Planet ISKCON

Harinama in London (6 min video)
If this video doesn’t put a smile on your face hardly anything else will!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/cCh6sL

The Power of Prayers!
Jayapataka Maharaj’s long-standing secretary, Mahavaraha Das writes this. It was in the month of may this year, just 3 months ago that Jayapataka Maharaj faced a very serious health crisis. As Jayapataka Maharaj is back preaching here is an article written by HG Mahavaraha prabhu , underlying the importance of prayer and a series of events that went on in those difficult days.
The Power of Prayers
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Prayers and willpower are an intrinsic part of the lives of aspiring spiritualists. They form the foundation and crux of the daily lives of individuals of all faiths, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Hindu. In fact, the prayers and willpower of devotees are so enthusiastic and determined that we sometimes forget their true potential in our fights against Maya. Regardless of our short remembrance, the prayers by sincere devotees establish a direct link with the Lord that, at the very least, convince Him to hear our pleas.
Now let’s just take a step back for a second and ask ourselves, “What is a prayer, anyway”? According to Oxford dictionaries, a prayer is “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity.”
Queen Kunti. Prahlad Maharaj. Draupadi. Gajendra. These divine personalities are without a doubt, exemplary pure devotees of the Lord. But they all had something special in common - their determined, unyielding, intense prayers convinced the Lord to turn His merciful glance upon them in perilous situations that would have otherwise resulted in tragic results.
As we begin to see the first rays of sunshine at the end of this dangerously dark tunnel of HH Jayapataka Swami’s recent health crisis, we may assert that we have witnessed the Bhagavatam and Caritamrta coming alive in the present day.
For a short recap of events: Jayapataka Maharaj was having severe breathing difficulties in Mayapur during the beginning of May. A multi-resistant pneumonia caused him to not be able to breathe well. Due to this inability to breathe well, carbon dioxide began building up in his body. Further, due to a weak liver, ammonia gas also began building up. The excess of gases combined with a low breathing power caused his body to become almost unconscious. As per medical science, the aforementioned symptoms would eventually lead to death. Vital parameters could not be stabilized in Kolkata and we experienced a momentary loss of hope. Shortly thereafter, Jayapataka Maharaj was intubated during the wee hours of the morning and airlifted to New Delhi.
Intubation is a procedure in which a pipe attached to a ventilator machine is inserted down the trachea through the vocal chords to assist in breathing. Jayapataka Maharaj was sedated for some days as it is common medical procedure to sedate patients during intubation to help in maintaining patients’ peace of mind and allowing them to sleep well. It is extremely uncomfortable to have tubes inserted all the way down one’s throat. After about a week of the intubation, the doctors noticed that Jayapataka Maharaj’s sedation was weaning off and he was becoming alert and active. Seeing these positive signs, they decided to remove the pipe (known as an extubation). After extubation, he was still kept in the ICU for a few days. On the 26th of May, Jayapataka Maharaj was shifted to a private room. However, within a day-and-a-half, his breathing drastically dropped, again. He had failed the first attempt. Thus, he was moved back into the ICU and was sedated and intubated. All our hopes crumbled. The hospital doctors, our in house doctors, and the caretakers were so worried. There was a big question mark hanging on the top of our heads. We, the caretakers and the senior disciples team of Jayapataka Maharaj, decided that we should announce Jayapataka Maharaj’s precarious and fragile health condition to the GBC Body and the ISKCON World. That same day, the GBC Executive Body sent out a message in the social media about Jayapataka Maharaj’s perilous condition and requested devotees to intensify their prayers. This time, Jayapataka Maharaj was intubated for a longer time to ensure that he would be able to breathe on his own, using his own lungs. After a few days, Jayapataka Maharaj became more alert and active, but he was still very much dependant on the ventilator to breathe. The hospital doctors became even more cautious at this time. They gave their very best in their treatment of Jayapataka Maharaj.
3rd June, 10.30 AM: Due to the risk of infection of having a tube inserted down one’s trachea for so long, Dr. Sarin decided that it would be best to have the ventilator removed and have a tracheotomy performed. A tracheotomy is a minor surgical procedure in which an incision is made through the trachea to allow for a tube to be inserted which assists in breathing. However, reactions to this decision turned out to be completely unexpected, especially from Jayapataka Maharaj’s side; Jayapataka Maharaj has undergone this same surgery, twice. Dr. Sarin, himself, was not happy from the very beginning and hesitated to give this tracheotomy option to Jayapataka Maharaj because he was afraid that Jayapataka Maharaj’s voice could be affected. He knows very well that preaching is Jayapataka Maharaj’s life, which obviously involves lots of talking. But you’ll see below how it all played out, below.
4th June, 11:30 AM: There was a meeting with all of the doctors and Jayapataka Maharaj’s medical team regarding the tracheotomy. Dr. Sarin had already called the top tracheotomy specialists in Delhi to come and perform the procedure. The final step was to obtain Jayapataka Maharaj’s consent and views on the procedure. Later in the day, a medical representative came and presented the top-of-the-line tracheotomy device to the health team. We demonstrated the function of the device to Jayapataka Maharaj.
5th June: From the morning onwards, Jayapataka Maharaj, Dr. Pritirupini and the caretakers had meetings with Jayapataka Maharaj, meticulously going through the pros and cons of having the tracheotomy done. The ICU head doctor, Dr. Lalita, was explaining all of the medical textbook justifications and reasons regarding why it was essential for Jayapataka Maharaj to have the tracheotomy, especially having failed the first attempt at extubation. However, Jayapataka Maharaj was still not convinced. Dr. Lalita clearly explained how if it were another patient present, there would have been no choice; they would have immediately gone for the tracheotomy. However, she said that given Jayapataka Maharaj’s determination and him being a divine person, she would give him a second chance. During the evening, Dr. Pritirupini, Dr. Acyutananda and Jayapataka Maharaj had a skype conversation with and a top doctor from Atlanta, Dr. Anand Deval. He was explaining all the pros and cons of having the tracheotomy performed. However, even after all these discussions, Jayapataka Maharaj still refused to have the procedure done. His willpower was just unshakeable. He wanted to have another chance to breathe on his own without the ventilator and without the tracheotomy too.
Then, the doctors finally had to agree to Jayapataka Maharaj’s desire and they extubated him. But all the doctors said that if he was unable to breathe, then they would go for the tracheotomy straight away. During the midnight hours of June 6th, the first night after removing the pipe, Jayapataka Maharaj’s carbon dioxide levels increased and they put on the gigantic Cpap mask which regulates the breathing pattern. Fortunately, the carbon dioxide levels became controlled. For the first few days and nights, we all had our fingers crossed. There were so many ups and downs. By the fourth day of this second attempt of extubation, Jayapataka Maharaj’s breathing had gradually improved. Doctors were shocked to see an overturn of medical theory. Devotees were ecstatic to witness the progress he was making. Jayapataka Maharaj was calm and composed, determined to continue on in his service to Srila Prabhupada.
From the very beginning of this health crisis, the JPS correspondence team has been continuously providing updates on Jayapataka Maharaj’s health condition and encouraging devotees to pray for him by inundating the social media. Thousands of devotees and even non-devotees have spontaneously prayed for Jayapataka Maharaj. So just if you’re curious: Within a month, post the health crisis, Jayapataka Maharaj has received over 1000 emails from all over the world, including countries such as Ghana, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Uganda, and Iran, with devotees reporting their extra services dedicated for his fast recovery. Collectively, over 99,000 extra rounds of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and over 411,000 recitations of the Narasimha Kavacha and Ugram Viram Mantras have been chanted. Nearly 400 hours of kirtan were performed and over 3000 books were distributed. 790 devotees were reported to have observed full Pandava-Nirjala Ekadasi fasting and many devotees also reported having done special fire sacrifices and home programs. Please keep in mind that these reported statistics are only those extra devotional services that devotees chose to report! There are still many unreported services that have been dedicated to Jayapataka Maharaj. Further, with this month being Purushottam Adhika Masa, devotees are performing even more devotional service and preaching dedicated to Jayapataka Maharaj’s quick recovery.
Jayapataka Maharaj has expressed his heartfelt appreciation for all your extra services on numerous occasions. It is undoubtedly clear that intense prayers and Jayapataka Maharaj’s determined will power combined with the doctors’ skilled efforts and Krsna’s divine intervention have brought him to this current stage after this health crisis.
Clearly, the power of prayer is inconceivable. It is best explained by Jayapataka Maharaj, himself - “Prayer is a very important activity we have. It is a private talk between the devotee and the Lord. It also helps us to establish our personal relationship with Krishna because we are praying to Him, as that is our communication with the Lord.” (Excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam Class 6.9.46, 24th May 1999, Sridham Mayapur)
Jaya Srila Prabhupada! Jaya Jayapataka Maharaj!
Maha Varaha Das

Hare Krishna! ISKCON 50 World Holy Name Week
An important GBC initiative, to glorify Srila Prabhupada and Holy Names – World Holy Name Week (WHNW) is around the corner. This year it’s very special as it marks the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the west and bringing the Holy Names to the shores of the western world. That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. The observance of the World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with the anniversary observances of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA Sept. 17, 1965 (GBC resolution 2006) On seeing the tremendous success and potential of this event, in 2008 GBC has resolved ‘World Holy Name Day’ into ‘World Holy Name Week’ and to celebrate this event for an extended period of time.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19820

The post Daily Darshan – September 16th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Appearance Day of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 2015.09.06

Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna festival returning to Croome Court (Worcestershire, UK)
THE Hare Krishnas will return to a place in Worcestershire they once called home. From when they sold Croome Court over 30 years ago, the Hare Krishnas are returning with their annual event which celebrates their time at the National Trust mansion house and parkland during the 1980s. The event, which will see Croome burst into song, dance and live music, takes place on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20. Becky Wilks, events officer at Croome, said: “It’s great to have some of the devotees return to Croome as part of our Hidden Heritage programme to share their stories with our visitors over the weekend.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19815

Hare Krishna! Custom Routing Tool Now Being Manufactured for TOVP
In yet another remarkable innovative step forward, the TOVP engineering team has embarked on the development of a custom-made tool to be used for engraving designs into wood, metal and styrofoam for various elements of the temple; the 4 Axis CNC Router. Being manufactured in China, this router is designed to serve the specific needs of the TOVP. It has been selected for its precise work and will be used for making mold patterns in wooden doors, windows, etc. The 3D design-based tool can not only carve patterns into wood, but it can also cut into aluminum and mill styrofoam which will be used for the ceiling, arches, screens and GRC molds.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19812

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2012, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture)

Krsna is the all attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sri krsna-akarsani, devotional service can attract Krsna. Srimati Radharani is in the maha mantra, present in the word ‘Hare’. The word ‘Hare’ represents devotional service. Devotional service is of a very wonderful nature because as described in the Nectar of Devotion, devotional service is sri krsna-akarsani.

Krsna is known as Acyuta because Krsna never fails to notice any service rendered to him. In that way, service rendered by any devotee, anywhere in the three worlds, is always noticed by Krsna and Krsna reciprocates. Still, amongst all devotees, there is one devotee who is the topmost devotee and that devotee is Srimati Radharani!

The followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is really the originator of this Hare Krsna movement, are taught to understand that no one can please Krsna more than Srimati Radharani. Therefore, rather than to aspire to serve Krsna directly, we are aspiring to become the servant, of the servant, of the servant of Srimati Radharani – a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, a million times, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-anu-dasa (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 13.80). It makes sense and this actually is the mood of Vrndavana.

Vrndavana is a place which is different from any mundane place in this world like where we appeared and where we are trying to perform our own pastimes. Everyone is busy trying to create their own pastimes but these pastimes which we are performing are pastimes for our pleasure. But Vrndavana is of a different nature. The entire existence of Vrndavana is only for one purpose which is to please Krsna and everything within Vrndavana is meant for that pleasure of Krsna, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 19.170).

In Vrndavana, pathways are made of transcendental gems and these gems are also devotees of the Lord. These gems are simply there to please Krsna. The bodies of water at the side of the pathway contain many beautiful birds and wonderful lotus flowers and so on, and all are there simply for the pleasure of Krsna. When Krsna places his lotus feet in the river Yamuna, the water plants in the Yamuna hold onto Krsna’s lotus feet and will not allow Krsna to move his feet out of the Yamuna again. The Yamuna then stops flowing and begins to show little whirlpools of ecstasy because Krsna’s lotus feet are in her waters. How could she flow and move past Krsna when his lotus feet are there!? There is no flowing! So in this way in Vrndavana, all the residents are absorbed in Krsna prema, prema-antaranga, deeply absorbed in such love of God.

“Then Srila Prabhupada said that he never complained, because his policy was, “Everything for Krsna; nothing for myself.” He mentioned how he had suffered in so many ways in the course of establishing the Krsna consciousness movement; he had struggled to get passage to America and then on the way suffered two heart attacks at sea, and even when he got to America he had suffered in so many ways—he had buzzing in his ears and his head. “I cannot even describe how much I suffered,” he said. “Nor do I want to.” But he had never complained.

“Everything for Krsna; nothing for myself.” That is why, as a service to Krsna, Srila Prabhupada was serving us—because his ultimate goal was to bring us back to our eternal relationship with Krsna and engage us in His service. Essentially, he was bathing us, feeding us, and dressing us—teaching us how to live as human beings so that ultimately he could bring us to the position where he could offer us for Krsna’s service.

He asked for only one thing—that we continue his mission.”

—Giriraj Swami

Akruranatha Dasa
Kanka Dasi
Jaggarini Dasi
Satyadeva Dasa
Mahaguna Dasi
Nrihari Dasa
Bhavatarini Dasi
Giriraj Swami
Srila Dasa
Vaisesika Dasa

Hare Krishna! Plaza of the Americas renovation makes room for Krishna
The Foundation has partnered with Krishna House to raise funds for the project, said the chaplain and manager of Krishna House, Carl Woodham. “We have such a long-standing relationship with the university,” he said. The renovation will also bring a designated area for Krishna Lunch to be served, Woodham said. The Foundation is also working with UF Libraries to seek support for a combined Plaza of the Americas and Library West entrance renovation, Orlando said. The renovation doesn’t have a start or end date yet, but the Foundation is working on the official timeline, Orlando said. The planning was finalized about a year and a half ago, and small modifications have been added since then.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19809

Hare Krishna! The Perils Of Being Over-intelligent
‘Once bitten twice shy’ may be the general maxim. Does it mean we should suspect every devotee around us? Some discriminators say we are being naïve if we see only the good in devotees. Are we being naïve if we see only the good in others? Many of us are accustomed to the intellectual cynicism afforded by ‘free’ democratic societies. The news we read or hear, and judicious endings to court cases are often the work of investigative journalists or police work, who often test the limits of constitutional liberties such as the freedom of speech, expression, the rights to life, to privacy and so on, which favor a decent and dignified existence. When we come to Krsna consciousness, a cultural shock awaits us as we become exposed to the ancient way of obedience to authority, to guru, sadhu and Sastra.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2181

Hare Krishna! Caring For Devotees: The Spiritual Counselor System
Radhanath Swami: A devotee has given his whole life to serve this mission, and then he becomes very sick. He needs help. He lays sick on the floor “I can’t do my service.” And we say, “You are in maya. You are not the body.” “Thank you. Philosophically it’s true: I am not this body and I am in maya, but I need your help to get out of maya and transcend this body. I need the love, support and care of a Vaisnava to take me through this.” As a service to all of you, I am offering a brief explanation of how we are attempting to serve the Vaisnavas at the Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha Mandir, in Mumbai
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1378

Hare Krishna! Have You Burnt The Ravana Within?
Many people think of a villain as a person who enjoys by exploiting and harming others. Though not wrong, this conception of evil is incomplete and naïve as it ignores a fundamental reality: our supremely responsible and loving father, God. Probably most of us never got spiritual education to realize that it is God who selflessly provides us our daily food. It is true that we have to work hard to earn our living, but our effort is secondary; its like the hard work of the birds searching for grains. Without God pre-providing the grains through nature, their search, no matter how painstaking, would be fruitless.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1656

Indradyumna Swami: During our trip to Kharkhorin, the old capital of Mongolia, we visited the ancient Buddhist monastery of Erdene Zuu. After discussing spiritual matters with the monks there for sometime, they asked us to have kirtan. I believe it was one of the best kirtans Bada Haridas prabhu ever led. Before leaving we gave the head monk a copy of Bhagavad Gita. It was altogether an historic occasion. That evening we had wonderful program for 100 citizens of Kharkhorin in a local hall. After the lecture everyone chanted and danced in great happiness during the kirtan.
See the photos here: https://goo.gl/JcCjb5

Album: Janmastami Celebration in Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir, Bon Accueil, Mauritius (67 Photographs):
Photography Courtesy: Arjun Bhattacharyya
See them here: https://goo.gl/bNPLZ5

This is called a ‘kunti.’ This particular piece was given by the Chand Kazi to Lord Nityananda, as proof that the Chand Kazi authorized public chanting of the holy names within his district. Originally it was a symbol of the Kazi’s authority. The samkirtan party carried it everywhere.

Archana Mataji and her husband, Ananta Gopal Prabhu, joined Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji’s community several years back in order to have both their daughters, Brinda and Chakrika, attend school at TKG Academy.

For the second year in a row, Archana Mataji has accepted personal responsibility and ownership of TKG Academy’s Janmastami fundraising booth. During her recent summer visit to India, she has purchased many items to be sold at the booth, with the goal of benefiting the school. Along with her mother, Sarala Mataji, they set up the booth and spent most of their Janmastami evening personally manning it. Her enthusiasm to support the school and her initiatives are inspiring and very well appreciated.

In yet another remarkable innovative step forward, the TOVP engineering team has embarked on the development of a custom-made tool to be used for engraving designs into wood, metal and styrofoam for various elements of the temple; the 4 Axis CNC Router.

Being manufactured in China, this router is designed to serve the specific needs of the TOVP. It has been selected for its precise work and will be used for making mold patterns in wooden doors, windows, etc. The 3D design-based tool can not only carve patterns into wood, but it can also cut into aluminum and mill styrofoam which will be used for the ceiling, arches, screens and GRC molds.

Pictured is the Router and some examples of what it can produce. Now under production, it will be ready for shipping to Mayapur in 2-3 weeks.

Router defined:
A machine tool that mills out the surface of metal or wood
(Tools) any of various tools or machines for hollowing out, cutting grooves, etc.
A power tool with a shaped cutter; used in carpentry for cutting grooves

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post Custom Routing Tool Now Being Manufactured for TOVP appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

See the related video here.

The post The moral of Syama-bihari’s encounter with the owls appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Varnasrama series from Turkey.

The post “I can’t get no satisfaction.” appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Written by Nicole

Kadamba Kanana Swami arrived in Johannesburg on 08 September. After a day of rest, he joined the Krsna Balaram Youth Group in Randburg for their weekly bhajan night. It was a crisp Spring evening with an outdoor setup but Maharaj’s kirtan was sure to warm everyone up very quickly. Every now and then, in between changing tunes, Maharaj spoke a few profound words about the holy name. It is well worth a listen to! See below for the recording. After the kirtan, Maharaj braved the chilly weather to speak to many of the devotees who attended the program.

The next day, Maharaj took lunch at the house of his disciples, Tirumala and Satyarani. Later on, he gave an evening class at Lenasia temple. He chose Bhagavad-gita 7.7 and spoke about the frustrations experienced by identifying with the material existence. Maharaj also spoke deeply about pride and gave the analogy of the mouse and the tiger. He explained becoming a mouse again – punar müsiko bhava. Even those who have heard this analogy before, took away more from it this time as Maharaj expounded with vigour and enthusiasm.

On 10 September, Maharaja left Johannesburg for a week-long trip to Durban. He will return to Johannesburg on 19 September to attend the upcoming Soweto Ratha Yatra.

Visit Flickr to see more photos

Audio

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2015-09-13 Sunday’s initiation ceremony with Sivarama Swami of Bn. Zeyneb, now Devayani d.d. 14 photos.
See them here: https://goo.gl/0mIzlr

High-resolution photos from the 2015 Brighton Ratha Yatra, UK by professional photographer bhakta David Crick.
See them here: http://goo.gl/22vRpI

Kadamba Kanana Swami: Even if we are limping on the spiritual path, even if we are jumping on one leg, still we have to continue on the spiritual path, even if it is on crutches, carry on and then one can be glorious. Just like our Bhakti Raghava Swami, somehow he lost his leg and since then he walks on crutches but of all the swamis, he is the one who went on foot to Tirupati, India, for darshan. He went up the mountain with his crutches. I went with a car and met him as he came up on his crutches.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/7svdyd