Planet ISKCON

On the eastern course of River Sarasvatī is Manu’s sacred field, Brahmāvarta. There, King Pṛthu began performing one hundred horse-sacrifice rituals. Indra was the only other person who had successfully done this before. When he heard what Pṛthu was doing, he could not tolerate the possibility that someone else might excel his ritualistic accomplishments.

Indeed, he saw many signs that the king was already surpassing his glory. Most importantly, the ultimate aim of all rituals – Hari, the All-Attractive supreme master, soul of everyone, source of all power, and ultimate leader of all communities – literally and personally attended Pṛthu’s ceremonies. And he had not come alone! Brahmā and fearless Śiva accompanied him, as did the protectors of the world and all their followers. All of them created a grand kīrtan led by scholars, in which the singers and dancers of heaven performed. This company included all the celestial masters and scientists following Brahmā, the demons, anti-gods, and many other mysterious creatures following Śiva, and the most exalted associates of Hari, like Sunanda and Nanda. Among the scholars were Kapila, Nārada, and Dattātreya, powerful yogis like Sanaka, and many blessed beings enwrapped in the joy of Hari’s service.

Indra saw that Pṛthu would easily get all the opulence he needed to perform these hundred rituals more extravagantly than they had ever been performed before. The Earth Goddess, with her famous milk that grants all wishes, attended Pṛthu, producing everything the rituals required. Her abundant milk seeped into the ground, making the trees blossom with huge fruits, and drip with honey-sweet saps. It overflowed into the river, which seemed to flow with milks, creams, and yogurts. The milk-river brought extreme opulence to the lands it irrigated as it flowed to the ocean. The kings and citizens who lived along this flow came to the ceremonies bearing incredible gifts: heaps of jewels, and mountains of all sorts of food.

Jealous of the King’s unsurpassed wealth and devotion to Hari, which had caused He Who is Beyond Perception to personally appear before him, powerful and blessed Indra decided to interfere.

Tagged: devotion, Indra, jealous gods, jealousy, opulence, pṛthu, wealth

From Friday, September 4th to Saturday, September 5th, the Hare Krishna Temple will be celebrating the biggest birthday party of the year, Lord Krishna's appearance day - Sri Krishna Janmastami!

I was thinking about the day when I decided to start the Japa Group, almost 10 years ago now. The reason I started the group was based on a desire to share my thoughts about this important spiritual activity of Japa - My struggles and small realisations.
I thought this would also encourage the realisations of other chanters from around the world.
I was reading Satsvarupa Maharaja's writings on Japa recently and came across this quote that confirms my desire and reasons for starting this group:

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Sincere chanters appreciate sincere expressions by fellow chanters. They want to hear the perfect sastric statements on the glories of the holy name and its blissful effects, but they also like to hear from one who takes his chanting seriously, even though he admits it’s a struggle and he hasn’t chanted with all the bliss “claimed” by the sastra.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Hare Krishna! Inauguration of ISKCON 50 celebrations at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh
On 13th Aug’15, , the entire community of devotees at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh came together to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Historic Jalduta Yatra. It officially marked the launch of ISKCON 50th Anniversary Celebration as well. It was an evening of expression of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada and about the opportunity we have for celebrating 50th Anniversary
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19447

Dublin Rath Yatra 2015 (Album with photos)
Celebrating Jagannath Rath Yatra – 29th August 2015
See them here: https://goo.gl/6jD3rj

Hare Krishna! WSN July 2015 - World Sankirtan Newsletter
In July, the biggest increase percentage-wise in the Large Temple category was Bhaktivedanta Manor’s score, an increase of 222%. It’s nice to note the Manor’s steady increase. I’m sure that Srila Prabhupada is pleased with the Manor devotees. The Manor was the last place he visited in the West, and many European devotees went there at that time to get his association and give him their good results in book distribution. Another surprise is that the No. 1 temple in the world is in the Small Temple category, which may be a first. Rupanuga Vedic College in Kansas is No. 1, with 31,046 book points: a 242% increase. This demonstrates that where there is teamwork, amazing things are accomplished. The RVC has seven books distributors traveling all over the USA. During the summers they do the WARP concert tours together, driving and distributing long hours. Very focused book distributors.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19443

The post Balaram Jayanti Abhishek Gallery appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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The post Ukraine Bhakti-sangam appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Answer Podcast:

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The post Why did Vasudeva not allow Krishna to return to Vrindavana? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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The post Presentation at Ukraine Bhakti-sangam on 21 qualities of humans (Part 3) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Some anecdotes from Badrinarayana Maharaja’s class appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Srimad Bhagavatam class at Radha Vrindavanchandra temple, Pune

Lecture Podcast:

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The post Appreciating Bhagavatam as rasa shastra appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Krishna Sambandha live in Mall Sport 2015 (3 min video)
HARE KRISHNA!!! expo yoga Chile 2015
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/RJsSBP

Please find high-resolution photos from the final day of Jhulan Yatra 2015 at Bhaktivedanta Manor.
See them here: http://goo.gl/mjpxFM

New Graphic Design and Printing Services
The advantage to you is that I can print beautiful full-color materials for less than Kinkos or a local print shop.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19439

The post Daily Darshan – August 29th, 2015 – Balaram Jayanti appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Tucson Arizona Temple expanding - seeking devotees
We are looking for a devotee couple (kids ok) to assist in preaching, hari nam, restaurant cashier, boutique and cleaning
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19435

Hare Krishna! The Prime Minister of East Timor receives Bhagavad Gita As It Is
On Ekadasi day, August 26, 2015 Trata-dasa (Dr. Tri Astawa) from Bali, Indondesia, an ISKCON devotee/ disciple of His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami, met with the Prime Minister of East Timor, Dr.Rui Maria de Araujo in Jakarta, Indonesia and presented him with the Bhagavad Gita As It Is in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian). The occasion was a reunion of medical doctors who worked at a hospital in Dili, East Timor. Trata-dasa and the now Prime Minister worked together at the hospital.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19432

Seeing her fulfilling everyone’s desires with her milk, Emperor Pṛthu fell in love with the Earth Goddess. But since he had taken her milk, she seemed like a mother to him, and it felt wrong to express his love in a romantic way. Even then, since he had threatened to punish her, it also felt wrong to love her like a mother. Finally, he realized that she was like his daughter, and he expressed this love to her with great affection.

Remembering that she had asked him to make her surface more level for the sake of agriculture, the Emperor stuck the mountaintops with arrows. They crumbled, and the earth became much more level.

The All-Attractive Son of Vena then turned his fatherly attention to the practical welfare of his people, who lived in a disorganized fashion, scattered here and there. He gave them places to live, organized into cooperative units: small villages, larger towns with markets, and large cities with bustling commercial centers. He also made fortresses with barracks to house the soldiers and protect farmers and animals in the pastures. And he built mining villages near the mountains, where miners dug for gold, silver, and other metals.

Previous to Pṛthu, planning of towns, villages and so on was unheard of. People simply lived wherever they liked, without fear. But after the calamities initiated by Vena, Pṛthu introduced these social structures to help people protect one another.

Tagged: agriculture, cities, earth goddess, prithu, social organization

Srimad Bhagavatam Class 07 01 47 by HG Anirudh Swarup Prabhu at ISKCON Juhu on 18 May 2015

“Recognising our dependence on Krishna”

“What is true virtue?”

Here is the first of of three Mahabharata lectures delivered in New Vraja Dhama, the Hungarian farming community.

“A lesson learned from the life of Bhishmadeva”

The Hare Krishna Festival tour that drew many Irish people to Krishna consciousness in the 1990s returned to the Emerald Isle this summer, and once again got Irish feet dancing. Between 1990 and 1995, the late inspirational preacher and Prabhupada disciple Tribhuvanath Das toured Irish cities with his festivals based on Prabhupada’s model from the early days of ISKCON.

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

Pumpkin seeds are truly a gift of nature. Nuts and seeds makes healthy and balanced diet. Pumpkin seeds are said to be dietary powerhouses.

“In Vrindavan” is a new Music Video and Single by the Kirtaniyas featuring children from Food for Life Vrindavan, an all girl’s charity school run on donation basis in Vrindavan, India.

Pushpa Abhishek 2015 for Sri Sri Krsna Balaram of Iskcon Bon Accueil, Mauritius (1 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/8eAmx0

Here are the just installed murtis of ISKCON of Central New Jersey (Album with photos)
Aren’t They Beautiful!
See them here: https://goo.gl/JFmFTT

Hare Krishna! ISKCON Leadership Sanga 2016
The vision of the ILS is to allow leaders to share their service with their peers and with the members of the GBC – an opportunity for association, vision, inspiration, and education in the holy dhama of Mayapur. The ILS 2016 will feature at least 13 venues presenting 80–100 seminars in all areas of the GBC strategic plan with emphasis on: outreach the “marketing” and communication of Krishna consciousness devotee care online strategies leadership skills best practices in many areas of temple/project/community development strategic planning and project development Special topics for ISKCON Leaders
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19423

Hare Krishna! Bhakti Sangam festival in Ukraine - video
Indradyumna Swami: The annual Bhakti Sangam Festival is surely the most amazing event on this planet, with so many Maharajas and preachers sharing their realizations in seminars, and the evenings are spent in most sublime kirtans. Last year’s Bhakti Sangam festival in Ukraine was cancelled due to the political situation in the country. So this year’s festival is especially important to the many devotees in the country. They are relishing each other’s association, spending the time chanting, dancing and hearing spiritual discourses by senior devotees. 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.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19417

To reach offense­less chanting you have to chant much better than you’re doing now. You push on earnestly and hope for the best. You repeat the mantras every day and avoid sinful activ­i­ties.

From Bhajan Kutir #447
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Once again, the Cairns devotees were able to organise Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra in the Cairns festival parade.