I think the main ideas of Bhakti Rasamrita Sindu (without technicalities) are:

1) What is love?

2) How can you “practice” love?

3) How do you practice love? 

4) What are the inspirations to practice love? 

5) How is love experienced?

1) What is love? 

Love is an expression of affection.

Affection is the desire to make someone happy and prosperous.

Pure love is when that expression has no ulterior motive and is given top priority.

Topmost pure love is when that pure love finds the topmost beloved, Krishna – who is the root of all other beloved things.

2) How can you “practice” love?

Love can’t be manufactured. Nothing you do can “create” it, but you can do things to make your heart much more receptive to it, more capable of being an agent of it.

This is done by emulating the expressions of love. By emulating something, it gradually becomes more than an emulation. We gradually get a feel for it. It becomes a feeling, not just an action.

Our emulation has to gradually acquire more and more emotional content, more and more sincerity – that makes the heart fully receptive to love, and inspires the Goddess of Love, Sri Radha, to bless our hearts with her own presence.

3) How do you practice love? 

You should have a guide, someone who understands and exemplifies love.

You should respect everyone and everything, lovingly.

You should live in a place nearby or connected with the beloved – like Vṛndāvana. Or you should make the place you live into a place connected with the beloved.

You should practice having a personal relationship with the beloved – by keeping an image of him and treating him like a person whom you can interact with, feeding him, etc.

You should become close with others who also love the beloved.

You should hear about the beloved in great detail – by studying Śrīmad Bhāgavatam very deeply and the explanations of it given by great lovers of Krishna.

You should sing about the beloved. Especially, you should sing the name of the beloved. 

4) What are the inspirations to practice love?

The inspiration to practice love may be your understanding that love is the most perfect law, the ultimate religion, the essence of all that is good. Additionally, the specific inspiration to practice love for Krishna is to understand that Krishna is the most perfect beloved, for he is the original person (the most fully qualified), and is the root of all other beloved things including one’s own self.

Another inspiration may be the beauty of love itself. When we become attracted to the specific beauty of love for Krishna, our inspiration to practice it becomes very passionate, and all of our practices become focused by the specifics of that inspiration.

5) How is love experienced?

The practice of love gradually purifies the practitioner from all things antithetical to it. Then it enters the purified core of your being like a divine Queen rising to her gentle and opulent throne. There it expands and consumes your entire being eternally in the thrilling bliss of an ecstatic divine love affair.

The foundation of this ecstasy is the type of affectionate relationship you have with the beloved, Krishna. It may merely be a lack of any selfishness, or it may be a desire to actively serve him, or it may admit no boundaries to how it strives for doing so – taking on a friendly character. It may even take a protective flavor, like the affection of a parent for a child. It may even escalate to the pinnacle of all affectionate relationship – the absolute intimacy, protection, service, and selflessness found in unabashed romantic passion.

The ecstasy of this divine relationship can be tasted when it is stimulated by the beloved or by things connected to the beloved, and then expressed in thoughtful and reflexive ways, and adorned with various thrilling emotions.

The experience of the ecstasy of divine love is the supreme happiness, and therefore is the soul’s supreme aspiration, the ultimate goal of life. It fulfills our every want and need through its selfless absorption in the beloved, Sri Krishna.

Vraja Kishor

www.vrajakishor.com

Around fifteen ISKCON devotees brought the sound of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and the taste of sanctified vegetarian food to a huge anti-nuclear march in London on February 27^th. Thousands of campaigners gathered from all over the world to protest the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons program. The money, they said, should be spent on education and the National Health Service instead.

Russian devotees began their 2016 with the second annual “Our Prabhupada” festival. The first, in December 2014, saw Suresvara Das speaking about Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya. At this year’s festival from January 15^th to 20^th hundreds of devotees learned about Srila Prabhupada as a person from Hari Sauri Das, who personally served him for sixteen months.

I found the drive from LA to ISV, in Mountain View, CA, a scenic one once I was out of the city. About half the way there as I approached the top of a mountainous ridge at 4,000 feet, I was greeted by what I took as an auspicious sign for my current travel and talk the following day. Ahead of me was a rain storm with the beginning of a rainbow to my right. As I progressed, it became larger and larger, finally creating an arch from one side of the highway to the other, like some banner heralding a festival on a city street. My camera was handy and when I posted the picture on Facebook, some of my friends thought that if they didn’t know me, they would have assumed someone Photoshopped it. But no, it was the real thing, and from what I have heard, not a frequent sight. It was the first one I’ve ever seen, and it stayed with me for about 10 minutes or so.

I gradually descended into the San Joaquin, or central valley of California, which grows much of our Nation’s food. Crops and various fruit trees were on both sides of the road often stretching as far as I could see. As I was taking in the scene I remembered that the last time I was in the San Joaquin valley was 46 years earlier. A few devotees and I were on our way to be initiated by Shrila Prabhupada in Los Angeles. At the time I was staying at the San Jose temple, which was near San Jose State University. I rode with Chitsukhananda Prabhu along with some other devotees. His car was an old, brightly colored and exotically decorated station wagon that Prabhupada had called a “hippie car.” About half way there, the car broke down in the middle of the same valley I was now in, and we had to take a bus to LA.

At the time I didn’t really think much about it, whereas now, I would be wondering what the symbolism was, breaking down on my way to be initiated by my future guru, Shrila Prabhupada. Now I might consider that overcoming obstacles and staying the course no matter what was part of the message I could garner from the experience, but at that time, I wasn’t that observant or curious. My simple, accepting nature served me during my early years, and helped me focus on my service without being distracted, or criticizing others.

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2^nd March 2016, Mayapur, India

By Romapada Das

The concluding day of the ILS started with a presentation on the position of Srila Prabhupada by Akrura Das.

“Srila Prabhupada is our Founder Acharya, and the pre-eminent siksha guru for all disciples of ISKCON for all times to come,” he said. “Pre-eminent means one who is very distinguished and surpasses all others. All gurus in ISKCON derive their teachings from Prabhupada. The Foundational document released by the Srila Prabhupada Position Committee broadens our collective understanding and appreciation of Prabhupada’s unique position and role in ISKCON.”

Bhaktivaibhava Swami encouraged temples to ensure that Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa puja celebrations were celebrated with the importance they deserved. “I believe that we can significantly improve the way by which we celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa puja,” he explained. “You can visit our website www.founderacharya.com to download a Vyasa Puja pack that has resources and best practices for celebrating Prabhupada’s appearance day. It contains high resolution pictures, Vyasa Puja books, quotations and posters.”

While introducing an initiative called ‘Sabda’, Gauranga Das from ISKCON Chowpathy and Govardhan Eco Village described several training courses designed to ‘lead ISKCON with tradition and intelligence’. The courses covered various areas such as temple development and administration, knowledge management, devotee care and database management under the aegis of the GBC College of Management.

“Our dream is that through the GBC College we can create courses for leaders at every level,” he said. “We would like to inculcate best practices by making devotees aware, acquire knowledge and attain expertise.”

Rasamandala Das, Director of ISKCON Educational Services, made a presentation on devotee care at the plenary session. Earlier, he had delivered several seminars on devotee care, many of which had proved highly popular with the international audience. He felt that the ILS offered a chance to air new ideas, become innovative and deal with things as they were happening.

“We need to be able to relate shastra to real life experiences of devotees,” he said. “In a sense it is about getting real.”

Several devotees walked up to Rasamandala after his sessions on devotee care and told him they felt grateful someone was actually talking about such an important topic.

“This is very relevant to ourselves,” he concluded. “And we do need to talk about it more. The vision for our devotee care initiative is to ensure that every devotee is spiritually happy, materially well-situated, and positively identifies ISKCON as a caring society.”

Jagat Udharana Nitai Das who leads several youth outreach programmes in Coimbatore feels excited about the broader view he has gained after attending the ILS.

“It was fantastic to see so many leaders under one tent,” he commented. “I learnt so much in the last eight days that I don’t know where to begin. We learnt how to engage volunteers, about the importance of Srila Prabhupada’s position, marketing, engaging with communities and so much more. I was grateful to learn about the three attributes of a good leader: that they have impeccable and visible sadhana; they always associate with happier devotees; and they actively empower other devotees.”

Jagat Udharana wants to bring many more emerging leaders from his city to the next ILS.

“Our new leaders need to learn about the ‘real’ ISKCON and have the same upbeat experience I had,” he said.

The President of the Kanpur temple, Prema Harinama Das appreciated the association of devotees and the feeling of ‘togetherness’ he had experienced at the ILS.

“This was a powerful event and an excellent opportunity for learning and sharing,” he explained. “Many devotees informed me that this was the first time they had been able to observe a single area of service from different angles and perceptions.”

The ILS had a special youth meeting every day, attended by 25 young people from around the world.

“We had a few of us delivering a seminar called ‘Youth in Action’, and met every day afterwards at 5.00 pm for a special youth meeting with senior devotees,” explained Kishan Paun, Vice President of the Pandava Sena, ISKCON UK’s youth group. “One of the most memorable moments for us was a special boat ride on the river Ganges for the 25 members of the Youth ILS in the company of Mother Shruti Rupa Devi Dasi. She told us different stories about Prabhupada on our 2-hour ride, which was highly appreciated by all of us.”

Krishna Kirtan Das, President of the Warsaw temple in Poland found that the ILS offered him an opportunity to rethink his approach and gain new skills.

“After listening to many senior vaishnavas, I’ll go back with a firm resolve to study Srila Prabhupada’s books more deeply,” he explained. “The seminars have helped us develop a holistic vision for preaching that can be relevant to modern times.”

At the concluding plenary session in the evening, Gopal Bhatta Das thanked several devotees who had contributed to the success of the ILS. He thanked Devakindandan Das, Regional Secretary for Western India for a donation of $18,000, and the TOVP team for their donation of $50,000. He also thanked several other devotees including Bhaktibhushan Swami, Rasakrida Das, Shruti Rupa Devi Dasi and the Education Committee for their donations ranging between $500 and $2000.

Gopal Bhatta Das presented the results of a survey on reading habits of devotees. Around 259 people had responded, and they had been in the movement for an average span of 19 years. The average normalised times they had read the Bhagava-gita was 4 times, while the average normalised times they had studied the first canto of the Bhagavatam was 1.96 times. They had studied the Chaitanya Charitamrita around 0.92 times.

“This is worrying. Srila Prabhupada has clearly instructed us to study his books very scrutinizingly,” said Gopal Bhatta Das. “The gift we have been given is the most fantastic one in the history of humankind. Let us not lose it one after another so that our generations are secure in the service of Gauranga.”

In the concluding plenary session, Badarinarayana Swami recollected his first meeting with Prabhupada in 1969. After narrating several stories about Prabhupada, he said, “We have the most important message in the world. But we should also have the best delivery system. Part of the idea of the ILS is to give all of you the tools to use in the most important mission of the world.”

While delivering the closing address of the ILS, Radhanatha Swami reminded everyone that Srila Prabhupada had wanted devotees and leaders of ISKCON to come together in Mayapur to truly establish the principles of unity in diversity.

“Maya is trying to kill us spiritually,” declared Radhanatha Swami. “None of us can survive on our own. Srila Prabhupada has given us the Vaishnava community of ISKCON for us to associate, and cultivate an attitude for gratitude. At the ILS, we have come together with all our diversity to focus on the unity all of us share.”

Radhanatha Swami stressed the importance of Mayapur as the holy place established by Prabhupada for all his disciples to come together.

“We have to chant together and dance together in a spirit of unity in diversity to overcome all the quarrels and challenges that Kali-yuga is certain to put on our plates,” he said. “We should not take differences seriously, but we should certainly take our unity seriously. Srila Prabhupada has spoken to us in many ways about the emergency and urgency of spreading Krishna consciousness. Let us take with us the blessings and grace of Prabhupada, let us share with each other, and let us empower each other to expand this movement.”

The ILS 2016 concluded with a four-hour kirtan festival in the evening led by many senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada.

While some delegates were getting ready to go back to their respective countries, many others were preparing for the Kirtan Mela and the Gaura Purnima festival that will follow.

“Being in Mayapur with so many wonderful vaishnavas and learning so many new skills at the ILS was like looking through a window into the spiritual world,” smiled Sachi-suta Das from Guyana. “Truly, every step was a dance, and every word was a song.”

THINK 50! Act 50!

Source: http://iskconnews.org/day-8- of-ils-unity-in-diversity, 5435/

The concluding day of the ILS started with a presentation on the position of Srila Prabhupada by Akrura Das. Bhaktivaibhava Swami encouraged temples to ensure that Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa puja celebrations were celebrated with the importance they deserved. Gauranga Das from ISKCON Chowpathy and Govardhan Eco Village described several training courses designed to ‘lead ISKCON with tradition and intelligence’. 

By Jai Nitai das

The day after Gaura Purnima, Thursday 24th March, ISKCON-London’s Radha-Krishna Temple, Govinda’s Restaurant and Radha’s Boutique will be closed to the public for at least three weeks while we undergo major refurbishment to all public areas.

Our hope is that we will be re-opened in time for Ramanavami Festival on the 15th April latest.

Please note that although closed in general to the public, some programmes such as courses, harinamas, and mentorship meetings may still take place. Please check with representatives in those areas for confirmation.

For more info or if you are interested in donating for the project please follow this link:

http://iskcon-london.org/65-news/headlines/959-beautifying-krishna-s-temple- project-update.html

Thank you and apologies for the temporary inconvenience for long-term convenience.

—–
“Beautifying Krishna’s Temple”: Project update

Hare Krishna,

We are delighted to let you know that to coincide with and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON, we are engaged in an exciting project of renewing and refurbishing Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara’s home and your temple.

At present, in the first phase of the project, we are in the process of an entire refurbish of the pujari area. From ceilings, to floors, to cookers and jewellery cupboards, the Pujari Department will be reincarnated like never before. This is a follow-up of the successful renewing of the altar in 2010. The Pujari Department has up to 80 devotees per week who come to render service and therefore we are working towards a high grade of finish that will last for many years to come.

Phase 2 of the refurbishment will commence the day after Gaura Purnima on the 24th of March on the public areas such as the Temple Room and Govinda’s Restaurant. Due to concerns with the Temple Room floor, we will be removing it and examining for any structural issues. We will then be laying a new floor, underfloor heating as well as redecorating the Temple Room. Also our other public areas such as the Reception, Radha’s Boutique and outside the Temple Room will be upgraded and redecorated. At Govinda’s, we will have major work done such as replacing the floor, forming a new stair well, moving the serving counter and other developments.

For this second phase, due to the extensive scope of the work, we are obliged to close the Temple for approximately three weeks. We apologise for this and beg your patience and prayers that we can complete the works on time. We know you will all be heart-broken to not be able to come and have Their Lordships darshan so we need your prayers to ensure we meet our deadlines.

On top of all that, we are also refurbishing our ashrams which includes putting in new sound proof windows, doing necessary works in the bathrooms, new furnishings etc. Exciting times!

If you would like to donate to any part of this project of “Beautifying Krishna’s Temple”, then please click on the following link: https://rldb.info/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=22. Alternatively, go to the “Donate Tab” and select “Donation campaigns –> Refurbishment Projects” to make your contribution.

Your servants,

Temple Renovation Team

Mayapur: Kirtan Evening with H.H Lokanath Swami (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one can control the tongue, then there is every possibility of controlling the other senses. The function of the tongue is to taste and to vibrate. Therefore, by systematic regulation, the tongue should always be engaged in tasting the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krishna and chanting Hare Krishna. (Bhagavad-gita 13.8-12 Purport)
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Dharma is also said to be the force which maintains the universe. Where there is dharma there is harmony and balance individually, socially, and inter-galactically. So the path of dharma brings about the harmony and contentment that is also another aspect of what we are seeking. In this way, we want harmony inwardly, in our own consciousness, but we also cannot have individual peace unless there is harmony or cooperation socially, amongst the masses. So where there is no dharma, there is disharmony and a state of being that is out of balance. And socially it means that without dharma, there is a lack of cooperation, along with escalating quarrel and fighting. This often manifests as a lack of distribution of resources, whereas some parts of the world may experience abundance of water, food or fuel, yet other parts are starving. Or by dishonest manipulation of supply and demand some necessities become priced so high that they are out of reach for the poor. When we act against the law of dharma, we disrupt the very harmony and cooperation that we want. In other words, we create a life for ourselves in which there is stress, confusion, discontent, and frustration. And when we feel that way, that becomes our contribution to the general social condition. It is the exact opposite of what we wish to attain. Thus, to live a life outside of dharma means to work against ourselves. Continue reading "Sanatana-Dharma: Its Real Meaning
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Visiting the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The devotee’s life’s mission is to please Krishna, and he can sacrifice everything for Krishna’s satisfaction, just as Arjuna did in the Battle of Kuruksetra. The process is very simple: one can devote himself in his occupation and engage at the same time in chanting Hare Krishna. Such transcendental chanting attracts the devotee to the Personality of Godhead. (Bhagavad-gita 12.6-7 Purport)
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January 2nd, 2016.

The post Talk at kirtan evening in Dublin appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

An appreciation of the extraordinarily devoted life of Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple Yamuna Devi Dasi (1942–2011). Joan: Little did I know what kind of wedding it would be. All I knew was that they had received the names Mukunda and Janaki from a swami. When I saw the Swami he was sitting beside the window in his front room, bathed in sunlight, distributing prasada to the devotees who were sitting around him. Mukunda introduced me, and Swamiji offered me some prasada. Because I was a devotee of macrobiotics, this prasada was very unpalatable to me, yet this radiant and beautiful person was eager for me to take it. I took it, but in my mind I decided this would be the last time I would have lunch with the devotees. Continue reading "The Heart of a Vaishnava
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A lone Vaishnava mendicant.
Somehow my life trajectory led me to the life of a monk. As years progress, I realise that the renounced order is not just a dress, an identity, role, position, or life situation. It must mature into a deep internal conviction. Saffron signifies fire; the setting ablaze of all material concern. Saffron is not just a statement, but the opportunity and responsibility to embody genuine detachment. Not a dry, bitter, heartless or forced detachment, but a natural indifference coming from genuine spiritual inspiration. Without this higher taste, what is the real substance of one’s so-called renunciation? I’m falling short, and challenged to dig a little deeper.
In 1958, while residing as a lone, penniless mendicant in this remote town, Srila Prabhupada wrote a beautiful poem. “In this mood,” he said, “I am getting many realisations.”
Krishna has shown me the naked form of material nature,
By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.
“I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful.” How was I able to understand this mercy of the all-merciful? (Stanza 1)
Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless,
Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.
This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.
In this maya-samsara, whom do I really love? (Stanza 1)
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/e2p6H3

TOVP: First Segment of West Wing Kalash Installation Begins (3 min video)
We have commenced the stainless steel structure for the West Wing kalash.
What you’re seeing in the photo and video is the first segment for the small dome. There will be three more layers on top of that. This gives an indication of the immense size of the kalashes. Soon work will commence on the main dome kalash.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/Yok1O1

Preaching in Nepal (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is described as maha-vadanya, the most munificent of charitable persons, because He gives Krishna so easily that one can attain Krishna simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.3.38 Purport)
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The Adventurous Govardhan Parikrama.
Sutapa das: Yesterday I went on Parikrama, which literally means to “walk around.” Circumambulation of holy places has a symbolic meaning – to always keep our spiritual aspirations central and close, regardless of where we are in life (whatever point on the circle, one is never further away from the centre). There is also a transcendental benefit: anyone who sincerely circles these holy places accrues the conviction and devotion to escape the cosmic cycle of birth and death. Bare footed, and carrying the bare necessities, I set off, trying to keep a spiritual meditation in mind.
An hour into my journey, a local resident whizzed past me. Half my size and double my age, but somehow walking at twice my speed! How was it possible? Not to be defeated (as if it was a race anyway), I upped my tempo. At this point I was practically running, but he was effortlessly pulling away. As he floated ahead into the morning mist, I wanted a glance of his face. I was waiting, praying for him to look back – who was this man? He eventually disappeared out of sight, and never looked back even once. He was totally focused on the path ahead.
Residents of these holy places, we are told, are not ordinary souls. They travel light, with few attachments, speeding towards spiritual perfection. They’ve closed all their chapters, tied up their worldly concerns, and now invest everything in their cherished spiritual aspirations. They don’t look back. Yes, I thought, maybe I’m not moving as fast as I’d like because I’m still looking back. Looking back to see if I’m missing out on something. Looking back and regretting actions and decisions of the past. Looking back to see what people think of me, preoccupied with public opinion, image, name and fame. Looking back to see how everyone else is doing, continually comparing my progress to others and competing with the world. In this way we continually look back, and unknowingly slow down our progressive march forward.
I resolved to not look back for the rest of my walk. It helped, and I prayed that ‘not looking back’ will become a deeper meditation in my life. Oh, and I did indeed meet that mystical man again. A half hour down the road he was sitting on a wooden bench sipping coconut water. He had finished his circuit, while I still had a good few hours left. He smiled, and I smiled back, folding my hands in respect. Gracefully and humbly, he returned the gesture. It was touching. I walked off and wondered who he was… a small man, but likely a spiritual giant.
Read more: https://sutapamonk.wordpress.com/

The post Daily Darshan : March 2nd, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The ISKCON Leadership (ILS) seminars in Sridhama Mayapur during ISKCON’s 50^th Anniversary celebrations and the Gaur Purnima Festival are underway and a dynamic partnership with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) Fundraising Team is helping to facilitate this year’s seminars.

The ToVP team have commenced the stainless steel structure for the West Wing kalash. What you are seeing in the photos is the first segment for the small dome. There will be three more layers on top of that. This gives an indication of the immense size of the kalashes. Soon work will commence on the main dome kalash. A video by Prananath Das.

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It has been created by one of our Russian architects, Rangavati dasi, who has been with the TOVP since 2013.

We are trying to create the most aesthetic and colorful gardens in India for the pleasure of the Lord.

By clicking on an icon number, you will get a glimpse of how magnificent the surrounding TOVP gardens will look. There are currently 2 sections available: Vegetation and Outdoor furniture.

Here is the link for the masterplan: http://masterplan.tovp.org

NOTE: For best visual experience please follow the following guidelines.

Use FULLSCREEN mode to get the best visual experience. Fullscreen mode can be activated by clicking an icon in the top left corner of the map.

Please be patient while the images load initially. Due to their large size (high resolution) it will take some time to load the maps fully. And then, when you click each pin/point on the map the first time wait for each image to load fully, it will autoposition itself properly on the map. The second and all consequtive times you load the map and each point it will open almost instantly.

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March 2. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Typing His Words.
In February 1966 Prabhupada spoke, over the space of two lectures, what later became the introduction to his Bhagavad-gita As It Is. He recorded these lectures himself and we typed them later. In a 1968 letter to me, Prabhupada wrote, “You have to meet many opposing elements in the matter of preaching work; therefore, you should always be careful to follow the principles in Bhagavad-gita As It Is. You will be glad to know that our arrangement with Macmillan for publishing Bhagavad-gita As It Is, is already complete and the manuscript has been handed over to them. We should clearly preach that our Krishna consciousness movement is purely based on Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Any other movement which does not tally with the principles of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, is considered unauthorized by us.”
I was still typing for him in 1968 despite many opposing elements. Typing is yoga. You sit on the floor cross-legged in front of the typewriter. Instead of performing pranayama and raising the life air in the cakras, you type the words of Swamiji from the Bhagavad-gita manuscript. If you make a mistake in typing, then stop and correct it. Everything is concentrated on looking at the message and making it right. Thinking of typing as yoga gives a nice spirit to the work, but the most important thing is that it is in connection with the Swamiji. It is his words of Bhagavad-gita. Besides the recorded lectures, he had bundles of thousands of pages that he had typed, wrapped in saffron and lying on the floor in his closet. When he first took some typing out of this mass of material and gave it to me, I remarked, “I think you have enough work to last me a whole winter.” Swamiji laughed and said, “I have many lifetimes of work for you.”
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=6

Jananivas Prabhu at ISKCON Mayapur on 2016-02-28

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The ILS seminars in Sridhama Mayapur during ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary celebrations and the Gaur Purnima Festival are underway and a dynamic partnership with the TOVP Fundraising Team is helping to facilitate this year’s seminars.

These seminars are organized every two years under the direction of Gopal Bhatta prabhu to educate, train and inspire ISKCON devotees in different areas of management, outreach, devotee care and much more. They are attended by hundreds of GBC’s, sannyasis, Temple Presidents, Congregational Development leaders, Bhakti Vrksha leaders and general devotees from all over the world.

This year also brought some additional inspiration and excitement to the gathering when the attendees themselves forged together to combinedly pledge $250,000 to the TOVP which included a $100,000 donation from Gopal Bhatta himself. The TOVP Team is very appreciative of this generous action which will undoubtedly be a springboard for further contributions during the Gaur Purnima Festival.

Visit the ILS website for more information: www.ilsglobal.org.

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Typing His Words

A video by Vedic Way.

Red, yellow and green, apples come in over 7500 different varieties, giving you plenty of choice for the world’s healthiest food.

The National Green Tribunal has directed a principal committee to hold a meeting to determine the environmental flow of Yamuna from Hatnikhund barrage in Haryana up to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. 

Yesterday I went on Parikrama, which literally means to “walk around.” Circumambulation of holy places has a symbolic meaning – to always keep our spiritual aspirations central and close, regardless of where we are in life (whatever point on the circle, one is never further away from the centre).