananda, once again allowed me to chant 16 rounds on the original beads of Srila Jiva Goswami. He also gave us darsan of the jewels [...]

Tuesday March 1st, 2016
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Tuesday March 1st, 2016
Mayapur, India

Worry for Gain

I’m going to wear my theatre cap right now.  It is a remarkable challenge in dealing with local Bengalis (all nice people) who have been given technical responsibility to set up the stage arrangements.  Is working with them a challenge?  Challenge #1 They know no English. Challenge #2 is their old equipment, worked into the ground – so to speak.  Challenge #3 is that they may get things done; on their own time (Perhaps that has something to do with hot weather).  Challenge #4 is that they are used to doing things in their own way.  Our dress rehearsal was disastrous from the technical side.

These hurdles caused a bit of rough sleep last night.  I was anxious, to say the least, right up to the last moment before show-time.

It becomes an impetus to develop your faith in the Sublime.  You convince yourself that you did the best you could.  So what happened is the technical crew actually felt our sense of urgency, and that we were going to settle for nothing less than pakha (perfect) arrangements.

The lights went up for the stage.  The lights were lowered for the green rooms.  My hands-on technical personnel, Nick and Mandala, were moving things along.  Actors for the play, ‘Krishna Is’ were ready.  Manoram, the magician opened the show and all went as pakha as it could possibly be.

The crowd of one-thousand-plus was very pleased.  The worry paid off.  I say that because the opposite extreme – over-confidence – never helps you win the game.

Trust in Krishna does!

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Monday Feb 29th, 2016
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Monday Feb 29th, 2016
Mayapur, India

Love Trails

“Every path hath its own personality,” I mentioned to Abhay as we reached a juncture, turned a corner, and allowed our feet to feel all the different stones.  Our eyes were excited by the blackness of those stones.

“Unique from the rest of the trails,” I added.

“They are going to put tar on the surface,” said Abhay.

“Don’t tell me!”

“That’s the plan,” said Abhay, a resident of Mayapur.

“To accommodate hardware,” I thought; hardware (meaning cars and scooters) and less software (meaning feet).

I wish I could love Krishnaas much as people love their vehicles.

On one of the trails nearby the local elephants do tread.  They, the two females, Visnupriya and Laksmipriya, have their daily strolls just like us.  They have their personalities too.  Vishnupriya, the slightly smaller, is feisty.  News got around that one time, while walking by, a woman (a pilgrim I suppose) just got too close to the giant mammal.  Vishnupriya picked her up at the waist with her powerful nose and tossed the lady in the ditch.  She ‘ditched’ her.

My sympathies go out to the woman who was thrown.  I am not aware of any serious injuries.  May the presiding deities of Krishna, in the name of Radha Madhava, give protection to all, as well as to the trails that connect people to each other, and to opportunities.  Each trail is unique and it carries with it the weight of trucks, people, and elephants.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Mind over matter
→ Servant of the Servant

We go one step above, consciousness is above mind which is above matter.

As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clearheaded science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about the atoms this much: There is no matter as such! All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.

- Max Planck - Quantum Physicist

Hare Krishna

Sunday, February 28th, 2016
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Sunday, February 28th, 2016
Mayapur, India

Fate is Hard

He wasn't a puppy, exactly, but still too young to call him an adolescent.  He was by his own, perhaps disowned by his mother. He may never have had and may never will have a master. He is too sickly to be wanted.  Like many of his type you might call him a ‘mutt.’  He is a stray dog; like so many in India.

We were walking a trail eastbound and there he lies part cuddled, part up.  He was flee-infected and was working with his snout to his leg, addressing the disease of itch.  
He was patchy-- bald in places-- and we felt sorry for him.

After the evening's fresh rainfall he had made the moist path his residence for the night.  Now that traffic picked up, like us trekkers, he would most likely move on, forever miserable in his existence.  He was ugly, and being that he was so young I personally wondered what chance he had for any kind of real life.

If he should live to puberty he may look for a mate.  Food will certainly be a priority.  He'll get sleep.  I assume he'll have some fights but hopefully the packs of jackals will be leaving him unnoticed.

Again, I felt for him.  I or we left him with a mantra as we passed by him on this quiet and sometimes harsh trail.  Fate is hard.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, February 27th, 2016
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Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Mayapur, India

A Change

It was a nice change.  I had been sitting in seminars and sinking in my chair during
administrative meetings.  The seminars were stimulating.  Lokanath Swami and Hari Bhakti led one on proper Sanskrit pronunciation and traditional melodies.  I had dreamt that such an arrangement would materialize.

Well it has!

Also, my friend from the UK, Krpamoya, led a seminar 'The Guru and How Spiritual Teachers Fit or do Not Fit into an Institution.'  Gurus can be quite independent unless guided and blessed by their peers.  That's where the topic became interesting.  When John Lennon spoke to our guru, Prabhupada, about spiritual masters - the conversation led to ‘what makes a guru bona fide?’ and one of the best tests to ensure authenticity is that he talks and lives every moment for the Supreme.

What really made me feel that I was a bit off-the-grid, of hearing and listening at seminars and meetings, was giving a presentation myself.  At the courtyard of a condo block I was invited by Noam from Israelto chant, speak, and take some great middle-eastern food.

For openers we chanted and then read theatrically from the book, 'Krishna.'  The evening was stirring with winds picking up as we sat in the courtyard.  It simply added to the dramatic effects.

After so many hours of hearing you feel rather driven to deliver, hence we have the program of shravanam (hearing) and then kirtanam (delivery).

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Friday, Feb 26th 2016
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Friday, Feb 26th 2016
Mayapur, India

Human Need

Jananivas is a dedicated priest in Mayapur.  When a samskar, or a ritual, needs to be executed he’ll be only too happy to deploy himself.  Now when I say dedicated it is no joke.  He and his identical twin joined Iskcon many years ago and have lived in Mayapur for forty years.

An extraordinary monk!

I had an obligation to fulfill and I needed Jananivas’ help.  A friend from Canada, Danapati, had lost his wife.  She had perished before the year ended in 2015 and I was asked to carry those ashes to merge with the Ganges River.

Jananivas made use of kusha as an ingredient, along with honey, panchagavya (five substances from the cow), and some grains.  The ashes were placed in a clump of Ganges silt along with the ingredients.  The clump was shaped to accommodate those ingredients and then more mud was placed over top to cover everything.

This procedure was also repeated by two other participants.  A father of 55, Arjuna, placed his 21 year old son’s ashes in the same way.  This was the son who tried to stop thieves from entering their home when he was shot to death.  Tragic! Giri-Gopal from Guyana also partook with his Mum’s ashes.  She had been struggling with illness for years.

The mantras used were a final send-off and a communication with Vishnu while all three sets of ashes were made to float until merging.  Jananivas directed us to take a full bath in the sacred river.  I moved on more to the current of the water to meet another monk and friend, Jayadwaita Swami.  The three of us participants then returned to our schedules.

A closure was put to a human need.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Thursday Feb 25th, 2016
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Thursday Feb 25th, 2016
Mayapur, India

Heavy Rains

Heavy rains had come the night before leaving pools, puddles, and minor flooding.  You had to watch where to walk.  An outdoor shopping mall with devotional paraphernalia could not be accessed.  It was one big mud river, so it seemed.  The mall was set up as a tempting maze. It was the route to the food.

The food - oh yes - the food.  It comes across as delicious each time.  During the ABM an extra 1300 people need to be fed.  The prasadam (sanctified food) draws the crowds twice a day.  I get the chance to walk from table to table and connect with the South Americans, Chinese, Africans, Europeans, Indians, and even the Americans.

I enjoyed the seminars on rural living and how to get there, as well as a seminar on
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.

Overseeing this publication is Lokanath Swami, a monk from India.  He is credited for
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.

It was Lokanath who told me of the Padayatra journal featuring this humble servant on the cover. Actually he told me, “You are left, right, and centre.”  The main story is the feature of my walk in the north-east of the USA last fall.

What an honour this is!

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
Mayapur, India
 
We All Suffer

Albert Schweitzer had once indicated that the happiest times are when you are in good health and in bad memory.  He was quoted by Tamohar, my dear friend from Florida, who conducted a seminar on why people suffer, even those who are spiritually devotional.

First of all, he began to explain, that some people enter a spiritual domain with unrealistic
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.

It cannot be assumed that you go, 'Abra Kadabra' and, poof, all that's negative has disappear. Krishnastates it very clearly that the physical world in which we live is wrought with dualities-- extremes.  What we need to consider is that the spiritual process that we have adopted offers us the tools whereby we can learn to maturely accept difficulties.  We learn how to cope.  And when we exercise COPE there will be HOPE and we'll never have to say NOPE.

You will never have to refuse a challenge, which may come in many shapes or forms.  The mature way to receive a challenge, or oncoming suffering, is to say, 'Here is a test that the Universe (God) is giving me, and for all the wrongs I've done I deserve much worse.'  This is a healthy attitude.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016
Mayapur, India

Coming Together

The local dentist, Keshava, who resides for some time with us in Canada, arranged a get-together for bhakti-yogis from Canada.  It’s an annual reunion.  It bonds us as a unit in a small segment of the globe.
 
We know that the ultimate end our true identity is one of being a spirit soul.  'I am not this body.' I ultimately have no ties with race, gender, creed, or nationality.  Still at the same time while we roam through this world, in this body, there is an identity related to the land in which we are born.

It is hoped that every individual contributes to the land in which we live.  There is an expectation to fulfill some obligation; whether one is a spiritual seeker or not.  The relative practical reality is that we have a body which is conditioned in some way.

So here we are, a few people who came together-- people who are karmically linked-- to do some spiritual things in union. We ate prasadam together. We chanted together.
We chatted. We had a good time.

The Russians do it, the Bengalis do it.  The Chinese do it, etc.  Why shouldn't those from the land of the maple leaf come together?

We all look for reinforcements in life.  Even those on the spiritual path require
encouragement. You do not advance on just your own strength.

When walking this morning I was considering the mechanics of my body, especially the legs, and how that part of my anatomy has so many components, each component assisting another. Even my eyes have to be somewhat watching what's ahead.  If there's a depression or a pothole on the way, when I see it coming I will connect with the brain and hence make adjustments in the mechanical operation of things.  These are all helpers.

Comradery is essential in achieving a surge of inspiration.  Assistants or helpers are there for us to take advantage of.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Deeper Connections at Forefront of New Vrindaban’s ISKCON 50 Celebrations
→ New Vrindaban

By Madhava Smullen

In July 1966, after braving thirty-five days at sea on a cargo ship, two heart attacks, and months of struggles in New York’s Bowery with little money to his name, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Some of his main purposes for the Society included “to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large,” and “to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna.”

Fifty years later, residents of his first rural community, New Vrindaban, are celebrating his Society’s Golden Jubilee with a packed year of events that intend to spread spiritual knowledge and deepen connections with devotees, the general public, and local municipal leaders.

Senior Prabhupada disciples, Soma das and Jaysri dasi, bathe Nrsimhadev and Prahlada Maharaj on Nrsimha Caturmasi 2015.

The first event will be a two-day festival on May 20th and 21st celebrating the 30th anniversary of the installation of New Vrindaban’s Nrismha-Prahlad Deities, the only full-sized such Deities in North America.

Sculpted and molded by local devotee artists and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man half-lion Lord with His deep black skin and golden mane stands seven feet tall.

“We plan to invite devotees from all over North America to come celebrate this unique festival with us,” says ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krsna Das. “Together, we’ll bathe the full-size Deities of Lord Nrsimhadeva and Sri Prahlad in an abhisekha ceremony. And we will ask senior devotees to come and share their memories of the installation.”

The first stage reading of The Ramayana by Kripamaya Prabhu, June 2015

Next, on June 3rd, 4th and 5th will be the premiere of a two-hour epic Ramayana musical by longtime New Vrindaban resident Kripamaya Das.

Devotees from neighboring cities will join New Vrindaban residents and students in the audience, packing out West Liberty University’s 230-seat Kelley Theater in nearby Wheeling.

“I’ve been working on this off and on my whole life,” says Kripamaya Das, who began his dramatic career with New Vrindaban’s Brijabasi Players in the early 1980s. Currently enrolled in a music and theater program at West Liberty, he is delighted to finally see his dream come to fruition. And on a professional stage, with a cast of some fourteen students and devotees, no less.

“We plan to invite some theater directors and producers to see it, and if they like it, we hope to go on to have it produced in Pittsburgh or enter musical festivals in New York,” he says.

Kulimela 2016 Schedule

From June 15th to 19th, meanwhile, will be one of New Vrindaban’s biggest festivals of the year. The tenth anniversary of the first Kuli Mela will be celebrated back-to back with an event that was born from its bhajan kutir -- the 24-Hour Kirtan festival.

Kuli Mela will epitomize New Vrindaban’s aim to build deep relationships during the 50th anniversary year, with “celebrating family” and “building community” as its main themes. Around 1,000 people from the first, second, and third generations of ISKCON are expected to attend for three days full of seminars, activities, bhajans, and entertainment.

Radhanath Maharaj playing mridanga at 24 hour kirtan 2013

For the 24-Hour Kirtan festival on the weekend, attendance is expected to remain high, with Kuli chanters like Amala Harinama and the Mayapuris joining senior Srila Prabhupada disciples such as Bhakti Charu Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Agnidev Das.

Of course, for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, New Vrindaban devotees are also looking to do a large outreach event to connect with the local public. Residents have celebrated their own Rathayatra at New Vrindaban since 1973, but this year will see the first Festival of Chariots in local town Wheeling on Saturday July 16th.

Ratha Yathra Celebration in New Vrindaban 2015

Organizer Vrindavana Das will give interviews about the event with newspapers and TV stations in advance, emphasizing the importance of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary year and highlighting Srila Prabhupada’s achievements. On the day, New Vrindaban’s over five-foot tall Jagannath Deity will parade through Wheeling on his 30-foot high chariot, followed by a stage show on the Ohio River waterfront.  The show will include a welcome and lecture, a dance, a drama, and kirtan, followed by prasadam.

“This is about making ourselves visible to the public again,” says Jaya Krsna. “We already have the Festival of Colors on September 17th where they come to us, but with the Rathayatra we’re going to them. It’s our offering to the city and its residents.”

Srila Prabhupada visiting New Vrindaban in early 1970’s

ISKCON’s 50th anniversary is also the perfect time to reintroduce the “Prabhupada Festival” that was celebrated at Prabhupada’s Palace over Labor Day Weekend from 1979 until the mid ‘80s.

Hundreds of previous residents of New Vrindaban from its early days will be invited for the September 30th to October 2nd weekend event, and hosted as honored guests.

“It will be a revival of giving special attention to Srila Prabhupada and to the devotees who helped build his Palace and first developed New Vrindaban,” says Jaya Krsna.

During the festival, devotees will spend a whole day at the original New Vrindaban farm. There are plans over the summer to renovate the farmhouse where Srila Prabhupada stayed for one month in 1969, and to decorate it with photographs of old times. The festivities will take place under a pandal nearby, including devotees telling many stories of their experiences in those pioneering years.

Communications Director Vrindavan das welcomes the Marshall County Convention Bureau to New Vrindaban in September, 2015.

As well as deepening relationships with devotees and the general public, ISKCON New Vrindaban also wants to connect with local municipal leaders and dignitiaries.

Many will be invited to a VIP Dinner on October 27th, including the mayors of Wheeling and Moundsville, church, business, and law-enforcement leaders, deans of local universities, and celebrated artists in their fields. The event will include a delicious prasadam meal and a cultural presentation.

 “As we work hard to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and gradually improve the image of his New Vrindaban village,” says Jaya Krsna, “We want to be good citizens, to connect with our neighbors. And in the process, we want to let them know about ISKCON’s 50th anniversary and Srila Prabhupada’s achievements.”

After ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, more celebrations are to come with the 50th anniversary of New Vrindaban in 2018. Plans include a book and film on the history of New Vrindaban, more efforts at reconnecting with current and previous residents, and a recreation of Srila Prabhupada’s famous Bhagavat-Dharma Discourses from 1972.

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversaries of ISKCON and New Vrindaban, we remember that Srila Prabhupada is our spiritual founder,” says Jaya Krsna. “He established New Vrindaban as a sacred village, he gave us so many grand visions and bold instructions, he visited four times, and it’s clear that this community is important to him. And today, of course, we can feel his presence so strongly in his Palace. Therefore our intention should be that everything we do here, we do it for him.” 

When problems distract us from bhakti, isn’t it better to solve the problems and then focus on bhakti?
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Answer Podcast


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How can we know the balance between the painkiller of material things and the cure of spirituality?
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Answer Podcast


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Gita 10.07 – Appreciation of Krishna’s greatness guarantees absorption in him
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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast


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Gita 10.06 – Realize the greatness of our universal genealogy
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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast


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Gita 10.05 – Krishna asks Arjuna to fight, yet is the source of the qualities that engender peace
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Podcast


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Kavicandra Swami: Devotees serve sanctified food (prasadam) to…
→ Dandavats



Kavicandra Swami: Devotees serve sanctified food (prasadam) to the thousands of guests at the annual Shantipur festival.
The Shantipur Festival is celebrated in the house of Advaita Acarya, one of the four main associates of Sri Chaitanya, the pioneer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
The event is a very attractive to the devotees, as Vaishnava scriptures say that anyone who gives or receives prasadam (sacred food) during the festival is guaranteed love of God.
For donations: PayPal Kavicandra.swami@pamho.net
Note the purpose: Santipur festival

Reflections on Sivaratri
→ Dandavats

Hare KrishnaBy Giriraj Swami

“If one tries to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Again, as stated here, the best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Krsna consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Krsna consciousness. The Lord Himself also comes to mitigate the suffering of humanity. Continue reading "Reflections on Sivaratri
→ Dandavats"

Radhadesh Mellows 2016: Recordings
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The Radhadesh Mellows Kirtan Festival took place from 29-31 January. Please find recordings below of kirtans and a class by Kadamba Kanana Swami. 

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KKS_Radhadesh_29Jan2016_SB_7.6.15_Prahlad-instructs-his-demoniac-friends

KKS_Radhadesh_29Jan2016_Kirtan

KKS_Radhadesh_30Jan2016_Kirtan

KKS_Radhadesh_31Jan2016_Kirtan_New-tune

 

Reflections on Sivaratri, March 7, 2016
Giriraj Swami

Srimad-BhagaLord Shiva Drinking the Ocean of Poisonvatam, Canto 8, Chapter 7 (texts 36-42) describes the benevolent activities of Lord Siva when the living entities were threatened by the deadliest poison (halahala).

“Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said: ‘Lord Siva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. Thus he spoke to his eternal consort, Sati, as follows.

“ ‘Lord Siva said: “My dear Bhavani, just see how all these living entities have been placed in danger because of the poison produced from the churning of the ocean of milk. It is my duty to give protection and safety to all living entities struggling for existence. Certainly it is the duty of the master to protect his suffering dependents. People in general, being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always engaged in animosity toward one another. But devotees, even at the risk of their own temporary lives, try to save them. My dear gentle wife Bhavani, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other living creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy because of me.” ’

“Srila Sukadeva Gosvami continued: ‘After informing Bhavani in this way, Lord Siva began to drink the poison, and Bhavani, who knew perfectly well the capabilities of Lord Siva, gave him her permission to do so. Thereafter, Lord Siva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it.’  ”

At the chapter’s end, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami concluded,

tapyante loka-tapenaSrila Prabhupada on Juhu Terrace
sadhavah prayaso janah
paramaradhanam
purusasyakhilatmanah

“It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.” (SB 8.7.44)

And Srila Prabhupada elaborates, “Here is an explanation of how those engaged in activities for the welfare of others are very quickly recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (18.68-69), ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati . . . na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah: ‘One who preaches the message of Bhagavad-gita to My devotees is most dear to Me. No one can excel him in satisfying Me by worship.’ There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Krsna consciousness. Other welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the results of karma cannot be checked. . . .

“If one tries to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham [Bg 9.22]). Again, as stated here, tapyante loka-tapena sadhavah prayaso janah. The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Krsna consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Krsna consciousness. The Lord Himself also comes to mitigate the suffering of humanity.

yada yada hi dharmasy
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham

paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge

‘Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.’ (Bg 4.7-8) All the sastras conclude, therefore, that spreading the Krsna consciousness movement is the best welfare activity in the world. Because of the ultimate benefit this bestows upon people in general, the Lord very quickly recognizes such service performed by a devotee.”

Reflecting on this last verse and purport, I considered how Srila Prabhupada exemplified the statement that “great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general.” He certainly did that to establish Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, Bombay—and to establish so many other vehicles for Krishna consciousness in so many other places throughout the world.

I pray that we can continue in the same spirit.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

My First Trip to Vrindavana, India
→ The Enquirer

Exiting the plane at Indira Gandhi International in New Delhi, the first thing I saw on the airport walls was a huge modernistic bas-relief of Viṣṇu lying in the ocean of causality, generating all the “bubbles” of worlds from his pores. I stopped in my tracks and kissed the airport floor!

The weight of the air… and its smell. It seemed like the fragrance and sweat of a lover – not clean or rosey, but better: saturated with identity and intimacy.

In front of the airport, many signs warned us not to accept a ride from anyone who didn’t have an official taxi license on display. Dhanurdhara Swāmī had already briefed me on this, adding, “Make sure the driver agrees on the price before you get in the taxi, and don’t let him change it.”

Vṛndāvana is about two hours from the airport by taxi. I spend all of that time in awe. India was in almost as much disrepair as ISKCON, but I loved it! Everything was so dangerous, real, vivid and alive.

The roads had almost nothing in common with the roads of America. “Sanskrit” letters were everywhere, on every traffic sign and billboard.  The vehicles were decorated and painted with devotional slogans like “Jai Maaa,” “Har Har Mahādev” and so on. Trucks and busses shared the narrow roads with cars, motorcycles, scooters and three-wheeled semi-closed motorized rikshaws – all of which held at least twice as many people and goods as they were designed for. All of these motor cars zig-zagged around the non-motorized flocks: rickshaw’s pulling people on three-wheeled cycles, bicycles, walkers, buffalo and bulls pulling carts, herds of sheep, roaming dogs, and occasionally even a plodding, thron-chewing camel or gigantic elephant!

If the big traffic carried twice as much as they should, the smaller vehicles must have carried five to ten times of what any sane person would attempt. I gawked in awe at entire families – husband, wife and two children – traveling on a single motor-scooter! What prevented this from imploding in mass destruction must have been nothing less than a constant succession of miracles, or maybe it was a magic incanted by the ever-blaring horns?

By the will of providence, our taxi was not smashed by a bus or truck, nor stepped on by an elephant, nor run off the road trying to avoid killing a bull. We actually made it alive out of Delhi and its suburbs and gradually entered a much more rural tract, with fields of rice and other grains stretching off either side of the road for acres in either direction, small temples popping up here and there amidst the crops.

We were all chanting intently the entire way, not out of fear of the Delhi traffic, but out of delight and anticipation about entering Vṛndāvana – the place where everyone was Krishna’s devotee, the place where Krishna had displayed his most intimate affairs, the most spiritual place in the universe!

And, suddenly, we were there.

I knew because we had stopped under under an archway with an inscription that read, “Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Marga.” Someone had lowered a gate, like those at railroad crossings, and was probably collecting some tax from the driver.

I immediately got out of the taxi, bowed flat in the dirt at the roadside, and rolled around in the dust until my self-consciousness caught up with me. I was here! I was in Vṛndāvana! And I was covered in her dust!

– Excerpt from an early draft of

Train Wrecks and Transcendence:

A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna

By Vraja Kishor [VrajaKishor.com]


Tagged: India, Pilgrimage, Vrindavan

The prize distribution ceremony of Mayapur Sankirtana
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Speaker: HH Bhakti Caru Swami
Venue: Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir
Date: 08 March 2016
Occasion: The prize distribution ceremony of Mayapur Sankirtana

Hare Krishna!

Today we are going to celebrate the prize distribution ceremony of Mayapur Sankirtana. This year Mayapur is holding the first place in the world (Devotees: Haribol!) in Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution campaign. And we are very sorry to defeat HH Gopala Krishna Maharaja. (laughter) Yeah no one can defeat Gopala Krishna Maharaja. He won the Marathon. But thats the credit of Mayapur. Mayapur distributes books throughout the year and that is the real book distribution program. Isn’t it Vijay Prabhu? Yeah, The sankirtana minister, book distribution minister Vijay Prabhu is agreeing with me.

Anyway in Krishna consciousness its always win-win. Even when we lose, its win. In Krishna consciousness there is no loss. And the thing is we are very happy to announce that the Mayapur devotees……how many devotees go out in book distribution? 100 devotees, we have 10 buses, sankirtana buses and each bus takes 10 devotees. So 100 devotees are continuously distributing books throughout the year all over India. May be soon we should start our international book distribution sankirtana party. (Devotees: Haribol!) Ok, Gopala Krishna Maharaja supported that its already doing, happening because Nepal….(audio break)

Book distribution is our most important business. HG Vaisesika Prabhu our very dear God brother who is very very committed to distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, wrote a book recently, Our Family Business. Our Family Business. Srila Prabhupada wanted that book distribution, Srila Prabhupada mentioned that distributing his books is our main business and Srila Prabhupada also emphatically told us that if you distribute books everything will be taken care of. If you distribute books preaching will continue, if you distribute books devotees will be made, if you distribute books lakshmi will come in, and Srila Prabhupada showed that what one can do by distributing books. Srila Prabhupada arranged this book distribution campaign all over the world and the books, from the book distribution so much lakshmi was coming that half, although half of it was going to Srila Prabhupada’s BBT fund, with the remaining half of the profit they were actually able to maintain the temple. And Srila Prabhupada built Vrindavana temple, Bombay temple and part of Mayapur simply through book distribution.

So its very nice of Vaisesika Prabhu that he reminded us so nicely that that is our real business, that is our family business and this business will go on generation after generation all over the world. And what do we need? What do we actually need? We need to spread the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And what can be a better means of spreading the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu than Srila Prabhupada’s books. And as the books go out, devotees will be made.

How many of you became a devotee reading Srila Prabhupada’s books? Please raise your hands. See! You read Prabhupada’s books and we became convinced that this is the goal of life. The purpose of human form of life is to become a devotee of Krishna. That is the ultimate purpose of life. And where do we get that message? We get this message in Srila Prabhupada’s books. And just by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books our life’s mission is fulfilled.

So please take it up very very sincerely, this mission of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. And recently we started another, one campaign, thats 50-50 campaign. This is the 50th year and we want everyone to pledge that once a week or every week, one will distribute at least 1 book. And as a result of that we will distribute at least 50 books a year. Is it a very difficult thing to accomplish? 1 book a week! How many weeks are there in one year? 54 weeks. Now when you have other things to do, 4 weeks we are just giving as grace, a vacation. But 50 weeks, 50 books. And we have today 1 million members all over the world. And now if each member of ISKCON distributes 50 books a year, in one year how many books will we distribute? 50 million books! Now just see how easily we can achieve this target! Just 1 book a week which actually will amount to 50 books in a year. If you can’t go out every week, then at least make it a point to distribute 50 books in one year. How many of you would like to do that? And how many of you would like to inspire other devotees to do that? So please make it a point to do that.

So this is the most important business. We want the whole world to be inundated with Krishna consciousness. And this is Srila Prabhupada’s arrangement. Srila Prabhupada wants us to distribute his books and as a result of that our family business will continue and as a result of that our mission will be accomplished.

Thank you all very much! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Gaura premanande Hari Haribol!

vañcha-kalpatarubhyas ca
krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Yate Festival, Brimsham Green School – 2nd March 2016 (Album…
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Yate Festival, Brimsham Green School - 2nd March 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: I don’t say, “Follow me.” I say “Follow Krishna.” Krishna says, “Surrender unto Me.” I say “Surrender unto Krishna.” Is there any difference? My position is simply repeating because Krishna says, “Anyone who preaches this confidential subject matter, he is dear to Me.” Allahabad, January 18, 1971
Find them here: https://goo.gl/X3Ctm4

Hare Krishna Festivals schedule & Events for 2016
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HARE KRISHNA FESTIVALS

& Events for 2016

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Founder Acarya: His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

info@harekrishnafestivals.com Updated: 07/03/2016

http://www.harekrishnafestivals.com/calendar/

Rathayatras, Carnivals & Harinams, Outdoor Public Festivals,

Indoor Venues / HK Fest, & Devotee Events, TBC = To Be Confirmed

ISKCON festivals UK (HKF) will take part in & support as many events as possible however due to our increasing focus on indoor venues we may not necessarily be available for all events mentioned as this list develops.

FEB

Sat 27: Harinam, Swindon (Nathan)

MARCH

Wed 2: Brimsham Green School, Yate (Nathan)

Sat 5: Harinam, Swindon (Nathan)

Thu 10: Broadgreen Community Centre, Swindon (Nathan)

Sun 13: St Patrick’s Day Ratha Yatra, London (Parasuram)

Sat 19: Harinam, Colchester (Nathan)

Wed 23: Gaura Purnima Rathayatra, London (Parasuram)

Sat 26: Harinam, Colchester (Ananta Purusottama)

Thu 31: Colchester Institute, Colchester (Nathan)

APRIL

Sat 2: Harinam, York (Nathan)

Thu 14: Friends Meeting House, York (Nathan)

Sat 16: Harinam / Demo, Hyde Park, London (Parasuram)

Sat 23: Bath Spa University, Bath (Nathan)

Wed 27: King’s Day Harinam, Amsterdam (Parasuram)

Sat 30: Harinam, Loughborough (Nathan)

Sat 30 – Sun 1 May: Birmingham 24 hour Kirtan, (Mayapur Madhava)

MAY

Sat 7: Harinam, Loughborough (Rita)

Sat 7: Harinam, Basingstoke (Nathan)

Fri 13: Emmanuel Church, Loughborough (Nathan)

Sat 14: Harinam, Basingstoke (Ananta Purusottama)

Fri 20: Nrsimhadev app day Harinam, London(Parasuram)

Fri 20: Carnival Hall, Basingstoke (Nathan)

Sun 22: Sheffield Rathayatra, Sheffield (Kaye)

Thu 26: Bhaktivedanta Manor, Aldenham (Radha Govinda)

Sat 28: Bath Rathayatra, (Parasuram)

JUNE

Sat 11: West Bletchley Ratha Yatra / Carnival (Parasuram)

Sat 18: Borehamwood Ratha Yatra / Carnival (Parasuram)

Sat 18 – Sun 19: Unearthed in a Field Festival, Haverfordwest, (Minaketanarama)

Sun 19: Manchester day parade / Harinam (Parasuram)

Mon 20 / Tue 21: Stonehenge Summer Solstice, (Rathayatra), (Parasuram)

Wed 22 – Sun 26: Glastonbury Music Festival, (HKF) Pilton, (Mo)

Sun 26: Paris Rathayatra (Titiksu)

Wed 29 – Tue 12 July: Scandanavian Rathayatra tour (Parasuram)

JULY

Fri 1: Roskilde Music Festival Rathayatra, Denmark (Parasuram) (TBC)

Sat 2: Budapest Rathayatra, (Titiksu)

Sat 2: Copenhagen Rathayatra, Denmark (Parasuram)

Sun 3: Malmo Rathayatra, Sweden (Parasuram)

Mon 4: Gothenburg Rathayatra, Sweden (Parasuram)

Wed 6: Oslo Harinam, Norway (Parasuram)

Thur 7: Oslo Rathayatra, Norway (Parasuram)

Sat 9: Stockholm Rathayatra, Sweden (Parasuram)

Sat 9: Aberystwyth Rathayatra, (Minaketanarama)

Sun 10: Aalborg Rathayatra, Denmark (Parasuram)

Sun 10: Prague Rathayatra, (Titiksu)

Sun 17: London Rathayatra (Titiksu)

Sun 24: Birmingham Rathayatra (Nitai Charan)

Thu 28: Augustine United Church, Edinburgh (Nathan)

Sat 30: Reading Rathayatra (Amala Manjari)

AUGUST

Thu 4 – Sun 7: Green Gathering, Chepstow, (Minaketanarama)

Sat 6: Cardiff Rathayatra (Titiksu)

Sun 7: Leicester Rathayatra (Pradyumna)

Sat 13: Newbury Rathayatra (Amala Manjari) (TBC)

Sun 14: Dublin Rathayatra (Titiksu)

Thu 25 (& Sun 28): Janmasthmi, (HKF) Festival at Manor (Mo)

Fri 26: Srila Prabhupada App day, Festival at Manor

Mon 29: Pershore Plum Rathayatra (Parasuram)

SEPTEMBER

Sat 3 – Sun 4: Hare Krishna Days at Croome (HKF) Worcestershire (Sripati)

Sat 24: Plymouth Rathayatra, (Minaketanarama)

Sun 25: Glastonbury Rathayatra (Minaketanarama)

OCTOBER

Thu 20: The Club House, Carmarthen Quins RFC, Wales (Nathan)

NOVEMBER

Sat 26: Tribhuvanatha prabhu Appearance day Harinam, Soho St, London

Sun 27: Tribhuvanatha prabhu Appearance day Festival, Venue TBC

Lost Soul and the GPBs, part two
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Hare KrishnaBy Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi

One hundred and eleven floors up, head bent over his desk, his GPBLe (Gross Physical Body, luxury edition) was stalled. His secretary had a suggestion. “I know just what to do for you,” Punya said. “Let’s go check out that singing group, street level. You promised you would try it with me one of these days…” Top Floor Soul could not deny it, he felt diverted. He had bought all the latest features, Many Branched Intelligence, the fastest version of Master Mind, and a downloaded Ambition Ego. However these new extras cost him; anxiety, stress, and there had been a conflict in his home. He trusted her concern, his secretary for many years. So they steered themselves down to street level. Continue reading "Lost Soul and the GPBs, part two
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Thrilling To See! (Album with photos) Indradyumna Swami: On…
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Thrilling To See! (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: On Vijaya ekadasi we visited Nityananda vat, near Madan Modan temple, on the banks of the Yamuna river. My old friend, Anup Goswami, who is a direct descendent of Lord Nityananda, once again allowed me to chant 16 rounds on the original beads of Srila Jiva Goswami. He also gave us darsan of the jewels that Lord Nityananda wore when He went on harinama samkirtan in Bengal 500 years ago. Towards the end of the day he showed us a very historic document that is rarely seen. It is a deed granting the land and temple of Nityananda vat to Anup Goswami’s ancestors. It was personally signed by the Mogul emperor, Aurangzeb. Although Aurangzeb is infamous for destroying many temples in Vrindavan, he spared Nityananda vat. When he and his warriors arrived at Nityananda vat during the destruction he was impressed by the courage and determination of the Goswami’s residing there to protect the sacred property. So Aurangazeb not only spared the temple, but officially granted it to those ancestors of Anup Goswami. It was thrilling seeing the original document.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/HNUWKT

Inauguration of ISKCON Food Foor Life in Mayapur. Free food to…
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Inauguration of ISKCON Food Foor Life in Mayapur. Free food to 800 pilgrims at a serving. (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Mayapur Chandrodaya temple is meant for transcendental United Nation. What the United Nation has failed, that will be achieved here by the process recommended by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mayapur, January 15, 1976
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1VwsR7

Beautiful wedding of Vrajananda devi and Radhika Nagara prabhu…
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Beautiful wedding of Vrajananda devi and Radhika Nagara prabhu (Album with photos)
At Jagannath Mandir in Rajapur (Mayapur) on Monday March 7, 2016. Many exalted souls were in attendance, including Niranjana Swami, Kesava Bharati Maharaj, the saintly twin brothers Jananivas prabhu and Pankajanghri prabhu, Mahatma prabhu, Vrajendranandana prabhu, and others. The bride’s mother Yadavi Devaki Devi and father were also present. And of course, the most beautiful Lord of the Universe presided over the festivities with His customary beaming smile, showering blessings upon all present!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/frQ7Es

March 8. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
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March 8. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Krishna’s Recognition Comes Through Srila Prabhupada.
Lord Krishna demands that we present ourselves to Him as followers of Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada is our “passport” to the spiritual world.
“… Unless one gets the association of a devotee like Narada Muni or his servant in the disciplic succession, one’s dormant spirit of renunciation cannot be awakened. It is not a fact that because material enjoyment involves so many painful conditions, one will automatically become detached. One needs the blessings of a devotee like Narada Muni. Then one can renounce his attachment to the material world. The young boys and girls of the Krishna consciousness movement have given up the spirit of material enjoyment, not because of practice, but by the mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His servants. – (Bhag. 6.5.41, Purport)
Prabhupada grants renunciation; he grants devotion. We work to achieve it, but it comes by his grace. Therefore, any disturbance to our relationship will be like a grating sound in your car’s engine – something is wrong, something is going to break down. He has to be pleased.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=6

Sweden, January 2016: Recordings
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Kadamba Kanana Swami visited Sweden from 25-28 January. Please find recordings below. 

Download ALL

KKS_SWE_26Jan2016_SB_3.9.27

KKS_SWE_26Jan2016_Kirtan

KKS_SWE_26Jan2016_BG_4.13 

KKS_SWE_27Jan2016_SB_3.9.29 

KKS_SWE_27Jan2016_Kirtan

KKS_SWE_27Jan2016_CC_Adi_9.28

 

 

Vidura das (1944 – 2016)
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Vidura Prabhu, born November 25, 1944, left his body peacefully at his home in New Vrindaban, WV, on the auspicious appearance day of Lord Nityananda, February 20, 2016, at the age of 71.
A disciple of Srila Prabhupada and long time resident of New Vrindaban, Vidura and his wife of 45 years, Tryadhisa, have been serving in the Dhama since 1984.

On July 31st of 1970 Vidura and Tryadhisa married, soon after Vidura ran across a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is in a used bookstore and began his spiritual awakening. That same year while in Boston they ran into devotees in downtown Boston performing sankirtan. “Jadhurani was taking donations in a conch shell and gave us the pamphlet on chanting Hare Krishna” recalls Tryadhisa. Shortly afterwards they both joined ISKCON in Boston and Vidura took first initiation from Srila Prabhupada, July 18, 1971.

Vidura served as the sankritan leader in many cities and setup college preaching programs wherever he went. A land surveyor by profession, he endeavored on many projects in New Vrindaban such as the brick road, parking lot, devotee houses and many land surveys. In 1973, he participated in the construction of the Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrindavan.

After living in Boston for some time Vidura missed Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra and in 2008 he built his own house, close to the temple in New Vrindaban, mostly himself. He woke up every morning at 4:30 to chant his rounds, and read from Srimad Bhagvatam for the rest of his life. He enjoyed listening to Prabhupada lectures and kirtans throughout the day.

Back in 2013, Vidura was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsils and began two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation at Wheeling
Hospital in West Virginia. At first the doctors thought his condition was improving; however, a PET scan on August 28, of 2015 revealed that the cancer had metastasized, spreading to his lungs and they gave him 6 months to live. As the months progressed his condition declined and it became increasingly difficult for him to breath.

Then on Lord Nityananda’s appearance day, Vidura’s breathing went from labored to shallow as his loving wife was reading to him from Srimad Bhagavatam about the soul going back to Godhead. She sprinkled Ganga jala into his mouth and on to his head as she chanted Hare Krsna to him. He left his body at 10:15 am February 20, 2016, as Srila Prabhupada was singing Nitia Pada Kamala softly in the background.

Vidura Prabhu is survived by his wife of 45 years, Tryadhisa Dasi, and many friends around the world.