Hope For The Best! (Album with photos)
Iskcon’s Food For Life Nepal begin to feed one more new school, Shree Jaya Bhadrakali Lower Secondary School.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/OJbIqS

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Awakening the Light of Dharma: How to Uphold Dharma in the World Today.
On the 6th and 7th of November 2015 Radhanath Swami delivered talks at the international interfaith event Awakening the Light of Dharma: How to Uphold Dharma in the World Today. The event was held at the Jnana Pravaha Centre for Cultural Studies and Research, Varanasi. Spiritual leaders from the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Jewish traditions explored ways to create greater awareness of the concept of Dharma in the public consciousness. They also discussed how this heightened awareness of Dharma would help address many of the crises we are facing today including environmental pollution, increasing economic disparity and abuse of women. Experts from the fields of environment, development and education also shared their thoughts.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/NAJfgc

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REVELATIONS —A comparative religious study between —-JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM and the VEDAS.
As you all know: 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s departure to the West. This book is dedicated to His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, in July of 1966.
The following scholar has praised the book: “It is rare to find a work which seeks to integrate Hindu and Jewish thought. The book is a rich interfaith exploration.” Professor Dan Cohn-Sherbok Dan Cohn-Sherbok is a rabbi of Reform Judaism, a Jewish theologian and a prolific religious author who has written and edited over 80 books which have been translated into Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Swedish, Japanese, Turkish, Persian and German. He is Professor Emeritus of Judaism at the University of Wales, Honorary Professor at Aberystwyth University and a Research Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London and the Centre of Religions for Peace and Reconciliation, University of Winchester.
“In this thought-provoking book the author shows how the concept of demigods was once integral to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He demonstrates how the existence of demigods can be compatible with the existence of a Supreme God, giving the Vedic religion as an example of this.” Michael A. Cremo Author of Forbidden Archaeology, Human Devolution, etc.
Michael A. Cremo is a researcher associate of the Bhaktivedanta Institute specializing in the history and philosophy of science. He is a member of the World Archaeological Congress and the European Association of Archaeologists and is an expert on archaeological evidence for extreme human antiquity.
I hope that this offering will be pleasing to his divine grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and that the devotees will derive great satisfaction by reading this book.
The printing is done in Vrindavan. You can get a copy from ISKCON Vrindavan,ISKCON Mayapur,ISKCON Juhu,ISKCON New Delhi and ISKCON Pandharpur.
Your servant Rasamandala das

By ISKCON 50 Global Office

Supporters and well-wishers of ISKCON who attended a 50th Anniversary gala event in Ahmedabad on 19th December sponsored over 12,500 Bhagavad-gitas as part of the December marathon in India.

Devotees at the Ahmedabad temple had organised an event to celebrate Gita Jayanti at Regenta Hotel, which was attended by over 200 business leaders. The event was hosted by Rajesh Karia, owner of Regenta Hotel, who is a member of the local congregation.

While releasing a special souvenir on the occasion, titled ‘A legacy of 50 years: a tribute to Srila Prabhupada’, Jasomatinandan Das, a senior disciple of Prabhupada, and President of the Ahmedabad temple described why the Gita was the foremost of scriptures and said, “At the age of 69, when most people retire from active life, Srila Prabhupada left the comforts of India and traveled across half the globe to create a spiritual revolution that changed the face of the world.”

“Today, ISKCON is the largest distributor of Vedic books in the world with over 500 million books placed worldwide,” said Romapada Das, International Coordinator for the 50th anniversary, who presented two short videos and spoke about the achievements of ISKCON in the last 50 years. “And the Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada is the one book that has transformed the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world by taking them closer to real spiritual life and engaging them in devotional service to Lord Krishna.”

Keshava Murari Das, President of the Rohini temple in New Delhi made an elaborate presentation about the worldwide activities of ISKCON. After his presentation, he urged the audience to support the December marathon and fill in sponsorship forms for distributing the Bhagavad-gita.

“This was the first time we had organised an event of this nature in Ahmedabad to mark Gita Jayanti,” explained Vishnu Nam Das, Vice President of ISKCON Ahmedabad. “It was inspiring to see the enthusiasm and willingness of our supporters in sponsoring Bhagavad-gitas after they heard the presentations of our speakers. Distributing 12500 Gitas in two hours from one single event is a record of sorts for Ahmedabad.”

For more information, please contact:

ISKCON 50th Anniversary Office: info@iskcon50.org

ISKCON Ahmedabad: hgdas.gkg@gmail.com
Your servant,

THINK 50!

By Brijabasi das

There is a Sanskrit poem describing the glories of the holy name which is quite well-known in ISKCON by the name “Sri Kevalastakam”. Each verse of the poem ends with “harer namaiva kevalam” (“Only the holy name of Lord Hari”). It appears in the songbook called “More Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas”. Its authorship has been a mystery and it was described as “An Anonymous Sanskrit Poem”. Recently, while reading one of the old “Sajjana-tosani” magazines published by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the late 19th century, I came across one interesting item, where the Thakura reviews this very poem:

—-
Sajjana-tosani, 7th year, 4th issue (July 1895), p.115.
“Samalocana” (“Book reviews”)
“Nama-kaivalya-sataka”

“We have received a small booklet entitled “Nama-kaivalya-sataka”, composed by Sriyuta Prabhu Nilakanta Gosvami. Each verse of the book ends with the line “harer namaiva kevalam”. To reveal the glories of the holy name in this way is the utmost duty of the descendants of the Lord. The composition is excellent. The mood is beautiful everywhere. The glories of the holy name are described in detail. If Prabhupada [Nilakanta Gosvami] could also explain the meaning of every sloka in the Bengali verse under it, it would be a special service to the community of Bengali women. Our tongue always sings the following two verses:

namaiva paramo yajno namaiva paramam tapah
jnanam yat paramam loke harer namaiva kevalam

trni-krtyam jagat sarvam rajate sakalopari
cid-ananda-mayam suddham harer namaiva kevalam

–-[end of review]—

While this review is very favorable, we should not probably altogether forget Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s warning as conveyed in the words of “The Harmonist”: “In the days of Thakur Bhaktivinode the number of devotees professing ‘Suddha bhakti’ in Bengal were very few. His appeals had to be made to the class of ‘Misra bhaktas ‘ and ‘Biddha bhaktas’ among whom he found supporters and sympathisers. The ‘Sajjana-toshani’ of that period did not altogether escape the influence of the views of these supporters. Thakur Bhaktivinode, himself the Pioneer ‘Suddha bhakta’, found it absolutely necessary to tolerate more or less this influence of ‘Misra bhaktas’ and ‘Biddha bhaktas’ within the movement.” (The Harmonist, Vol.25, #1, June 1927). However, “Kaivalya-sataka” seems to represent the glories of the holy name without deviations, which unfortunately were common among the vaisnavas of those times.

So, “Sri Kevalastakam” is not actually an “astakam” (eight verses), but a “Satakam” (a hundred verses). The author is a person named Nilakanta Goswami, who was a descendant of one of the Lord’s associates (since Bhaktivinoda Thakura calls him “prabhu-santana”, it most probably means that he appeared in either Advaita- or Nityananda-vamsa). He was born in 1847 A.D. (Asvini Purnima of the Bengali year 1254) in Boinchi, Dakshinpara, Bengal. He lived in Kolkata but ca. 1901 he left Kolkata for his home in Boichi due to the health issues. In 1913 his disiciple Saurindra-mohan Seal brought him back to Kolkata where Nilakanta Goswami continued working on his book on Rasa-lila. These are the bits of information about him that are available from his books.

I was able to find some of Nilakanta Goswami’s books. One of them, called “Panca-ratnam”, consists of five similar Satakas written by him. It was published in 1916 in Calcutta. Besides “Kaivalya-sataka” there are also “Matr-sataka” (a hundred verses glorifying the mother), “Guru-sataka” (a hundred verses glorifying the guru), “Dharma-sataka” (a hundred verses glorifying dharma) and “Viveka-sataka” (a hundred verses condemning ignorance). He also composed “Gaura-sataka” (a hundred verses glorifying Lord Gauranga). All the verses in each sataka have the same last line.

Besides these books he also wrote the following (taken from the advertisements in his book “Sri Krsna-lilamrta”):

– Sri Vamsi-vikasa (dealing with the appearance of Srila Vamsivadanananda Thakur. In Sanskrit with Bengali poetic translation);
– Bengali translation of the Kalki-purana;
– Pitr-stotra (a poem in praise of father);
– Abar Gaura (a Bengali poem glorifying Lord Caitanya);
– Satyam eva jayati (100 verses glorifying the truth and truthfulness), published in 1919;
– Pativrata (100 verses in praise of the wife’s faithfulness and chastity (with the examples of the great wives like Sati, Savitri, Sita, Gandhari and others), published in 1919;
– Sri Krsna-rasa-lila (Srimad-Bhagavatam verses with Sridhara Swami’s commentary in Sanskrit, Bengali translation and Nilakanta Goswami’s own Bengali commentary), published in 1921;
– Sri Krsna-lilamrta (in Sanskrit), published in 1924.

His publisher and disciple, Surendranath Sadhu, writes in his foreword to “Sri Krsna-rasa-lila” that in the early 1880s Nilakanta Goswami was an acarya of the newly founded “Visva-vaisnava-sabha” in Sarkar Lane, Kolkata. It was the same Visva-vaisnava-sabha that was co-founded by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the April of 1885. In his articles in the Sajjana-tosani magazine (2nd and 3rd years) Bhaktivinoda Thakur describes the activities of this Visva-vaisnava-sabha, situated in Sarkar Lane, 66, Chorbagan, Kolkata. In one of them (3rd year, #41, p.43) he mentions Nilakanta Goswami as “The acarya of the Sabha who recited the sastra and delivered such a lecture that everyone became happy.” In his books Nilakanta Goswami is also called by his disciple publishers as “Bhagavatacarya” and “Maha-prabhu-pada”.

Our well-known eight verses were selected from different parts of the book:

#11 (“madhuram…”)
#39 (“abrahma-stambha…”)
#50 (“sa guruh…”)
#57 (“trni krtya…”)
#62 (“nihsvase…”)
#77 (“harih sada…”)
#89 (“aho duhkham…”)
#99 (“diyatam…”)

In the above-mentioned review of the book Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes the verse #32 (“namaiva paramo yajno”) and #57 (“trni krtya…”).

December 25. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Srila Prabhupada acknowledged that time wears away all things. Even Krishna’s places of pastimes in this world have become covered over, leaving little trace of His presence. Rupa Goswami expressed this in a cryptic message to his brother, Sanatana, in jail. Rupa Goswami’s note stated, “Where is the Ayodhya of Raghupati? Where is the Mathura of Krishna?” His meaning was that everything in this world changes, but if you keep your mind fixed on that which is eternal, you will be steady. This is good advice to anyone in anxiety over the temporary , terrible situation of material prison life. According to Rupa Goswami, even the dhamas within this world undergo change; therefore we should always meditate on the eternal essence of life. Just as Lord Krishna’s dhamas are eternal, Prabhupada’s pastimes have a similar quality; we should not be alarmed or doubt their validity. We may ask, “Where is Ayodhya? Where is Dwaraka, the city by the sea? Where is the Yadu dynasty? Where is the pious humankind whom Krishna came to restore? Where are the Pandavas or their descendents?” Although the spiritual pastimes of the Lord may disappear from our vision, they continue to exist for those who have perfect vision. Time is not greater than Krishna or Krishna’s pastimes. But because the material world is the kingdom of Maya, even spiritual edifices will crumble. The inner spirit is carried on by the parampara of living devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

Vanished Scenes?

Giriraj Swami and Rtadvaja Swami spoke at the Houston temple.

—————————–
“When I first went to the temple as a guest the devotees from Canada would always ask me, ‘When are you going to surrender?’ I would say, ‘I am an American. We don’t surrender. Surrender is for weak people. When people are strong they don’t surrender.’ The temple president said, ‘You are a fool. You are surrendered to so many things. You are surrendered to your family, your job, your friends your country.’ Even those of us that were part of the counter-culture had to surrender to the call of nature. We had to surrender to the urge to speak the urges of the mind, the urge of anger, the urge of the tongue, belly and genitals. And when any of those six knock on the door we must surrender. So, the devotees told me, ‘You are already surrendered. Now you just have to decide to whom you are going to surrender. Who has true value for you to surrender to?’ And they explained to me that it was Krishna.” —Rtadvaja Swami

Giriraj Swami Kirtan, Houston
Giriraj Swami Talk, Houston
Rtadvaja Swami Talk, Houston

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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

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A world-class show celebrating ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary entitled “Transcendental Journey: Krishna 50 Years On” is set to play at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia on Saturday August 20th, 2016. Transcendental Journey will repeat twice, with a matinee performance at 2pm and an evening one at 7:30pm in one of the Sydney Opera House’s state-of-the art theaters, “The Studio.

Introduction

By Taraka das

Recently I have travelled to a number of ISKCON centres. The place that stood out for me as welcoming and warm was New Vrindavan. Every devotee that I encountered said, “Haribol. How are you?” or similar or just smiled. This really warmed my heart as I have often been to a new place and devotees did not acknowledge my presence At all. I know I am not alone in this experience, and may even be guilty of ignoring guests myself from time To time.

The question to ask ourselves is – what impression do we give our guests? Devotees in our ranks are surrendering to distribute books on the street and are inviting people back to the temple for a festival or weekend program. Some Of the people they contact, actually take up the invitation. Some people read a book or go to one of our restaurants, or yoga classes, meet a devotee or read Something on the internet to find out about our temples. There are many ways people contact the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So when they pluck up enough courage to visit a temple, and then they spend some money and time getting there and walk in the door, if they are ignored it may result in them never coming again. If they are met by a new devotee and told they should give up everything and move into the temple (I heard a new devotee tell an elderly couple this at his first meeting of them as the couple were putting on their shoes, oh so slowly. I knew they were regular attendees and home worshipers) this could also result in guests never coming again, or finding another place to go. Of course there are other experiences in between these two extremes.

It comes down to understanding the needs, interests and concerns of those whom we are “ministering” to. Some people need a lot of space when they come for the first time and don’t want to be bombarded with philosophy or interrogation, some people need to feel included and some require information and association.

In doing some quick research I found a PowerPoint presentation from a church website outlining various methods for church services that could be adopted by those wishing to share the “gospel”, which is what we are trying to do as a movement. It suggests a consistent approach for church services, with a trained team, with a strategy.

Thinking about having trained devotees, a strategy and consistency is important as the reason I was pushed to write this article was due to consistent behaviour, not so conducive to our mission. A senior devotee from Bhaktivedanta Manor told me when she visited two temples in Australasia,
(one temple she visited every day for a week), not one devotee approached her, although she was wearing Vaisvana dress and attending the program. This made my heart sink, and I Wondered if she was wearing saffron with a danda, would it have made a lot of difference? Had she been featured in BTG or any other publication, would it have made a difference? Are we really so busy or unhappy that we don’t have the time to smile or greet newcomers to our temples? It appears that it is not only the guests from the public that we can ignore, but our own devotees – our extended family members.

What are the obstacles we face as an organisation to this problem?

Some of the problems I see are that most devotees have a major duty to do within the organisation, perhaps pujari, cook, Manager, book distributor, teacher etc. When the devotees are doing their services, there may not be time to spend on a new guest, whether devotee or not. The other difficulty is that unlike Churches, our temples are open from 4:30 am to 9:00pm and this means guests can come at any time during this period. We have a variety of guests, from various backgrounds with a multitude of needs. Another challenge is that many devotees live on the property or in the building, so that means they live, worship, do seva (work), and socialise all in the same place. This causes the boundaries to be quite blurred and sometimes to “be on duty” twenty-four hours a day can be overwhelming, especially in times of stress, or Ill-health. And suffice to say, other factors.

What are some of the solutions? Having a point of entrance where all the people come into a building does help this situation because someone may be situated at a reception or information desk. Then the responsibility of greeting guests is predominantly the devotee’s responsibility who is at the desk. Make a strategy for greeting guests when there are a lot expected, like at Sunday Feasts or Festivals. Have a team of trained devotees who like greeting guests. This is not natural for every person, so best to engage those who like new people.

Train devotees to greet guests, and to learn how best to meet their needs. And finally, we are supposed to be happy Hare Krishna, that means, we can at least give a smile to new people, even if we don’t have time to greet them, and treat them like bhagavan.

More devotees should know about the holy town of Shukratal. Shukratal is the place where Shukadeva Goswami spoke the sacred Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) to Maharaja Pariksit 5000 years ago. It is located about half way between Delhi and Haridwar, a four to five hour drive, and about 86 kilometers before you get to Haridwar. The little town sits on the banks of the holy Ganga River, where it has cut a swathe through the rocky region. Pilgrims come to visit this holy town, but it is still gaining recognition though it plays a serious role in our tradition of the Bhagavatam. First of all, the village and the road to get to it are so small that they do not show up on most maps, so it is not easy to find unless you know how to get to it. But it is about an hour east of the city of Muzaffarnagar. Continue reading "Shukratal: Where Shukadeva Goswami Explained the Srimad Bhagavatam
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Today, most Vaishnavas make efforts to lead a theo-centric life. They struggle to remember that they are souls who are equal to the plants and animals, and that they are not their bodies, with the associated desires to exploit and kill the Lord’s nature. They try to remember that the universal soul or Supreme Soul is their friend who is in their hearts and who with love beckons them to turn away from violence and exploitation. Recent Vaishnava sages, like Prabhupada and his predecessors, envisioned the great contributions that the Vaishnava and genuine Vedic perspectives can make in a world of selfishness. They became Vaishnava activists and requested their followers to practice Krishna-centrism, which includes a non-anthropocentric relationship with His nature. Moreover, they urged their followers to propagate that view. There are more than half a billion Vaishnavas around the world. By Krishna’s grace and that of His divine nature, their struggles to have a deep ecological impact in the world will be successful. Continue reading "Deep Ecology and Vedic Culture
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For charity to be effective, in either a religious or a practical sense, it must be given to the right person in the right way.

#1: Who to Give to?

Donations are primarily supposed to be given to brāhmaṇas, not primarily to vaiṣyas or kṣatriyas. All śāstra concurs on this basic point. Brāhmaṇas are people who spend the vast majority of their time and energy studying and teaching, especially studying and teaching the Veda. Kṣatriyas are people who spend the vast majority of their time managing organizations, making and enforcing laws, etc. Vaiṣyas are people who spend the vast majority of their time dealing with resources and finances.

There is a very practical reason why brāhmaṇas are the primary recipient of charity in Vedic culture: they spend the vast majority of their time doing something extremely important for humanity, but which generates very little income or security on its own. Therefore the rest of society supplies them with protection and their basic, modest financial needs.

Simply put – you should give your charity to people who are dedicated to studying and teaching the Veda, not to those who are dedicated to management and resource generation

Simply put – you should give your charity to people who are dedicated to studying and teaching the Veda, not to those who are dedicated to management and resource generation – even if what they are supposedly managing or generating resources for is supposed to be eventually in support of the study and teaching of the Veda. Give the charity directly to the right person – the brāhmaṇa who is already dedicated to pursuing and distributing knowledge.

One can argue that donations should be given to a Vaiṣṇava, and this is even more important than giving to a braḥmana.

The truth of this statement rests on the definition of a Vaiṣṇava as one who constantly engages in viṣṇu-nāma-śravaṇa-kīrtana (satatam kīrtayanto mām), and as such studies, practices, and teaches the very essence of all the Veda, and is therefore the topmost brāhmaṇa and the most worthy of charity. By all means, if you want to donate to the handful of pure Vaiṣṇavas engaged literally in 24-hour kīrtana and śravaṇa, then your donations will be fantastically beneficial to you and to society.

By all means, if you want to donate to the handful of pure Vaiṣṇavas engaged literally in 24-hour kīrtana and śravaṇa, then your donations will be fantastically beneficial to you and to society.

But a vaiṣṇava acting within varṇāśrama due to inability to engage in 24-hour kīrtan, is not the topmost brāhmaṇa. He or she is whatever he or she is within the varṇāśrama scheme.

Vaiṣyas and kṣatriyas – be they vaiṣṇava or not – have the dharmic responsibility to generate and utilize their own power and resources for their projects. They are supposed to be giving the donations!

Donations should be given primarily to brahmaṇas and pure vaiṣṇava paramahaṁsas engaged in constant, mostly literal, kīrtan. As for what I mean by “primarily,” I mean that after meeting the needs of brāhmaṇas and paramahaṁsa-vaiṣṇavas, it is essential to next see that all women have their needs met. (Pregnant women are a special case,  they are in many ways even more important than brāhmaṇas.) Next one should see to the needs of children. Then to the needs of the elderly. Thereafter one should donate whatever remains from what one has set aside for charity to anyone and everyone, from any varṇa at all. This is the Vedic scheme. No other projects are to be begun or funded until all the kīrtan devotees, all the scholars, all the women, all the children, and all the elderly have all their essential needs satisfactorily met.

This is the Vedic scheme. No other projects are to be begun or funded until all the kīrtan devotees, all the scholars, all the women, all the children, and all the elderly have all their essential needs satisfactorily met.

#2: What to Give?

We also have to give the appropriate thing, otherwise our donation will not generate auspicious results for ourselves or society.

Basically we have to give food. Feeding brahmaṇas, or supplying them with resources to ensure they can eat, is a perfect form of Vedic charity.

Basically we have to give food. Feeding brahmaṇas, or supplying them with resources to ensure they can eat, is a perfect form of Vedic charity. We can also give clothing, cows (which was another type of food, milk, and farming), and some land and simple dwellings. On rare occasion we could give jewels or gold to brāhmaṇas, but they almost always pass these nonessential donations on to others, not keeping opulent things in their lifestyle.

In other words, in more practical and modern terms, the perfect charity is to give brāhmaṇas the modest resources they need to eat and live fairly simply, supporting their similarly simple families. Giving smaller, more regular amounts to genuine scholars, students, and practitioners of the Veda, is far better than giving large sums for ambitious projects to build elaborate temples and “spiritual disneylands.”

But “Prabhupāda, etc. etc. etc.”

I for one think that if we understand Prabhupāda in a way that contradicts what Prabhupāda represents, we are understanding Prabhupāda wrong. Prabhupāda represents Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī, for example. Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī says in plain ink in Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, “Do not start huge projects.” Prabhupāda wanted to open temples around the world, yes, but this doesn’t mean we neglect the basic support and welfare of scholars, women, children, and elderly for the sake of erecting multimillion dollar buildings in every town and villiage.

We need bhajan-kutirs in every town and village.

“Oh, but the public won’t be attracted to a simple building…”

Oh, please. This is Maybelline-phillsophy. A fancy building is like a woman in high heels and lipstick: she attracts a certain type of man – the useless type. A nice warm, simple bhajan-kutir with real nāma-kīrtan and bhāgavat-śravaṇa is like a truly beautiful woman with a heart full of goodness and love.

“Prabhupāda wanted a big temple in Māyāpūra, with a planetarium.”

We already had a huge temple in Māyāpūra. Just make a planetarium in a hall and annex it. What is the need for a 90 million dollar project that competes with what the Roman Catholic Empire did at the height of their debauchery and spiritual disempowerment?

And even if you somehow feel you just have to do that in Māyāpūra, do you also have to do something similar in 7 out of 10 other towns and villages?

Conclusion

Giving money for the wrong things to the wrong people just makes a lot of people feel cheated.

Giving money for the wrong things to the wrong people just makes a lot of people feel cheated. It thus creates inauspiciousness for the donor, the donee, and the society in general. Giving money for the right things to the right people creates auspiciousness and happiness in this life and the next for the donor, the donee, and the whole world.

The “right things” are the basic sustenance of the right people, brāhmaṇas and vaiṣṇavas – people who devote the vast majority of their time to studying, teaching and practicing the Veda, in essence and detail.

Vraja Kishor das

www.vrajakishor.com

Harinam Sankirtan in Sydney, Australia. (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: By chanting Hare Krishna one fixes his mind always on the Supreme Lord. One example often given is that of the caterpillar that thinks of becoming a butterfly and so is transformed into a butterfly in the same life. Similarly, if we constantly think of Krishna, it is certain that at the end of our lives we shall have the same bodily constitution as Krishna. (Bhagavad-gita, 8.8 Purport)
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Bhakti Raghava Swami: As part of the on-going efforts to establish Varnasrama Colleges in different parts of India, IDVM-India will be inaugurating the ISKCON Varnasrama College (IVC) on Monday, January 4th, 2016 at the recently established Rural Community called “Sahyadri Goloka Dham” located near the Town of Hebri, in the District of Udupi, South Karnataka.

IVC will offer Weekend Retreat Courses to a limited number of interested devotionally inclined individuals during the entire month of January and invites anyone interested to contact its Coordinators, Sriman Kisora das at kisorakrsna@yahoo.com and Sriman Sri Rama das at +91 96 42 330011.

Sahyadri Goloka Dham rests at the foothills of the Western Ghats also known as Sahyadri Mountain adjoining a flowing river that feeds into the Sita River. The location can easily be accessed from Udupi Town itself or from Karkala Town, both approximately 30 KM away.

Visiting Faculty members will include the following: HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami (Dharma Shastri), Sriman Kisora das (Carving, Agriculture), Sriman Prananatha das (Yoga and Health), Sriman Krsna Balarama das (Bee Keeping, Nature Study), Sriman Vivek Devarajan (Panchagavya Products), Sriman Raghu Mishra (Organic Farming), Dr Sreekumar.S (Cow Care and Grazing) and Sriman Venu Gopal das (Spoken Sanskrit).

The Sahyadri Goloka Dham project is overseen by Sriman Srinivas Pejathaya who hails from Mangalore itself and who can be contacted at +919019404030.

Vedic Deities Worshipped in Japan (28 min video)
There is a very important bridge of culture joining the countries of India and Japan. In the words of HE Mr. Yasukuni Enoki, Former Ambassador of Japan, “It is very important for the Japanese to know that in the bottom of Japanese culture, Indian culture is very firmly imprinted”.
Buddhist and Hindu deities of India are worshiped by the people of Japan. The 5th century Sanskrit script is revered in Japan and its letters denoting different deities, are considered sacred by the Japanese.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kIecSC

UK Sankirtan Marathon: Almost there! (2 min video)
Sutapa das: Manor has reached 92,000 Books! We need 8,000 books distributed in the next 14 hours! Today midnight the 100k Effort Ends! Devotees have been distributing around the clock - someone texted me at 23.58 last night saying “prabhu, I need 1000 small books NOW!” I was happy to be woken up! Don’t worry prabhu they are coming to you!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kzrdE7

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Talk at Govardhan Ecovillage, Wada

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Martial Arts demonstration by Dina Dayal Prabhu (Album with photos)
Sri Mayapur International School students learn how to become powerful kshatriyas!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/y7yYwh

Lasting Impression…
Today was a beautiful day in Bournemouth, UK. At one point Nandan stopped someone who had received a “Science of Self Realisation” some time ago. The man was so amazed by the pictures that he decided to get one of them tattooed on his back!
Prabhupada’s books leave a lasting impression in more ways than we can imagine!

TOVP: Work in progress (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: As work is proceeding fast, we are already preparing for the next step to follow on regards of the temple sandstone windows.
Under Savya Sachi Prabhu’s guide, production of the GRC columns started, and by next week we will commence installing them on the temple walls, between the sandstone.
In these images you can see the finished product of the GRC columns.
We will keep you updated on this wonderful progress.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tb1elI

As an offering to Srila Prabhupada during ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary year, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is set to publish some of his books in two languages – Catalan and Quechua – for the first time ever. Catalan is spoken by around 9 million people in Catalonia; as well as in Valencia, the Balearic Isles, and Andorra.

ISKCON Durban temple is undergoing major restoration for the 30th anniversary next October. Not only are they restoring the temple to its original beauty, but they are making marked improvements. One in particular—that is both admirable and intimidating—is thir Go Green campaign. This campaign is the brainchild of Vibhu Caitanya Das, Durban Temple President.

December 24. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Our business is to save ourselves by remembering Srila Prabhupada at the time of death. All his activities are worth remembering and passing on to others, at least for the next ten thousand years of Kali-yuga. It is distasteful to us if someone says, “Prabhupada is just one guru, and eventually he will be forgotten. There will be other gurus with other pastimes and the main thing is the message, not this person.” We don’t want to hear that. If we persist in being attached to Prabhupada, it can’t be inauspicious. Even if aspects of his pastimes were temporary scenes, nevertheless, being attached to Prabhupada in a particular setting will not go in vain. Krishna will recognize it, and He will transform our devotion into eternal benefit. Krishna will say, “Because you were attached to Prabhupada there, now you can be attached to Radha and Krishna and Prabhupada.” Somehow, Krishna can make it all satisfactory. It’s not wrong to remember our teacher, how he taught us, when he taught us, and who he was.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

A video by the Smithsonian Institute.

The post Daily Darshan : December 24th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

2015 12 20 SB 10 72 05 Krishna Is Very Much Pleased By One Who Distributes Lords Mercy Through Books

Remember Prabhupada