Safety in a Dangerous World
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By Padmapani das

Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been faced with unprecedented danger and uncertainty. Recent headlines suggest that the threat of terrorism has reached critical proportions. News of another possible attack in the U.S. has been circulating in the press and the rhetoric of war has dominated world politics for quite some time. Once again we are forced to contemplate our fragility and mortality in this material world. Anything can happen now — and we know it.

For those of us old enough to remember, these recent events may conjure up memories of the Great Northeast Blackout in 1965. As a resident of Canada, I remember it well. Although quite young at the time, I distinctly recall the sense of fear and vulnerability that arose in my heart. I realized for the first time that our civilization wasn’t as strong and secure as we had been led to believe.

“At 5:27 p.m., November 9, 1965, the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark. From Buffalo to the eastern border of New Hampshire and from New York City to Ontario, a massive power outage struck without warning. Trains were stuck between subway stops. People were trapped in elevators. Failed traffic signals stopped traffic dead. And, at the height of the Cold War, many thought Armageddon had arrived. One pilot flying over a darkened New York City stated, ‘I thought, another Pearl Harbor!’ By 5:40 p.m. that evening, 80,000 square miles of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada, were without power, leaving 30 million people in the dark. New York City was particularly hit by this blackout, due to its reliance on electricity for nearly all aspects of city life.”

(The Blackout History Project)

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was staying in New York at Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio on Riverside Drive. He had recently arrived from Butler, Pennsylvania where he had been a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Agarwal for a month after arriving in the U.S. from India. Describing the blackout in a letter to Sally Agarwal, Srila Prabhupada wrote the following words:

“Yes there was all darkness in New York on the 10th instant and it was not a happy incident. I learn that many people remained in the elevators and in the subway trains for more than seven to eight hours in darkness. I do not read newspapers but there must have been some mishaps also which we do not know. That is the way of material civilisation too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilisation depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter to “My dear daughter Sally,” November 13, 1965)

More than forty years later, the world is even more dependent on electricity and petrol. The Internet (on which this website is being published) has become the preferred method of communication. We now (reportedly) have satellites orbiting the earth which allow us to communicate across the globe in seconds. Our methods of warfare are now laser-guided and accurate to the Nth degree. Yet are we any safer as a result?

Intelligence reports claim that the Internet is now being used by terrorists and others of ill intent who communicate freely with each other. In fact, the World Wide Web itself may be attacked and brought down at a moment’s notice. The very fabric and infrastructure of our society could unravel without warning. The situation is perilous. Therefore Srila Prabhupada continually warned us that there is danger at every step in this material world (padam padam yad vipadam), and he urged us to immediately take to Krishna consciousness for the solution to all problems:

“As long as we are in this material world, there must be calamities because this is the place of calamity. But even with calamities our business should be to develop our Krishna consciousness, so that after giving up this body we may go back home, back to Krishna.”

(Teachings of Queen Kunti, Chapter 8)

Not only has Srila Prabhupada helped us to identify the source of all our miseries in this temporary world (duhkhalayam asasvatam), but he has meticulously provided the means of relief in his voluminous books and instructions. Despite that we are now in the midst of troubled times in a perpetually troubled world, we are still very fortunate to have Srila Prabhupada as our eternal spiritual preceptor. Although he has physically departed from this world, Srila Prabhupada so mercifully continues to guide us. The only qualification is that we hear from him sincerely and with faith.

“In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter, November 22, 1974)

In whatever condition of life we may now find ourselves it is to our eternal benefit to arrange our lives in such a way that we can follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to the best of our ability. Although we can never fully repay him for the tremendous gift that he has given us all, at the very least we can be loyal to Srila Prabhupada and stick tightly to his lotus feet. After all, there is no safer place to be.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

December 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. The…
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December 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
The weather grew cold, but there was no snow in December. On Columbus Avenue shops were selling Christmas trees, and the continental restaurants were bright with holiday lighting. On Seventy-second the Retailers’ Association erected tall red poles topped with green tinsel Christmas trees. The tops of the trees on both sides of the street sprouted tinsel garlands that spanned the street and joined in red tinsel stars surrounded by colored lights. Although Srila Prabhupada did no Christmas shopping, he visited many bookstores – Orientalia, Sam Weiser’s, Doubleday, the Paragon, and others – trying to sell his Srimad-Bhagavatams. Mrs. Ferber, the wife of the Paragon Book Gallery proprietor, considered Prabhupada “a pleasant and extremely polite small gentleman.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

Video Interview: Part 2
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Here is Part 2 of the interview with Kadamba Kanana Swami where he answers many questions relevant to spiritual life.

 

Why I love Kirtan?

Why I love Srila Prabhupada?

Why I love Vrindavan?

Why there is so much suffering in the world?

Do you think sex is bad?

How I came to Krishna Consciousness?

How to avoid anger?

How to the control mind?

If God Is Everywhere, Why Go to the Temple?

Why is TOVP so important project of ISKCON?

 

Visit to the Temple
→ Seed of Devotion

I am back in Hawaii with my parents for some time before I get married.

Hawaii is my monastery, a place of quiet, a place where I go deep within. It's just me and my parents here - temples and devotees and festivals are very far away. 

As a young teenager in Hawaii, my desire for Krishna consciousness became a blazing fire in the isolation of this island. I wanted only to move away to live in a community of likeminded devotees of Krishna. 

But I couldn't. I was underage! So for five years I lived here, burning to move away.

In those five years' time, though, I searched for God everywhere I could find Him. Nature became my temple. 

Whenever I beheld the beauty of nature that was so profound that it moved my soul, I would sing the song, "Mama Mana Mandire" - May You, my dear Lord, reside within the temple of my heart. This song became my anthem, long after I had moved away from Hawaii, even when I lived near a physical temple. I never wanted to take God for granted. Nature became the reminder that God is everywhere, including my own heart.  

I gradually lost my tradition to sing this song. Many years have passed since I have meditated in this way.

Tonight, I went to an old haunt of mine, a crest on a mountain where I watched the sun set over two oceans - an ocean of blue silk below and an ocean of orange and pink silk above. I was stunned that such vast beauty would be so silent and yet sing to the entire world - to the water, land, and sky. 

Unbidden, the words came to my lips, "Mama mana mandire..."

May You reside within the temple of my heart. 

I am realizing that God has always and always will reside within my heart. I need only sing to Him, acknowledge His presence, embrace Him.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Rice Lake, Ontario

Scouting Around
I've never heard of anyone getting motion sickness in the course of walking.  However, it is a reality for some people who are situated in some type of moving conveyance.  We encountered two incidents with two individuals today.  It required pulling over by the highway's shoulder and allowing the poor victims to release.

Naturally there was concern for those persons who were not having the greatest time with their vomiting sessions.  Those of us riding with them expressed empathy.  One tow-truck stopped behind us, ready to haul us for what he perceived was a breakdown so he could make a little extra cash.  Unfortunately the guy didn’t have any luck and saw a different kind of breakdown.  He moved on.

The actual purpose of the trip to Rice Lake was to scout around for a piece of property to possibly secure for a rural development project.  The intent is to have a facility or retreat for future generations where people can have a break from the material world.  The vision for such a retreat will feature accommodations, gardening, kirtan, yoga, kids' activities and recreational and spiritual events.

Our agent was great.  We were rather open with him as to who we were - a group of Krishna Conscious people.  With that he opened up and told us about his wild side.  At age 19 he got on board a cruiser as a stow away.  There he was, with only swimming trunks on and a djembe with all his belongings inside.  Pretty adventurous I'd say.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Varnashrama is Natural, Part II
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Q: Your article “Varṇāśrama is Naturalmakes sense but I have some lingering doubts. Is there really no need to impose guidelines on how that natural behavior should take place?

Yes, Varṇāśrama is a social system and every social system has rules that govern the behavior of its citizens. But the previous article was specifically addressing the point that comes out from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport on 4.2.31: That the basic structure of Varṇāśrama is natural and automatically inherent in every society. What we learn from this is that the basic structure of Varṇāśrama doesn’t need to be “implemented” it just needs to be recognized.

The basic structure of Varṇāśrama – that people are naturally inclined to one of four types of occupations (varṇa) and should be treated accordingly in the various phases of their life (āśrama) – is the most important part of the Varṇāśrama system, the absolute essence of it. The other details are relative and adjusted according to this basic principle.

For example, any social, including Varṇāśrama, has rules pertaining to   sexuality. The interesting thing about the Varṇāśrama system, however, is that those rules apply differently to different people. A śudra and brāhmaṇa, for example, are both enjoined to celibacy (brahmacārya)  śudras are asked to do it for very short periods of time, a few days at a stretch, while brāhmaṇas are asked to do it for life. And besides this varṇa adjustment, there is also an āśrama adjustment (creating 4×4 basic sets of individualizations for every social rule). As we can easily see, for example, “celibacy” – even for a brāhmaṇa – must be defined one way  for the brahmacārī āśrama, but another way for the gṛhastha-āśrama. If not, if only the strictest definition were applicable to everyone at every stage of their life, then Varṇāśrama would make braḥmaṇas extinct, they would have no children.

So, yes, there are specific rules in Varṇāśrama, but that is not the essential core of what Varṇāśrama is. At its core, Varṇāśrama is a system of rules along with a system for how to customize those rules by recognizing the natural needs and capacities of individuals.

– Vraja Kishor

www.VrajaKishor.com


Tagged: brahmacarya, Celibacy, Varnashrama, Varnasrama

Tuesday, November 24, 2015
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Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Russell, Ontario

Hook Again
There is this rails to trails in Russell that comes to an end and it is such a shame because every path, I believe, should lead to somewhere.  At Russell's west end, the path becomes partially impassible, overgrown with prickly, thorny bushes.  You can see it coming. First there is pavement, then a clear well-worn trail, then it turns grassy or “fluffy”, as expressed in the words of Pradyumna (one of the comrades with me), and then it turns into “mean forest” at a certain point beyond a perpendicular gravel road.

What was the trail trying to say? 

“I'm the path of no return.”

I think it is more like, “I'm the path which tells you to turn around.”

Okay!  So we did and discovered the trail from a new angle.  And even though this trail runs very much in a straight line, being an old railway track, it does take on a new look when changing directions. There's new things to see that were missed before.  You just have to open your eyes with willingness.

Someone might charge, “There's nothing here.  The trees have lost their leaves.  All appears dead or asleep.  But No!  Now the textures of the bark are exposed.  Bird condos are revealed, meaning their nests are now in view.  You see the depths of the trees and so on.

There's always something new if you believe in deeper dimensions. Similarly, a look at this world could leave you with a physical experience but look again and you will see a spiritual dimension.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Monday, November 23, 2015
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Monday, November 23, 2015
Montreal, Quebec

Bonjour!
For today's combined practice of exercise and meditation on sound, Mandala and I took to Ste. Catherine St. West up to the brewery section.  When the stench in the air became too much, we turned around and went the other way until we walked enough to complete our prescribed number of rounds (16) on our beads and to get at least 7 kilometres under our feet.  It also worked out that by 7:30 AM it was time to honour our guru, Srila Prabhupada, something which is devotionally executed in temples, ashrams and homes all over the world.

While walking in Montreal, I only interrupt my chanting when I see an oncoming person in order to greet them but I have to remember to do so in the French medium. ”Bonjour!” I will say, having to check myself from saying the Spanish “Olah!” which I do in Argentina and Cuba, my regular destinations in November.

In our ashram in Montreal our communication is mostly in English and French and when I deliver a class it is embarrassingly rendered in English.  My French is too poor, to be frank.  Not all persons who visit the ashram have a handle on French.

The most important issue is to communicate the science of bhakti (devotion) and to learn how to avoid the stenches of Maya, the worlds' illusions.
I like this quote about communication:

“The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply.”

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Positive Thinking 11 – A of Activity – Spiritual vision inspires positive action
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Podcast


Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Positive Thinking 11 – A of Activity – Spiritual vision inspires positive action appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Harinama in Hollywood, Venice Beach and more (Album with…
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Harinama in Hollywood, Venice Beach and more (Album with photos)
A wonderful week in L.A. Eight Harinama’s in six days, did service with Ratna Bhusana prabhu and crew cooking the Thanksgiving Feast. Enlivening morning programs, Darshan of Srila Prabhupada in his rooms, Harinama’s at Venice Beach, Hollywood Blvd, Macarthur Park (Little Mexico) and 4th Street Mall- Santa Monica. Big thanks to Mukunda Dhatta prabhu for engaging the Harinama Ruci World SKP Party along with Mahavishnu Swami. Svavasa and Naikatma prabhus rate a 10 as Temple managers.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pMnXVf

We Do Not Tell Lies Do We?
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Hare KrishnaBy Kesava Krsna dasa

Have we ever embellished a telling of a lie with an assortment of trivial details to disguise the actual truth? Have we ever pretended to be someone we never were, by exuding a persona larger than ourselves? Are there any angels among us who can boldly claim to have never fibbed; ever – even to get out of an awkward situation? The truth is out; there are no foolproof ways of telling if someone is lying or not. Shifty eyes, truth drugs and lie detectors can provide clues but not guarantee the truth, and so are not admissible in a court of law. The certainty is, according to those in the know – the human analyzers – everybody fibs. Mark Twain had this to say: “Everybody lies….every day, every hour, awake, asleep, in his dreams, in his joy, in his mourning. If he keeps his tongue still his hands, his feet, his attitude will convey deception.” The reason why people are habitual liars is because it works for them. Within the increasingly deterministic society where selfishness reigns and falsities such as the big bang, evolution and atheism condition the human mind to live accordingly, and deepen their false identity with the body, untruths become truth. BG 16.7 says that no truth is found in the demoniac. Continue reading "We Do Not Tell Lies Do We?
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My Relationship with My Salary (3 min video) Ananga Sakhi Dasi…
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My Relationship with My Salary (3 min video)
Ananga Sakhi Dasi is a Research Technician at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA. Here she shares about her relationship with her salary she and how she chooses to engage it in Lord Krishna’s service. She is a practitioner of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Tradition in Bhakti.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/trBa7R

Video Interview: Part 1
→ KKSBlog

During his visit to Vrindavan last month, Kadamba Kanana Swami was asked a series of pertinent questions during an interview. Below are video clips of his responses.

What are the strategies used when it comes to outreach preaching?

What are the outreach preaching activities you do?

What is Ego? How to Easily Identify and Bypass Ego?

What is Karma?

What is the Real Meaning of Love?

What is the purpose of life?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do divorces happen?

Why to Chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra?

Why do we have to die?

Why is God so cruel?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Respect for Individuality
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Hare KrishnaBy Urmila Devi Dasi

The individuality of the self is a central teaching in Vaisnava philosophy, but what is our practical understanding of this term? Individuality is present in all living beings on both a material and a spiritual level. This article translates how this concept needs to relate to education practices in ISKCON today. A good education system in Krsna consciousness must show respect for individuality, first by recognising differences as inherent and value-neutral. The failure either to recognise the existence of distinct personality types or to accept them as value-neutral lead to various problems to the development of an individual or a society, one of the most damaging of which is an understanding that spiritual perfection is an adjustment of material personality. Teachers must then learn to establish a rapport with students based on this understanding, and respect and adjust their teaching methods accordingly to give useful direction for vocation and spiritual service that will be in harmony with each individual's nature. We can then go beyond respecting individuality, to glorifying diversity as a means of pleasing the Lord.

The Gaudiya Vaisnava position on individuality. Continue reading "Respect for Individuality
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How the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK was found and…
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How the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK was found and bought.
Dhananjaya: By the end of 1972 nothing had happened. Prabhupada wrote to me, "Better to take the upper hand and begin very energetically attempting to get some place. Expending energy for Krishna, that is appreciated and not the actual result of our energy. But if there is lack of energy being devoted for some purpose, then everything will be delayed and possibly stopped. Better to seize the iron while the fire is hot, that my guru maharaj used to tell me." Prabhupada presumed that the iron was getting a little cold. Then in January of 1973, in a freezing cold, miserable British winter, we got information about a property called Piggot’s Manor in Letchmore Heath, 17 miles from central London. This was the one and only time I didn’t go as a devotee, with a shaved head, dhoti, tilak and kurta, but went disguised with trousers, coat and hat. The previous property George and I had looked at was an amazing health spa outside of the city of Oxford with an indoor heated swimming pool, a beautiful conservatory, saunas and mud baths and more than a hundred acres of land. The asking price was 330,000 pounds. After George saw that property he said, "This is a bit rich for you people, isn’t it? You’re supposed to be renunciants. Even I would have a hard time remaining Krishna conscious in this environment." Then we got the details on the Manor, which was being sold for 220,000 pounds—110,000 pounds cheaper than the previous property. This time George didn’t come but I phoned him from a pay phone in what is now the Manor temple room, and I described the details and the price. He said, "It’s a lot cheaper than the previous property. What do you think?" I said, "I think it’s a fabulous place." He said, "All right, I trust your judgement. I can’t come to see it because we’re having some meetings in Los Angeles with Allen Klein, our financial advisor, about selling the Apple Company." George gave me the names and phone numbers of legal people who could do the paper work to buy the property, and said, "Phone them up, tell them that you want to secure this property, and when the transaction is complete, I’ll come and see it." The paperwork took about six months. George had set up a foundation called the Material World Charitable Foundation. He said, "The profits from the Living In the Material World LP album will go towards paying for that property, but it’ll go through my foundation." And that’s what happened—the Material World Charitable Foundation paid for the property, and the agreement was that we would pay 10 pounds a year rent, which is called a peppercorn rent. It’s the absolute minimum that you can pay for a costly property. We acquired the Manor from a Scottish lady, Mrs. Ruffles, who was from Aberdeen, a city in northern Scotland. The story is that the Scots are quite mean, but even in Scotland, people from Aberdeen are called Aberdonians, and are considered extremely mean. Before we moved into the property, Mrs. Ruffles removed every single doorknob from every single door. She removed a pair of brass lion’s head doorknockers from the front doors to the house. She removed all the pelmets and siphoned off all the diesel fuel (for the central heating) from the tanks. Mrs. Ruffles took away all the coal for the fireplaces. When Prabhupada went on an inspection, there were a couple of doors we couldn’t open because there were no doorknobs or door handles or any way to open the doors, so we had to show him those rooms later on. When we showed him his quarters upstairs, with its huge living room, a huge old-fashioned bathroom and a comfortable bedroom, he was happy. He said, "Yes, this is a nice facility for the spiritual master." All this time the Deities that had been sent from India were in our temple sewing room. Generally when there’s a new temple project, first we get the land and house and then the Deities come. But in this situation, the Deities came one year before we acquired Bhaktivedanta Manor. When Prabhupada came in the summer of 1973, he asked me, "Where are the Deities that came to England in 1972?" I said, "They’re stored in Bury Place." Prabhupada said, "We will install those Deities in this property." And that’s what happened. On Janmastami Day of 1973, Srila Prabhupada installed the Deities and he named Them Sri Sri Radha-Gokulananda. He had intended to call the community New Gokula, and the bliss of Gokula is Radha-Gokulananda. One of the first things George did when he returned from Los Angeles was visit the Manor. We took him on a tour of all the rooms because by that time we’d gotten door handles and doorknobs and we showed him the gardens and the lake and all the other places. George was curious about everything. He liked the Manor and thought it was a good value for the money. Then Shyamasundar brought George to the temple room and said, "Wouldn’t some crystal chandeliers look great here?" George said, "Yeah, that would be really nice," and George bought a pair of beautiful chandeliers for 3,000 pounds—after he had just bought the Manor for us.

KK Bindu # 364, A first-time translation of a rare song,…
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KK Bindu # 364, A first-time translation of a rare song, “The Real Meaning of Sevaka”, and more … The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes: * THE GOPIS’ LUST FOR KRISHNA – Reflections from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. * FIRM FAITH IN GURU – Instructions from from His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada: “A sincere disciple has the same devotion for his gurudeva that he has for the Supreme Lord. And he worships and serves him the same way. Those who do not serve their gurudeva this way fall from their position as a disciple.” * THE BRANCH AND THE MOON – An insightful analogy explained by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, * THE REAL MEANING OF SEVAKA – A first time translation done for this issue OF Bindu from a little known book called “Manah Siksa”, by the poet Premananda Das.
It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu364

UK devotees distributed more than 20.000 Srila…
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UK devotees distributed more than 20.000 Srila Prabhupada’s books, in just a few days, coming closer to the 100.000 goal set for this December marathon.
Sutapa das: As of Friday we have distributed 15,000 books! Yesterday, Saturday 5th Dec, we took it beyond the 20,000 mark. There are 100-150 devotees that went out - Sacred Street Party, Manor Harinam team, Bhakti Vriksa groups across London, Door to Door teams, Traveling sankirtan parties across the UK, and other book distributors.
Sankirtana Yajna ki Jaya!

Animal Rights activists have caused a national uproar in New Zealand by using hidden cameras at dairy farms and slaughterhouses
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A tiny amount of what was collected was broadcast on nationwide TV on Sunday prime time–minus the most violent images of slaughter, because the newscast is viewed by children. http://bit.ly/1LHonGG

The post Animal Rights activists have caused a national uproar in New Zealand by using hidden cameras at dairy farms and slaughterhouses appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Gaura Purnima 2017 Festival Schedule
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We are happy to announce the festival schedule for next year’s Gaura Purnima Festival, please stay tuned for more updates, and opportunities to donate for the festival. 18 – 21 Feb Sravan Utsava 22 Feb Festival Flag Hosting Ceremony/Kirtan Mela Adhivas 23 to 27 Feb Kirtan Mela 27 Feb Parikrama Adhivas 28 Feb – 7 Mar  Nabadvipa […]

The post Gaura Purnima 2017 Festival Schedule appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Appeal from ISKCON Chennai
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Flooded With a population of 4.6 million affected due to floods caused by heavy rainfall, the city of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu has been declared a National disaster zone by the Indian Government. With no power, food or water supply, life in Chennai has become close to impossible.

This is the first time in hundred years that Chennai is facing such heavy rainfall. The death toll is approximately 260 with more being discovered by the day. The Indian Army has been deployed to rescue people and supply necessities. The flood sure has caused financial loses. The Tamil Nadu Government has estimated the loses to be above 15,000 crore.

ISKCON Chennai has suffered immensely as well. Devotees have been shifted out of the temple with three devotees left in the temple campus to serve the presiding Radha Krishna deities. Temple vehicles, the Sankirtan shop, Govinda’s have incurred huge loses. Prayer is the need of the hour for the devotees and other people living at Chennai. More rain could make the situation even worse!

Jayapataka Swami, the GBC for Chennai has requested people to pray for Chennai and has been communicating with the leaders of ISKCON, Chennai. Devotees are also trying to provide food supply to more affected areas.

Temple president, Sumithra Krishna Das for ISKCON Chennai has appealed the following

Dear Devotees, well wishers & friends

Chennai has been declared as a national disaster zone and is witnessing it’s worst crisis in more than 100 years.

Part 1:

ISKCON Chennai is engaged in supplying daily meals to more 1500 flood displaced families sheltered in government schools. We want to expand that to more areas in Chennai and items like water, bedsheets etc. (For more details see the bottom of this message).

Our Food for Life bank account details are as follows:

Acc name ; ISKCON FOOD FOR LIFE
Acc no; 423010100035200
AXIS BANK
Branch ; NEELANGARAI/THIRUVANMIYUR
IFS code; UTIB0000423

Contact:
Mobile- Sukirti Madhavi DD: 9790710432 /Prassana Gopinath Das: 9840043330

Email: agd.iskcon@gmail.com

Part 2:

ISKCON Chennai TEMPLE has suffered heavy damages in the current flood situation.
Estimated losses to the temple are in the range of 25 million to 30 million rupees. (2.5 to 3 crores).

We request devotees to come forward & help for the same.

For your reference list of damages are listed down.

1. Temple structure repair and restoration
2. Water supply infrastructure including sump, pumps etc.
3. Electrical infrastructure including equipment
4. Temple premises cleaning and restoration
5. Brahmacari kitchen equipment
6. Kitchen store – all grains and grocery items completely spolied
6. Sannyasi ashram
5. Temple vehicles (fully submerged in flood water)
6. Temple gift shop and restaurant interiors are damaged.
7. Public Facilities – Bathroom & drinking facility.

Other damages are yet to be assessed.

TEMPLE ACCOUNT DETAILS:

Acc name ; ISKCON CONSTRUCTION
Acc no; 423010100026071
AXIS BANK
Branch ; NEELANGARAI/THIRUVANMIYUR
IFS code; UTIB0000423

Contact:
Mobile- Sukirti Madhavi DD: 9790710432 /Prassana Gopinath Das: 9840043330

Email: agd.iskcon@gmail.com

Written by,
Nanda Priya Nivedita dd

Last three photos courtesy BBC

Padayatra Odisha 2015 (Album with photos) Gunacuda Dasi:…
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Padayatra Odisha 2015 (Album with photos)
Gunacuda Dasi: Padayatra Odisha was started in 1992 by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami and has continued every year during Kartik. Here are some photos from this year’s Padayatra in Nayagarh district. There were around 40 from Iskcon Bhubaneswar, local Nama Hattas, England, Ghana and New Zealand.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/mn55HL

Ter Kadamba (8 min video) Indradyumna Swami: After visiting…
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Ter Kadamba (8 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: After visiting Yavat, where Radharani lived for some time, we walked to Ter Kadamba, a sacred place where Rupa Goswami did bhajan 500 years ago. Mother Sitala spoke on the pastimes of Rupa Goswami and Bada Haridas prabhu led us in singing the glories of the Six Goswami’s. It was our final parikrama of Kartika, and one of the best as well.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/tTBggh

Waterfront Festival Mauritius. Here again we are glad to…
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Waterfront Festival Mauritius.
Here again we are glad to announce the coming of the 8th Annual Hare Krishna Waterfront Festival to be held on the 11th to 13th December 2015.
In context of the celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in Mauritius this year’s festivities are more promising with Snan Yatra, Deep Utsav and an open Air Youth Concert along with a Maha Aarti of New Manasi Ganga. Lots of Senior and Special Guests will also be present.

Special Attractions:
Kids Corner
Questions and Answers
Vegetarian Snacks
Drama Dance
Cooking Demos
Mantra Rock Music
Fireworks

Invited Guests
His Holiness Bhakti Chaitanya Swami
His Holiness Kadamb Kanana Swami
His Holiness Lokanath Swami
His Holiness Navayogebdra Swami
His Holiness Dhira Damodara Swami
His Holiness Bhakti Anugraha Janardhan Maharaja
His Grace Mahatma Prabhu

Be part of the festival and experience the everlasting bliss.
Should you be keen to know more??. Should you be interested in any kind of help in support of the festival??. Or you are just excited to be part of the feel free to contact us.

Contact Persons in Mauritius.
Vrsabhanu Das: 57918835
Sundara Lala Das: 57772747
Your may also find the event updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/729384607192313/

December 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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December 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: When I hear people make mistakes while speaking about God, I try not to be puffed up. Just because we have received the best God conscious education from Srila Prabhupada, does not mean we should look down on others. Students at Harvard University or Oxford University may be better educated, but they spoil their treasure if they look down upon common people. Similarly, we do not want to be a snob in God consciousness, but appreciate what Srila Prabhupada has taught us.
I feel humbled sometimes when I see someone else’s faith in God. I also meet people who have more love for God than I do, even though they may not have received such a thorough education. I will never stop being grateful to Prabhupada, however, for giving me this education. In that sense, I am proud.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

Positive Thinking 10 – E of IDEA – Eternal love provides inexhaustible positivity
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Podcast


Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Positive Thinking 10 – E of IDEA – Eternal love provides inexhaustible positivity appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Sydney Opera House Event. Damodara Pandit dasa: The Sydney…
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The Sydney Opera House Event.
Damodara Pandit dasa: The Sydney Opera Event is an A-List ISKCON 50th Anniversary global event. We anticipate that many VIPs (government officials, actors, musicians, and so on) will attend. It will also be streamed globally and a commemorative DVD and CD will be produced.
The purpose of this event is to expand the global appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON movement through a wonderful performance art event. We are looking at inviting ISKCON’S top performance artists to participate.
The evening will be a cultural gala evening, but all acts will fit into a narrative of the Hare Krishna Movement’s roots, inception, growth, achievements and future.
The event has the working title ‘Transcendental Journey: Krishna 50 years on’. The first draft of the storyboard has been completed by Deva Gaura Hari dasa and Damodara Pandit dasa. The story presents Srila Prabhupada’s departure from India and then backtracks to the movement’s source, including the Lord’s pastimes in Navadvipa, Jagannatha Puri and Vrindavana. Then the night will explore the Hare Krishna Movement, expanding in the west with scenes including 26 Second Avenue, Hippy Hill, women of bhakti and the second generation.
We believe it will be a fabulous night out. Get ready. Get excited!

Radha Kunda Seva: Alley to Three Goswami Samadhi (Album with…
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Radha Kunda Seva: Alley to Three Goswami Samadhi (Album with photos)
Every day, hundreds, if not, thousands of people go through this alley because it is part of the Goswamis’ parikrama path. Although it is a public, highly traversed area, it is also regularly dirtied with all kinds of trash and filth, and people even do bathroom business here. The idea is that we can restore the walls enough to paint decorative murals of the pastimes of Krishna, both beautifying the alley, and re-enforcing the fact that it is not a place to litter and make dirty. At its current level of sponsorship, it is being cleaned once a day.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/gTQKxV

New Releases from the Bhaktivedanta Archives
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The Bhaktivedanta Archives is pleased to offer two new releases: the VedaBase™ 2015.1 update and the original unedited audio of Śrīla Prabhupāda for the year 1972.

The 2015.1 VedaBase™ includes:

1) Updated audio transcripts for the year 1972
2) 23 New Prabhupāda Letters
3) 34 New Secretary Letters
4) Many Moons – Reflections on Departed Vaiṣṇavas by Giriraj Swami
5) This is My Heart,
6) Concepts of Reality,
7) Spiritual Journalism by Patita Pāvana Dāsa & Abhaya Mudra Dāsi

Download link for the VedaBase™ 2015.1 update
(If you already own the “Folio Views” VedaBase™ software version 2003.1, this update is free.)

Download link for the VedaBase™ 2015.1 Mac

The 1972 Original Unedited Audio
(258 hours, 413 audio files, 14 Gb)

Download link for free individual audio files [coming soon]

Available Original Audio Sets Arranged by DATE: *

1977 (237 hours, 387 audio files, 10 Gb)
1976 (340 hours, 703 audio files, 17 Gb)
1975 (315 hours, 563 audio files, 14 Gb)
1974 (250 hours, 439 audio files, 11 Gb)
1973 (252 hours, 418 audio files, 11 Gb)
1972 (258 hours, 413 audio files, 14 Gb)

Total: (1652 hours, 2923 audio files, 77 Gb)
[All audio MP3 files are accompanied by individual PDF text files.]

Available Original Audio Set Arranged by SUBJECT: *

· Arrivals
· Bhagavad-gita Lectures
· Bhavans Journal Questionnaire
· Brahma-samhita
· Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
· Chantings and Dictations
· Conversations
· Darshans
· Departures
· Initiations
· Interviews
· Lectures
· Meetings
· Miscellaneous
· Nectar of Devotion
· Observances
· Srimad Bhagavatam Lectures
· Walks

Total: (1652 hours, 2923 audio files, 77 Gb)
[All audio MP3 files are accompanied by individual PDF text files.]

Have the 1972 original audio mailed to you for $50, including shipping and handling worldwide on an USB Flash Drive. All published years arranged by Date or by Subject for $75. Contact: info@prabhupada.com or go directly to our PayPal donation page: http://prabhupada.com/Donations/Donations.html

Technical assistance is provided via email only, not by phone. When contacting us about a particular problem, try to be as specific as possible. For example: state your Operating System, computer type, etc. Include screenshots to help clarify your issue. We normally reply the same day.

Questions for the Windows Platform: ekanatha@prabhupada.com
Questions for Mac Platform: nitya@prabhupada.com

Thank you.

The Bhaktivedanta Archives staff,
Parama-rūpa Dāsa
Nitya-tṛptā Devī Dāsī
Kula-priya Devī Dāsī
Ekanātha Dāsa

iOS users: The VedaBase™ 2015.1 version update will be available from the App store for the iPad and iPhone soon.

* Disclaimer

While we at the Bhaktivedanta Archives make every endeavor to release an accurate rendering of Srila Prabhupada’s legacy, we also know that when dealing with numerous poorly recorded, unlabeled and miss-labeled audio recordings there are in fact major challenges.

Based on the above we apologize for any inaccuracies that may have resulted through our endeavors under these unique circumstances.

We sincerely encourage anyone to submit verifiable corrections.

We thank you for your support and understanding in this matter.

Bhaktivedanta Archives Staff

AM I IN “DENIAL” ABOUT MY CANCER? and THE VALUE OF TIME
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Author: 
Karnamrita Das

 photo DSCN0234_zpswevqvzde.jpgApparently some friends of mine think I am in denial by my expressed attitude in regard to my diagnosis. Maybe! While it is true that I don’t yet know the level of severity of my cancer, I don’t consider myself Pollyanna by any means. It is 2AM now, and I have a doctors appointment at 8:30 to have a PET scan which may reveal the primary cancer(s). Some may not believe me but I am feeling elated my whole experience so far, and consider my diagnosis one of the best things that have ever happened to me. Admittedly this is strange, but that is how I feel. It just seems auspicious, like an answer to my daily intense prayers for spiritual advancement and a way to better connect to others.

I am serious about doing everything I can to get better, and my wife and I are doing extensive research about possible protocols which have shown themselves effective in treating cancer. I looked it up on the Internet and for those who have a secondary cancer like mine, it’s thought that their primary cancer is at least stage three. Even if it turns out to be stage 4 or the worst possible stage or type of cancer, is my only response sadness, worry, or depression? I have encouraged everyone to pray for me, but not just to get better, but that this may be for my highest good and the highest good of everyone. That sounds like a pretty good outcome, whatever it looks like from the material perspective. Death (of the body) is certainly not the worst thing that could happen!

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