Planet ISKCON

Preaching in Surfers Paradise, Gold coast, Queensland, Australia.
Sundar Nitai Dasa: This year I have decided to continue a program, pioneered by previous Iskcon devotees, called “Ask a monk any question ”. One sits in a public place with a sign reading [Ask a monk any question ] and awaits any approaches from the public. One can also keep some of Srila Prabhupada’s books in case one wants to inquire further into the Krsna consciousness philosophy. I thought it would be inspiring to some if I posted the events daily as they unfold.
While taking prasadam in Govinda’s restaurant, i decided to put my sign on the table just in case anyone had any questions. After I finished two young ladies, who had been sitting behind me, came to the table and said,“Hello, do you mind if we take advantage of your offer to ask a question?” this was Karen ,a religion and science student from Norway. “Please do”, I said “take a seat”, “we were wondering if you ever feel negative emotions? and if so how do you deal with that ?” [The answer was very long and the conversation was very intricate and we spoke for a long time back and forth so to convey the whole conversation would be difficult .] But what I said basically,was “yes! I do feel negative emotions sometimes!, and I pray to God and it goes away! ”. “ But how do you know it is God ?”,said Karen and not just your imagination or some belief system ? have you seen God ?how can you be sure ?“. she asked frankly. I could see where this was going so I asked her ’‘Do you know how much one mango costs to buy in India right now on the market ?” She looked confused, Mango?,“I can guess!”.she offered. “Why guess?”, I said “when you can know for sure !” “Actually, that information is bouncing off your eardrums right now and right before your eyes right now, isn’t it? , via internet technology. Do you believe in WI-FI ?”,I asked with a smile. “Yes”, she said, interested to see where this was going. “If you want to see and experience the benefits of being connected to the WI-FI there is a process. Let us look at that. 1[ you have to hear about the wi-fi from those who are connected and experiencing the benefits of being connected. 2] then have a desire to be connected also. 3]find an authorized apple/android dealer and say,” I have heard that there is an invisible entity called WI-FI can you help to experience it, please?“. he will say ’'YES, SURE, NO PROBLEM COME WITH ME .’'no doubts. he will not say, maybe! perhaps! in the future, I will be able to help. if he does then you know you need to go else where. He may also say things like, you cannot eat meat in here, nor can you get high or have sex, just sit patiently until I am ready to see you..and you must obey and wait with FAITH to be seen by the” apple/android Guru. 4]then he may give you a handset, a manual and a sim card deal with free WI-FI included [or so he promises ] some basic instructions and say , make sure you follow the guidelines in the manual,if you have any questions don’t hesitate to come back we are always here to serve you ! . you should be able to experience the benefits of WI-FI soon ! Isn’t that usually how it goes?“ i asked . ’'Yeah! and ???” she prompted. “So the same steps /process is there if you want to see God ! 1]You admit you cannot see Him, but others can and are experiencing the benefits of being connected to Him ie; more peaceful, compassionate, understanding ,kind, happy and so on and so forth. 2] your inquisitive and want to know if He is real ?can I see Him? 3]Approach an authorized Guru and inquire. 4]He may give you a practical experiment to take with you, like a prayer or mantra and a book of guidelines to live by and in no time, you will be experiencing the benefits of being connected to God. So there is always a process of disproving /verifying a theory, but we must make the experiment. So I am doing the experiment and experiencing some of the benefits, and this helps me deal with negative emotions. you can also do the same! what is stopping you ?” Karen and Stephanie were impressed, they took Srila Prabhupada’s books and gave a donation. Karen said “This is the most amazing conversation I have had in a long time, thank you for spending time with us”. I was touched deeply by the exchange. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

The post Cardiff kirtana evening appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Varnasram series: Duty appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Cardiff kirtana evening: Mantras are persons appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Sudharma Devi: You are warmly invited to view this 10 minute video featuring quotes from Srila Prabhupada and comments by Ravindra Swarup dasa, Dr. Abhishek Ghosh, Dr. Larry Shim, Kalakanta dasa (acbsp) Visakha devi dasi (acbsp) and other disciples of Srila Prabhupada related to the topic of ISKCON Vaishnavi’s serving as diksa gurus. The topic will be discussed by the the NAEC in Houston next week and the GBC body during the Mayapur meetings in February.

“CHASING RHINOS WITH THE SWAMI” - Excerpt.
Shyamasundar Dasa: For the past one month I have been cloistered in Mumbai, editing the huge manuscript of “Chasing Rhinos With The Swami.” The work is going well, and within a couple more weeks, I should have all 20 chapters edited as much as I can do them. By mid-February I am hoping to have everything readied for lay-out and printing. The following is an excerpt from Chapter Two.
(Chapter Two, in SAN FRANCISCO:)
‘The Swami comes in. While everybody’s chanting he starts building the fire, and smoke begins to fill the room. The four of us sit on the floor opposite the fire from Swamiji, and it’s getting hotter by the second; I discard my coat and loosen the tie. Devotees are chanting on every side, edging closer to the flames to catch the Swami’s words. He motions for us to take a few grains of rice and throw them whenever he says, Sva-ha! “Sva-haaa!” and we toss the rice at HIM, four handfuls of rice all over his gleaming head and robes. Unfazed, the Swami shakes his head and points to the fire. Oh, rice goes in the fire. Slow, but we’re catching on.’
His accent was still quite thick in those days-or we just hadn’t
learned to hear him yet-and he’s asking for bananas? Someone hands us bananas and we start to peel them-no, no, the Swami gestures, put them in the fire. Man, then the smoke really starts pouring out: four bananas smoldering, everyone coughing, eyes watering-along with rice, lentils, flowers, grapes, flour and, yes, more butter, which Swami ladles profusely over the flames between rounds of cryptic Sanskrit slokas ending with
Sva-ha! None of this bothers the Swami at all. He chants on our beads, hands them back with our new names, which we don’t understand-(wait, I got that one, Harry-das, that’s Harvey)-and devotees come forward to tie our neck-beads on with a knot.
'Then the Swami says “Bo dun”, and we’re trying to figure out what he’s saying-Harry-das thinks he has it figured out and he rolls onto his knees, leans forward-so we do the same thing–and he blows on the fire. We all start blowing on the fire, hard as we can–a cloud of smoke flies in the Swami’s face, and his eyes get big as saucers.’

Many people in the world think they live only once. With only one life, how does this affect lives and society? How is a one-life concept going to affects ambitions, goals and outlook? There is one-life spirituality and multi-birth spirituality – which of these enable a full understanding of the soul, and why good or bad things happen? Is God to blame, or us? If there is no God, why do people lament the loss of loved ones if they are simply bags of chemicals? With only one life, there must be a rush to cram the maximum in enjoyment. Life is meant for enjoyment, but what kind? Is the ideal of life enjoyment in spiritual happiness or just to be a decent human being without the need for religion? With one life ahead, can any spiritual path or non-belief in God satisfy the self? Let us examine some outcomes of one-life limitations. Continue reading "If You Only Live Once
→ Dandavats"

TOVP: The fist column installed! (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: A few days ago we were able to see the GRC column put to place on the TOVP windows. Today an additional piece was added, the capital.
In these images we have the TOVP team giving thumbs up for the beautiful column.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/5fro26

Iskcon Australia: Harinama at Byron Bay. Ekadashi bliss (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Even a faint light from the holy name of the Lord can eradicate all the reactions of sinful life. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.63)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/E7a0K3

Never-say-die Spirit of Yatra Devotees in Kothapeta Village.
Kothapeta was, once upon a time, a very beautiful village with lush green farms, full of overloaded large mango trees, cashew nut tree groves, hundreds of coconut and tal trees. But just in a decade it has transformed into a concrete jungle. There are at least 10 4-storeyed apartments. It is very difficult to identify it as a village though official documents recognize it so. Farmers sold their lands to contractors in return of huge paper money. This easy money has resulted in popping up of many liquor shops, rise in promiscuity, and appearance of several brothels in every nook and corner of the village. According to one police officer, 9 raids there were conducted on brothels last year. Besides this there are many more sinful activities which are going on but cannot be described here for the sake of decency and space.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/Ugnd1H

By Sri Krishna Purusottama Das

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your divine grace!

Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita:

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat

kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya

mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ

sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva BG 7.7

Translation:

O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

50 years ago, you set your foot here in America to introduce Krishna Consciousness to the western world and to show us how Krsna is the cause of everything. By your mercy, today, there are hundreds of temples including farm communities all over the world. There are tens of thousands of devotees chanting Hare Krishna every day, there are millions of books distributed throughout the world. You are the force behind everything just as the thread in a pearl necklace, uniting us together in Krsna’s service.

On your 50 years of arrival to America, many devotees offered various articles of worship. Today, Team ISV would like to offer the results of our Monthly Sankirtan Pearl Festival as an expression of our gratitude and love to you Srila Prabhupada!

It turned out to be another historic event, with ISV devotees distributing thousands of books throughout the Bay area and dispatching them to other parts of North America.

Book distribution occurred with much enthusiasm during practically all weekends of this MSF.

• Books were distributed at several Hari Nama performances in Palo Alto and San Francisco.

• Books were also distributed at different festivals like Govardhan Puja, Pumpkin festival, Cupertino Diwali mela, Pleasanton Diwali Mela, Green festival and Christmas in the park.

• Devotees also distributed books at ICC, Store to Store Sankirtan, Door to Door Sankirtan, Corporate Sankirtan, Motel Gita Sankirtan, Weekday Sankirtan and Kids Sankirtan.

• Special yagna was conducted on the day celebrating the Advent of Bhagavad Gita.

In all,

• More than 200 devotees participated in book distribution

• Team ISV distributed total of 33,553 books which includes:

  • 13 CC sets

  • 1,492 Mahabig books smashing the goal of 1000 Maha Big books

  • Team ISV distributed 24,359 Gita’s smashing the goal of 22,000 Gita’s.

    • Out of which 18,048 Bhagavad Gita’s were distributed by Motel Gita team.

  • Team ISV distributed 144 SB Sets smashing the goal of 80 SB sets.

  • Team ISV raised $217,003 in Laxmi way surpassing the previous year’s total of $150,000 dollars.

• Overall we are pleased to report that we met our yearly goal of 10% increase in our BBT scores.

Here is the summary of this year 2015:

• Team ISV distributed 346 Srimad Bhagavatam sets

• 108 CC sets

• total of 454 sets smashing the goal of 415.

• Team ISV distributed 39,148 Bhagavad Gita’s

• Smartbox collection in total was $7,270 dollars .

• Team ISV collected $342,018 in laxmi.

Our gratitude to the dedicated ISV sankirtan devotees have tirelessly worked hard to smash these goals. Our deep gratitude to His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu for inspiring us throughout the year! Our gratitude to HG Nirakula Mataji for continuously inspiring us.

We pray to the Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan, Sriman Maha Prabhu, Sri Sri Laxmi Narasimha dev to shower their blessings upon team ISV so that we can continue to work together to show mercy to all the souls.

Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan ki Jay!! Sriman Maha Prabhu ki Jay!! Sri Sri Laxmi Narasimha dev ki Jay!! Srila Prabhupada ki Jay!!

Yhs,

Sri Krishna Purusottama das

——————————
Youtube link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7TY6ZiMpNw

Photos Album

https://goo.gl/Le8f9r

The filming and sound editing is all by filmworkstudios.com - Rajesh Hirani, scripting by Jay Shetty. 

After the very small matinee show in Detroit, we drove over to the ISKCON temple. I was surprised to discover that it was “Fisher Mansion,” a veritable palace built by an auto-baron in the late 1920s. I found myself on a tour of the place, walking through decadent room after decedent room, with our devotee tour-guide (dressed in slacks and shirt) proudly pointing out the ridiculous price tags that would be hung on any and all of the lamps, couches, and light-switches.

I was mortified and asked Dhanurdhara Mahārāja, “What’s the purpose of this? It just seems to glorify some karmī and his materialism.”

“I have my own doubts about it,” he said.

That was a relief.

When the tour ended, Mahārāja asked for something we could all eat. They brought out cold food, which seemed to really bother him, and he called for someone in charge.

“These are important guests,” he said to the man in charge. “All you can bring is cold prasadam?”

The man apologized and Mahārāja continued, “Some of them are very confused by the tour of the mansion. Vic, go ahead and explain your doubts.”

“Well,” I said. “It just seems so materialistic.”

“Prabhupāda wanted us to buy this mansion,” the man explained, “to attract people to come hear about Krishna.”

“OK,” I replied, “but when they come they don’t hear about Krishna, they just hear about how expensive the lamps and couches are.”

“It’s yukta-vairagya,” the man said. “We can use everything in Krishna’s service. Even very fancy material things.”

“Yeah, but how is this being ‘used in Krishna’s service?’” I asked. “The tour doesn’t glorify Krishna, it glorifies excessive sense gratification and some materialistic auto-baron.”

“Yes, but this is Krishna’s temple,” the man explained. “The money people pay to tour the mansion pays for Krishna’s temple and feeds Krishna’s devotees. So they are doing devotional service, unknowingly. And during the tour they see the ballroom, which is really a temple – so they see Krishna on the altar, and they get prasādam, and hear recordings of Prabhupāda chanting Hare Krishna.”

“That must just weird people out,” I said. “They must feel like it’s a ‘bait and switch.’ They come to see a historic mansion, but wind up in a Hare Krishna temple halfway through it? It would be much better to convert the mansion into a Vedic museum. People would still be attracted to see the opulence, but it would be so much more legit.”

Dhanurdhara Mahārāja was definitely on my side in the debate, and that made me feel great. I felt that even if there was stuff in ISKCON that made me very uncomfortable, at least this Swāmī was cool and was on the same page as I was about most of it.

This is what I wrote in my diary:

The Detroit trip did not do wonders for my faith in the current structure of ISKCON, but I did gain a great deal of respect for Danerdar [sic] Maharaj. I think that the present ISKCON is not anywhere near perfect, but if it is being helped into the future by great devotees like Maharaj, then there is good hope and bright times ahead.

When we retired to individual rooms for the night, Ray and I went with the two Swami’s. Dhanurdhara Swāmī seemed proud of and happy with me. “You are a real Vṛndāvana devotee,” he said, “renounced and simple. You should come to Vṛndāvana in October. We will have the Vṛndāvana Institute for Higher Education. It’s perfect for people like you.”

– Excerpt from an early draft of
Train Wrecks and Transcendence:
A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna

By Vraja Kishor [VrajaKishor.com]

The post Daily Darshan : January 7th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Radhika Dasi - a Gopi skirts maker is also a mother of 5 wonderful kids. She explains about her life, how she got married, who were her parents, how she manages her home and 5 kids, what she eats to remain beautiful and fit.

This ten minute film is in support of qualified women devotees in ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) taking the service of diksha (initiating) gurus.

January 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.
Prabhupada, the Original Book Distributor. All book distribution came from the inspiration of Prabhupada. In fact, all the different kinds of book distribution were originally done by him. The library party distributed books to universities and libraries, but Prabhupada was the first to do that successfully. In New Delhi, he was also the first one to distribute Back to Godhead magazines in the streets and at the tea stalls; he also distributed his own books in the bookstores in Manhattan.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

Prabhupada, the Original Book Distributor

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Gita 08.13 – External recitation and internal recollection propel us to spiritual liberation appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Bhagavatam study 29 – 1.7.8-14 – Krishna attracts those who are not attracted to anything appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

HARE KRISHNA FESTIVALS & Events for 2016 ( Updated: 6/01/2016)
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.
MARCH
Wed 2: Brimsham Green School, Yate (Nathan)
Wed 23: Gaura Purnima Rathayatra, London (Parasuram)
APRIL
Sat 23: Bath Spa University, Bath (Nathan)
Wed 27: King’s Day Harinam, Amsterdam (Parasuram)
MAY
Fri 20: Nrsimhadev app day Harinam, London (Parasuram)
JUNE
Mon 20 / Tue 21: Stonehenge Summer Solstice, (Rathayatra) (Parasuram)
Wed 22 - Sun 26: Glastonbury Music Festival, (HKF) Pilton, (Mo)
Wed 29 – Tue 12 July: Scandanavian Rathayatra tour (Parasuram)
JULY
Sat 2: Copenhagen Rathayatra, Denmark (Parasuram)
Sat 9: Stockholm Rathayatra, Sweden (Parasuram)
Sun 17: London Rathayatra (Titiksu)
Sun 24: Birmingham Rathayatra (Nitai Charan)
AUGUST
Sat 6: Reading Ratha Yatra (Amala Manjari) (TBC)
Sun 7: Leicester Rathayatra (Pradyumna)
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)
NOVEMBER
Sat 26: Tribhuvanatha prabhu Appearance day Harinam, Soho St, London
Sun 27: Tribhuvanatha prabhu Appearance day Festival, Venue TBC
info@harekrishnafestivals.com
http://www.harekrishnafestivals.com/calendar/

By Ambarisa das

Dear Donors and Friends of the TOVP Project in Sridham Mayapur,

2015 has been another banner year for the TOVP both for construction under the leadership of Sadbhuja prabhu, and fundraising under the leadership of Radha Jivan and Braja Vilas prabhus. Some of the construction highlights are as follows:

Milestones Achieved – 2015

1. Rainwater pipes – complete
2. Screening and waterproofing – phase 1 completion
3. Screening and waterproofing – phase 2 started
4. plastering 80%
5. Sandstone – phase 1 – started
6. GRC factory setup
1. Kalash brackets
2. Chatri ribs
3. Utility floor column
4. Kalash brackets
5. Chatri ribs
6. Chatri Kalash
7. Electrical works begun
8. Marble cladding begun
9. Lightning arrestor purchased
10. Blue tiles purchased
11. Aviation light purchased
12. Completion of all three domes superstructure
13. Dome concreting
14. Altar superstructure including festival altar
15. Completion of brick walls
16. Utility floor sand filling – 50%
17. Parikrama path brickwork complete
18. Kalash Sub Frame – started

Fundraising continued at a dedicated pace, with the North American Tour starting in March. Radha Jivan and Braj Vilas were joined by Jananivas prabhu, the Holy Padukas of Sri Nityananda prabhu, and the Sitari of Lord Narasimhadev, all of whom came from Sridham Mayapur to bless devotees from across the United States and Canada. Svaha and I were privileged to be able to join all of them for several stops. Here are some of the highlights of 2015:

1) February: Opened the Mayapur TOVP Seva office

2) North American Tour from March 15th to July 12th

Total program : 450 Programs
Temples visited : 45
Traveled : 51,000 miles
Distributed over 100,000 promotional materials
Total Donors : 2837
Total Pledges : 16 million dollars

3) September: TOVP presentation at the Vyasa Puja ceremony of H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami and Gopal Krsna Goswami.

Total Pledges: 4 million dollars

4) October: Visited Vrindavan, made presentations and collected from Chowpatty yatra with 5000 devotees

Total Pledges: 3 million dollars

5) November: Visited the UK for 2 weeks to address a patron dinner and several home programs

Total Pledges: 1 million pounds/$1,460,000

The entire TOVP team is looking forward to another inspiring year in 2016, the 50^th Anniversary of ISKCON, as the project moves steadily towards completion. Here are some of the milestones to watch for:

Immediate Work

1. 3 kalash
2. Chakras
3. Inner column carvings – after kalash

Upcoming Works

1. Chatris and Blue tiling
2. White marble cladding inside and outside
3. Sandstone carving
4. Marble purchase
5. Electrical wiring
6. Plumbing Works
7. Earth filling and Utility Floor Slab
8. Wood Works
9. GRC Works
10. Coffered Ceiling
11. Altars

Please visit tovp.org regularly to keep up to date with the progress of this dearmost project of Srila Prabhupada.

Your aspiring servant,

Ambarisa das

Yatra Reaches the Coastal Villages.
The third phase of the Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra had covered the villages falling in the Telangana region and located quite near to the proposed Farm Community project of the Govardhan congregation and other like-minded devotees. After winding up the third phase on December 30, 2015, the bus moved on towards Chirala to continue the next phase.
Akkayapalem is a small village located just 4 kms away from the Bay of Bengal, consisting of about four hundred houses. It has been know for large scale cattle rearing, since population is dominated by “Yadava” caste, who are known for tending animals. Earlier there were hundreds of cows and a few buffalos & goats but now it is vice versa.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/UFBwDU

By Iskcon Bangladesh

After six years of hard struggle, patient effort, determination, heartfelt prayers and steady devotional service for the devotees of ISKCON, Netrokona-the grand opening took place on the 2nd January,2016. This marked the beginning of a new chapter for the ISKCON devotees in Bangladesh and especially for those in the Mymensingh Division. Netrakona Pouroshabha (Town of Netrakona) is an old municipal town, established in 1887 and is located only 40 kms away from the Mymensingh city (the headquarters for this division).

ISKCON devotees started preaching in this town few years back and then in October, 2010 they started a small preaching center in a small rented place. In 2011 they did the first Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Netrokona town and it was a huge success. As the number of devotees in the community grew, the need for a permanent residence for Lord Jagannatha, Baladev, Subhadra and Sudarshan became increasingly evident. The devotees began looking for suitable land nearby and when H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj went to Netrokona in 2012, he gave his blessings for one land adjacent to the preaching center. As Srila Prabhupada once mentioned, “Because if you come to the temple, you get so many facilities to make advance in spiritual life. This is our mission. We are opening, spending so much money for opening gorgeous temple. It is not new thing. This is very, very old, coming by parampara system. There are many thousands of temples in India, very old, five thousand, three thousand years old. Why? The acaryas wanted to give facility to the common man to enter into spiritual life. That is the idea.”(SB 7.9.5 Mayapur, February 12, 1976)

The local devotees headed by H.G. Joyram Prabhu, H.G. Anantadev Prabhu and H.G.Tulasi Prabhu worked very hard to collect the funds for buying this land. One year later in 2013, the devotees were able to purchase it. Then they began planning for a nice temple and an ashram for the devotees. Finally after the Ratha Yatra festival in August 2015, construction work was started in full swing and devotees were working round the clock to have the temple ready by the end of December.

The temple opening date was fixed on 2nd January, 2016. As the month of December was approaching, devotees were worried whether they would be able to finish the temple in time to welcome Their Lordships to Their new home. The devotees also started preparing for a 3-day festival for celebrating the temple inauguration, celebrating 50 years of ISKCON and 75th Vyasa Puja of H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj from 2nd to 4th January, 2016.Invitations were being sent out to devotees all over Bangladesh and hectic last minute preparations were made to ensure the temple was ready for timely opening.

H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj arrived with a group of devotees on 28th December to oversee the preparations for the temple opening. H.G. Caru Chandra, General Secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh, kindly agreed to preside over the 3-day festival. Devotees from across the country and abroad- namely Dhaka, Narayanganj, Barisal, Chittagong, Sylhet, Mehron, Trishal, Narsingdi, Pundarik Dham, Tangail, Coxes Bazar, Jhalokathi, Durgapur, Mymensingh, Kishorgonj, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Brahmanbariya, Mayapur and other places came for this festival.

The festival started with Mangal Arati on 2nd January at 4:30 am in the old temple. The darshan arati, Srila Prabhupada Guru Puja and the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class were held for the last time in the old place. Then H.G. Madhav Murari Prabhu, Vice-president of ISKCON Bangladesh and Head Pujari of ISKCON Dhaka, led the fire sacrifice (yajna)in the new temple premises. On the completion of yajna, devotees enthusiastically carried Their Lordships from the old temple hall to the new alter accompanied by a roaring harinaam sankirtan. In the midst of the sweet vibration of the chanting of the Holy Names, a colorful bathing (abhishek) ceremony was held for Sri Sri Jagannatha, Sri Sri Baladev, Srimati Subhadra Maharani and Sri Sri Sudarshan in the fully packed temple hall.

While the deities were being dressed, Subhag Swami gave a short lecture on the significance of having this new temple at Netrokona. Maharaj has been one of the pioneers of ISKCON preaching in Bangladesh since 1982. He shared his long cherished desire of a having a nice ISKCON temple around Netrokona and that was finally coming to fruition. While Their lordships were offered their rajbhoga (lunch), Maharaj led an enthusiastic kirtan and the devotees were wildly jumping around eager to have the first darshan of Lord Jagannath in the new alter. Soon the conch was blown and Subhag Swami offered the first Maha Arati to Sri Sri Jagannatha, Sri Sri Baladev, Srimati Subhadra Maharani and Sri Sri Sudarshan at Their new residence. Then Sri Sri Jagannatha Mahaprasad was profusely distributed to the assembled vaishnavas. Later in the evening, H.G. Madhav Murari Prabhu performed the adhivas ceremony for the 75th Vyasa Puja of H.H. Subhag Swami. This was followed by devotional cultural program.

On 3rd January, the celebrations started with a harinama procession by all the devotees through the main streets of Netrokona town in the early morning. Following the Guru Puja of Srila Prabhupada, Subhag Swami gave an enlightening Bhagavatam class explaining the real meaning of Vyasa Puja – one day in a year, on the birthday of the spiritual master, because he is representative of Vyasa, he is delivering the same knowledge which has come down by disciplic succession without any change, he is offered the respect. This is called Vyasa-püja. And the spiritual master receives all honor, all contribution, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his own self.

Around noon, H.H. Subhag Maharaj offered arati to Srila Prabhupada and personally performed colorful maha-abhisheka of the Srila Prabhupada deity which was broadcasted live on mayapur.tv and another Bangladeshi channel called Gazi Tv. Then the assembled devotees offered flowers and arati to Maharaj. Then H.H. Subhag Swami was interviewed by the Gazi Tv and later he gave the Vyasa Puja address to assembled vaishnavas. A short glorification ceremony was held to glorify Srila Prabhupada and one of his dearest sons, Subhag Swami.

A senior Srila Prabhupada disciple, H.G. Tejiyas Prabhu sent his offering online. He wrote, “The aspect of Maharaj that impresses me the most is how very very personal, and very very kind he always is and how all of his actions always are of the purest of transcendental kind. Our Srila Prabhupada has given a simple two sided formula to use as a guideline for our spiritual life, by saying that Krishna consciousness is to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. I have experienced in Maharaja’s association that, even though I am such a dull person, somehow I am instantly inspired to remember Krishna and in his association I think it is impossible to ever forget Krishna even for a nimish” Some of the other devotees who spoke on this occasion included ISKCON Dhaka Temple president H.G Caru Chandra Bramhacari Prabhu; Sylhet temple president H.G. Navadwip Dvija Gauranga Prabhu; Coxes Bazar Temple President Radha Govinda Prabhu;Narsingdi Temple President Prahalad Prabhu. Subhag Swami concluded with a sweet kirtan and a nice feast was served to all. Then there was more glorification, drama and tribal dance in the evening. The next day the devotees went for a spiritual retreat nearby along the bank of a river for chanting, dancing, harikatha and feast at the end. We pray that Srila Prabhupada shower his profuse mercy on the devotees who worked so hard for making this festival a grand success. In the words of His Divine Grace, “I thank you so much for the new temples that are opening. Please conduct them nicely and enthuse the people to stick to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra and follow the rules and regulations. Then they will be strong enough to manage things very nicely. Other things will be supplied by Krsna.” (SPL to Tamala Krsna, 18th October, 1969)

The phenomenon of something changing from material to spiritual is an extraordinary one, but it is something we as devotees are involved in daily—often several times a day. It happens when prasadam (unoffered food) becoming prasadam, or food sanctified by the Lord. When I was a new devotee in Montreal, we arranged a program that was to be given on campus at McGill University. The leaflet advertising the program read, “See matter transformed into spirit before your very eyes.” That title certainly drew interest from a lot of people. During the program, the temple president was giving the presentation, and he was leading up to this point. Finally he said, “OK, now it’s going to happen. You are going to see spirit manifest before your very eyes.” The students were sitting on the edge of their seats. The plate of unoffered food, which was the feast for that day, was brought in and placed in front of a picture of Panca-tattva (Lord Chaitanya and His four main associates). A devotee then bowed down, rang the bell, and uttered some mantras. Continue reading "When Does Food Become Prasadam?
→ Dandavats"

Varnasrama series.

The post Introduction in Cardiff appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Why is it raining so much? appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

A collage of blissful street Harinamas from all over the world (4 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to the chanting of Hare Krishna mantra or Krishna sankirtana movement. All glories. All victory. How it is victory, all victory? If you chant this Hare Krishna mantra, then the dirty things which have accumulated in your heart due to material contamination will be cleared off. (Purport to Siksastakam).

Dear Donors and Friends of the TOVP Project in Sridham Mayapur,

2015 has been another banner year for the TOVP both for construction under the leadership of Sadbhuja prabhu, and fundraising under the leadership of Radha Jivan and Braja Vilas prabhus. Some of the construction highlights are as follows:

Milestones Achieved – 2015

1. Rainwater pipes – complete
2. Screening and waterproofing – phase 1 completion
3. Screening and waterproofing – phase 2 started
4. plastering 80%
5. Sandstone – phase 1 – started
6. GRC factory setup
1. Kalash brackets
2. Chatri ribs
3. Utility floor column
4. Kalash brackets
5. Chatri ribs
6. Chatri Kalash
7. Electrical works begun
8. Marble cladding begun
9. Lightning arrestor purchased
10. Blue tiles purchased
11. Aviation light purchased
12. Completion of all three domes superstructure
13. Dome concreting
14. Altar superstructure including festival altar
15. Completion of brick walls
16. Utility floor sand filling – 50%
17. Parikrama path brickwork complete
18. Kalash Sub Frame – started

Fundraising continued at a dedicated pace, with the North American Tour starting in March. Radha Jivan and Braj Vilas were joined by Jananivas prabhu, the Holy Padukas of Sri Nityananda prabhu, and the Sitari of Lord Narasimhadev, all of whom came from Sridham Mayapur to bless devotees from across the United States and Canada. Svaha and I were privileged to be able to join all of them for several stops. Here are some of the highlights of 2015:

1) February: Opened the Mayapur TOVP Seva office

2) North American Tour from March 15th to July 12th

Total program : 450 Programs
Temples visited : 45
Traveled : 51,000 miles
Distributed over 100,000 promotional materials
Total Donors : 2837
Total Pledges : 16 million dollars

3) September: TOVP presentation at the Vyasa Puja ceremony of H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami and Gopal Krsna Goswami.

Total Pledges: 4 million dollars

4) October: Visited Vrindavan, made presentations and collected from Chowpatty yatra with 5000 devotees

Total Pledges: 3 million dollars

5) November: Visited the UK for 2 weeks to address a patron dinner and several home programs

Total Pledges: 1 million pounds/$1,460,000

The entire TOVP team is looking forward to another inspiring year in 2016, the 50^th Anniversary of ISKCON, as the project moves steadily towards completion. Here are some of the milestones to watch for:

Immediate Work

1. 3 kalash
2. Chakras
3. Inner column carvings – after kalash

Upcoming Works

1. Chatris and Blue tiling
2. White marble cladding inside and outside
3. Sandstone carving
4. Marble purchase
5. Electrical wiring
6. Plumbing Works
7. Earth filling and Utility Floor Slab
8. Wood Works
9. GRC Works
10. Coffered Ceiling
11. Altars

Please visit tovp.org regularly to keep up to date with the progress of this dearmost project of Srila Prabhupada.

Your aspiring servant,

Ambarisa das

The post 2015 TOVP Highlights – A Message from Ambarisa Prabhu appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

TOVP: Exciting events (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: There has been some very exciting events happening lately for the TOVP.
We started working on the chatris by adding the GRC ribs and the blue ceramic tiles.
As that is coming along, we have a new addition from the factory to show you, the mock up of the Kalash for the Chatris.
Made in GRC, the real life mock up is 8.2 feet in height (2.5 M) and has a diameter of 7.4 feet (2.26 M) on the first ring. Once the small kalash are completed, they will be covered in titanium nitride. This is very exciting to see!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/oNGekw

Hare Krishna Spain Guadalajara Kirtan Festival (Nueva Vrajamandala) (Album with photos)
It was a memorable yatra. During this yatra, we were immersing in the Devine love of Godhead. I received a lot of loves and blessings from the exalted devotees. The Deities are so attractive that They captivated my mind. Kirtan, bhajan, lectures, devotee association, and meeting with devotees really add a new dimension in my spiritual realization. Thank you Maharaj for your causeless mercy. It would never happen without your blessing.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/nJYLGy

Harinam at the Arabian sea beach by ISKCON Mangalore (Album with photos)
Photos taken during the Harinam festival at the Arabian sea beach by ISKCON Mangalore devotees with the presence of HH Indradyumna Maharaj.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ojH5oI

January 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.
The presence of Prabhupada in separation is a mystical topic. He is not there in his physical form, and yet you claim in some way that he is there. What are you saying? Are you communing with spirits? Is it something weird? No, it’s not weird. Prabhupada’s presence is very real and personal, and very tangible. In one sense, it simply means to follow the guru’s instructions. But his presence is also something inconceivable to the material senses and mind. I do not doubt that Prabhupada can be present before me, but I have some fear of coming into his presence. I should remove that fear. My fear is that he will reprimand me and tell me to stop what I am doing; or I fear that he will not understand me. I am putting so much energy into my work and sometimes coming up with some “discoveries.” But what if Prabhupada dismissed all that I do as nonsense? That would be hard to take.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

The post Daily Darshan : January 6th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Mahatma das S.B.6.18.48-49 – Jan 2nd 2015