Planet ISKCON

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KK Bindu #362: Srila Prabhupada on “Observing Urjva-vrata” etc. The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. It can be downloaded here: zine was just released. It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu362 TOPICS INCLUDE: * OBSERVING URJA-VRATA – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada speaks about the importance of observing the month of Kartika. * TOLERATING GURU’S DISCIPLINE – An excerpt from a lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja. * CONTROLLING THE URGES – A fresh translation done for this issue of Bindu of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s commentary on the first verse of Upadesamrta, including the verses of his poetic Bengali song. * EQUAL AND UNEQUAL EXCHANGES – A first time translation done for this issue from Srila Kavi Karnapura’s Alankara-kaustubha. To our knowledge this is the first time anything from this important book has been translated into English. * I MEDITATE ON RADHA-DAMODARA – Another fresh translation for this issue from Srila Rupa Goswami’s Stava-mala. * DAMODARA’S GREATEST LOVE – Another verse freshly translated from Srila Rupa Goswami’s Padyavali. For a free subscription or to download back issues of Bindu go to: http://www.gopaljiu.org/bindu “This chanting should go on. Instead of meetings, resolutions, dissolutions, revolutions and then no solutions, there should be chanting.” – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, from Lilamrita, Vol.6, p.182

TOVP: Nursery Update (November 2015) (Album with photos)
Our nursery is now three years old. Over 2,000 different items were planted on this plot of land three years ago. All these trees and plants will be used in the gardens surrounding the Temple of...

November 10. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada once remarked, years later, that now that he had thousands of disciples he had many headaches, whereas in the beginning when he was alone with Krishna he was happy depending only on the Lord. This was an unusual statement because Prabhupada usually expressed that he was more enthusiastic and hopeful with more men and money. Nevertheless, he made the remark. He was not disturbed or in anxiety being alone in the jungle (New York City) with scarce apparent hopes of starting his mission. He maintained the six symptoms of surrender through saranagati: (1) Humility – (2) dedication of the self – (3) acceptance of the Lord as one’s only master – (4) the consciousness that “Krishna will surely protect me” – (5) execution of only those acts favorable to pure devotion – and (6) renunciation of conduct averse to pure devotion. And thus he was steady and peaceful in his outwardly unstable situation. He was driven by his mission and would be active in pursuing the path to carrying it out, but he would not be unduly worried when immediate results did not appear. Everything was in Krishna’s hands and Prabhupada was His surrendered instrument.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490

The post Daily Darshan – November 11th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Govardhan Hill Through The Lens (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Ananta Vrindavan’s much-appreciated photography of sacred Govardhana Hill. Our parikramas around Giriraja this Kartika are life changing.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/x59gx8

Winter has finally arrived in Mayapur. (Album with photos)
Along with the change of seasons the month of Kartika has begun, bringing the blessings and mercy of Lord Damodar. Work on the TOVP steadily continues, bringing newer and newer developments an...

Prabhupada once remarked, years later, that now that he had thousands of disciples he had many headaches, whereas in the beginning when he was alone with Krishna he was happy depending only on the Lord. 

Nothing has changed. Everything is still the same as it was when Krsna was here 5000 years ago performing his pastimes in Vrindavan.

Krsna was stealing butter and yoghurt from the houses of all the residents of Vrindavan and all of them complained to Mother Yashoda. Mother Yashoda could not believe such things when she saw the innocent face of her son. But one day, she caught him red-handed when Krsna was there with a broken pot of yoghurt, surrounded by monkeys.

“Now I have caught you, you rascal!”

“Oh Mother, I came in here and the monkeys had just thrown this pot down – I came to chase them away!”

It was not convincing. Mother Yashoda was not at all convinced, so she wanted to punish him and chased him with a stick. Of course, she never wanted to beat him, just scare him. But then, she scared him too much and he became very afraid. At one point she said, “You are such a friend of the monkeys, giving them all this butter and yoghurt. I will treat you like a monkey!”

Krsna said, “If you treat me like this, then I’ll go and live with the monkeys.” Then she became very afraid that he would really do it and she decided to tie him up, which also did not work. The rope was always too short by two fingers! It came to a point where she was taking a ribbon from her hair to extend the cord. The neighbours were looking at the fun and they brought more silken ropes from their houses. Mother Yashoda sent everyone to bring all the rope in Vrindavan but still it remained two fingers short until she captured Krsna in the end, with her endeavour and by his mercy.

So nothing has changed. The very same condition as 5000 years ago exists now – the same two fingers are still there today. The finger for our personal endeavour and the finger for Krsna’s mercy. These can capture Krsna.

Probably one of the best Govardhan Hill replicas ever made!
With the much hard work of Mother Krishna Mangala and Nityananda Chandra Prabhus and all their helpers at Kalachandji’s Hare Krishna Temple in Dallas! Happy Govardhan Puja!

Harikripa in Arequipa, Peru (Album with photos)
After more than 10 years the mercy of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra once again descends to the streets of Arequipa. Find them here: https://goo.gl/zyOJ9l

Prabhupada Katha by Hari Sauri Prabhu (1 hr video)
In November of 1975 Hari Sauri Prabhu joined A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada’s personal entourage, remaining as His Divine Grace’s servant for 16 months.
In 1986, he began the work of transforming the diary he kept while traveling with Srila Prabhupada into a book, or rather a series of books.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/MgWk76

Similarly, previously the Vedic knowledge was coming by hearing. There was no need of books. But when this age, Kali-yuga, began five thousand years ago, the Vedic scriptures were recorded. First there was only one Veda, known as Atharva Veda. Then Vyasadeva, just to make it clear, divided it into four and entrusted his various disciples to each take charge of one school of Veda. Then he wrote the Mahabharata and the Puranas to make the Vedic knowledge understandable by the common man in different ways, but the principle is the same.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was always absorbed in thoughts of Sri Vrindavan, often enquiring in a deep devotional mood, "Where is Vrindavan?" On several occasions, His devotees, fearing separation from Him, diverted, discouraged, or dissuaded Him from visiting Vrindavan. The Lord's first attempt to go to Vrindavan occurred shortly after He accepted sannyasa, the renounced order, at age twenty-four. Nityananda Prabhu, His chief associate, tricked Him into thinking that the Ganga, which flows through Navadvip, West Bengal, where the Lord lived, was Vrindavan's river Yamuna. Mahaprabhu was so intensely absorbed in thoughts of Vrindavan that He jumped into the Ganga. Continue reading "Lord Chaitanya Visits Vrindavan
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The wisdom traditions of the world teach that God is the all powerful source of existence. The teachings of bhakti or Krishna consciousness give us greater insight into the personality of that all powerful Lord. One aspect we explore this Sunday is that Krishna is unconquerable yet he agrees to be conquered by the love of his devotee.

TOVP fund-raising program in Delhi (Album with photos)
Gopal Krishna Swami, Ambarisha and Yasomatinanda Prabhus and many other devotees from Iskcon Delhi arranged for a very well attended event by local respected members of the congregation in order to advance Srila Prabhupada’s desire for a Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/TQ6bmz

The post Saci-suta asks about how Krsna leaves Vrndavana for Mathura, but simultaneously never leaves Vrndavana appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Busy week at Mayapur Academy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51] Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, one becomes free from the bondage of material existence and thus becomes eligib...

Mellacheruvu Opens New Vistas of Preaching.
9th Day of Sri Govind Gau Gram PracharYatra Vrndavanlila Devidasi: Sri GovindGau Gram PracharYatra entered into its 9th successive day of out-reach preaching into the villages on November 2, 2015. On the da...

The post Daily Darshan – November 9th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

New Vrindaban - 24 Hour Kirtan (Kartik 2015) (Album with 135 photos)
New Vrindaban - 24 Hour Kirtan, Palace of Gold & also a few pictures of unseen Old Vrindaban.
Photography Courtesy: Arjun Bhattacharyya
Find them here: https://goo.gl/iZuV0c

November 9. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
While Prabhupada sat alone in his fifth floor room in Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio, the lights suddenly went out. This was his experience of the first moments of the New York City blackout of 1965. In India, power failure occurred commonly, so Prabhupada, while surprised to find the same thing happening in America, remained undisturbed. He began chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on his beads; meanwhile, outside his room, the entire New York metropolitan area had been plunged into darkness. The massive power failure had suddenly left the entire City without electricity, trapping 800,000 people in the subways and affecting more than 30,000,000 people in nine states and three Canadian provinces.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490

While Prabhupada sat alone in his fifth floor room in Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio, the lights suddenly went out.  This was his experience of the first moments of the New York City blackout of 1965.