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UK National Sankirtan Celebrations.
Saturday 9th Jan @ Bhaktivedanta Manor
7.00am – Deity Greetings & Extended Guru Puja
7.45am – Class by HH Sivarama Swami
9.00am-2.00pm – Videos, Stories, Scores, Presentations, Gifts and Awards
2.00pm – FEAST!
Please please come along for a wonderful celebration!
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During the month of Kartik, we’ve had extensive coverage of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s activities in Vrindavan and Mayapur, written by Nandan and Rukmini, for which we received great appreciation. Maharaj stayed on in Mayapur until 17 December and here is a synopsis of what happened in the days after Kartik.
Meetings and more meetings, with respect to the Mayapur Masterplan, remained the dominant aspect of his schedule however, as always, still he made time to associate with those who are eager to hear from him.
On Sunday (29 November), students from the Mayapur Institute of Higher Education together with disciples and well-wishers were accompanied by Maharaj on a parikrama to Godrumadvipa, the island dedicated to kirtan. And in staying true to the principal service of the island, Maharaj led melodious kirtan and spoke the sweet pastimes of Survana Vihara, Hari-Hara Ksetra and Nrsimha Palli. He quoted the writings of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Sanatana Goswami and Locana Das Thakur at various times in his narrations.
In the week which followed, Maharaj continued teaching “Nectar of Devotion” as part of the Bhakti Sastri course. Then, an initiation ceremony took place on Sunday morning (06 December), where Mathuresh Das from Czech & Indulekha dd from Russia received first initiation, and Harivilasa Das from Cape Town received second. In an inspiring lecture which preceded the taking of vows, Maharaj spoke on the life of Dhruva Maharaj who achieved perfection and went back to Godhead, starting with the Srimad Bhagavatam verse 4.12.17. Maharaj highlighted some of the following points from the verses he read aloud – Dhruva’s mood of humility in his journey, his offering of respect to the great sages who gave him transcendental knowledge, and Dhruva’s gratefulness of the mercy which he received from his mother, Suniti and his spiritual master, Narada Muni.
At 2pm on the same day, Maharaj was the guest-speaker at the Russian Sunday Program which took place in the Community Hall. After a long kirtan session that had the audience swaying and clapping their hands, he spoke on the glories of the Panca Tattva, especially of their merciful nature.
On Ekadasi night (07 December), Maharaj lived up to his reputation with another 2 hour long feet-don’t-touch-the-ground–kirtan. Apart from the beautiful sound of Maharaj’s voice and the accompanying musical instruments, it was a spectacle to see the organized chaos with which devotees danced. The expression of bliss that night will remain etched in our memories for a long time…
Many disciples were present in Mayapur and some were old friends whereas others were new acquaintances. And in order to get to know everyone a little better, two of our seasoned godfamily members who reside in Mayapur, Sacidevi Dasi and Ter Kadamba Das, organized a disciple gathering on Tuesday night. The program began with Ter Kadamba speaking about the need for good relations between disciples and how we should offer support to each other. Thereafter, disciples got to introduce themselves and each one was appreciated by others for their respective services. The meeting ended with a little feast which left us on a sugar high.
After Maharaj completed teaching the “Nectar of Devotion” course, he began a seminar series on the Siksastakam (11-15 December) as part of the Kirtan Academy, as he did the year before. However, a different audience this time asked new questions which brought out other angles of explanations to the verses.
Then, another wonderful excursion happened on 14 December. At 10am that day, devotees gathered outside the Gada Park from where they departed for a visit to Yoga Pitha, Srivas Angan and the house of Murari Gupta. Maharaj walked at the front end of the group and led kirtan for most of the way. A walk through the countryside was a pleasant sight especially for those of us who reside in cities. At Srivas Angan and at the house of Murari Gupta, the group stopped and Maharaj shared the significance of these places of pilgrimage.
Interspersed in all of this, Maharaj gave a couple morning classes to English and Russian audiences, based on Srimad Bhagavatam, canto 6, chapters 17 and 18. This section covered interesting topics like the natures of men & women, and their expectations within relationships – entertaining to listen to but also thoughtful. Recordings to follow soon!
On 17 December, Maharaj left Mayapur and travelled to South Africa where he is currently. He made a three day trip to freezing Germany last week and is back this week, having a “Sravanam-Kirtanam” Retreat (04-08 January) with about 100 devotees, in the Drakensberg Mountains.
Visit flickr to see all the photos.
Iskcon London Harinama (short videos)
Srila Prabhupada: I can see you, you can see me, similarly, you can go directly, see God and live with Him, dance with Him, play with Him, eat with Him. That is the perfection of life. Paris, June 13, 1974.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/NVx76k
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The kidnapping of Rukmini - theatrical play (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: For a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. The impersonalists undergo severe penances and austerities to attain mukti, but the bhakta, simply by engaging himself in the bhakti process, especially in chanting Hare Krishna, immediately develops control over the tongue by engaging it in chanting, and accepting the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Personality of Godhead. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.25.33 Purport)
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A prophecy being realized! (4 min video)
It has been predicted that the Holy Name of Sri Krishna will be spread all around the world. This prediction really is coming to life.
So is also described in this beautiful song and video, made by devotees from different areas of Russia, dedicated to Maha Harinam for their Lord’s pleasure.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/lhD8o2
Appeal by the 50th Anniversary Global Office to mark the official start of worldwide celebrations By ISKCON 50 Global Office The 50th anniversary year of ISKCON starts from 1st January 2016, with many historical events scheduled all over the world. The Global Office for the 50th Anniversary has requested temples all over the world […]
The post Every ISKCON centre must plan big for the 50th anniversary appeared first on Mayapur.com.
KIRTAN 50 - ISKCON Dallas (Album with photos)
In celebration of the auspicious new year which will mark the 50th anniversary year of the incorporation of ISKCON, the Hare Krishna movement, devotees in Dallas organized an ecstatic 4-day festival of Kirtan (group chanting), Lectures, and first-class Prasadam (offered foodstuffs).
So much nectar.. Hare Krishna.
All glories to the assembled devotees.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The post Daily Darshan : January 5th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Life And Teachings of Tukaram maharaj -Shubh Vilas Prabhu 2016 01 03 Sunday Feast ISKCON Chowpatty
January 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.
Just as we maintain our aging bodies by exercise and rest, so the memories have to be exercised. One has to be humble and accept even little memories as worthwhile. We should seek any occasion to talk about Prabhupada in a natural way. We must also be humble to recognize that other devotees are repositories of Prabhupada-katha, and hear from them without envy. Approaching memories of Srila Prabhupada requires humility. There is also an art to it. We should remember in an honest way. For example, when a remembrance first returns to us, it may be disappointing. This is due to our lack of devotion, or our poor memories.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4
Using Prabhupada Memories
Giriraj Swami and Guru Prasada Swami share more realizations of their lives in Krishna consciousness over the last decades.
“If we cry for Krishna, then we feel the effect of the holy name. Then the bond becomes so strong that when we are not chanting or not connected to Krishna for a moment it is like an infinity. Then we come to the final stage when we are really connected to Krishna and the holy name. Then it doesn’t matter what is happening in our life — whether I’m happy, whether things go right or wrong. Whatever happens, Krishna is my unconditional Lord. My purpose in life is to serve Him, please Him, and do His will.”
— Guru Prasada Swami
Experiences and Realizations, Part 2: 50 Years of ISKCON, Dallas
My dad recently gave me a whole bunch of my old diaries. One of them is from the first Shelter tour, with Quicksand and Inside Out in the Summer of 1990. As I read it, it becomes clear that I never “surrendered” to ISKCON, at least not in a spiritual sense. It was very clear to me from the start that ISKCON was a mess. But I found one person in ISKCON who stood out from the turbulence like a port in the storm, and I surrendered to him, in the spiritual sense, becoming his student and taking him as my teacher, my guru.
Ironically, I met him while on stage with Zack de la Rocha screaming “No Spiritual Surrender.”
OK, I guess I did surrender to ISKCON too, but it wasn’t spiritual surrender, it was career surrender. I surrendered my career options in normal world in hopes of making a career for myself in ISKCON’s world. I did this while knowing fairly well how unstable and strange ISKCON was, so I definitely admit that I am the main person to blame for what I now rank this as one of my life’s top 10 bad decisions.
It took about 6 to 10 years for me to fully give up on my ISKCON-carrer-surrender idea. There were two major experiences that made this happen.
The first was when I developed the opinion in 1993 that a significant majority of people in charge of ISKCON were downright phobic of real Krishna consciousness, unless it was forced into the most starched, pressed, shaved, and bleached/dyed robes; Xeroxed and stamped bona-fide by GBC resolution. I realized they would never really embrace and support a personality like mine, which expresses itself without conformity to uniforms and bureaus. They would always keep me in the curtained corners of the rooms reserved for “dissidents,” “sahajīya” and “gopī-bhāva club members.”
The second experience that destroyed my resolve to build a career in ISKCON was when I saw, up close and first-hand, how eagerly and how thoroughly they wanted to scapegoat and sacrifice my guru’s career (he was the Headmaster of ISKCON’s boarding school in Vṛndāvana), at the exact moment that large sums of ISKCON money were placed at risk as a result lawsuits from the abused alumni of all ISKCON’s boarding schools. Hmmm, a “moral” issue indeed. The complexities of his case are significant and are not the topic of this article. The way this experience damaged my carrer-surrender is the topic. I thought, “He’s willing to die for ISKCON, and they still want to kill him? Forget about it, it’ll never be safe for me here. If I make a mistake, or am even in charge of other people who make mistakes – they will roast me to protect themselves.”
Anyway, the ultimate point here is that I’m not shy of surrender as a result of being burned by surrendering to ISKCON. (A) I’m not shy of surrender, I’m shy of the word. More on that in a moment. (B) I never surrendered to ISKCON, anyway. (C) I was never burned by the person I did surrender to, my guru. (D) ISKCON did “burn” me in some significant ways, but I feel that’s my own stupidity, or was just simply unavoidable in the quest for the rare thing that I wanted and still want to somehow achieve.
The ramifications of making a drastically bad career decision at the age of 20 certainly still affect my life and some of my feelings about ISKCON, but have nothing much to do with my relationship to guru or Krishna, or with my concept of “spiritual surrender.”
My issues with spiritual surrender are their own. They lie in the semantics of the connotations. For example, ISKCON linguistics tends to say something like this, “The disciple surrenders fully and officially to the guru at dīkṣā.” Because of connotations, I’m not comfortable with this choice of words. I would express the same point using these words, “Dīkṣā occurs when a student fully accepts a teacher, and the teacher fully accepts a student.”
First of all I get rid of the word “official.” Who needs that? I have to file papers with some “office” even to get self-realization!? A great sādhu once told my guru, “In spiritual life, nothing is a formality.”
Second, I get rid of the word “surrender.” Why? Because I already say that I, “fully accept you as my teacher. ” If I accept you as my teacher, the connotation is that you have knowledge and experience that I do not and you are capable of transmitting that knowledge and experience to me. Thus the connotation is full of humility and surrender. What is the need for explicitly using the word “surrender” – which brings in new connotations, strange connotations, as if there was a war going on between us which I now give up on, or that I am going to give you something without getting anything in return?
The English word “surrender” is mostly a word with negative connotations. Why should we try to use it in a positive way, against the way our subconscious naturally hears it? Simply because our previous gurus chose this word? Are we eternally preschool neophytes beholden to our previous gurus’ choice of English words, when English was not their native language? Are all of us forever unfit to serve their mission by translating their message into terminology that better communicates to native and modern minds?
“Surrender” gives the wrong impressions, because it has confusing and inappropriate connotations.
“Surrender to guru” for example, is a very confusing phrase.
First of all, it implies passivity. When we surrender we are done. But nowhere does śāstra describe the disciple’s role as passive! On the contrary, the disciple is enjoined to be inquisitive (jijñāsu, ŚB 11.3.21) and question from every angle (paripraṣna, BG 4.34)! Certainly, the disciple feels grateful to and humble in comparison to the teacher (sevā and praṇipāta for example, from BG 4.34), but is never passive as the word surrender implies.
Better to say, “Humbly knowing the guru to have knowledge and wisdom you do not, inquire carefully from all angles, and tend to whatever needs the guru may have.” That would, in my opinion, very accurately reflect Krishna’s advice in Gītā 4.34.
Wikipedia suggests the following definition of “surrender” in a religious sense: “To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will and teachings of a higher power.”
What the hell is that?
Whatever it is, it is not ŚB 11.3.21 or BG 4.34! It is not gauḍīya-vaiṣṇavism, which never gives up individuality and individual will, but applies individuality and freewill to the service of the Supreme Individual.
Clearly, then, “Surrender to guru” is a slogan that creates a mood of passivity, which generates mindlessness, which degenerates gauḍīya-vaiṣṇavism into a cult. The proof is in the pudding! Many, many members of ISKCON descended into a significantly mindless and culty society, especially when this “surrender to guru” talk was at its max-perihilion during the late ’70s and ’80s, though many ISKCON members may not be fully aware of this history because disclosure of it is very thoroughly avoided in ISKCON.
Where in śāstra is the Sanskrit word that is the basis for what we describe as “surrender”?
Is it शरणागति (śaraṇāgati)? How could “surrender” be the best translation of this term when शरण (śaraṇa) means “help, protection, refuge.” A clearer translation of this term would certainly be “Seeking Refuge.”
Maṁ ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66) “Surrender unto me alone” doesn’t imply that we should fight with everyone else, and fight against everything else, except Krishna – with him we should be passive puppets. No! It means, “I am the only one you need seek for refuge and protection!”
Then, is समर्पण (samarpaṇa) the Sanskrit word for “surrender”? No, not when arpaṇa means “giving.” A clearer translation is certainly something like “giving everything.”
Is it निवेदण (nivedana)? I’m sorry, that’s not it either. Almost everyone knows that वेद (veda) means “knowledge.” Ni-veda means “disclosing knowledge,” as in communicating, confiding, or revealing oneself.
All of the above certainly have some connotations in common with some of the connotations of “surrender” – which surely explains why several important 19th and 20th century figures trying to export knowledge of bhakti-yoga from Sanskrit and Bengali into English and other languages may have chosen to use the word. But “surrender” has so many connotations that are not in congruence with the primary meanings of words like śaraṇāgati, samarpaṇa, and nivedana. For example, it has military connotation and fails to communicate the warmth and emotional intimacy in these Sanskrit words.
If “Surrender to Guru” is confusing, what then is the proper attitude towards guru and Krishna?
It is “surrender.” That’s not “wrong,” it’s just not the best word. A better description of the correct attitude towards guru and Krishna is one where we feel the powerful need for their help and protection and guidance, so we give all our efforts towards availing ourselves of what they give by trying our best to comprehend and put their guidance into practice.
This is why, in all my recent writing about guru-tattva I haven’t used the word “surrender” much, if at all.
Vraja Kishor das
www.vrajakishor.com
Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast
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Sydney Opera House Harinam (Album with photos)
Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that everyone chant the Hare Krishna mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dust of the heart is cleansed away then one can actually understand the importance of the holy name.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/slTTbH
By Baladev das
2015 Prabhupad Book distribution marathon at ISKCON chowpatty began with H.H.Radhanath swami giving an inaugural talk on Sunday Nov 22nd. In his class, Radhanath swami spoke on how books are heritage of our entire Gaudiya sampradaya and Srila Prabhupad understanding the heart of his spiritual master brought out a revolution through his book distribution program. Maharaj also told that this was 500th year of Lord Chaitanya visiting Vrindavan and 50th year of Srila Prabhupad leaving Vrindavan. Prabhupad left Vrindavan to give Vrindavan to all of us. Finally Maharaj requested all to come together n cooperatively make this book distribution effort a big success. H.H. Radhanath swami’s talk on inaugurating book marathon is available below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxIWFKZqZfc
Protection (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: One of the beautiful features of India is that there are ancient temples of the Lord everywhere throughout the country. Nearby where we are staying in the south is an old temple where Lord Nrsimhadeva is worshipped. The other day we visited the temple to have the Lord’s darshan and pray to Him. One time Srila Prabhupada said that he introduced the worship of Lord Nrsimhadeva in ISKCON specifically for the protection of the movement and the spiritual master.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/y8HeEb
The post On chanting 1, at kirtana night at Inis Rath appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Gluttony or Gluttony without bhakti, over the past few week’s I have been pondering this.
December is meant to be the time of year of peace and goodwill to all mankind as those from the Christian faith remember the appearance day of Jesus Christ, although the date is highly questionable if you take into account the story of Jesus birth.
However I sat on a number of occasions in the supermarket watching the many steeped shopping trolleys, given the shop was only closed for one day I wondered if their was an apocalyptic catastrophe. Most of those I know no longer believe in Jesus his birth but still describe themselves as Christian.
Sat there I was reminded that one of the seven deadly sins described in the bible is gluttony, but when celebrating the appearance of Jesus Christ that’s what happens an over indulgence of wine, food and expensive gifts.
Their was also for me an irony in it all, say people were celebrating my birthday, special meal was put on and gifts given out but I wasn’t invited how would I personally feel?
Angry? Upset? Confused?
And get the crowds of people were doing that, gearing up to celebrate an amazing appearance of Jesus who directed the masses to practice Christian Bhakti to become God Conscious, Krishna Conscious; it reminded me of stories of bygone Christmas Celebrations, a day spent in fellowship with other believers, hearing stories of Jesus Christ’s pastimes and a humble meal as a community.
Boxing day was an interesting observation, it was then small gifts were given, these were practical gifts one of my favourite stories was of a young girl who recalled her gift was a pane of glass for the window; maybe not the most dazzling of presents but she said how much she loved the gift as the draft was less.
Then it reminded me of the iconic last supper, and how this was directed by Jesus Christ himself and was a very humble affair, no great opulence; and get again the whole motion of simplicity and association is missed.
Our gluttony should be that of wanting to stuff ourselves of the pastimes of a great saintly person as he talked about his farther and how to return back to his fathers heavenly abode. But looking beep at the TV schedule their was very little their that indicated this amazing event just a gluttony of soap’s, films and entertainment shows.
Further saddened was that speaking to some primary school parents the traditional nativity play has given way to some strange theatrical performance with no mention of Jesus so as not to offend, a celebration were the person whom it appertains to is neglected; but you would still describe oneself as Christian.
Commercialization.
The whole festival has become a gluttony of commercialism, profits before celebrating Jesus Christ as Acharia of the Christian faith.
What did I personally take from pondering and watching this sad dumbing down of Jesus Christ appearance day; that it is important that I remember with due diligence and with respect both the appearance day of the founder Acharia of ISKCON Srila Prabhupada.
But also that we don’t allow or encourage the commercialization of Diwali and other sacred celebrations, that we remain true to spiritual enlightenment and the pursuit of Krishna Consciousness that the temple and association of devotees.
This was we or should I say me personally don’t become sidetracked by material pleasures and sparkling nonsense gifts that keep me away from the path of self realization
HARE KRISHNA
Cape Town - December 2015 (Album with photos)
Snana Yatra, Ratha Yatra, Beach Harinama, Initiation Ceremony
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)
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“The Eye to See the I” free on kindle for five days!
The Eye to See the I features 121 reflections on the Bhagavad-gita that make its insights appreciable in brief, relishable nuggets of wisdom. The book published in hard copy on Janmashtami last year is already nearing the end of its first print run and will go for the second print soon. Recently released on kindle, it is now available free for five days from 6th Jan to 10th Jan.
Some of the reflections in the book are:
Money talks – and walks away as it is talking
We can’t replace the mind, but we can re-place it
The soul seems far out because it is far in
Free love is a self-contradiction
The heart of knowledge is the knowledge of the heart
Let repetition be a re-petition
The past won’t last if to Krishna we hold fast
With punchy titles that distill each article’s central message, the Eye to See the I addresses a wide variety of issues, all meant to help us realize and relish the innermost core of our being.
The hard copy of the book can be ordered from voicebooks@voicepune.com, and the details to download the kindle version are found here: http://goo.gl/RtTuEO
By Subhang Balaram Das
25th December 2015, marked the first day of the 14th ‘Bhagavat-Katha Saptah’ in Pune with HH Lokanath Swami Maharaja. Every year devotees from all over the world set aside the last seven days of the year and join Maharaja for ‘nityam bhagavata-sevaya’. Surely there is no better way than this to not only end a year, but also begin a new one. This katha proved to be a very special one as there was glorification of one dhama each day.
It was a feast for devotees accompanying Lokanath Swami Maharaja who was wearing the spectacles of scriptures. The journey commenced in Badrikasarama and proceeded through Rameshwaram, Dwarka, Mayapur, Jagannath Puri and finally to Vrindavan.
Day One was set aside for the glorification of the person Bhagavat – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Flowing through the teachings and pastimes of Srila Prabhupada Maharaja stated – “I think the next time whenever Srila Vyasdeva adds new chapters to Srimad Bhagvatam, there will be mention of Srila Prabhupada”. Remembering the one who has given us Srimad Bhagavatam as well as taught us the practice of Bhagavat Dharma, was really a perfect start to the ‘Bhagavatam Saptah’ .
There are four significant Dhamas for the four ages (Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dwapar-yuga and Kali-yuga). Our journey to Badrikashram, the Dhama of Satya-yuga started on the second day. Lokanath Swami Maharaja revealed that “whatever action a great man performs, common men follow”. Hence, the Lord incarnated as ‘Nara-Narayan’ to establish the principle of austerity. Thus one gets the lessons of both sense and mind control from the holy place.
On day three we were in Rameshwaram, the Dhama of Treta-yuga. This is where Lord Sri Rama within just five days, built the 800 mile long bridge with the help of ‘Hanuman &Construction Company’. Lokanath Swami Maharaja quoted, “Scripture is the science. One who knows the scriptures is the scientist. Thus, Bhaktivedanta Swami was a scientist. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati was a scientist.”
Dwarka was our third Dhama. The fourth day brought immense joy in passing through the pastimes of Supreme Personality of Godhead – Sri Krishna. Dwarka Dhama was where the Lord spent the maximum duration of his lifespan. The katha was a real visual experience of those amazing pastimes – how He killed the demons, married 16108 wives. Maharaja said: “It was not a big deal for the Lord to be in 16108 forms. There were 3 crore Gopis in the ‘Rasa lila’. Even then it is no big deal for Him as He lives within every heart. Thus, there is one Krishna for everyone. There is a need to understand that being His fractional potency one should serve Him. It is only in this manner that one can make ones life successful.
The fifth Day was dedicated to Mayapur Dhama, the birth place of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya, who is Krishna Himself,appeared in the mood of Radharani. It was truly inspirational to go through the latest incarnation of the Lord, His pastimes, how He raised the glories of Jagannatha Puri and how He took sannayasa just for the well-being of all people.
The katha proceeded to the Dhama of Kali-yuga – ‘Jagannath Puri’ on the sixth day. Maharaja explained in detail the science behind the transcendental Deity form of Jagannatha, Baladeva & Subhadra. One can easily forget oneself listening to the glories of darsana and prasada of Lord Jagannatha. Lokanath Swami Maharaja quoted: “Jagannatha means Lord of Universe, hence Srila Prabhupada has taken Him to the whole world through chariot festivals”. It was a extremely impressive experience to hear about the first Chariot festival. This was at the Golden gate in San Francisco with 10 thousand devotees in attendance. It was therefore no surprise that this place which was then named ‘New Jagannatha Puri’ by His Divine Grace.
On the last day of the Katha, we finally reached Vrindavan Dhama – the source of all Dhamas. Diving through the glories of Vrindavan Dhama, Lokanath Swami Maharaja mindfully focused on the 500th anniversary of Lord Caitanya’s arrival in Vrndavana. There were vivid descriptions of how the wild animals were dancing with Lord Caitanya when He was passing through the forests of Jharkhand. “When the wild animals were dancing, hugging and kissing each other forgetting all their lust, greed, anger, arrogance, attachment and jealousy, Lord Caitanya exclaimed – This is only the Vrndavana. Thus by establishing ‘Brotherhood’ one can convert his temple, ashram and home into Vrndavana, that is the goal of International society of Krishna consciousness.”
This Bhagavad Katha took us on a journey through the wonderful holy Dhamas, Lokanath Swami Maharaja continuously reminded us of a few important essentials. The Dhama is eternal. One should not consider any Dhama to be a part of any state or country. One should be careful to avoid all of the Dhama offences. Finally, Maharaja said that it is a misunderstanding to think that the pastimes occurr only in particular age, because often the pastimes keep going on in the Dhama. It is one’s birth right to be there as a constant associate of the Lord so that is what one should always strive for.
A very big thank you to Lokanath Swami Maharaja for such an inspiring and delightful journey.
Beginning with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu himself, the leaders of Krsna Consciousness have always tried to share with and convince the leaders of states to accept this sublime science. By this as, Krsna mentions in Bhagvad Gita the common people are inspired to follow, and accept spirituality.
Following in the same lines devotees at ISKCON Patna, received on the very first day of the year, the Health Minister of the state of Bihar Mr. Tej Pratap Yadav at the temple here.
They gifted him the ‘Bhagvad Gita-As It Is’, which he gladly accepted. He was also given gifts like paintings and picture frames of Lord Krishna.
On this occasion the ISKCON Youth Forum(IYF) director of the state , Rambhadra Das, Temple Vice- President, Jagadish Shyam Das and other senior devotees of temple were present. The minister said that ISKCON is doing valuable service to humanity by distributing knowledge amongst masses through Gita, which is the crown jewel of India’s spiritual heritage . He said he would love to visit the temple again in future.
Padasevan Bhakta Das
Executive Head
Media and Promotions Deptt.
Iskcon Youth Forum, Delhi
KK Bindu #366, “The Devotees are Your Life”, a prayer to Jagannath by the Muslim born Salabega, plus more … The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes: * QUALIFICATION TO PRAY – Instructions from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. * MOOD OF THE VAISHNAVAS – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja explains why a vaishnava never demands respect. * THE DEVOTEES ARE YOUR LIFE – A first time translation done especially for this issue of Bindu. In Odisha this song by the Muslim born Salabega is one of the most famous and beloved prayers to Jagannath. * JEWELS FOR BUTTERMILK – A fresh translation of a pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu done for this issue from Srila Lochan Das Thakur’s, Sri Caitanya-mangala. It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu366
Ecstatic Book Distribution Outreach Programs By Iskcon Vrindavan (Album with photos)
ISKCON Vrindavan Namahatta Department organised the most ecstatic book distribution programmes outside of Vrindavan. Book distributors covered Mathura, Agra, Bharatpur, Aligarh, Raya, Jaipur, Palwal and many towns in Rajastan, dispite the cold weather. Under the expert guidance of His Grace Radhashyam Sundar Prabhu, devotees have distributed thousands of Bhagavad Gita’s and Krishna Books. The marathon is still continuing for another 10 days, after which the total book scores will be published.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/yHhgX9
By Mahatma das How to Change this Year? You Need to Freak Out! Our cultural conditioning tells us we should make resolutions for the new year. Of course, the perennial problem is that most of us haven't followed through on our previous year's resolutions. And it can even get depressing to think about how many times this has happened. So maybe it is better we don't make any resolutions this year. This way we'll have nothing to lament about in early February when we haven't followed through. Well, actually I think it's a better idea to understand why we don't follow through on our resolutions, since I doubt that we will ever lose the tendency to want to change things about ourselves and our lives that aren't working well for us. So the important question is, "How do we permanently change our actions?" Continue reading "New Year’s Resolutions
→ Dandavats"
By Titiksu dasa
The ISKCON 50/50 Campaign is an initiative to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON throughout 2016.
Everyone is invited to join us and distribute 50 BBT books in 2016. That’s an average of just one a week.
Here’s how to get involved:
1. Locate an ISKCON Temple or Centre near you. Go to: www.iskcon5050.com/contact for the international address list.
2. Contact the Temple and ask to take part. Ask for a score sheet.
3. Discuss options for distribution. There are many: Meeting people in the street. Book tables. Visiting shops and businesses. Sponsoring books for giving to friends, relatives and work colleagues, and for distribution to prisons, hospitals and hotels.
4. When you have distributed 50 books and filled up the score sheet, return it to the Temple. If you would like to do more, ask for another sheet and more books.
5. The Temple will give you a certificate of appreciation signed by the Chairman of the Governing Body of ISKCON and your local Temple President.
Book distribution is a very powerful way of giving the Holy Name to others. This is also known as sankirtan. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has described sankirtan in His famous siksastikam prayers:
“Glory to the Sri Krishna sankirtan, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtan movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious”.
ISKCON’s Governing Body (GBC) invites everyone to take part:
“For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada the GBC is most delighted to fully endorse the 50/50 Campaign. The GBC would like to invite all devotees to participate in this wonderful initiative in celebration of ISKCON’s 50th year”
The post Daily Darshan : January 4th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
January 4. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.
Prabhupada did not write as a mechanical routine; it was real for him, and so it can be real for us if we tune in to his wave length. Prabhupada refers to this as “submissive aural reception.”
When we can read in this way, it becomes enjoyable. When we read only as duty, we become guilt-ridden. We think, “I know I am supposed to worship this book, so why can’t I? What is wrong with me?” Then we start forcing ourselves and kicking ourselves, “Read Prabhupada! You are supposed to do it!” But if you push and nag a little child, he will not like it and he will rebel. While reading and walking with the Isopanisad, I found myself spontaneously appreciating Prabhupada’s purport, “Hey, this is good!” (I also got renewed appreciation for the fact that the verses were translated by Prabhupada. They had his flavor, “The self-sufficient philosopher who is awarding everyone’s desires since time immemorial …”)
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4
Life Beyond Borders – Kirtan | Veda London
New Life in Prabhupada’s Books
The Eye to See the I features 121 reflections on the Bhagavad-gita that make its insights appreciable in brief, relishable nuggets of wisdom. The book published in hard copy on Janmashtami last year is already nearing the end of its first print run and will go for the second print soon. Recently released on kindle, it is now available free for five days from 6th Jan to 10th Jan.
Some of the reflections in the book are:
With punchy titles that distill each article’s central message, the Eye to See the I addresses a wide variety of issues, all meant to help us realize and relish the innermost core of our being.
The hard copy of the book can be ordered from voicebooks@voicepune.com and the kindle version can be downloaded from
The post The Eye to See the I free on kindle for five days appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Śrīmad Bhāgavata 11.3.21: “śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ, brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam.”
Bhagavad Gītā 4.34: “upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ”
Bhagavad Gītā 4.34: “tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā”
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.3.21: “tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta, jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam”
