Websites from the ISKCON Universe
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”.
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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
Ukraine Festival 2015 Kirtan by Niranjana Swami
On October 15th 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 15th 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
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
Hare Krishna! The Need for Struggling Together to Help Each Other
Niranjana Swami: I wanted to express my convictions today, not based upon my position as an “authority”, but from a personal and open-hearted viewpoint of someone who has had many years of experience in ISKCON. If you see any validity to these years of experience, then maybe when I open my heart to you, it may influence you, in some small way, to understand why I feel that this counselor system is important. I am not here in the capacity of the GBC for Moscow. I’ve come to realize that hammering from the GBC doesn’t open anyone’s heart. Frankly, I’m tired of hammering, and therefore I put away my hammer many years ago. If I ever use a hammer again, it will be only to hit a nail. I am not going to hammer on your heads to accept this system, although I may try to open up a few minds, and hopefully some hearts as well. Just before I came here, I was thinking that if I opened my heart first, it might have some influence. I’m therefore just going to express to you why I personally feel it’s important to have this counselor system.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1869
Timesoar public program.
The post Srila Prabhupada, ambassador of Vedic culture (Part 1) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 09 September 2015, Randburg, South Africa, Youth Group Bhajans)
By the mercy of the holy name, we are here. The holy name is being carried by devotees. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a description of how the Ganga is entering into the universe – as Vamanadeva cracks the shell of the universe, a drop of the causal ocean enters into the universe. That drop is falling down towards the middle planetary systems where we are residing.
Then the demigods come with kumbas, pots, in which they carry the Ganga in the same direction the Ganga was already going and they bring the Ganga down. I mean, exactly in the same direction the Ganga was flowing but now they are carrying it down. Then, Ganga comes to planet earth. On planet earth, Ganga is known by many; during kumba-melas as many as twenty million people take bath in the Ganga. Then, Ganga goes down further and comes to the lower planetary systems known as Bhogavati. In the Bhogavati, nobody knows about the Ganga but somehow or other, by accident people take their bath in the Ganga or get benefit unknowingly.
So, why are the demigods carrying the Ganga? Because the demigods understand that the Ganga is liquid mercy and if they carry this mercy, then they get more mercy because they partake in distributing it. So not only do we get the credit for receiving mercy, we also get credit for giving it. Therefore, the demigods brought their pots, caught the Ganga, carried the Ganga to planet earth where many were eager to bathe in the Ganga.
So we can compare the sankirtan movement to the centre of the Ganges and we can see that the sankirtan movement is spreading. It is spreading everywhere simply by being carried by the devotees. The acaryas carried this holy name and brought it to so many places. Somehow, they made this holy name the tool by which they changed the world. So, still now, it is possible to carry the name. One who carries the name gets the most mercy. Then there are those who are bathing in the name and they are also receiving the mercy. Then, there are the neighbours who do not know what is going on but they also take their bath in the ocean of nectar of the holy name without even knowing what is going on. So, in this way, let us be carriers of the holy name. That will be the most wonderful.
Hare Krishna! The Unknown History of Big Book Distribution.
Mahatma Das: (The following is an excerpt from an unfinished book about my life in Krsna consciousness. It details the history of how big book distribution began in Iskcon, a history which has not been chronicled in any Iskcon publications. The scene takes place in Vancouver, Cananda, November of 1971.) At this time in Iskcon (1971) big book distribution had not yet begun. We only distributed Back to Godhead magazines (BTG’s) on the street. We usually got donation of 25cents per magazine. If we were lucky, we might occasionally get a really big donation of 50 cents. We thought it was difficult to get that much money from most people so we didn’t usually ask for it. I have never been one to be happy with the status quo (sometimes that gets me into trouble) and I began thinking that we should try to distribute Krsna Books which had just recently been published. That was such a big way of thinking at the time that it was hard for any of us to take it seriously, myself included, since the Krsna Books sold for $8 and we were cautious about asking for mere 50 cents. Yet on one Canadian holiday in which everyone stayed home, we decided to go door to door.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2288
Three last wishes! Alexander, the great Greek king, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.” With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king’s last wishes. “My first desire is that,” said Alexander, “My physicians alone must carry my coffin.” After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury.” The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute’s rest and continued. “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.” Alexander’s favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes.” At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learned. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted. The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth. And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world.” With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last.
Video of The Detroit Deities Flower Festival (15 min video)
Here is a short video of the recent Flower Festival for the Deities of Detroit (Devasadana Mandir) on October 4, 2015
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/GaTRZQ
Councillors approve plans for new venue at Hare Krishna temple in Aldenham
Plans to build a new venue on Green Belt land at the Hare Krishna temple site in Aldenham has been approved by councillors. Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Hilfield Lane, submitted a planning application to Hertsmere Borough Council to build a two-storey “Haveli”. The proposal was submitted following the council’s adoption of a planning brief in 2012, which sets out the manor’s plans for the next 15 years. The “Haveli” building will be approximately 2,000sq m.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/IqqTWH
Hare Krishna! Lust blinds love liberates
Bilvamangala Thakura was a wealthy south Indian Brahmin and belonged to a cultured family. But he got attracted to a prostitute named Cintamani. The attraction soon became attachment. And as it happens when we get attached to worldly enjoyment we lose our intelligence and subsequently our dignity. The fire of lust was so intense that he was not at all moved when his father died; in fact standing near the pyre of his father he was engrossed in the thought of Cintamani. The body of his dead father did not bring tears to his eyes but his eyes were eager to see the physical beauty of the lady.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20436
The post Daily Darshan – October 14th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Ukraine Festival 2015 Gaura Arati Kirtan by Bada Haridas Prabhu
Prabhupada was interested in the American ways and people, which he met for the first time in Butler, Pennsylvania.
