Planet ISKCON

Youth Meeting at ISKCON, Pune
Lecture Podcast:

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Hare Krishna! You are too weak to ride on the bus. You will ride in my car!
Yamuna Devi Dasi: He was so engaged, so busy, preaching to tens of thousands of people and taking care of our entire Society, yet he personally took charge of my recovery. To this day I become emotional just remembering this. For me it only increased my dedication to see that this small insignificant soul Yamuna was so cared for and nurtured by Srila Prabhupada. In my later challenges, I drew strength and determination from this episode in my devotional life. Another thing I remember about the illness was the loving care of my Godsisters, among them Visakha devi and Chitralekha devi. I felt so grateful to have had not only the care and loving attention of my Spiritual Master, but also my Godsisters.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19414

Hare Krishna! ISKCON UK – September newsletter
ISKCON Coventry unveiled a brand new beautiful marble altar for Their Lordships Sri Sri Sacinandana Nitaicand, and Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra. The new altar forms part of the Temple’s celebrations for ISKCON’S 50TH anniversary. Vision 2020 event at Bhaktivedanta Manor. On the 20th August, Queens School auditorium was transformed with colourful displays, transcendental music, and the arrival of devotees from the Bhaktivedanta Manor community. Everyone was gathered to hear and participate in discussions about the Manor’s future aspirations
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19411

UN data show that more than 300,000 refugees have tried to reach Europe so far this year. Of those, almost 200,000 landed in Greece and 110,000 in Italy. At the same time, some 2,500 migrants or refugees are estimated to have died or gone missing this year, trying to reach Europe. Civil organizations have stepped up to help refugees with medical aid, water or food.

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(English/Russian)

The post Presentation at Ukraine Bhakti-sangam on 21 qualities of humans (Part 2) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Million meals – Charity’s target as more face life on streets
A FOOD charity is appealing to musicians and artists to help provide a million meals to Camden’s homeless next year. Food For All – which drives food to drop-off points in Kentish Town, Camden Town and King’s Cross daily – celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The charity is hoping to stage a Christmas fundraising gig following a rise in demand triggered by austerity cuts, according to director Peter “Para” O’Grady. He said: “I’ve seen a distinct rise in homelessness in the past few years. An increasing number of single parents and elderly people are coming to us. Today, people often see homeless people as criminals. Where has the society of compassion gone?”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19408

Hare Krishna! Lecture on Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day
Radhanath Swami: Krishna has no father, He has no mother. But He appears in this world with a father and with a mother in almost every incarnation as a wonderful pastime to exchange love with His devotees and to attract our hearts to Him. So Krishna, the original personality of Godhead in the spiritual world expands Himself as Balaram, His first expansion. And Balaram is non-different than Krishna Himself. There is absolutely no difference. But as Balaram, Krishna assists Himself in His loving pastimes. So when we speak of expansion, this is inconceivable to the mind. Because in the spiritual world, Balaram is always existing and Krishna is always existing. Neither One exists before the other.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19405

HH Giriraj Swami / Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day (video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/xveKAz

Balarama’s Appearance Day Observers Pray for Spiritual Strength
Following a spiritual lifestyle requires strength. Strength to hold off the advances of a world intent on selling you products and life choices you don’t need. Strength to aspire for goals of the spirit, outside this body of flesh and blood that we inhabit. Strength to aim for a spiritual destination despite the seeming pleasures of this world. It’s hard. You know it, and I know it. Anyone who is trying to live a spiritual life knows it.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/F8MJ03

Hare Krishna! Activities and stories about Lord Balarama for children aged 2-18
Urmila Devi Dasi: Activities and stories about Lord Balarama! Lots of fun things to do for children aged 2-18. Here are many stories about Balarama, along with activities about the stories. The story activities were created by the Hare Krishna School in Auckland, New Zealand, under the direction of Prana dasa. There are also dozens of Balarama-centered activities in the areas of scripture, Deity worship, devotee association, holy places, and Balarama’s holy name. Have some transcendental fun!
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=6201

Hare Krishna! Uniting Devotees: Balarama’s Appearance
Giriraj Swami: In every sphere of activity in the material world there is deterioration; everything in the material world declines. A new house, for example, is very nice, but it gradually deteriorates, and eventually, when too old, it has to be rebuilt. In the same way, our performance of spiritual duties deteriorates, whether we are individuals, families, communities, or a society. And so the Lord comes repeatedly to reestablish religious practice. He appears in order to establish religious principles (dharma), but over time religious practice declines, and so He manifests Himself again and again. We all know how prone we are to allow our practice to deteriorate. Thus, on auspicious occasions like today, Lord Balarama’s appearance day, we can pray to the Lord to manifest Himself and help us to become reestablished in our religious principles and practice.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=9797

Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day.
The primary expansion of Krishna is said to Sankarsana, the infinite snake Ananta on which the Lord rests. Sankarsana beholds all universes and maintains everything united. The descended form of Sankarsana is Lord Balarama, who appeared as the elder brother of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna and Sankarsana are originally one, although they appear different to the external eye. Lord Balarama assists Lord Krishna in His glorious transcendental lilas. Lord Balarama appeared as the younger brother of Lord Ramachandra by the end of treta-yuga and He appeared as Nityananda Prabhu to distribute the mercy of Krishna to people with Caitanya Mahaprabhu five hundred years ago.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=9803

22.08.2015_H.H.Bhakti Dhira Damodar Swami_SB – 06.01.22

Nothing prepared the Indian state of Gujarat for the scale and extent of the Patedar agitation which spread like wildfire in two short months in July and August 2015.

Inattention while chanting is also considered an offense. In fact, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that distraction (inattention) or attraction to other things while chanting japa is the root cause of all offenses:

"Distraction in chanting produces a type of illusion, causing serious offenses against the holy name that are difficult to overcome. This illusion leads to craving for wealth, women, position, success and cheating. When these material attractions cover the heart, one loses interest in chanting the holy name." Harinama Cintamani

From Art of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

In a country with political instability in the capital, an undeclared war on the eastern front and an economic crisis prevailing everywhere, Ukrainian devotees are taking shelter of Krsna’s holy names at the Bhakti Sangam Festival in the countryside near Shatsk. Their mood of devotion and surrender was especially evident during Srila Prabhupada’s guru-puja and [...]

When John Herbison (Yasoda Dulal) said goodbye to his wife before setting off on a walk,  he didn't say "I'll see you later", it was "I'll be back in about a year". The devout Hare Krishna of 30 years has set out on a pilgrimage to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hare Krishna Society's arrival in the western world.

Celebrating Lord Krishna’s Birthday party in the City
ISKCON Leicester is currently the only temple in Leicester who observes the festival through to midnight—the time of Lord Krishna’s descent into this world, over 5000 years ago.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19396

BY BERNAMA

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: THEMALAYSIANINSIDER

The RM10 million three-storey octagonal temple is receiving the final touches preparatory to its consecration ceremony on August 29. – Pic from the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding Facebook page, August 27, 2015. 

SEBERANG JAYA - There may be many Hindu temples in Malaysia, but the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding in Seberang Jaya, Penang, is in a class of its own in terms of building design and function.

The RM10 million, three-storey octagonal temple with 16 chatris (ornate dome-shaped pavilions) is set to become a state landmark.

The temple is now receiving the final touches before the “kumbabeseigam” (consecration ceremony) on August 29.

International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) national general secretary Simheswara Dasa said the temple was modelled after India’s two famous temples – Jagannath in Puri and Krishna Balaram in Vrindavan.
He said the temple was envisioned by the society’s founder, CC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, during a visit to Malaysia in 1971.

"Swami Prabhupada had left a rough sketch of the temple with instructions for the devotees here to follow.

"We are happy to finally fulfil the wishes of the late Swami Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977," he told Bernama recently.

Simheswara, who is also the building committee chairman, said the locations of the 16 chatris on the octagon were aligned with the celestial rulers of the eight directions.

"Each direction ((north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest) represents the various incarnations, or avatars, of Lord Krishna," he said.

The temple sculpture, which is 30.5m tall, with ornamental work by 14 artisans from India, including 12 lion figurines sitting on top of the three shikara domes rising up to 26m, was also unique, he said.

"The octagonal and pyramidal shape is designed for natural light penetration and ventilation.

"It is a temple built and designed according to the principles of ancient Vedic geomancy (Vaasthu Sastra)," he said.

During a short tour of the main temple building, which was in the final stages of being painted, Simheswara said the prayer hall on the first floor could accommodate up to 800 devotees.

"An elevator is provided for the elderly. A few rooms will be used to store Lord Krishna's attire, flowers, and a devotee will be assigned to bring down food to be placed before Lord Krishna before distribution among the worshippers,” he said.

He said mezzanine floor was dedicated to the founder as the Srila Prabhupada Gallery, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of ISKCON.

"The temple's main prayer hall on the first floor would have two deities – Lord Krishna and Radha – placed on a grand Balinese teakwood altar that sits right under the main domes.

"The 10 statues of the incarnations of Lord Krishna will also be placed within the temple."

Simheswara said the temple would educate and train devotees and visitors on yoga, chanting methods and the spiritual disciplines.

The four-storey multipurpose hall located adjacent to the temple has an open dining hall to provide free vegetarian food, 10 guest rooms and a viewing gallery. The cultural centre at the hall will house a restaurant, a gifts and Vedic books shop, an education centre and meeting rooms.

On August 28, the eve of the consecration ceremony, Simheswara said 20 priests from the International School of Vedic teachings in Mayapur, India, would lead the ceremonies beginning with meditation and rituals before the deities were installed.

The next day at about 5.15am, the deities will be bathed with charged and sanctified holy water from the sacrificial pot.

“It is an ancient deity installation ritual called ‘Prana Pratistha’, whereby pranic powers trickle down a copper wire and enter the deity installed inside the sanctum and sanctorum of the temple," he explained.

"We are expecting over 10,000 people, including devotees from India, China, Australia, England, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines at the temple’s opening-cum-installation of deities ceremony at 10am on August 29," he said.

Simheswara proudly showed a letter from India Prime Minister Narenda Modi dated July 14, congratulating ISKCON on its 50th anniversary celebration.

"It's an honour to receive such a letter of support from the leader of India,” he said, beaming with pride. – Bernama, August 27, 2015.

Beautiful collection of drawnings and paintings from the Vraja-lila period of Lord Krishna’s pastimes. You may have never seen many of them!
See them here: https://goo.gl/IJwpdE

(English/Russian)

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On August 13^th, 2015, thousands of people marched together in the city of Chandigarh, capital of Punjab and Haryana, while loudly performing kirtan and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra to usher in the year-long celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). 

Splendid Bhakti Sangam Festival (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: In a country with political instability, fighting on the eastern front and an economic crisis, Ukrainian devotees are taking shelter of Krsna’s holy names at the Bhakti Sangam Festival in the countryside near Shatsk. Their mood of devotion and surrender were especially evident during Srila Prabhupada’s guru-puja and Srimad Bhagavatam class this morning.
See them here: https://goo.gl/z3jkaZ

Hare Krishna! Muslim Devotees of Krsna – Book Distribution Update
The book – “Muslim Devotees of Krsna” launched during Baroda Ratha Yatra festival on 18th July, 2015, was distributed at the iconic Anand Bookstores, opposite SGS Mall in Pune. 25 copies were distributed on 22nd August, Saturday, among the general public. The book contains synopsis of biographies and works of thirty Vaisnavas from Islamic background. This book has been reviewed by Srila Chandramauli Swami, Srila Hanumatpresaka Swami, HG Urmila devi dasi, and other eminent devotee and Islamic scholars.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19393

Sorry, the Loft will be closed on Sunday (6 Sept 2015) and Monday (7 Sept 2015) due to the staff retreat. THE LOFT

The post The Loft closed on 6th & 7th September appeared first on The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland.

Srila Prabhupada's vision for ISKCON’s world headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal, India focuses on inspiring devotees worldwide through education. For the last fifteen years, the Mayapur Institute (MI) has been developing as a powerful institute to fulfill his vision.

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Part I
Many devotees struggle with chanting on their beads (japa). Some young devotees make a big endeavor to come to the standard of chanting 16 rounds with the goal of initiation, and then after initiation, find it too much work, and give it up. While I have been steady at my chanting since I took it up—which I consider has kept me a devotee—I can't say it has often been of a very good quality. At times it has been very challenging to continue the practice—yet I did.

Lately, I have been going deeper with my chanting by daily setting the intention to actually hear, and to chant purely, while endeavoring to be present to hear one mantra, or concentrating on one bead, at a time, and praying constantly for help. I must say this has made a startling improvement in my experience, though it takes continual effort, and my focus comes and goes. I had a very profound experience of this as I prepared for a wedding talk I recently blogged about, and I am continuing to build on that.

I think we forget, or don't know, what chanting is, that it's a prayer to make spiritual progress by taking full shelter of the Lord, like a child crying for its mother—an absolute feeling of dependence and seeking shelter. We are offering our heart and soul to Krishna. We are his and praying to remember. To facilitate this, I have made an experiment, by taking my beads out of my beadbag, so I can see one bead, and focus on hearing one mantra, one holy name, one syllable, at a time as I chant and pray on each bead: Let me be hear, let me go deeper, let me glorify you, dear Lord, etc. Try it! This is our special, private time with Krishna. We are in great need of the Lord's mercy, and in order to do this type of intense chanting, we have to remember this fact. Otherwise we will just try to get the rounds done so we can do other things.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 August 2014, Czech, Balarama Jayanti, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.8)

Balarama carries the plough and Krsna, a flute. It is said that Balarama is ploughing the field of the heart and in that way, preparing the heart so that the seeds of bhakti can be planted. It is through service attitude that the heart is prepared. By following in the footsteps of Balarama, in the mood of service, ones becomes eligible to receive the mercy of Krsna.

In the seventh canto of Bhagavatam, it is explained that Balarama prepares the heart and then Acutya, Krsna, gives the mercy. Acutya means “the infallible” or “he who never fails to notice the smallest service”. Balarama engages the living beings in the service of Krsna and Krsna sees the smallest service and appreciates it. Today is an important day for us because it is the day when we pray for spiritual strength to serve Krsna, that is why it is one of the best days of the year!

Back in 1995, a young Manorama Das launched a two-week bus tour with his gurukuli friends, covering 1,500 miles and visiting Rathayatras and temples along the way. This year’s 20^th anniversary bus tour ran for six weeks from July 8^th to August 24^th, with fifty youth including a large group from the UK, and gurukulis from Australia, Canada, Ireland, and India.

Hare Krishna! Temple welcomes red-letter day
HARE Krishna devotees from all over the world are expected to converge at Seberang Jaya’s ‘Streets of Harmony’ for the opening of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding tomorrow. Ceremonies will begin at 6am with 15 teachers and students from the International School of Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) headquarters from Mayapur, West Bengal, India, performing rituals at the three-storey octagonal-shaped temple. ISKCON national general-secretary Simheswara Dasa said fire sacrifices and prayers would go on for three hours, to be followed by the bathing ceremony of Lord Krishna and the sanctifying of the three chakras. “The opening of the building, touted as the grandest Krishna temple in the country, is an auspicious event and we have ISKCON members from all over the world coming to witness the ceremony and take part in the festivities,” said Simheswara to newsmen during a tour of the temple at Seberang Jaya yesterday.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19385

Hare Krishna! New Krishna Temple Adds Another Landmark For Penang
SEBERANG JAYA (PENANG) (Bernama) — There maybe many Hindu temples in Malaysia yet the newest one the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding is in its own class when comes to temple design and function. The RM10 million three-storey octagonal-shaped temple with 16 chatris (ornate dome-shaped pavilions) is the first of its kind in the country and is set to enter the list of landmarks in Penang. It is now undergoing the final touches before the consecration (kumbabeseigam) ceremony on this Saturday, Aug 29. The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) national general secretary Simheswara Dasa said the temple was designed after two famous temples in India, namely Jagannath in Puri and Krishna Balaram in Vrindavan.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19382

Hare Krishna! Challenges in Leadership
Class by Nityananda dasa (video)
The pure devotees of the Lord, like Brahma and persons in the chain of disciplic succession, do not do anything to instruct their subordinates without acting accordingly themselves. (SB 2.9.40) The dress or style of royal order does not count. It is one’s actions which are counted. (SB 1.17.4) Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization—these are all nonsense proposals….Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. (Letter to: Karandhara – Bombay 22 December, 1972)
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19379

Hare Krishna! Expanding both Book Distribution and Harinam!
Class by Vaisesika dasa (video)
Practically, books are the basis of our movement. Without our books, our preaching will have no effect…” (SPL to Mandali Bhadra, January 20th, 1972) Print books, distribute profusely, and that will be the best preaching work. What will your three minutes preaching work—But if they buy one book, it may turn their life. (SPL to Bhagavan, 5th November, 1972) This sankirtana and Back to Godhead distribution is our main business and you should give as much energy in this direction as possible. (SPL to Nityananda and Kanya, August 26th, 1971)
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19376

Delink life from ups and downs of sensitive index (Sensex)
Gita advises us to shun greed because it is gateway to hell (Bhagavad Gita 16.21) and asks us to embrace simplicity, a godly quality. It is also verily said that Lord has provided sufficient for our need but not for our greed. We have heard the story of a person who got a goose who gave a golden egg daily. The person was initially happy to have one golden egg a day but soon greed overpowered him and to get all the golden eggs in one shot he cut open the stomach of the bird. He did not find any gold mine there, even the innocent bird died ruining his chance of having a golden egg daily.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19373