Devotees in Dnipro in Ukraine
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Dnipro in Ukraine has a beautiful Hare Krishna Temple, a thousand devotees live in this city with beautiful Deities of Gaur Nitai and Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra. (The big Gaur Nitai have moved to a secret safe location.) They have a traveling Sankirtan party and a big Prasad Distribution Initiative, it’s like going back in
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GBC Meeting Report January 18, 2023
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GBC Meeting Report January 18, 2023 The GBC meeting was opened with prayers led by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaja, Chairman of the GBC Executive Committee. Nrisimha Kavaca dasa, ISKCON Deity Minister, followed with a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam. The GBC began by updating a few committee assignments that needed clarification from 2022. (Assignments for
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Gurukula- The Hare Krishna Primary School (Bhaktivedanta Manor) has the following vacancies
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Hare Krishna. Gurukula- The Hare Krishna Primary School (Bhaktivedanta Manor) has the following vacancies available from September 2023. YEAR 5/6 CLASS TEACHER Gurukula is a calm and purposeful place to learn’ Ofsted 2022 Job Title: Class Teacher Salary Scale: Negotiable (dependent on experience) Position: Year 5 & 6 Class Teacher Start date: September 2023 Closing
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Iskcon Alachua: Congratulations to Kasisvara Dasa and Leah for Being Recognized at the Alachua City Commission
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Iskcon Alachua: Congratulations to Kasisvara Dasa and Leah for Being Recognized at the Alachua City Commission for the humanitarian work being done by the Vaishnava International Relief Association and the Day for Ukraine fundraiser. Read about it in detail here: Excerpted from Helping the Displaced in Ukraine, by Ray Caron, Alachua County Today newspaper, Vol.
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ISKCON Constitution Project Update
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By the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) From 3 to 6 January 2023, GBC General Counsel Devakinandana Das hosted a four-day meeting in the offices of his law firm in Singapore. ISKCON Constitution project members Pancharatna Das (ACBSP), Kaunteya das, and Devarsi Radhika Devi Dasi, who is also an attorney, travelled from India to attend.
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Vaishnavi Voices in ISKCON
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Abhidheya Devi dasi In this special episode of The Bhakti Kids Sangha Podcast, I talk to HG Narayani Devi Dasi about being a Vaishnavi in ISKCON in the past up to the present day and the recent news of the GBC pausing Vaishnavi Diksa Gurus after passing the resolution some time ago. We get to
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Wednesday, December 28, 2022
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Stouffville, Ontario

Art to Give You a Start

There they were, like kids in a candy shop. The Bhakti Academy crew joined me for a visit to a household in Stouffville. The proprietor, Ajay, handed me a copy of the Krsna Art Book, which I passed on for viewing to BA for their perusal. They were enthralled.

Page after page illustrates and summarizes pastimes of Krishna, which are full of energy, mysticism and holiness. Thus, the group was huddled about the book, a coffee-table sized gorgeous publication. It was the first time they had viewed such a masterpiece of material.

In general, art attracts. Colour, texture, images and emotions project forward and stir the observer. Our guru, Prabhupada, called these works of art, depicting Krishna’s activities, as “Windows to the spiritual world.”

When I called Vivasvan from Detroit, who was my major support person at the start of my US walk, he mentioned he had gone to that gallery to see the seventy-five works of Van Gogh on display.

“How did you like the exhibit?” I asked.

“It was quite wonderful,” he responded.

The whole world is attracted to art, some of it is tasteful, some of it isn’t my cup of tea. I have one friend who collects rejected articles and reassembles them, redefining the materials. I haven’t seen his work, but am looking forward to the time he does an exhibit.

In any event. Art moves people and if it compels the public to a spiritual journey, th en it’s doing its job.

May the Source be with you!


 

Tuesday, December 27, 2022 
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The Annex, Toronto 

 

Positive Good Feeling 

 

During the two years of COVID, much paraphernalia piles up; some of it is worthy to trash, some of it needs keeping. For sure some of it needs restationing into other storage areas. The chair room just can't take everything. So, I pulled up my socks and rolled up my sleeves and getting “by with a little help from my friends,” (I like Joe Cocker's version of the song) we're accomplishing a major cleanup. 

 

And it feels so good. 

 

I'll tell you what else feels so good, calling up my peers and encouraging them to sponsor Gita's for distribution to people who could really use the wisdom and thereby turn things around. It makes me feel cleaner. 

 

The preparation for our upcoming drama is starting to come together. This is hard work, but I get the opportunity to work with men and women in their twenties; always an energetic and hopeful bunch. The efforts are creating such a nice atmosphere in the temple and the ashram. 

 

My final feel-good activity for the day was my evening walk. It's a quiet week, time between Christmas and New Year's. I do hope for a good year to come. One where people will find themselves caught in positive engagements. Cleaning clutter, sharing wisdom, giving time to future leaders and some self down-time made this day positive and pure. 

 

May the Source be with you! 

4km 

 

Monday, December 26, 2022
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Yorkville, Toronto.

Coming Up

Being setting up the stage for our upcoming drama, “Big Fish, Little Fish.” January 1st is the date for its presentation., 5:30 PM. It's a story about the journey. In the life of a soul who falls from grace, you can say. Unique about this. Comedic play. Is that we draw an analogy of a fish out of water.

This endeavour. Of community theatre. Is all fueled by actors and teckies from the local congregation. It's good fun, and it has a great message behind it, which is that we all came from the spirit world. That's where we belong, and that's where we should be headed. The term used by our guru, Prabhupada, was “Go back home, back to Godhead.” 

We are going to fill up our temple room where the stage is set up. In the early ’80s, the then temple president, Vishvakarma, and I, initiated this. January 1st Festival, which we named the Prabhupada Festival. We figured it was a way to welcome the New Year and set it on a good note. Just our regular Sunday program has been going well, attendance wise. so many new and younger people are attending, and there's nothing to indicate that it will slow down.

This is a good sign. Basic culture and higher consciousness will be a major force and have a healthy presence in the earthly landscape for this century and centuries to come. It is imperative that we preserve integrity while expansion takes place.

Happy New Year!

May the Source be with you!

4km


 

Message from current Mayapur Gurukula parents: Bhaktivedanta Academy Mayapur Boys’ Gurukula of TODAY
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*”Gurukula is our most important project.” Srila Prabhupada 27.01.1973 * Sridham Mayapur, January 16, 2023. Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, ISKCON GBC members, Members of ISKCON India Governing Bureau, ISKCON India leaders, International and Indian CPO officers, ISKCON Minister of Education, MEB and Co-Directors of ISKCON Mayapur, Respected ISKCON leaders, and ISKCON community at large, We
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