Planet ISKCON

Lokanath Swami is elaborating about the ISKCON Outreach programs (22 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Sometimes it is very risky to give great philosophical instructions to ordinary people, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for the benefit of the fallen souls of Kali-yuga, has given us a very nice instrument, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.10.18 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/82ft2f

Harinama in Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Haridasa Thakura was born in a Mohammedan family. From the very beginning of his life he was never trained in the karma-kanda system, but because he was always chanting the holy name of the Lord,...

Our Love and Prayers For The People of Paris.
Radhanath Swami: Terrorism is born of false ego. Strife and friction are caused when we understand only the letter of the religious law but ignore the spirit behind it. Unity and brotherhood of mankind can happen when we transcend the external differences and focus on the spiritual essence of all great traditions.
The essence of every religion is sincerity in cleansing our own hearts, and cultivating humility by honouring every living entity as a child of God. We must educate the youth about these universal principles which teach us to love God and love every
living being as a child of God. – Radhanath Swami

Tel Aviv, Israel, come with us to chant Hare Krishna :) (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The liberated sage Kardama Muni could see Garuda carrying the Lord on the way to Vaikuntha and hear the flapping of his wings vibrating the sound of Hare K...

Maha Harinama Sankirtan Lifts London (Album with photos)
David: There was a subdued atmosphere in London on Saturday night, with fewer people on the streets and a visible police presence after the events in Paris the previous evening.
The devotees were out as usual though, in fact with an even larger sankirtan party than normal as we celebrated ahead of Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day the following day.
One lady stopped me, mentioned the diversity of our group, and
commented about the positivity and happiness we were generating. She contrasted it to the mood of the previous two days and said they should put a clip of us on TV. There were tears in her eyes; clearly she had been touched by the devotees and (unbeknown to her) the power of the maha mantra.
Sri Harinama Sankirtan Yajna Ki Jaya! Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya! Nitai Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol!
Find them here: http://goo.gl/jpM37s

By Urmila Devi Dasi

Krishna speaks all languages and accepts prayers in any one of them. Still, Sanskrit, which is the language of His own abode and the planets of the demigods in this universe, is especially suitable for understanding and glorifying Him. So, when we started a gurukula, we first looked for a Sanskrit teacher. Over many years, we had several teachers who used varying methods, achieving mixed results. I suppose we included Sanskrit in the gurukula simply because Prabhupada told us it was compulsory (letter Gopala Krsna 76-06-24). Then we couldn’t find a teacher. Reluctantly, with great doubt as to possible success, I surrendered to Krishna’s clear demand: to learn some Sanskrit and teach it myself.

Bringing the Holy Names to schools.
By Acarya Dasa (assisted by Jayabhadra Dasi)
The ‘All India Padayatra’ travels to many different parts of the country and on their journey they also try to visit schools. The aim of visiting schools is to give the children the transcendental taste of the holy names. During the month of October the padayatra party visited as many schools and colleges as they could.
One school we visited was in Venkatampalli located in the district of Anatapur. Akhiladhara Prabhu gave a special class to the school children –he explained the importance of chanting the holy names and how beneficial it is for children to do so. After the class we had kirtana with all the children, who danced and thoroughly enjoyed the transcendental happiness that comes when chanting. Our padayatris asked the students if they were enjoying themselves and many responded by saying that they had never had so much fun at school before and that they really enjoyed the chanting. We were happy to play a part in introducing the holy names to these children and to see them dancing blissfully. Soon after we served prasadam to all the children. Everyday around India, the ISKCON Food For Life program distributes prasadam to almost 1000 children, all of whom get the mercy of the Lord as a result. We were glad to add our humble contribution to this program started by Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur. More photos: http://goo.gl/pBwFAa

Vrindavan: Srila Prabhupada Abhishek on His Disappearance Day - 2015 (40 min video)
“The devotee is also dying, and the nondevotee, sinful man, is also dying. What is the difference?” So there is much difference. The example is given: just like a cat catching a rat in his mouth and at the same time carrying his cubs in the mouth. Superficially, we can see that the same mouth is being used, but one is feeling comfortable being carried by the mother, and another is feeling the death knell. Similarly, at the time of death, the devotee’s feeling that they are being transferred to Vaikuntha, whereas the ordinary sinful man is feeling that the Yamaraja, the dutas, the constables of Yamaraja are dragging him to the hellish condition of life. So one should not conclude simply by seeing that he is dying.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/UX8t0T

Go Puja and Govardhana Puja in Almvik! (7 min video)
ISKCON Stockholm
ISKCON Stockholm Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended five items of devotional service, namely to serve the devotees of the Lord, to chant Hare Krishna, to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, t...

By Gaurangi Devi Dasi

The Padayatra Worldwide Ministry headed by Lokanath Swami started to work on its offering of 50 padayatras on Gaura Purnima 2014. To this day 22 padayatras have taken place, 8 are planned and 20 remain to be done by all of you. We are inviting all the devotees worldwide to participate in this glorification of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada. This goal of 50 padayatras is very feasible, as padayatra is basically a low-cost project of variable duration that can be carried out in many different styles - a one man venture like Bhaktimarga Swami in Canada; a weekend padayatra as an outing for the congregation around your city or your farm; a summer padayatra; an annual walk or a continental or trans-continental walk. Padayatra can be done in different ways, according to the geography of your country, your available time, resources and manpower: with or without a bullock cart, with a horse to pull the cart, or just as an extended harinama.

By Lokanath Swami

In 2008 Sankirtana Dasa was not new to padayatra. He had first heard of padayatra in 1987. After ending his career as a book distributor in Europe that year, where he found the mood no longer suited him, he traveled to India. He was introduced to padayatra in Vrindavana in1987 when he attended an information session led by Bhadra Dasa, who was recruiting devotees to join the walk from Vrindavana to Dwaraka. It was then Sankirtana realized that padayatra was just what he’d been looking for. He went on to walk for almost a year in India, doing book distribution all along the way. “People are much less defensive there, and they reciprocated with us more than they did in the West,” he said. “In India you’re not a sect member but a genuine representative of a tradition. You have every reason to feel your value. In India you even take pride in being Srila Prabhupada’s representative, whereas in Europe you always have to fight that sect image they put on you.”

Russia: Five Week Padayatra November 4, 2015 – From July 10th to August 25th 2015 a group of devotees from 8 different cities walked from Rostov-on-don to Anapa. – Among the participants were 3 temple devotees , 23 members of the congregation (10 grhastas, 12 grhastis, 3 brahmacaris and 3 teen-agers). Every day local devotees joined the party, bringing the total up to 50. – Padayatris did 1 public festival and 5 home programs. – They visited 6 cities: Rostov, Taganrog, Stavropol, Essentuki, Krasnodar and Anapa. – They chanted the maha-mantra for around 63 hours, held 3 kirtan melas and 3 sankirtana educational courses. – 4 new devotee joined – Book distributed by 3-6 devotees: 819 small and 1 maha big
Photos and videos: https://cloud.mail.ru/public/Eq3o/FNE3McMWg

The post Srila Prabhupada had faith that moved mountains appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Vaishnavanghri Sevaka das: Two historical statements about the transcendental literature of Lord Krishna have created a divine atmosphere to reclaim the fallen souls of Kaliyuga around the world.

By Padmapani das

Words can't describe the devastation that we all felt. Hearts broke and tears flowed everywhere. The universe was in sorrow. The pure devotee of Lord Krishna had left the planet. We had lost our master, our protector and our ever well-wisher. Suddenly the universe became cold and dark, and all hope instantly fled from our lives. How could we go on without Prabhupada? It was inconceivable. I remember that I could barely speak a word for the next three days. It was the same for most of us there in the temple. We never imagined that such a time would come. Prabhupada was everything to us and we thought that he would always be here. Of course the spiritual master is present wherever his instructions are followed, but most of us had not anticipated the day when Prabhupada's personal presence would no longer be available.

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The post Appreciating Prabhupada’s resourcefulness and sharing his legacy – Prabhupada Disappearance day class appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Written by Nimai

From Sydney, Kadamba Kanana Swami travelled to Mumbai and arrived at Chowpatty Temple in the evening of 17 October. Even though Maharaj was recovering from the flu still he gave Bhagavatam class the next morning. The following day, he was supposed to speak again but a brahmacari mistakenly announced that Prabhupada will give the morning lecture so Maharaj refused to do so.

After two days, the next destination was the Wada Ecovillage which is the Chowpatty Temple’s farm. Maharaj had many meetings to attend there. However, for the first few days, he was “free”. Using jet lag as his reason, Maharaj stuck to his motto “early to bed, early to rise” and on some days rose before 1 am to chant! On the second day at the farm, Maharaj gave a Bhagavatam class in the Temple which is roughly about then minutes walking distance from the cottages.

Then Maharaj started preparing for the meetings and was quite busy with office work. There were about seventy-five GBCs on the farm for these meetings.

The temperature rose to 37 degrees Celsius during the day but Maharaj could not go for a swim in the pool because of his health condition. However, he “escaped” two days early from the meetings to go to the Juhu Temple where he went for many walks on the beach, just like how Prabhupada used to do! Recordings from Mumbai will follow. On 28 October, Maharaj travelled to Vrindavan.

By Giriraj Swami

A few days before he was to leave us, Srila Prabhupada expressed a desire to travel by bullock cart to different holy places in India. His Holiness Lokanath Swami had been traveling by bullock cart to different places of pilgrimage, and Srila Prabhupada was very enlivened when Lokanath Swami reported to him in Vrndavana. And Prabhupada said that he too would like to go on pilgrimage in a bullock cart. He asked Lokanath Swami to arrange it, and Lokanath Swami was very enthusiastic, having been encouraged by Prabhupada in such a direct way. He immediately went to organize the bullock cart and make all the arrangements. Govardhana-puja was to take place in a couple of days, and Prabhupada said that he would begin his pilgrimage by traveling on a bullock cart to Govardhana Hill to celebrate Govardhana-puja with the Vraja-vasis. At that time, Srila Prabhupada was bedridden and, one could say, emaciated. He was unable to eat; he was able only to sip a little liquid. So he was very gaunt and weak, with almost no energy. He would just lie on his bed, and sometimes, with great difficulty, speak softly, often so faintly that only those very close to him could hear his words. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day
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By Radhanath Swami

We Celebrate Both, Appearance & Disappearance: On the disappearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, Srila Prabhupada taught us how to observe this day of the disappearance of the Guru. He explained that there is no difference between appearance and disappearance on the spiritual level. Because, for such divine realized souls who are in contact with the eternal soul, there coming and going into this world are both only for the benefit of those who love them. Of course, on the appearance there is usually a great celebration and on the disappearance there is the celebration of tears – a celebration in the mood of separation. Appearance means unity, meeting, coming together and disappearance means the pains of separation. Krishna sometimes is known as Madan Mohan. One definition of this Madan means meeting and Mohan means separation. So Krishna teaches us to love Him through meeting with us and then through casting us into the realm of separation. Continue reading "The disappearance of HDG A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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November 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
It is significant that Prabhupada referred to his work as a “Movement.” This doesn’t refer to political agitation with lobbying or marches on the Capital; it refers to the dancing in kirtan in the streets, and in the movement of gathering numbers of disciples all over the world to create a favorable eddy against the current of Kali-yuga disasters. Prabhupada’s movement is like the dance of a young cowherd boy upon the many, many hoods of the poisonous serpent. Prabhupada is still engaged in his movement, still dancing for you and me, and waiting for us to join the dance. To hold back during this dance means to miss the whole purpose of human existence. Prabhupada is gesturing, “Get up and dance. Just surrender to Krishna. Do as I am doing. Do the ‘Swami Step’ back to the spiritual world with me.” Let us take courage in Prabhupada’s words: “If You have brought me here to dance, then please make me dance as You like.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490

The post Daily Darshan – November 15th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The post Daily Darshan – November 15th, 2015 – Mangal Arati appeared first on Mayapur.com.

8.11.2015_H.H.Bhakti Prabhupada Vrata Damodara Swami_SB -06.02.32

“Make Me Dance” Part 2

"Our process is for manufacturing sincere souls. How is it possible?
Simply by your kindly following the rules and regulative principles and chanting the Holy Names offenselessly. This program is given by Lord Caitanya specifically to change the hearts of the fallen souls of this Kali Yuga for picking up their spiritual life."

Letter to Vrndavana Candra
12 July, 1970

Lakhs of Pilgrims throng Braj for Govardhan Puja.
Over one lakh pilgrims thronged the ghats in Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on Friday and took a dip in Yamuna river on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, officials said. Thousands of brothers and sisters congregated at the Vishram Ghat in Mathura for the special bath meant to appease the Hindu god of death, Yam Raj. Priest Yamuna Das Chaubey said the river is believed to be the sister of Yam Raj, and brothers and sisters should take a dip together on the day. “Only in Mathura, you have a temple of brother and sister,” he said. The Yamuna ghats in Vrindavan and Mathura were swept clean and barricades put up to regulate crowds. “Over one lakh pilgrims, including many NRIs, reached the ghats on Friday,” an official said. A shopkeeper near the Dwarkadheesh Temple said all hotels near the ghats were packed with devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/MUL7DU

Over the years I’ve found that sometimes that best way to understand the word’s of Srila Prabhupada is to have a practical experience that brings the simplicity of Krishna Consciousness home; making you appreciate the wealth of knowledge and the ability to put things into place.

So here goes.

Two days after my previous months visit to the Manor I was asked to put up a shower curtain & rail as they had knocked it down and were unable to put it back up themselves. Not a problem; however I had removed my shoes (this being one of a few client’s who upon entering their home I remove my shoes). Standing up on the bath to put the shower rail up I took a rather nasty tumble, yes socks and baths don’t go well.

It didn’t take long before the bruising came out and the whole left leg became an interesting shade and somewhat uncomfortable; it would be easy to feel down and despondent; however I was reminded of the words from Srila Prabhupada “if we cut our finger then the devotee understands that their karma should have been they lost the finger and see the cut as Krishna’s mercy.

Reflecting on the fall it should have been a lot worse, indeed it was definitely Sri Krishna’s mercy as without a shadow of a doubt several bone’s should have been broken. Looking at the bruising I could see how even though their was some adversity when you look at it in the light of the teaching’s from Srila Prabhupada the temporary nature and realization that thing’s could have been much worse makes the whole event appear much more trivial, indeed a great positive out of what could have been very negative.

I’m also reminded that Srila Prabhupada always reminded us of the need to put devotional life first, it’s easy to be sidetracked given how much material nature has to offer. So the other week I had an unexpected day off, the following day I was due to take my monthly trip to the temple so what to do?

As the opportunity was their to go early I decided best to take this up and enjoy an extra day with some amazing devotees; their was as always plenty to do along with the opportunity for association and also seeing the latest production by the Bhaktivadanta Players which was amazing.

On my return I was informed that several cars had been written off it happened on the night I had decided to visit the temple; if I hadn’t gone guess were my car would have been Yes right in the path.

Putting service first and taking the opportunity to have some amazing devotional service was indeed a wise move; reminding me that I should never dismiss or refuse the opportunity when it comes.

I was also reminded that Sri Krishna provides us with our needs not necessarily our wants and that humbleness means were happy with this simplicity; the car which I rely on is not the greatest but it meets the need and thankfully passed the MOT so all being well will be able to continue to whisk me from Wales to the temple in London each month.

But most of all it made me grateful for the knowledge Srila Prabhupada has given us all, it answers and solves the many problems and difficulties we face in material life; even though it may take many many years and lots of different experiences before we realize it.

Message from the french devotees: Hare Krishna dear Friends
Thank you so much for your concern for the devotees in Paris. We are situated in some distance out of the city, so all the temple devotees are safe. This is another reminder to become serious....

Govardhan Puja 2015 - ISKCON Mayapur (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Vedic scriptures say: “Even if one distributes ten million cows in charity during an eclipse of the sun, lives at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuma for millions of years, or gives a mountain of gold in sacrifice to the brahmanas, he does not earn one hundredth part of the merit derived from chanting Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.79 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/zV8sAf

The devotees perform Sankirtana Yajna in Paris, France.
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)

Shobha Yatra around Vrindavan with Srila Prabhupada (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada’s murti is taken around Vrindavana on a palanquin followed by many of his disciples, grand-disciples, followers. friends and well-wishers.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/DKcq8g

The Sacred Land Of Kurukshetra (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our parikrama party visited Kurukshetra, where we took darshan of the exact place where Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad Gita. We also had an ecstatic harinam around the sacred lakes t...

Kavicandra Swami reports the news from the preaching of the Sankirtana movement in many Asian countries (19 min video)
China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Bali, also Israel and west Africa. Watch it here: https://goo.gl/nK0Sx7

Dallas Plans 50 Hours of Kirtan for ISKCON’s 50th.
For the past seven years, Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji Mandir in Dallas has rung in the new year with an epic multi-hour community kirtan organized by second-generation devotees. From twelve hours in its first year, it has grown to twenty-four hours, and even featured a thirty-six-hour marathon for its fifth anniversary. This New Year’s Eve, the community is going above and beyond with fifty hours of kirtan in celebration of both the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the US in 2015, and the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s incorporation in 2016.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/9VBMrh

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Little Conch: ‘Breaking News: Shootings and explosions in Paris’
Last night as I laid my head to the pillow, a red notification popped up on my phone. ‘Breaking News: Shootings and explosions in Paris’, it announced. The disaster had just happened, mere minutes earlier. There was very little information, just a handful of facts and speculations. I closed my eyes with a sigh and a prayer. Earlier that evening at home we had sat around a live stream from Wembley Stadium of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dazzling welcome reception to the UK. There was a sparkling stream of dancers, a full symphonic orchestra, giant rangolis in national colours, and much general hoo-ha. Modi spoke from the podium on India’s bright future, painting a vision of a country energised by solar power and high speed trains.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/1PZzml

November 14. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
One of my favorite lines from the poems that Prabhupada wrote is, “Make me dance, make me dance, O Lord make me dance as You like.” Prabhupada declared himself a puppet in the hands of Krishna, and he asked Krishna to please fulfill the actual meaning of the name Bhaktivedanta. That poem wasn’t written as the musings of a reclusive scholar, it was written on board the Jaladuta, a freighter with one Indian-style passenger cabin. The one passenger, Bhaktivedanta Swami, had no money, yet he was striking out for America. The poem was written by a preacher, who although fearless, appeared to be momentarily overcome by his first sight of an American city. Even Lord Krishna hesitated when He faced the Aghasura demon. Srila Prabhupada didn’t hesitate in his purpose or waver in his determination, but he realized and admitted his helpless situation to Krishna, his friend.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490