Planet ISKCON

August 18th (English/Russian)

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The post Visakha asks questions about the scriptural statements on the power of the holy name and Daksina asks about the two ways in which Krsna derives bliss appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Unity in Diversity or Unity in Perversity: The challenge of a unified and diverse Iskcon (video)
Evening Class at Iskcon Chicago, Sri Kishore Kishori temple streamed live on Aug 19, 2015. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam on the strength of His philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. That philosophy holds that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. That is to say, there is unity in diversity.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19206

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Untitled Lecture)

The other day, I was reading one page of the Lilamrta and it was a description of a person who had come to the temple for the first time and who met Prabhupada. Prabhupada was lecturing and the person said it was almost impossible to understand him as his accent was so heavy. But he could see that this was an old man and it was not easy for him to do what he was doing! He could see that the old man had taken a tremendous effort to come to the West. He could see that Prabhupada was learned and that had spent many years spreading a message. And now, even though his accent was so thick, with difficulty still he was trying to communicate with others. So, the man felt compelled to try and understand even though he could not understand it well because he could see that Prabhupada was very genuine that he had no interest in impressing anyone.

Green Gathering Festival (Album with photos)
A wonderful week spent at Green Gathering festival situated in the Wye Valley, Chepstow, UK. The festival self-advertised as a festival “beyond hedonism” is a space for alternative, higher thinking people to connect. The presence of the Hare Krishna’s is very well recieved and with it being a small festival we encounter almost everybody there, and share the transcendental chanting, dancing and feasting. Hare Krsna!!
See them here: https://goo.gl/fROrzI

Joyful Harinama in Moscow (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the sastras it is said that if a person only once chants the holy name and completely surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, the Lord immediately considers him His ward and is always inclined to give him protection. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.49 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/xr81tO

Hare Krishna! MVT – Vrindavan celebrates 50th Anniversary with prasadam distribution
As Vrindavan rejoiced in the Hariyali Teej festivals yesterday, MVT (Mayapur Vrindavan Trust), management, staff and residence decided to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Yatra by distributing delicious kitchari prasadam cooked in desi ghee for over 3000 pilgrims and visitors to Vrindavan. The kitchari prasadam cooked with devotion by Gopal Das (ACBSP) in the staff kitchen, had everyone who tasted it come back for seconds. Manager of MVT Prem Kishore Das said “ISKCON world-wide is celebrating the momentous journey of Srila Prabhupada’s to the West, which is truly a legacy in the making. Indeed, a historical feat at the age of 70, overcoming all obstacles to bring us the glorious heritage of our parampara.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19204

Hare Krishna! Respect for Individuality
Urmila Devi Dasi: The individuality of the self is a central teaching in Vaisnava philosophy, but what is our practical understanding of this term? Individuality is present in all living beings on both a material and a spiritual level. This article translates how this concept needs to relate to education practices in ISKCON today. The author explores evidence in some of Srila Prabhupada’ writings and scripture that deal with the issue of individuality together with some more recent research by academics in the field. With this data, the author builds a persuasive argument for devotees to become more aware of the individual, both in themselves and in others so that they may respond with respectful awareness to the individuals needs.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19199

Hare Krishna! Golden Anniversary : Srila Prabhupada Arrival Festival in Boston
Several esteemed ISKCON sannyasis will be joining the celebration. They include: HH Jayadvaita Swami, HH Niranjana Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Giriraj Swami, HH Bhaktimarga Swami, HH Romapada Swami, HH Trivikrama Swami, HH Janananda Gowami, HH Candramauli Swami, HH Danavir Goswami and HH Bhakti Prabhupada-Vrata Damodara Swami. Many prominent government officials have also been invited to attend, including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, as well as the Chief Minister of West Bengal state, Mamata Bannerjee and Sovan Chatterjee, Mayor of Kolkata, West Bengal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19195

Hare Krishna! “Swamiji at Sea” drama script
The Vande Arts Team would like to offer this special drama script depicting Srila Prabhupada’s epic voyage on the Jaladhuta. Devotees are welcome to use the script for there own celebrations of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA and throughout ISKCON’s 50 Anniversary Celebrations in 2016. This play is heavily musical (the main soundtrack theme is the beautiful “Prayers to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna” as recorded by Indradyumna Swami), with carefully choreographed scenes. A professional soundtrack has been recorded that provides background noise and the musical soundtrack (not the actual lines).
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19189

Hare Krishna! ISKCON Seattle’s Ananda Mela in its sixth year- Bridge Preaching Through Culture
ISKCON Seattle is making great strides in preaching the holy name to the greater Seattle, WA community. Anandamela, the festival of India is a unique cultural event that bridges east with the west. Organized by ISKCON seattle for the last five years, this event comes in the wake of the festival of colors – Holi that has captured imagination of folks in Redmond and neighboring cities representative of general America. The festival is designed to gradually introduce the general population filled with kama, krodha, and lobha to Krishna consciousness.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19186

Mangal Arati Of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath; 16th August 2015

From August 13^th to 16^th a massive event in Kolkata – celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s journey to the U.S. – drew 35,000 people, including representatives of 125 countries and many prominent politicians and VIPs. All were coming to pay their respects to the great spiritual teacher, who left his home alone at age 69, and struggled with little help in  New York City before establishing ISKCON on July 13^th, 1966.

A wonderful Japa semiar by Vaisesika dasa who talks about the importance of attention.
Email subscribers please click the big blue link above to see the video.

Food For Life - Nepal: Today, 15th Aug 2015, Food For Life Nepal fed hot meals to 100 more students of Panchakanya school. (Album with photos)
The innocent children enquired if they could have such meals everyday. By now FFL Nepal is feeding total of 350 students in this school. The teachers expressed their heartfelt gratitude seeing their satisfied students.
All together, FFL Nepal is serving three different schools and one orphanage. Total of 520 students are provided their mid day meals everyday.
See them here: https://goo.gl/jiX139

Gurukuli Archives: 7 min video of New Vrindaban Gurukulis from sometime around 1980. Footage courtesy of ITV archives. Compiled and edited by Manu dasa. Songs “Oh Govinda” and “There is a Light” courtesy of Mangalananda dasa (Michael Cassidy).
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/xhmXVi

Hare Krishna! Bhaktivedanta Hospice: Aid for the Journey Home
Shortly before passing away in Vrindavan, a devotee requested her spiritual master to establish a “Back to Godhead” clinic there for Srila Prabhupada’s followers. The land is adjacent to the parikrama road trod by pilgrims during their devotional walks around Vrindavan. It is a sacred grove of mostly kadamba and tamala trees known as Giriraj Bhag (“Giriraj’s garden”). For five generations it belonged to the family of Sri Padmanabha Goswami, hereditary priests and caretakers of Vrindavan’s Radha-ramana Temple.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15967

Hare Krishna! Spiritual Need, Pain and Care: Recognition and Response in ISKCON
In this presentation, Hari-dhama dasa discusses an important social issue for the Society: that of providing care for the terminally ill in the movement. Since Vaisnava hold very dear the hope of dying in the association of devotees and at a place of pilgrimage, ISKCON faces a challenging task in providing this facility and care for its members. The author argues that both spiritual care and medical care should be available to patients, be they in a secular hospice or in a religious institution. He goes on to present some possible methods of approach to both carers in ISKCON and the caring profession in general.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19180

Hare Krishna! How Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar and Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Manifested in Jaipur
Sitala devi dasi, a resident of Mayapur Dham, had been ordering deities for ISKCON since 1975. Many temples around the world have used her services to obtain their deities. In the 1990’s the devotees of New Raman Reti asked her to order deities in India for our Temple. “It took a while for consensus to be reached among devotees here as to who should be the Lords of New Raman Reti,” she says. “Once the decision was made, Radha Shyamasundar manifested pretty quickly – about a year from order.” Sitala prabhu’s main service was to place the order with the murti wallah and ensure that the carving was in accordance with the desires of the Temple community. The Pandeys of Jaipur were Yamuna devi dasi’s choice for deity sculptors. She had ordered ISKCON’s first deities herself from them.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19175

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Scenes from Jacksonville Rathayatra -Festival of Chariots - August 15, 2015 (Album with photos) ( Thank you Mahattama Rahla for the great photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/aXLTiQ

Tulsi Gabbard’s (the first Krishna conscious member of the United States Congress) message for Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to USA. (5 min HD Video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/pI93zm

Hare Krishna! Resources From Girls Home Science Camp.
Among the various areas that the Bhakti Women team serves women in, we are also very inspired to support mothers in empowering their daughters and to honor and value their role as women. We wish for them to excel and shine in their roles as home- makers , caretakers of the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of their families, in raising emotionally and spiritually sound children and in maintaining relationships within society. With this purpose in mind we offered a ten session Girls Home Science Camp in Seattle during June-July 2015. The camp was well appreciated by all girls and parents from the devotee and secular community.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19148

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2004, Melbourne, Australia, Lecture)

Chastity is very essential. It is very important and not only for a woman but also for a disciple. It is said that disciples should be totally chaste, totally dedicated and focused on the spiritual master. So rather than taking the angle of chastity of women and say a lot about that, I will put that on the shelf and rather open up the topic of chastity of a disciple because both men and women are disciples after all and therefore it is maybe more relevant to us to look at chastity as a disciple.

This means that a disciple must try to understand that the spiritual master is a person who is functioning on a very elevated, exalted platform and that therefore, the considerations of the spiritual master are taking place on a much more refined and elevated level than our own. Our own thinking is happening on the gross platform; our thinking takes place in different moods and modes.

So the sentiments of the spiritual master, the thoughts of the spiritual master and the considerations of the spiritual master, are of a much higher level of refinement than ours and therefore we should try as much as possible to capture and penetrate into the mood of the spiritual master. The mood of the spiritual master is that sum total of his way of thinking and his way of dealing. It is not just the way in which he says things but also how he says it and how he does it. One must not only hear the words but one must also see how the spiritual master acts; this is very important!

Sometimes when we watch videos of Srila Prabhupada, we may encounter a particular episode which we have already read about. It may happen that you have read something about a particular episode in Prabhupada’s life or a particular interview or a particular discussion but when you see the expressions with it as well, it adds a whole different dimension! Like in one particular interview, Prabhupada was saying very heavy things. He was speaking about women and how they are less intelligent, and he was saying that in Chicago. But he was not saying that with a very serious face, he was laughing and chuckling at the same time when he was saying it. When you see him, he says it sort of like grandfatherly, but if you just read the text, it may not come across like that. If you read the text, it comes across like BANG, BANG, BANG! But if you see his facial expressions and his mood with it, then it is totally different.

So a disciple who is chaste tries to absorb the mood of the spiritual master and tries himself to act in a similar mood. He tries to take on this mood and not by imitating but by trying to understand the nature of that mood and trying to understand how the spiritual master is expressing trnad api sunicena (Siksastakam 3), how he is fully expressing humility, how he is expressing tolerance, how he gives respect to others and how he manifests vaisnava qualities. We can learn a lot from how someone manifests vaisnava qualities.

So chastity of a disciple means that the instructions of the spiritual master are siromani, are like jewels on the head! They are carried like a jewel, like a great treasure. Whatever the spiritual master has said is siromani; it is not a casual thing at all. It is never to be taken as a light thing. It is always to be taken as something very important – everything that the spiritual master says! So every moment with the spiritual master is a precious moment even if nothing much transpires, even if no big dramatic statements are made still it is a precious moment. One has to contemplate, “Did I have the right attitude within this moment? Did I really take the proper position of a disciple?” and so on. These are is all symptoms of the chastity of the disciple who is really deeply thinking about what it means to be a disciple and to fully make himself available as the servant of the spiritual master. And that must be such a meditation…

 

UAE allocates land for Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple.
The Indian government has lauded a decision by the United Arab Emirates to allocate land for the building of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, currently on a two-day trip to the UAE, said on Sunday, that he was thankful to the UAE government, describing the move, “a great step”.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/gmDSCb

Vancouver Rathyatra 2015 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/0n4gak

16.08.2015_H.G.Pancagauda Prabhuji_SB – 06.01.16

There is a very popular and important Mantra which is an important part of Devī Mahātmya:

सर्वमऩ्गलमऩ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरी नारायणी नमो स्तु ते ।।

sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalye
śive sarvārtha-sādhake
śaraṇye tryambake gaurī
nārāyaṇī namo’stu te

This mantra is about “devī” – which means it is about “śakti,” ALL śakti – Śaci, Kali, Durga, Parvatī, Lakṣmī, and Śrī Rādhā. But it is especially about śakti named nārāyaṇī, which, since the context of the mantra is as the culminating glorification of śakti, we should take as denoting the ādi-śakti (the original śakti who is the origin of all śakti) – Rādhā, the original Lakṣmī.

Gauḍīya śāstra says: Rādha pūrṇa-śakti, kṛṣṇa pūrna-śaktimān – “Rādhā is the complete original śakti (energy), and Krishna is the complete original śaktiman (possessor of energy).”

Now the meaning of the mantra:

sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalye = “to the auspiciousness of all auspiciousness.”

śive sarvārtha-sādhake = “to the auspicious means to attain any goal.”

śaraṇye = “to the refuge / protector / shelter”

try-ambake = “to the mother of three”

If we think of śakti as Durgā, “mother of three” means “the mother of heaven, earth, and hell.”

If we think of śakti as Parvatī, it means, “mother of the three guṇa – sattva, rajas, tamas.”

If we think of śakti as Lakṣmī, it means, “mother of cit, jiva, & maya – the conscious world, individual consciousness, and illusion.”

If we think of śakti as Rādhā, it means, “mother of sandinī, saṁvit, & hlādiṇī – existence, consciousness, joy.”

In all cases this really means, “to the mother of all that exists.”

So far all the words end with “e” – maṅgalye, sādhake, śaraṇye, ambake – meaning “to…” now we get to the words with other endings, gaurī and nārāyaṇī, these are the nouns.

gaurī = “beautiful, fair, golden lady”

Śakti emits light, brilliance, dazzle, sparkle – that is its nature, It is energy.

nārāyaṇī = “She in whom humans reside / by whom humans are supported”

So far the mantra says that we are giving something to adī-śakti nārāyaṇī Rādhā. But what are we giving? The final phrase indicates that we are giving our very selves [na + mama / na + aham = nama].

namo ‘stu te = “I dedicate myself to you.”

The translation, then:

To the Auspiciousness that makes all auspicious things auspicious…
To the most auspicious means of attaining every goal…
To my true protector, and the mother of all that exists…
To the beautifully golden repose of all beings, Gaurī Nārāyaṇī [Śrī Rādhā]…

I dedicate myself.

• by Vraja Kishor
  VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: devi, Durga, goddess, Kali, Lakshmi, laxmi, parvati, Radha, saci, Shakti

We express our devotion to Krsna through our chanting of the Holy names, and also through our dependence on the Lord. Krsna wants to see this from us, that we depend on Him for everything in our lives.

Watch how this nice painting of Radhanath Swami was done, step by step (4 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/rZhSyx

Sanskrit to be made compulsory in govt schools.
Himachal Pradesh Chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday announced that Sanskrit will be introduced as a mandatory subject in all government schools in the state.
Presiding over a meeting at Himachal Sanskrit Academy, the Chief Minister urged the academy officials to make earnest efforts to promote Sanskrit.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/aUzfx9

Volume 14, Chapter 5 Aug 17, 2015   After a month of harinams and festivals and a mammoth three-day Woodstock festival, our tour devotees were exhausted. When I mentioned during a meeting that we had seventeen more festivals to go, I saw many devotees catch their breath and roll their eyes upward. “It’s our duty,” [...]

TOVP’s North American Tour - HG Jananivas Das (4 min video)
His Grace Jananivas Das describes his experiences during the TOVP North American fundraising tour.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Bq7Jbz

Hare Krishna! Visitor From Calcutta
I first see him just after crossing the Bowery at Houston Street. As he passes before the iron-mesh fence of a playground, I distinctly glimpse the aura of saintliness. I watch him through the rushing traffic and stumbling derelicts. He strolls almost jauntily down the sidewalk. He is an old man whom age has never touched. Aloof from the people and bustle about him, he walks proudly, independently, his hand in a cloth beadbag. He wears the saffron robes of a sannyasi, and on his feet are quaint, pointed white shoes. Only seven months ago, I had seen many saffron-robed monks and holymen walking the dirt roads of Hardwar and Rishikesh, and stopping beside the Ganges to bathe. For me, that had been a futile journey to the mystic East in search of the all-knowing guru. But now—what’s this?
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19143