Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna! Ratha yatra festival at Bantul, Indonesia.
A cultural carnival was held at Bantul city, Jogyakarta, Indonesia, on July 25 this year commemorating its 284 anniversary. Traditional cultural performances starting from dances exhibiting attractive costumes and social life were performed in the carnival. Groups of traditional artists from 17 districts in Bantul participated and presented their performances in front of the crowd at the parade starting from Trirenggo field to Masjid Agung (Great mosque). The committee of the anniversary also invited the Nrayana smirti Asram, the local ISKCON preaching centre, to participate in the carnival.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18864

Ray Cappo / Raghunatha Dasa is one of the best frontmen ever. There is no doubt about it. I say so enthusiastically in my book, while describing the first time I ever saw Youth of Today.

What made Ray a great frontman was his exceptionally outgoing charisma and unparalleled ability to control and rally the crowd like a real leader. This has nothing to do with skill as a musician. In fact, being a great frontman for a hardcore punk band has little do to with being a great musician.

No one is the best at everything – even uncommonly great people like Ray / Raghunatha. Everyone has shortcomings, but I love many people anyway – including Ray, certainly – sometimes even because of their flaws, which are somehow endearing or inspiring in the overall picture. The moon has spots on it, but its still the most beautiful thing in the sky – in some ways even because of the spots.

God knows I’m a walking bucket overflowing with flaws and fuckups. God knows I’m not the best at everything, perhaps not even at anything. But it seems there are some things I am relatively good at, and good for. And I’m pretty sure that’s the way it is for everyone.

A lot of people flipped when I “insulted” Ray’s musicianship in this part of the story. If it is truly “envious” or an “insult” to say that Zack was a much better musician than Ray – then you all might as well just cross me off your Christmas card lists, with heavy black ink, because I’m sure I will sooner or later “insult” all of you, since no one is perfect. You might as well lock me up in the “envious insulter’s prison” without need for further trial. I plead guilty, since I don’t see how its even possible, short of sheer willful illusion, to like EVERYTHING about a person and ignore any and all shortcomings.

Why even write about this topic in the first place, many have asked. Why is it even important if Ray is as good a musician as Zack?

First of all, I have to write about it because it’s one of the more significant issues a musician considers when deciding whether or not to leave a band with Zack and join a band with Ray (which is actually what the main topic of this part of my story, if anyone noticed). Second, I didn’t make a big deal out of it (it’s a sentence or two), you guys did by flipping out.

Everyone is certainly most entitled to their own opinion about which musicians are awesome and which musicians are mediocre. Objectively speaking, however, I think my opinion on this particular case is significantly more well informed than the rest of you, since (a) I’m a musician myself and (b) I think I may very well be the only musician on Earth who was actually in bands with both Ray and Zack. Therefore odds are that no one knows their relative musicianship better than I do.

Honestly, when I heard all the attempts to correct me for writing that Zack was a better musician than Ray, I couldn’t help thinking most of you are getting a bit old and losing that punk spirit that wasn’t afraid to say something halfway slightly controversial or confrontational. Maybe that’s something to be proud of? I’m not really sure. As for me, maybe writing this memoir has refreshed my punk spirit… or maybe I’m just a “Toys’R’Us Kid.”

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 June 2015, Gita Nagari, USA, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.8)

This movement is not meant to be a comfort zone. It is not about having a nice-nice spiritual life.

“I have such a nice-nice spiritual life. I have such a nice-nice spiritual home with a nice-nice spiritual cat and nice-nice spiritual canary and a nice-nice spiritual geranium in front of the window which I water with maha-water every day.”

That is like, very nice! It is indeed a nice spiritual life and we are ready to appreciate that it is nice. But there could be more! There could be more. We could be revolutionary, like on the cutting edge of making a difference, making a change and providing answers to the world. The world has issues. The world has questions. The world is confused. They do not know what to do… It is up to us to step forward and speak out in so many ways!

Hare Krishna! Finding the Essence.
Anticipation and nervous excitement filled the atmosphere. It was the first day in the dissection room for the three hundred new medical students in my year. Entering the foyer area, we slipped into our white coats and prepared our surgical kits. The doors to the interior theatre swung open, and we were hit by an overwhelming smell of formaldehyde, the chief embalming agent. Inside lay fifty veiled cadavers, evenly spaced around a large white hall. Many of us, having not even attended a funeral before, were confronting a dead body for the first time in our lives.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18861

Mayapur; Food For Life Prasadam Distribution For 10000 Local People (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/sGAQiu

Harinama Sankirtana in ISKCON Auckland, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: May the glorification of the transcendental name, form, qualities and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect us from the influence of bad planets, meteors, envious human beings, serpents, scorpions, and animals, like tigers and wolves. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.8.27)
See them here: https://goo.gl/yREyOp

Janmashtami 2015 preparation in ISKCON-Delhi (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/iAQkQK

Bhakta John wants to know. Hmmm!

The post What is the difference between a brahmacari and a vyabhicari? appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

FOOD RELIEF FOR MAYAPUR NADIA FLOODING. 6:8:15 (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/BYckX0

Mayapur dhama 6th of August 2015 (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/pqJyDi

Gita tree to get a new lease of life.
CHANDIGARH: The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra, under which Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the message of Bhagavad Gita, is all set to get a new lease of life by August 21. Following orders from the National Green Tribunal, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has submitted that it would implement all measures suggested by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, to save the tree from possible harm.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/SfnKZk

Sandstone is a material that will meet the required standards of strength and aesthetics for some of the TOVP construction. Decorative sandstone units will enclose the two base floors of the Temple.

Each unit in pink sandstone will be comprised of a framework, a jali, and an arch at the top flanked by two columns housing the windows on the Pujari floor. The surface of the arch which you see in the pictures are embellished with carvings in the Art Nouveau style. There will be 32 such units running on all three sides of the Planetarium and Narasimhadev wing.

These units are currently being manufactured at Buddharam Stone Industries in Jaipur, India, with meticulous attention to detail and periodic review by the TOVP architects.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post Sandstone Arches for Temple Windows appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

24/7 Radio with Srila Prabhupada in Spanish
With the kind help of the devotees of Iskcon desire tree we managed now to have 24hours, 7 days a week, nonstop Srila Prabhupadas lectures with spanish translation.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18855

Hare Krishna! Mark McGowan interviews Parasurama prabhu: Every Step A Dance Every Word A Song
Mark McGowan is quite famous in the UK as The Artist Taxi Driver. Parasurama prabhu in his inimitable way gives him a great dose of philosophy. Every day him and his crew prepare Prasadam for over 1000 and are present at every major demonstration and event in London. In this video interview there is nice and practical explanation of the philosophy behind his program
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18851

Hare Krishna! Tributes 2015 is now available to download
Tributes is a collection of offerings from the direct disciplines of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The book is now in its seventh year and is produced by a small group of devotees. This year it was funded by one devotee from Africa, who wishes to remain anonymous. To celebrate ISKCON’s 50th anniversary next year, we would like to reach as many disciples of Srila Prabhupada as possible and special edition of Tributes. I would like to encourage all devotees to help reach out to disciples of Srila Prabhupada and spread the word.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18848

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This is going to get ugly.

And it’s going to be beautiful.

Ugliness and beauty will stand shoulder to shoulder – both of them unashamed of their nudity. It has to be like that, because that’s how I lived it. It was an awful train-wreck, and it was a wonderful transcendental journey – at the same time.

I defy and reject the club-headed dualistic attitude that the sacred has no flaws, and the profane has no virtues. Even the lowest creatures possess some virtue, and even the greatest beings are not literally flawless. Krishna himself, according to Rūpa Goswāmī, exhibits sixteen out of the eighteen classical personality flaws. Just as the virtues of the wicked do not absolve their wicked essence, the flaws of the virtuous do not destroy their greatness, rather they increase the depth and richness of it.

I certainly won’t go out of my way to “talk bad” about anyone, but – when it is essential to the tale being told – I also won’t go out of my way not to depict the ugliness of what was going on. Everyone and everything in my story, including me, is a complex mixture of flaw and virtue, good and bad. And that’s the beauty of it: the ugliness becomes part of the beauty when the essence is beautiful.

This isn’t a Disney storybook.

I have no sponsors or censors to satisfy.

I believe that when ugliness and beauty stand side by side – honest in the full light of day – beauty will ultimately prevail for reader. I believe this because beauty is what ultimately prevailed for the writer.

–  First draft of the preface to
Train Wrecks and Transcendence:
A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna

by Vraja Kishor
VrajaKishor.com

Shayan Darshan Of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath;27th July 2015

Answer Podcast:

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The post How can we ensure that we apply what we learn? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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The post Bhagavatam-daily 292 – 11.13.25 – Use your capacity to control to connect with the supreme controller appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

CC daily Podcast:

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The post CC daily 188 – 6.277 – Training our emotions is the key to transforming them appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 June 2015, Gita Nagari, USA, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.8)

At the time of initiation, even if the vows are taken sincerely, how deep is our sincerity? Even in the best scenario, when the disciple from the heart very sincerely says, “I am going to give my life!” How deep is that sincerity anyway!? By the definition of Kunti devi:

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
tvam akincana-gocaram (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.26)

Kunti devi points out that unless one is materially exhausted; unless one has no more attachment to one’s position on earth; unless one is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaḿ (CC Madhya 19.170) – free from all sense of designation, of deriving some prestige from birth, from learning, from wealth, from beauty and all these things; unless one is free from these things, how can one even have sincerity.

So here we are and many changes have to be made. The spiritual master has to invest more and more, plant more and more seeds in the heart of the disciple, make that disciple increase his commitment to Krsna otherwise, we just go on automatic pilot. The tendency to go on automatic pilot is very natural because everything becomes routine.

In the beginning, it is brand new. It is so exciting and then, “You know, just finished chanting rounds from yesterday, actually. God, it has started already again. Whew. Will it ever end… and what is the result of this chanting?”

The result is more chanting and it will never end! It goes on eternally. If you think about it, is that what we really want? Do we really want to chant eternally? Whew. Sixteen rounds… Ping! Finished! Very convenient. But, we have to go in-depth, to get out of this shallow state of consciousness where emotions are just happening on the mental plane…

Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Saraswati Thakur explains how we are hovering on the mental plane because when the spirit soul becomes embodied, that spirit soul goes in a dormant state and the natural functions of thinking, feeling and willing – which are actually the functions of the soul – gets stolen by the mind. The mind takes over these functions of thinking, feeling and willing and all our experiences are on the mental platform. The mind likes this and the mind does not like that. Sankalpa vikalpa – accepting and rejecting. The mind is always hovering on the mental plane; that is actually the case.

The soul – where real thinking, feeling and willing is meant to take place and where such feelings are deep and meaningful – is in a dormant state and then, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya (CC Madhya 22.107), by hearing and chanting and devotional service to the holy name, the soul gradually awakens. That is the business of the spiritual master, to somehow or other awaken some eagerness in the disciple, to take it a step further.

We can never be routinely engaged in devotional service. Pure devotional service is a very high level. It is not so easily attained. It takes a great effort. It is like we are wanting the highest and wanting it for free, if possible, “You know, I mean cannot. Do I really have to chant sixteen rounds? Cannot do it. Chanting. I will try…”

The number of rounds is not the issue. The number is not the focus. It is not about the number. It is about the absorption. It is about the energy that we put into our activities. It is where we make Krsna a priority. This is there where we breakthrough.

Kirtana Mela 2015 Moscow (18 min video)
Beautiful melody of the Hare Krishna mantra during an arotika with candles.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/aGfHrF

http://bit.ly/1IKkYWx

The post Varnasrama series, Eger: First day’s session appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Jaladuta Yatra is coming up on the 13th!
Get to know the Schedule for the Mega Festival in Kolkata, the birthplace of Srila Prabhupada! Hare Krsna!
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/pMeGNj

The first mega kirtan festival at Jagannatha Puri entitled as “Chant for Change” attracted more than 10,000 people on the idyllic and historic sea beach at Jagannatha Puri. Held very near to the Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s beachside statue at Swargadwar, the festival had the crowds chanting, dancing and drowning in the nectar of harinam sankirtana.

Pujari for Villa Vrindavana
Villa Vrindavana Pujari Departiments is looking for devotees with Brahmana Initiation and with a genuine sincere desire to offer personal service to Sri Sri Radha Vrajasundara, Sri Jagannatha, Sri Baladeva , Srimati Subhadra, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18844

If the outcry over the killing of Cecil the lion tells us anything, it's that people are capable of genuine moral outrage at the needless killing of animals. And good for them.

Dear devotees here is a short film of Govinda Maharaja by Syama-gopala. If you like it, vote for it so that it can win a film award—so that chanting Hare Krsna can win a film award. Running at Number 2 and need more votes. http://bit.ly/1JNAHJz

The post Never Stop Chanting appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

http://bit.ly/1gcFFn8

The post Braja Sevaki’s pictures of Mayapura under water appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

“Not many are aware of the fact that the ancient kings of Indonesia, in particular that of the Majapahit Kingdom, were devotees of Lord Vishnu," started his inaugural speech the senator of the Legislative Council of Indonesia, Dr. Shri Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna Mahendradatta Wedasteraputra Suyasa III, who attended the Festival of the Chariots held  in Denpasar, Bali on 19^th of July, 2015. 

Teak wood is a naturally grown wood from Myanmar (previously Burma). This wood is known for its superb stability, good strength, easy workability, resistance to bugs – and most of all, its outstanding resistance to decay. It basically will last forever. This wood will be used for all windows and doors in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

So who says animals are not capable of remembering each other and have emotions? The amazing story of three horses reuniting after 4 years.