Planet ISKCON

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By Nirmala Krishna Das

Bhaktivedanta Gurukula & International School has been ranked 13th all over India in the “Boys Residential School” category and rated No.1 in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the same category by the Education world, India school rankings 2015.

For the past seven years Education World has been publishing the annual Education World India School Rankings with C fore — the well-known Delhi-based market research and opinion polls agency. It rates and ranks over 800 of India’s most high-profile schools on 14 parameters — academic reputation, faculty competence, leadership quality, sports education, Safety & Hygiene, Co-Curricular Education etc.

The awards ceremony was held on September 26th 2015 at Vivanta Taj, New Delhi
We wish the staff of BGIS and students for this great success and continue in our service to provide value education to prepare fine citizens of the world, men of character & competence, who can lead and inspire others.

www.bgis.org

By Vrajendranandan Das

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus

Please My Humble Obeisance All Glories To Srila Prabhupada.

Dr Hamid Ansari, the Honorable Vice President of India paid floral tributes to Dr Rajendra Prasad the First President of India on the occasion of his 131st Birth Anniversary at the Parliament Annexe New Delhi on 3rd December 2015. This function organized by the Rajendra Chintan Samiti and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). We were also a part of the function.

This was a really great opportunity for us (ISKCON) to meet and build relationships with the many important personalities present on the occasion. Dr Yoganand Shashtri Minister in the former Delhi Government, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Chief Whip BJP and Member of Parliament, Shri Ramakant Goswami Minister in the former Delhi Government and many other VVIP guests from different walks of life graced the function. Shri R K Sharma and Vijay Shankar Chaturvedi Vice president Rajendra Chintan Samiti warmly welcomed the Honorable Vice President of India and all the other guests.

In this recent time we have been concentrating on the interior and exterior finishing work on the TOVP. A lot of progress was made just in the past weeks.

GRC Workshop

Sadbhuja Prabhu congratulating Savya Sachi Prabhu on the opening of the GRC Workshop. All machinery, materials and devotees have moved to the new location, equipped with a gantry crane, office and big storage area, the GRC workshop is officially moving at full speed.
 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

Sandstone

With no time to wait, the sandstone has arrived from Rajastan and already we have begun applying the Jali windows. This Pink Sandstone will frame the windows of the 2 base floors of the Planetarium and Nrshimha Dev wings.
 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

Art work

Indra, the king of Suwarga Loka and the Demigods, bows down to the fierce form of Lord Nrshimha Dev. This murti will appear in the left wing of the temple, over-looking the Nrshimha Dev altar. In this pastime, as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th canto, other demigods will be present offering their respects to the Lord. Led by Bhaskara Prabhu, the art team is creating the 7 feet (2.1 M) tall murtis in Ganga mud and straw. Once a model is created, the casting progress will commence to make the murtis. Next they will be colourfully painted.
 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

Blue Marble

Bolivian blue marble is a very prestigious marble, only an expert can select a good batch. Sadbhuja Prabhu had to travel to Bolivia to pick the best quality marble. This splendid blue marble will be used for the altars of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panchatattva and Guru Parampara. This is our last purchase of the Blue Marble from Bolivia.
 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post Progression Report on Finishing Work appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Yet another Ratha Yatra Festival on Queen St, Auckland, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One has to continue chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and preaching the chanting of this mantra because such preaching and chanting constitute the perfection of life. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.24.67 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/N4HBae

TOVP e-Newsletter #6 December 2015

Message from Radha Jivana, International Fundraising Director:

To establish Sridhama Mayapur, the audharya dhama, as the World Headquarters of the Hare Krishna Movement and bring it to the forefront and attention of the entire world, as well as to show our love and gratitude to Srila Prabhupada for this most rare benediction and gift he has given us in the form …

News/Announcements

The Beginning of a New Era A new phase in the temple construction has begun and some very important events have taken place. After a lot of work and research, the production of the GRC has finally started in our temporary workshop …

United Kingdom Tour The ToVP International team will be touring the UK from the 18th to the 30th of November 2015. Lord Nityananda foresaw the manifestation of a glorious temple in Mayapur …

TOVP Campaign Making Wonderful Progress Results are coming in from the TOVP tour that carried His Grace Jananivas Prabhu & Lord Nityananda’s holy paduka all over North America for four months earlier this year …

Construction

New Materials Teak wood is a naturally grown wood from Myanmar (previously Burma). This wood is known for its superb stability, good strength, easy workability, resistance to bugs …

TOVP Plumbing System Underway While in and of itself plumbing is not a glorious activity, when used in the Lord’s service it becomes a glorious detail to the TOVP project and an essential and important …

GRC Workshop Construction GRC is an abbreviation for glass fiber-reinforced concrete, the strongest and most environmentally retardant concrete in the world …

Art, Architecture and Design

The Making of the Acharyas The making of the acharya murtis is a procedure that requires several step. Step 1: First, a clay model of the acharya is made based on shastric descriptions …

Art Department in Action The amazing murtis pictured here are mockups of the 8 demigods that will overlook Lord Nrsimhadeva’s altar, offering prayers as described in Srimad Bhagavatam …

Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana Drawing The drawings for the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana have been completed and we can now get an idea of the grandeur and size of our Founder-Acharya’s seat.

Inspiration

Planetarium Chandelier Video The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is named as such because within its main dome it will house a 3-dimensional, moving model of the universe according to the Vedic scriptures …

Leaders Speak Out

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami Maharaja stresses that the TOVP Project is not only one of the most wonderful projects of all time, but will be ISKCON’s most significant offering to the world in Kali Yuga …

His Grace Mahatma prabhu Mahatma prabhu talks about the importance of Mayapur and the TOVP, answering questions about its effect on the world, its place in ISKCON, etc.

Fundraising

Jananivas Prabhu Speaks About the North American Tour HG Jananivas Das describes his experiences during the TOVP North American fundraising tour. Please watch and feel inspired to donate for the wonderful project …

Bhaktin Sakshi Donates Her Scholarship Bhaktin Sakshi from Delhi, India decides that the scholarship money she received from her college would best be spent on “higher education” by helping to build the TOVP to fulfill …

$1.5 Raised at H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami’s Vyasapuja The devotees in Surat, India celebrated 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in USA, along with the Vyasapuja of HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj. However the main theme of this convention …

History

Old and New Mayapur In the photo on the left you can see how ISKCON Mayapur looked in 1979. A big field of vegetables in front of the main gate was all that was there at that time. Now you can see the beautiful Temple …

Mayapur Book Download

The TOVP Team has published a book by the above name with selected excerpts about the spiritual power of this holiest of sacred places and the manifestation of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. E-book version can be downloaded by clicking the button below.

TOVP – Cinematic Aerial Footage, Mayapur Sep 2015

The most cinematic aerial footage of TOVP shot by Prananatha Das (Paul Tuffery) in September of 2015 in Mayapur, India.

Media Gallery

Photo and Video Archives

December 5. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Srila Prabhupada on Immortality: Srila Prabhupada spoke of immortality. He said people do not know how to become immortal, and this is the greatest blindness in Western civilization. They think they can attain lasting goals within the temporary material world, but that is impossible. Prabhupada said it was the mission of Lord Caitanya and Lord Krishna to teach immortality. If we can know why Krishna comes into the world, as taught by Lord Caitanya, we will become immortal (janmakarma ca me divyam). Immortality is inconceivable to us. It is not a topic that we have already mastered. It is the basis of everything. Although we may grasp it academically, what do we know of eternality? Who is thoroughly convinced that he is spirit soul? How nourishing it was, therefore, to hear this from Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami S.B.6.17.16-17 – Nov 29th 2015

A short documentary about the significance of taking Sannyas Vow in Vaishnava Tradition explained by the prominent spiritual leaders of ISKCON. The documentary focuses on the inner journey of HH Krishna Kshetra Swami when he decides to take Sannyasa Initiation which will be his final vow. The movie is dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada the Founder-acarya of ISKCON. Copyrights reserved. 2015

Prabhupada on Immortality

The point Prabhupada made in the purport to 4.2.31 is that Varṇāśrama is natural. It happens automatically whether you recognize it or not. The system is already in place, we “implement” it by being sensitive to it.

For example, the Bhagavatam describes that the four ashramas are followed in different ways by the four varnas. Each varna takes brahmacarya in a different context and to a different extent, for example. We should “impliment Varnāśrama dharma” by realizing this! Not by expected everyone to do everything the same way.

An intellectual philosopher can be encouraged to certain lifestyles, but it is disastrous to encourage a manual laborer in the same way.

Varṇāśrama is not about imposing rules and structures on society, it’s about understanding what naturally exists in society and learning how to relate to it accordingly. Essentially, its about not treating everyone as if they were the same as everyone else, learning to be sensitive to individuality.

A person with brahminical leaning doesn’t really need to be told “you have brahminical leaning” unless their leaning isn’t all that strong in the first place. A person with brahminical leaning will already involve themselves in education, writing, science, and religion. So “implementing varṇāśrama” is not really about imposing a division of labor. It’s about recognizing the divisions of labor that arise naturally, and treating individuals accordingly.

Varṇāśrama already has potency to purify human consciousness. We don’t have to “pin a tail on a donkey” by tacking on a “Supreme Personality of Godhead” footnote for each varṇa – the Supreme Personality of Godhead is already in there, naturally. Pṛthu explains in Canto 4 chapter 21 that selfless, responsible duty to family and society is ITSELF purifying and spiritual and leads directly to serving Viṣṇu.

Brahmins, for example, serve Viṣṇu by by doing their service to family and society – teaching, studying, performing rituals, etc. It’s NATURALLY service to Viṣṇu to perform your social duties responsibly. Bhakti-yoga is even better, far better than Varṇāśrama, but remember we are talking about a social system for the masses, not just for people who want to be Krishna-bhaktas. So Varṇāśrama doesn’t have to be artificially forced to mimic Karma-miśra bhakti. The whole point of Varṇāśrama is to help the people who are not yet past the threshold for bhakti-yoga.

Vraja Kishor das
www.vrajakishor.com

Tagged: Varnashrama, Varnasrama

Question: Is this true, the diksa guru should be your most inspiring, enlightening siksa guru?

I wouldn’t say “should be.” I would say “could be.”

Saying “should be” hangs on to a conception that still belittles the true importance of Śikṣa guru. It’s saying something like, “The best śikṣā guru is promoted to a higher level, a real guru, a dīkṣā guru.”

I don’t see it like that. The śikṣā gurus are the “real” gurus, just like the dīkṣā-guru.

Question: But the idea is that one should ideally not accept diksa from a guru unless that guru’s siksha is prominent in their life, isn’t it?

Not necessarily.

The dīkṣā guru doesn’t have to give significant śikṣā. The dīkṣā guru simply has to accept a disciple into a family of spiritual practitioners and authorize the disciple to represent that family (by wearing its marks, for example, and bearing it’s last-names) and engage in its practices (particularly, it’s mantras).

So, what is important in a dīkṣā guru is (a) that they truly represent the values of the spiritual family, and (b) are accepted universally by that family as being authorized to accept new members.

Vraja Kishor das

www.vrajakishor.com

Tagged: diksha guru, Guru, shiksha guru, siksa guru

In a conversation in Toronto in June 1976, a guest asked Srila Prabhupada about his translation, and Prabhupada replied, “It can be finished, but I have to look after this management. That is the difficulty.”

“I write in the night,” he explained. “I go to bed at half past ten, and I get up at half past twelve. Then I finish my chanting, if there is any balance, and then I begin dictating. And in the morning they take it and type it. So this Dictaphone is always with me, wherever I go, so my writing books is not stopped. Maybe [only a] few pages, but something is there daily. Little drops of water wear the stone. So in that way we have translated so many books. About fifty-four books are already published, besides the small booklets. Bhagavatam—about twenty-two volumes.”

Reading Srila Prabhupada’s words recently, I was struck by how hard Srila Prabhupada endeavored to give us his books, and I felt that we should reciprocate by studying them, distributing them, and discussing them, and also by writing—following his instructions and example, following in his footsteps.

—Giriraj Swami

About HG Uttam Anand Prabhu : 
His Grace Uttam Anand prabhu is a disciple of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami. Prabhu is in-house brahmachari at Toronto temple and  always eager to preach any part of the GTA.  Apart from his  services to Toronto Temple, he spends his time conducting educational and training courses.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 16 April 2014, Durban, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.34)

One should not display anger in front of the deities; one should not cry in front of the deities or bring his mundane sorrow. When one cries tears of ecstasy – that is another matter. Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to cry litres of tears in front of Lord Jagannatha but we should not bring our mundane sorrows to Krsna; we should not do that; it is not our business to do that. That is according to pāñcarātrikī – rules which purify our behaviour. It means that one has to learn to act according to dharma. This is a very big step; a big commitment. It is about commitment and it is about desire. It can be done, when we desire. It can be done when we say, “Let me just desire to change.” It is due to ignorance that we do not desire. It is due to ignorance that we still chase after foolish desires; that we still chase after material enjoyment and sense gratification. That is due to ignorance. Therefore we need to cultivate transcendental knowledge and thoroughly read. Everyone should read! Sometimes, someone comes to me and says, “Ah, I never used to read.”  It doesn’t matter, now read.

Remember, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu glorifying that brahmana who was illiterate and who could not read but he received the order of his spiritual master and he would sit there everyday, faithfully reading the book, although he couldn’t read a letter! People would laugh but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw that he was crying and he asked him, “Why you are crying?” He said, “I am crying because when I see this drawing, this painting of Krsna, being the chariot driver or Arjuna, his devotee, the Supreme Lord becoming the chariot driver of his devotee. The Lord as the servant of his devotee, that makes me cry!” Lord Caitanya said, “You are the greatest expert of the Gita.”  

Along with catering for the Veggie Club at the university, there are programs every Friday and Wednesday evening at the Bhakti Tree in Newcastle.

Friday is especially popular, with people from the local area attending kirtan, talk and prasadam.

Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Positive Thinking 9 – D of IDEA – Divinity underlies the universes order appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Kurma Dasa: An Absolute Beauty!
Janelle from Nambour asked about a good Christmas fruit cake. Here is an absolute beauty, published in my very first cookbook ‘Great Vegetarian Dishes’. It was originally given to me by Hari Bhakti Dasi who got it from her mother. Try it - you won’t be disappointed.
This traditional fruitcake is ideal for weddings, birthdays, or any special occasion requiring a luscious, rich cake. It can be kept for several weeks after baking.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/7F7jfd

By Sri Nandanandana dasa

When describing the length of the yugas or ages, and which yuga we are in and how far along we are in it, there is sometimes confusion about how to calculate them. Some people think we are already in the next Satya-yuga, known as the Golden Age. The problem is when the yugas are figured only according to the years in earth’s time, in which case any calculations will never be accurate. They are described in the Vedic literature according to the celestial years, or years of the devas, not according to the time we experience here on earth. This is where we have to make adjustments. Nonetheless, there are specific references in the Vedic texts which make it clear how to calculate them. For starters, the Mahabharata (Shanti Parva, 231.12-20) explains it in detail: “The rishis, measuring time, have given particular names to particular portions [of time]. Five and ten winks of the eye make what is called a Kastha. Thirty Kasthas make what is called a Kala. Thirty Kalas, with the tenth part of a Kala, make a Muhurta. Thirty Muhurtas make one day and night.. Continue reading "Timings of the Four Yugas: The Shastric Evidence
→ Dandavats"

Beautiful Mayapur! Beautiful Kalna, West Bengal (8 min video) (Ambika Kalna or simply Kalna is a town, a municipality and headquarters of Kalna subdivision in Bardhaman District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the western bank of the Bhāgirathi.)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/kA8xvO

Life Beyond Borders - Radhanath Swami (1hr Keynote speech - video)
Martin Pollard, a postgraduate journalism student, said “The moment he stepped onto the stage, his energy was infectious. He changes the room just by his presence and I was inspired how conscientiously he answered my questions.” Martin added “I get quite nervous seeing men of the cloth and I’m definitely in the non-religious camp, but the principles he spoke of, I could relate to. He was just a really compassionate, wise man to be honest!”
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/q857HD

A new biography of ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada, entitled “Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the West” is set to be released on May 3rd 2016, during ISKCON’s 50th anniversary year.
While there is already an exhaustive biography of Prabhupada in the form of Satsvarupa Das Goswami’s multi-volume Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita, as well as many individual memoirs, author Yogesvara Das (Joshua M. Greene) felt the need for a single volume bio that would be accessible and marketed to a broad general audience.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/qeftpW

Click above to see the complete gallery

On November 21, 2015, over 400 industrialists, SME entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders converged at the International Convention Centre of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai for a conference on “Conscious Leadership” organized by the Artha Forum, (a community dedicated to providing healthy work-life balance and holistic world view to entrepreneurs, business and thought leaders) in partnership with the BSE, TiE Mumbai & the Indo American Chamber of Commerce. Radhanath Swami was invited to give the Keynote Speech. Eminent figures from corporate India, government officials and industry regulators shared the dias including Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, Founder – UTV & Swades Foundation, Mr. N. N. Kumar, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Mr. Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO – BSE, Mr. Sunil Shaghai, MD & Head of Banking – HSBC India, Dr. N. D. Desai, Chairman – Apar Group & Mr. Hrishikesh Mafatlal, Chairman – Arvind Mafatlal Group.

Mr. Ashishkumar Chauhan spoke of how businesses need to be not only ‘compliant legally’, but ethically and legally right as well. Guests shared their joyful responses of his analysis of the internal push-pull dynamics of a typical player in the market riding the wave of an ocean of opportunities. Mr. Chauhan exclaimed that, of the over 200 conferences that are conducted in this conventional hall, this one was the one with a difference.

Sharing his experiences in business, Mr. Ronnie Screwvala emphasized on concept of giving back to society and how he introduced this culture in early days of his organization. Mr. Screwvala explained how he evolved from making movies to adopting villages and making a difference is in the lives of millions.

Radhanath Swami shared the message that it is imperative in business to earn with integrity and spend with compassion. He said that as a child raised in United States he saw so much wealth and luxury. “But all these technologies, power and road systems, seemed so shallow to so many people in my generation. Because greed can never satisfy the heart.”

He further explained that poverty in society is simply an extension of the inner poverty of the human heart. “When there is a poverty of compassion, poverty in society manifest, and when there is wealth within the hearts our leaders, there is prosperity emotionally, physically and spiritually,” he said.

Radhanath Swami cited the example of Yankees baseball Manager Joe Torre. Under his leadership, the Yankees were the most successful team ever winning many titles. But none of this fame and honor were particularly meaningful to him. Due to his difficult childhood and the abuses from his alcoholic father, he would go out and hit the ball hard to take his stress out. But after he retired he started working with ghetto schools to help children from abusive homes. Radhanath Swami quoted Mr. Torre as saying, “When I see those children who went through what I went through – lost confused and alone, and then I see them smile and I see that they feel loved, that is meaningful. Not the money, not the awards.”

Radhanath Swami concluded his talk with the message that if we understand that our wealth, our beauty and our influence belongs to the Lord, and we are just care takers, we will naturally use it in a principle of seva (service). “It’s the leadership the world needs.”

Temple of Vedic Planetarium update. (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: In this recent time we have been concentrating on the interior and exterior finishing work on the TOVP. A lot of progress was made just in the past weeks.
With no time to wait, the sandstone has arrived from Rajastan and already we have begun applying the Jali windows as you can see in the attached images.
This Pink Sandstone will frame the windows of the 2 base floors of the Planetarium and Nrshimha Dev wings.
We will keep you updated every week or so on this progress.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1abfpW

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The post Daily Darshan : December 4th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

ISKCON Auckland New Zealand : Today’s Rathayatra, Thursday 3rd Dec. (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on ones having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Krishna. That is the verdict of all the Vedas. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 4.71 purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/hsdlpf

(Click above for the whole album of photos)

By Hari Narayana das

“The Ray of Peace”

Second Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Bandung, Indonesia

Bandung is a small island in Indonesia. The annual ‘Light Festival’ commemorates the anniversary of Bandung city. This year the festival fell on the 8^th of November. The festival includes a parade throughout the island with a variety of acts and performances. Many departments under Bandung’s Government participated. Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, devotees organized a grand Ratha Yatra festival and joined the parade. They were granted permission from the Government. Srila Prabhupada was always pushing forward this festival. “I am so much satisfied with your successful performance of Ratha-yatra festival and I am awaiting to see similar festivals in all our other center.” (Letter to Gurudasa, 16th July 1968)

The theme of the festival this year was ‘Animalia’. All participants were requested to decorate their cars with a variety of animals. It seemed that the Lord was helping out, as the Ratha was already bedecked with two elegant white horses. Adorned with colorful flowers and electric lamps the chariot was attracting all who glanced upon it.

Devotees from all parts of Indonesia flew in to be present for the festival. Some had been saving up for months in order to attend this program. “I am so glad to learn that you are prepared to work even harder, as a forward soldier, to fight the maya. May Krsna give you more and more strength.” (Letter to Tamala Krsna, 18th March 1969)

Devotees arrived the day before the festival. All their needs, such as prasadam and accommodation were taken care by local devotee, Lokanath Acarya das. A teacher training center was hired where devotees could take rest and prepare for the festival. The deities of Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subadra devi arrived after a long journey from Jogjakarta and spent the night with Their’ devotees in the teacher training center. Shortly after, the chariot also arrived from Jakarta. The chariot team worked late into the night, assembling the cart in preparation for tomorrow’s procession. Many matajis also stayed up late preparing flower garlands for the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada stressed on our sadhana as a first priority. “And never neglect to chant your sixteen rounds of beads daily, rise early without fail, attend mangala-arati take bath, and follow the other regulative principles, and everything will come out very successfully, you can rest assured of that.” (Letter to Bhargava, June 13th 1972) Following this instruction, the next day devotees woke up early, finished their rounds and attended mangala-arati. At 7am, the Lord gave darshan in a spectacular new dress. An ecstatic kirtan led by local devotees set everyone in the right mood for the festival. Before the parade started, a group of devotees distributed books and leaflets requesting all to attend.

The Ratha Yatra officially started at 2pm. Devotees gathered in the hall where the Ratha Yatra Committee welcomed all and expressed gratitude for their participation in this festival. Senior devotees gave short speeches about Lord Jagannath headed by Agastya Muni das. Adi Purusa das, chief committee member of ISKCON 50 in Indonesia also spoke. He then informed the devotees about the day’s schedule. A recorded class by HH Subhag Swami Maharaj was played and translated by Sudarananda das. Maharaj sent his well wishes to the devotees who worked hard in order for the festival to take place. He mentioned that Srila Prabhupada wanted that all devotees should work together, tolerate and cooperate. Maharaj was extremely joyful when he heard that so many devotees came from all over Indonesia to attend the festival becoming united as one big family.

Conch shells were blown as the Lord made His way to the chariot, thus creating an auspicious atmosphere. The demigods sent their blessings in the form of rain as Jagannath was on route to the chariot! As the chariot was pulled was to the Government Office, the starting point of the parade, the rain got heavier and heavier. However, melodious kirtan led by Sridhar das lifted not only the devotee’s spirits, but also others who were participating in the Light Festival parade and in a short time everyone was on their feet dancing. “If there is chanting of Hare Krsna, even if the soul is there for a short time. Oh! He will hear and become advanced. This sound vibration is not material, it is spiritual and powerful beyond our conception. So it cannot be hindered in any way by something material; it surpasses all these material barriers”. (Letter to Mukunda and Janaki, 28th February 1968)

The parade started and the Lord’s chariot was pulled. It was amazing to see that after the chariot set out it stopped raining! The sky cleared up and the stars shone as bright as ever. Jagannath made His route from Diponegoro Street-Trunojoyo Street- Sultan Agung Street- Ir.H.Juanda Street- Merdeka Street- Lembong Street-Tamblong Street and finished in Asia Africa Street. Along the way, many passersby joined the devotees chanting and dancing. Premadhana das captivated all with his soothing voice. A ton of oranges, kindly donated by Dinadarini dasi was distributed liberally to all. A few of Srila Prabhupada’s sankirtan warriors distributed books along the way, spreading the message of Jagannath to all.

The Light Festival came to a close when it reached Asia Africa Street. All the guests of honor made their way to the stage. Last but not least to make His way onto the stage was Jagannath, the real guest of honor! As the Lord made His way up, many looked on with great wonder and delight. An enactment of Rasa Lila was performed by devotees on stage with the audience highly appreciated the act. Agastya Muni das and Adi Purusa das garlanded Mr. Ridwan Kamil, the Mayor of Bandung, with a flower garland offered to the Lord and presented him with a copy of Bhagavad Gita. Mahaprasadam was then distributed to all. The festival was covered by the national television and newspaper, thus thousands took darshan of the Lord who is known as Patita Pavana (Savior of the fallen). The Ratha was voted third place in the category of the best decorated car.

We hope that Srila Prabhupada is pleased with our humble efforts. We take great inspiration from a letter he wrote which is of relevance to us. “I thank you all very much for making the Ratha-yatra festival so successful. Please convey my gratitude to all the boys and girls who participated in this great transcendental service. This is the second year, and you have made a great stride from the first year and in the third year, I hope it will be still more successful.” (Letter to Upendra, 4th July 1968)

We offer our respects to HH Kavicandra Swami and HH Ramai Swami, (the GBCs of Indonesia) for their support and guidance to always look for new avenues for sankirtan in Indonesia. Our humble obeisances to HH Subhag Swami for his inspiration and always reminding us of the importance of Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan movement. Our gratitude to the SAKKHI leaders and all the devotees who participated. Special thanks to the Jogjakarta devotees for bringing Their Lordships from Jogjakarta to Bandung. The prasadam team who worked throughout the night and cooked a variety of items for the Lords and his devotees deserve special mention, as well as the kirtan team who attracted all by their melodious voices and sweet playing of instruments.

We thank Srila Prabhupada again and again for showering his unlimited mercy upon us and keeping us engaged in the sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Jay Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subadra Devi ki…. Jay!

December 4. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada Idioms: The dictionary defines an idiom as “a style or form of expression that is characteristic of an individual.” One has to know how Prabhupada used idioms by listening to his lectures, or by being present for his talks. Each of these phrases can open up a whole world of Prabhupada realization.
“Where is the difficulty?”
Prabhupada said this after explaining how easy and accessible Krishna consciousness is. Anyone can offer Krishna a fruit, a flower, or some water. Even a child can take part in the chanting – “Where is the difficulty?” Just as we were born from our father, so our father had a father, and his father had a father; if you go back ultimately, you will find there is an original father who is the source of everyone. In this way we can understand that Krishna is the seed-giving father – where is the difficulty to understand this?
By this expression, Prabhupada encouraged us to come forward and not make excuses. If we take to Krsna consciousness, we will not find it difficult. Prabhupada used the phase as a challenge to those who believe that spiritual life is too problematic. Prabhupada untangled the problems with logic and sastra, and then interjected this challenge.
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28.11.2015 H.G.Prabha Vishnu Prabhu_SB-06.03.1

Prabhupada Idioms

I am a soul and so are you,
Body and soul there are two,
The body is only a dress, if you think its you then life's a mess,
Dog, elephant, lion, rat, flower, spider, duck and rat...
the same kind of soul is in each one, happy and bright like a sun!

- Poem written by my 10 year old nephew

Hare Krishna

This morning I went on Govardhan parikrama with BB Govinda Maharaja and a few devotees. I wanted to say goodbye to one of my favorite places in Vrindavan before I leave this weekend. I purposefully left my camera behind, but couldn’t resist to take a few photos with my iPhone in the amazing light that [...]