Planet ISKCON

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Talk at ISKCON, Seattle
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The post God proposes, Man Disposes – Understanding Krishna’s failed peace mission appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Talk at Oregon State University
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The post The Quest for Happiness – Collecting the material or recollecting the spiritual appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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The post How does Krishna take away the karma of his devotees? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

It is no secret that Bhagavad Gita is spoken by numerous speakers in various settings all over the world. Today, anyone who is little qualified in Sanskrit and English language thinks himself qualified to speak or translate the Gita. However,this is not how it is supposed to be as per the norms set by Krishna in the Gita. Just as it is appropriate for a doctor who practices medicine to speak about medical science, or a physicist who is active in his field to speak about the universal laws, similarly it is only appropriate for a follower of Krishna who practices Bhagavad Gita everyday to speak about Krishna.

Within Bhagavad Gita, Krishna clearly delineates repeatedly in different chapters the core characteristics (qualities) one has to have to live his or her daily life, based upon which one is qualified intuitively to speak, interpret and translate the Bhagavad Gita. Otherwise the Bhagavad Gita remains a mystery. In chapter four, text 3, Krishna clearly mentions this very point. If the speaker himself is not fitting Krishna's standard of living and hence not privy to the meaning of the Gita, then how can he enlighten the audience?

So the key to all this is that by simply reading a book called Bhagavad Gita, one cannot learn about its mysteries. One has to accept this knowledge from a person who possess certain key qualities as mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. They are;

• A person interested in the Gita must learn it by approaching a spiritual teacher in parampara who is fixed upon the truth as defined in the Bhagavad Gita (4.2, 4.34)
• He must practice control of mind towards worldly activities and duties (4.19 - 24, 18.54, 2.44)
• No hankering and lamenting
• No attachment to bhoga (sense-enjoyment) and aiswarya (material opulence) pertinent to worldly activities such as eating, sleeping, sex, fearing, profit, adoration, distinction etc
• Equanimity of mind towards duties related to parenting, job, country, community etc
• He must practice dedication of one's work or the essence of one’s work to Krishna either as duty or in devotion (3.9, 3.30)
• He must practice devotion and surrender to Krishna with mind attached to Him taking full shelter of Him in all circumstances (7.1, 18.55, 18.65, 18.66)

The TOVP management team went on site and gave approval for the production of GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) molds to begin. At the moment we are focusing on 4 different areas where the GRC molds will be used; the 24 Kalash brackets, the Chatri ribs, the 7 meters utility floor columns, and main base cornice of the Kalash brackets.

The management, art team and Sadbhuja prabhu have given full consent, and are very satisfied with the mold making and its progress. Once finished, GRC will be poured into the molds to create the desired pieces. The high quality GRC we are using isn’t available in any commercial market; it can only be produced in-house.

In the photos, Savya Sachi prabhu and his team are making the polyurethane molds to produce the Kalash bracket molds. Polyurethane combines the best properties of rubber and plastic, without the weaknesses inherent in plasticized vinyl films. Because it contains no plasticizers, it is not subject to the brittleness and other problems caused when they leach to the surface. Urethane is easy to work with, and is readily modified to suit a particular application. Urethane compounds possess a combination of properties which are not available in any other thermoplastic material, offering significant design flexibility. Polyurethane molds can also be used over and over, thus producing hundreds of cast GRC items.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post GRC Molds Approved appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

ISKCON Auckland New Zealand distributes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/SLJqqt

Chanting with Harinama Ruci and the Harinama Ashram on the ‘L’ Train in Brooklyn (3 min video)
Krishna-kripa Das: Here’s a video from one of the best New York subway harinamas I have ever participated in. It was inspiring to see so many commuters willing to take part. Thanks to the Harinama Ruci world harinama sankirtana party for coming to New York City and inspiring us at the Harinama Ashram and blessing the City.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/tbmlVV

The post Gadai dasa asks whether we should decorate our bodies with Radha-kunda tilak appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Sankirtana Musings Or Praise Among Friends
Satyaraja Dasa: And, so, I am back to revering Sankirtana, as I did in my youth. Today, I think of Sankirtana as an extension of Krishna’s pastime of “taxing the Gopis.” First expressed in Chandidasa’s Sri Krishna-kirtana and then in Rupa Gosvami’s Dana-keli-kaumudi, this story tells of when Srimati Radharani and Her girlfriends were carrying dairy products along a country path. Suddenly, Krishna appears out of nowhere and, pretending to be a revenue official, demands a “tax” for allowing the girls to pass. First He merely wants to tax them for their dairy goods, but then He decides to tax them for their beauty as well. This scenario will conjure up a line that is familiar to the Sankirtana devotee—“the citation line”—wherein the devotee acts like he is giving a person a citation ticket for any number of reasons, not least for looking “too beautiful.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=330

Hare Krishna! Choosing To Forgive
Mahatma Das: The sastras are full of stories of forgiveness: Ambarisa forgiving Durvasa, Parikshit forgiving Sringi, Narada Muni forgiving Daksa, Prahlada forgiving Hiranyakasipu, Haridas Thakura forgiving the guards who beat him, Nityananada forgiving Jagai and Madhai, Parasarama forgiving those who stole his family’s kamadhenu cow. Srila Prabhupada forgave anyone who came to him to serve Krsna. And of course Krsna forgives all of us no matter how sinful or blasphemous we were. Sastra implores us to forgive. The Srimad Bhagavatam lists forgiveness as one of the qualities of civilized human beings. And Srila Prabhupada asks us to be forgiving so we can cooperate to spread the movement. Yet despite the examples of devotees demonstrating incredible acts of forgiveness, despite the sastra telling us to accept suffering as a token reaction of our karma, despite Prabhupada’s plea for us to forgive, and despite the cleansing it can do to our hearts, forgiving is difficult for many of us. Devotees often say, “I was so deeply hurt that I just don’t know how I can forgive.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=314

Vrindavan Temples Parikrama (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Relish these pics of our parikrama of some of Vrindavan Temples yesterday evening. We had a final sweet Braja Kirtan in Sri Sri Radha Vamsi Gopal Mandir where Srila Prabhupada stayed before Radha Damodar!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ciU3dr

The Walking Monk Retraces Prabhupada’s Journey
Bhaktimarga Swami has become famous as “The Walking Monk” from his treks on foot four times across his native Canada, as well as across Ireland, Israel, Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana and Trinidad. On each walk, he shares his message of reconnecting to a simple, natural, and God-conscious life with the media and locals along the way. The Swami’s current walk, however, may mean the most to him on a personal level. Dubbed “Walking for our Teachers,” its theme is to honor all teachers in a broad sense—but in a more specific sense, Bhaktimarga’s own guru. “Personally, we’re walking to honor ISKCON’s Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, who was at the cutting edge of animal rights, vegetarianism, going back to the land, and of course spiritual enlightenment,” he says. “People know the Hare Krishnas, but they don’t know about the person behind it all. So I feel it’s our mandate now to let people know who Prabhupada was.”
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/vtfBjR

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

Hare Krishna! The Best Birthday Present!
Vijaya dasa: This is about how the biggest book distributor in the USA, Bhakta Jaya Khush, came to Krsna consciousness. At his tenth birthday party, someone gave him as a present: Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. At the time he thought, “Who has the nerve to give me a book for my birthday?” Ten years later, he’s a music producer traveling around with a famous musician. This musician is quoting the Bhagavad Gita to Jay Khush, who’s shocked that a famous African-American is quoting the book of his religion to him (he was born a Hindu) and knows it better than him. That made him curious, so when he went home after a tour he decided to read it, and he found out that the present he received was the best present he ever received. He started visiting the Radha-Raman Temple, an hour away from the Los Angeles temple. Every morning he would go to mangal-arati for six months.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20329

Iskcon Of New Jersey Bhumi Puja And Groundbreaking Video (7 min video)
The new temple building will be modern and functional and will be accented with elements of classical Vedic architecture. The following are the key components of the planned temple: • Vedic Temple Architecture • Spacious Darshan Hall (3,500 sqft) • Educational Facilities • Community Hall and Auditorium • Commercial Kitchen • Library • Vedic Books and Gifts Boutique • Ashram • Parking for 140+ vehicles • Beautiful Landscaping • Organic Garden
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/yW0ISe

05.10.2015 H.G.Kesi Damana Prabhu_SB-06.01.56

Ratha-yatra Jogjakarta 2015 (Album with photos)
Some snaps taken from the Ratha-yatra held on the 7th of October 2015 at Jogjakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/c6asl4

By October 9^th, Prabhupada was scheduled in his routine of residing at the YMCA and visiting the apartment of his sponsors, Gopal and Sally Agarwal in Butler, Pennsylvania. Every morning he would rise early at the Y and write on his Srimad-Bhagavatam translations and purports. 

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

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Rasa Rasika dasa

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How To Keep The Mind Steady
Question: I wanted to know how to keep the mind steady; usually we have contradictory ideas and thoughts going on in the mind.
Radhanath Swami: The nature of the mind is like that of a monkey, it jumps from branch to branch. It goes to one branch, then to the next branch, then to the branch next to that, then again to the first branch – 2nd, 4th, 10th, 1st, 9th, 3rd. It’s the way the mind works. But when you give the monkey a nice ripe banana, it’s happy. Similarly, Bhakti is about giving the mind a deep and fulfilling experience. Though we may not get that higher taste immediately, but since we know it’s there waiting for us, that helps us keep the mind steady. Coming back to the analogy of the monkey, if the monkey has the banana, it will stop jumping from branch to branch even before it has tasted the banana. It stops jumping in order to go through the process of pealing the banana. Our spiritual practice, our sadhana, is like pealing the banana. We know that the higher taste is there – inside – just as the monkey knows that the banana is there inside the peal. And just knowing that it is there, and keeping our mind focussed on the process, our mind can be kept steady. So when we are chanting the holy names the mind will go here and there; do not worry about it – just bring it back. Bring it back to the divine sound vibration, to that object of our meditation. Try to keep it there, and if it runs away – and it will surely run away – then bring it back as soon as we realize it has run away. While we do seva, if we realize our mind is wandering, we just bring it back. ‘I am doing this for Krishna; let me do it in the best possible way.’ The more we take responsibility to do something wonderful for God – sweeping the floor, cooking a meal or doing our business – if we are really doing it for Krishna, for God, we are going to be attentive to whatever details we can, and that keeps our mind focussed.

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The post Does destiny determine how we respond to situations? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Hare Krishna! Preparing for ISKCON 50 @ Bhaktivedanta Manor
Hundreds of devotees gathered at Bhaktivedanta Manor to hear an insightful presentation by HH Radhanath Maharaj about preparing for ISKCON’s 50 anniversary. In describing Srila Prabhupada’s treacherous journey from India to America, Maharaj spoke of his experience at the recent ISKCON commemoration events in Kolkata and Boston. He spoke of visiting the King George Dock in Kolkata from which Prabhupada had departed. The audience were enthralled hearing about Prabhupada’s challenges and humility. In summing up Maharaj said: ‘In preparing for ISKCON 50 we must feel gratitude, true gratitude and not theoretical. With such gratitude we can embrace within our hearts our great fortune and reciprocate that with others as Srila Prabhupada did. Prabhupada was so grateful for what his guru gave to him, that he gave his heart and life to serve him. We must do the same. Live Srila Prabhupada’s message and share it”.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20326

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Program at ISKCON, Portland
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Srimad Bhagavatam class at Corvallis, Oregon (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.11)
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Hare Krishna! 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. In His manifest presence, Lord Nityananda walked over the Indian subcontinent, spreading the glories of Lord Caitanya, so in the form of His shoes. Thus he has continued His ‘walk’ to many cities and towns of the Western world, furthering the stated prediction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that ‘My name will be sung in every town and village.’ Devotees and well-wishers were enlivened to hear of the rising of the Temple of Vedic Planetarium on the Ganges plain. Everyone could feel that this project is destined to attract the people of the world to Sridham Mayapur and the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Hundreds of devotees from dozens of centers in the US and Canada came forward to greet the travelling party. They opened their homes and hearts to our illustrious guests.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20321

Meet the devotees of Prabhupad Bhavan’s, Slovakia (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tJ3E26