Srila Prabhupada was nearing the end of his stay in Butler.  It had been a pleasant introduction to America.

Srila Prabhupada was nearing the end of his stay in Butler.  It had been a pleasant introduction to America.

Hari Kathā from Vraja Kishor   

Sunday, October 25th

The Ladies of Hastināpur 
ISKCON Towaco

Vraja narrates and explains Chapter Ten of Canto One, Bhāgavatam’s first extensive exposition of mādhurya-rasa, and a beautifully vivid explanation of Vedānta delivered through the excited, love-charged chatter of the capitol city’s young maidens.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translation of Canto One, Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive.

Starts at 5:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Tuesday, October 27th

Karma & Freewill
The Bhakti Center, NYC

Is freewill at odds with fate, or are they two sides of the same karmic equation? Vraja will explain the cause of fate and the central spiritual importance of freewill.

Draws from Vraja’s book, The Beautifully Rational Philosophy of Astrology.

Starts at 6:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Wednesday, October 28th

Krishna’s Rāsa Līlā
Gopa Kishor’s Jagannātha Mandīr

Celebrating the Autumn Rāsa Līlā and the first day of Kārtika, Vraja will explain the beauty and profound philosophical relevance of Krishna’s midnight dances with the gopīs.

Draws from all of Vraja’s studies, especially Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

Starts at 6:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Friday, October 30th

Vedic Monsters
Palo Santo Wellness Boutique, Philadelphia

Since it’s the day before Halloween, Vraja will explain the Bhāgavatam’s conception of monsters and their place in  Brahmā’s creation, and will tell the monstrous tale of Rudra’s attack on Dakṣa.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translations of the Second, Third and Fourth Canto’s. The Fourth Canto is not yet published, but the Second and Third – entitled Creating the Creator and Varāha, Vidura & Kapila – will be given to all attendees.

Starts at 7:30pm (www.PaloSantoWellnessBoutique.com)

Fee: $25

Sunday, November 1st

Kapila Enlightens His Mother
ISKCON of Central New Jersey

Vraja narrates and explains the key sections of chapters 25 ~ 33 from Canto Three, in which Kapila Deva enlightens his exalted mother Devahūti by clearly describing the origin, evolution, and composition of the universe and explaining the most effective means to attain liberation and enlightenment.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translation of Canto Three, Varāha, Vidura, & Kapila.

Starts at 5:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Hari Kathā from Vraja Kishor   

Sunday, October 25th

The Ladies of Hastināpur 
ISKCON Towaco

Vraja narrates and explains Chapter Ten of Canto One, Bhāgavatam’s first extensive exposition of mādhurya-rasa, and a beautifully vivid explanation of Vedānta delivered through the excited, love-charged chatter of the capitol city’s young maidens.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translation of Canto One, Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive.

Starts at 5:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Tuesday, October 27th

Karma & Freewill
The Bhakti Center, NYC

Is freewill at odds with fate, or are they two sides of the same karmic equation? Vraja will explain the cause of fate and the central spiritual importance of freewill.

Draws from Vraja’s book, The Beautifully Rational Philosophy of Astrology.

Starts at 6:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Wednesday, October 28th

Krishna’s Rāsa Līlā
Gopa Kishor’s Jagannātha Mandīr

Celebrating the Autumn Rāsa Līlā and the first day of Kārtika, Vraja will explain the beauty and profound philosophical relevance of Krishna’s midnight dances with the gopīs.

Draws from all of Vraja’s studies, especially Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

Starts at 6:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

Friday, October 30th

Vedic Monsters
Palo Santo Wellness Boutique, Philadelphia

Since it’s the day before Halloween, Vraja will explain the Bhāgavatam’s conception of monsters and their place in  Brahmā’s creation, and will tell the monstrous tale of Rudra’s attack on Dakṣa.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translations of the Second, Third and Fourth Canto’s. The Fourth Canto is not yet published, but the Second and Third – entitled Creating the Creator and Varāha, Vidura & Kapila – will be given to all attendees.

Starts at 7:30pm (www.PaloSantoWellnessBoutique.com)

Fee: $25

Sunday, November 1st

Kapila Enlightens His Mother
ISKCON of Central New Jersey

Vraja narrates and explains the key sections of chapters 25 ~ 33 from Canto Three, in which Kapila Deva enlightens his exalted mother Devahūti by clearly describing the origin, evolution, and composition of the universe and explaining the most effective means to attain liberation and enlightenment.

Draws from Vraja’s narrative translation of Canto Three, Varāha, Vidura, & Kapila.

Starts at 5:30pm with Kīrtan & festivities

New Vrindaban’s autumn 24-Hour Kirtan – to be held from October 31st to November 1st this year during the sacred month of Kartik -- is rapidly catching up to its summer cousin in popularity.

Throughout this year and the next, ISKCON devotees all over the world are celebrating a golden milestone of achievement of their spiritual master and Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada. On October 24^th, devotees from all over North America will gather to glorify Srila Prabhupada's activities in Butler, PA.

The GBC meeting at the Govardhana Eco Village outside Mumbai today (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VOGxhj

By Madhava Smullen

The 45^th annual Janmastami festival at New Vrindaban in the USA this Labor Day Weekend saw more exciting progress made in revealing Lord Krishna’s holy dhama (abode) of Vrindavan there.

The West Virginia village was established in 1968 by ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada, who described it as “non-different from the original Vrindavan” and directed disciples that “the hilly portions may be named as Govardhana” and “If there are lakes, they can be renamed as Shyamakunda and Radhakunda.” He also requested the seven main temples of Vrindavan, India to be constructed in New Vrindaban.

Over the past four years the infrastructure of ISKCON New Vrindaban has seen tremendous improvements. Its Palace Lodge guesthouse, temple residential rooms and office wing have received full upgrades; the temple roof has been replaced; the snack bar has been transformed into a gorgeous full service Govinda’s restaurant; there’s a brand new children’s playground; and Prabhupada’s Palace is also undergoing major restoration work.

Now, a new phase has begun wherein even more of the ‘Vrindavan atmosphere’ Prabhupada envisioned is gradually being revealed. “I always had great hopes for New Vrindaban,” he wrote in 1972. “You may gradually bring that New Vrindaban property to its full potential by stages, and that will please me very much.”

On Friday September 4^th, the day before Janmastami, the newly restored bas-relief forms of Jaya and Vijaya, the four-armed gatekeepers of the Lord’s Vaikuntha home, were re-installed on either side of the Sri Sri Radha Vrindabanchandra’s temple entrance with arati and joyous kirtan.

Sculpted by Prabhupada disciples Bhagavatananda and Soma and first unveiled in 1984, their original golden color had faded to such a dull gray that they were rarely noticed. But with the support of a kind donor and the efforts of Rupanuga and Lakshman Ishvara, their skin is now the rich dark blue of Vaikuntha residents, and their clubs, discs, conchshells and crowns are shining gold.

According to community president Jaya Krsna Das, they draw visitors’ attention to the temple, and their divine presence can be clearly felt.

On Janmastami day at 10:00am, 150 devotees and pilgrims gathered next to Jaya and Vijaya to head off on a guided Govardhana Parikrama tour – which is held every Saturday and Sunday at New Vrindaban.

On the way they passed an elephant prostrated in obeisance, made in 1986 by Soma and Devaprastha, and repainted last year with pure white tusks and golden tilak.

They stopped at at Kusum Sarovara, a peaceful sacred lake surrounded by ornate domed chattras which devotees also plan to restore.

Next, they paid their respects to the giant 40-foot tall Gaura Nitai originally sculpted by Soma Das and his crew in 1985. In the days leading up to Janmastami, Damodara Das had repainted Lord Chaitanya’s lotus flower base yellow and Nityananda Prabhu’s blue, and had also freshly repainted the bridge leading up to Them and the fencing around Them.

“We have future plans to completely repaint Gaura Nitai, and possibly erect a cover to protect Them from sun, rain and snow,” says Jaya Krsna.

Singing the Holy Name, the pilgrims then continued up the hill to Lalita Kund, Gopisvara Mahadeva – the protector of the dhama – and Radha Kund and Shyama Kund, where they sprinkled their heads with the sacred water. At each spot, longtime New Vrindaban resident Varsana Swami narrated the Lord’s divine pastimes enacted there.

Finally, the tour reached Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir, the first of the seven temples Srila Prabhupada requested to be built at New Vrindaban. Currently under construction, its unique domed shape truly makes you feel you are in Vrindavan.

Over the course of the next year, a series of six new dioramas by artist Lakshmana Dasi depicting Lord Krishna’s pastimes will be installed along the parikrama path. Three of these, all ten feet wide and six feet high and containing both painted and 3D elements, were revealed in the temple on Janmastami day.

The first shows Krishna’s close associate Uddhava speaking about the Srimad-Bhagavatam to the Lord’s 16,108 queens at Kusum Sarovara, to console them after the Lord’s departure from this world. In the second, Lord Krishna appears to Madhavendra Puri in a dream the saint had while at Govardhan, directing him where to excavate a long abandoned Deity of Gopalnathji. Finally, the third diorama shows a sweet pastime in which Lord Krishna helps His divine consort Srimati Radharani down from a tree, with the transcendental ulterior motive of taking the dust from Her lotus feet.

“At 7:45 in the evening on Janmastami, we had all of them set up outside and illuminated, while Varsana Swami gave a wonderful talk on all the different lilas,” says Jaya Krsna.

Meanwhile Lakshmana Dasi is also working on dioramas of the cowherd boy Lauta Baba waiting on the Govardhan Parikrama path for Krishna’s return; Radharani and the gopis singing Haridev’s name to invoke Their Lord; and Lord Indra coronating Krishna as Govinda. Each diorama will include a signboard briefly explaining it, with future plans to also include an audio track that visitors will be able to listen to by pushing a button.

Next year there are plans for restoration work on the boat house that’s home to New Vrindaban’s famous Swan Boat. Every weekend in the summer, the Deities are carried in it across the lake, just as in the boat festival at Vrindavan Dhama’s Krishna Balarama Mandir.

And in 2018 – New Vrindaban’s 50th anniversary – devotees have plans to restore the original New Vrindaban farmhouse to reflect how it was while Prabhupada was present, including its temple and a small museum for Srila Prabhupada with pictures taken from his two visits to the house in 1969 and 1976.

After all, it’s his vision that the residents of New Vrindaban are always trying to serve. “We have started New Vrindaban in America and it must be finished in the American way,” he wrote in a letter in August 1970, the year of New Vrindaban’s first Janmastami festival. “In Vrindavan there are so many temples, they say 5,000, or in Vrindavan every home, every cottage, is a temple. As far as possible try to develop New Vrindaban on this standard.”

Gradually, the residents of New Vrindaban are striving towards this lofty goal, slowly excavating the dhama. And pilgrims are showing their appreciation. This year, 3,000 people visited New Vrindaban throughout Janmastami day, with 350 gathering for the midnight arati – twice the usual number.

“One devotee visiting from Mumbai told me ‘On Janmastami evening, the Vrindavan mood was really appearing in New Vrindaban,’” Jaya Krsna recalls. “That was the best feedback for me. It’s clear that the dhama is slowly revealing itself more and more, and I am very happy to see that.”

He concludes: “In 1975 Prabhupada wrote ‘I am always praying to Krishna that the New Vrindaban attempt will be more and more successful and ideal for your country.’ So Prabhupada, the pure devotee, prays to Krishna that New Vrindaban develops, and Krishna reciprocates. We are fortunate servants, trying to support Srila Prabhupada’s sincere desire.”

This year’s Save the Cow Kirtan Mela at ISKCON’s New Talavana farm in Mississippi drew around one thousand locals and devotees for a family-oriented festival centered around cow care.

Hare Krishna! Peace, Love and Hare Krishna
Beatle drummer Ringo Starr, age 75, is on tour in North America this month with his All-Starr Band. He recently played in Victoria, Canada (October 8, 2015), spreading his now familiar message of “peace and love” along with “Hare Krishna.” During his second song, “It Don’t Come Easy,” co-written with George Harrison and a big hit for Ringo in 1971, local concert goers confirm that Ringo enthusiastically shouted, “Hare Krishna” to his adoring audience. So wherever he goes on tour, Ringo is spreading the holy name of Krishna for the spiritual benefit of his many fans both young and old. “One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.14)
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20459

Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati: “We are expelled Adams and Eves from paradise…. Dislocated stars like us shooting from the ever-glowing infinite fountainhead of the Transcendence. The shooting stars are again retracted by the same fountainhead through the power of instructions and bliss…. this will carry them back to their original position to be dovetailed with the Absolute.” “Question: I cannot understand this world.
Answer: It is camp life. This world is not our original abode. It is meant for certain purposes. After that we are to proceed to our original home. This world is not a desirable place. It is not good to be enticed to stay here for a long time, forgetting our original abode. We stay there with Godhead. We are the eternal servants of Godhead. When we decide to lord it over the universe we are allowed these facilities for temporary purposes. They do not serve our eternal purposes. It would be better to seek for a place where we can find the real peace. Here we are always liable to be disturbed. By these disturbances Providence wants to teach us that world is not our eternal habitation, but that all real peace is to be found in Him. Being thus troubled we would naturally like to go back to the original place….. But the real truth is that we are to serve Godhead in the five different capacities. It is only when we deem it fit to come down to this world to lord it over other finite entities for our enjoyment that our real position happens to be forgot to some extent. This contingency arises when we want to deprive our Lord. That tendency was innate with us. It led us to prefer this temporal region by our own desire.”
(The Harmonist (Vol. XXXI, No.21) on the 27th of June, 1935.)
More info about “The Harmonist” here: http://goo.gl/G00PCK

Can parrots participate in the Harinama? This video proves they can! :-) (4 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/5ySXAE

1) Why would self-sufficiency want to develop assets for Radha-Syama 2) Is accepting people’s 1% tax-deductible donations not wrong 3) Can any sinner donate to Radha-Syama?

The post Anonymous asks three challenging questions about Nitya-seva appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

I’ve been reading the news about the increasing violence in Jerusalem this week, and it seems to be surpassing much of what’s been happening for years. The wave of horrific daily stabbings is far more brutal than ever seen before, and the number of people being killed at bus stops by crazed car drivers far outstrips the former randomness of such crimes. Why the sudden escalation?

It’s almost as if the activities of the IS in Syria and Iraq, made well known by their warped publicity department, has made other Islamists in the region much more brutal. And Mahmoud Abbas raising the Palestinian flag in a garden near the UN, and his constant inflammatory rhetoric, no doubt fanned the flames.

It’s not my business to comment on politics, especially of those countries I’ve never visited. But it is my business – at least I make it my business – to comment on religion-related issues. The Middle East is a political phenomenon disguised as a religious issue. As in most cases of this kind, it is not that the most pious and religious people are involved in making the political decisions. More often, it is the angriest politicians that cloak themselves in religious rhetoric that rise to the top of the social heap.

The so-called religious flashpoint is the Temple Mount / Al Aqsa Mosque, supposedly the ‘third holiest place for Muslims.’ Even though the location of Mohammed’s ‘night journey’ is nowhere mentioned in the Koran, and even though it was probably an invention of Saladdin to bolster his reasons for invading Jerusalem; and even though it is most surely a legacy of the historical Islamic preference to build mosques over the most sacred places of other people’s religions (please see Bethlehem, Ayodhya, Mathura, and numerous other sites in India).

The Bhagavad-gita is a conversation about religion that was recorded before the beginning of Islam. It therefore has absolutely nothing to say about Islam. But it does have an interesting take on how a mental state can spread among people, inducing the masses to share an emotion that by themselves they may never have experienced. Socialised emotion, you might call it. The Gita explains that the enemy of all of us is lust, the intense desire to reach out with one of the senses and control a material object (or a person who has been objectified) and enjoy it. The concomitant emotions are greed and anger. Indeed, says the speaker of the Gita, Sri Krishna, those three emotions, lust greed and anger, are ‘the gates leading to hell.’

Anything that inflames lust, greed and anger is the antithesis of religion and the enemy of spiritual progress. Anger-inducing religion is thus the very opposite of factual religion – a wolf in lamb’s clothing – and is the enemy of spiritual progress.

I also read this and thought I’d share it you: http://www.wsj.com/articles/palestine-the-psychotic-stage-1444692875

Hare Krishna! Meeting with the District Magistrate of Nadia
Ghanashyama prabhu, Dayanidhi prabhu and I had the good fortune to connect with the District Magistrate of Nadia, Sri Vijai Bharati on Tuesday the 13th of October, 2015 at his home, where we were reminded of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura who held the magistrate position, some 125 years ago. If a single word could encapsulate the evening, it would have to be inspirational. Ghanashyam prabhu had met Mr. Bharati about a month and a half earlier, and they enjoyed the comfort of speaking freely with each other as friends. They wanted to meet again, but as both of them were busy, the meeting had been delayed.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20456

Kadamba Kanana Swami visited Cape Town from 22-28 September. Here are recordings which were captured by Bhakta Nimai (Germany). You may listen online by hitting the “play” button. To download, right-click and “save-target-as”.

KKS_CPT_22Sept2015_EveningProgram_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_22Sept2015_EveningProgram_Lecture_BG_7.19

KKS_CPT_23Sept2015_Lecture_SB_1.3.42

KKS_CPT_23Sept2015_BYS_UCT_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_23Sept2015_BYS_UCT_Lecture

KKS_CPT_24Sept2015_Lecture_SB_1.3.43

KKS_CPT_25Sept2015_HouseProgram_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_25Sept2015_HouseProgram_Lecture

KKS_CPT_26Sept2015_Bhajan_JRM

KKS_CPT_26Sept2015_Evening_Lecture_Appearance_Day_Bhaktivinodha_Thakur

KKS_CPT_26Sept2015_Lecture_Appearance_Day_Bhaktivinodha_Thakur

KKS_CPT_27Sept2015_Lecture_CC_Disappearance_Day_Haridasa_Thakur

KKS_CPT_27Sept2015_Lecture_Disappearance_Day_Haridas_Thakur

KKS_CPT_27Sept2015_Kirtan

Devotees from the Hare Krishna community in Spain, Guadalajara, are harvesting in preparation for the winter (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1VS53Y

Hare Krishna! Artha Forum: Silicon Valley Event with Radhanath Swami and Tulsi Gabbard
On September 26th, 2015 Radhanath Swami joined Democratic Congresswoman and Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Tulsi Gabbard for a discussion on “Leadership Sutras from the Bhagavad-gita”, organized by Artha Forum, a community dedicated to provide healthy work-life balance and business ethics based on spiritual principles. For Silicon Valley leaders, it was a unique combination of a spiritual and political leader coming together to discuss relevant issues. Over 50 tech entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders converged at the home of Silicon tech-entrepreneur Sushant and Namrata Patnaik in Saratoga, California.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20452

Free Spirit Festival on Sunday 25 October 2015 from 5pm. Join us for an exciting evening with Devamrita Swami. $5 includes kirtan, dinner and talk by Devamrita Swami. Also, an interesting talk on Bhakti Immersion: The Ultimate Enjoyer on Friday 30 October 2015 from 6pm. $8 includes dinner. As a world traveller & international author, Devamrita […]

The post International Speaker – 25 & 30th Oct appeared first on The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland.

Students from the Middle & High School of Sri Mayapur International School perform Harinam in Mayapur (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/I7tvbZ

Two pairs of twin devotees surprise the by-passers and increase their distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books in the streets of Moscow! :-)
More photos of them here: https://goo.gl/HUXYaL

On October 15^th in Butler, Srila Prabhupada received a letter from Sumati Morarji in Bombay. She was the head of the Scindia Navigation Company and a devotee of Lord Krishna in the Vallabhacarya disciplic succession.

On October 15^th in Butler, Srila Prabhupada received a letter from Sumati Morarji in Bombay. She was the head of the Scindia Navigation Company and a devotee of Lord Krishna in the Vallabhacarya disciplic succession.

Members of the ISKCON devotee-run charity Food For All UK partnered with local devotees in Paris and Brussels to feed sanctified vegetarian meals to Syrian refugees, parliament members, and thousands of young people across three events in late September.

Talk at Boston
Lecture Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Go beyond Hurry Worry Sorry appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Summit on Environment and Economy at Ernakulam Kochi Kerala (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/5gPdiq

Hare Krishna! From the Beatles to Elvis Presley, these musical devotees have brushed with fame: meet the Hare Krishnas of Hong Kong
A full page story featuring an article on the Hong Kong ISKCON temple, along with an interview with His Holiness Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami was recently published in the South China Morning Post, a renowned English newspaper in Hong Kong, After a two week tour of China performing kirtan in a number of public events Govinda Swami’s last stop was the city of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong temple organized 3 public kirtans programs for Maharaja and his kirtan group, all of which received a very favorable response. The reporter herself attended the kirtan event held in the Hong Kong temple and it was at that event that she received news for her story.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20448

Rath Yatra Iskcon Punjabi Bagh, Delhi (7 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/iDiSZV

Hare Krishna! Avoiding the 10 offences
Srila Prabhupada: A serious student of Samkirtan can get rid of all the above offences if he desires so, knowing well the different forms of offences and by refraining from them by all possible precautions. This can however be done without difficulty by continuous chanting of the Name of the Lord and for such constant reciter of the transcendental name of the Lord, there is no room for committing such offences.
In conclusion we may add that without culture nothing can be made to perfection. The culture of the science of Samkirtan is Sree Krishna Himself, both being non-different. In mundane matters only the means and the end are different from one another. But in the transcendence the means and the end are non-different. In preparatory stage only, for chanting the Name of the Lord, there is every chance for committing the above offences but for the reason of that we must not be disheartened at the least. We should always remember that both the preparatory stage and the perfection stage of Samkirtan is nothing but Samkirtan. The difference of these two stages are realisation and non-realisation only.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2984