Planet ISKCON

In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with Nityananda Prabhu. Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds and thousands of rising suns.

About 6 years ago ISKCON acquired land in this village and made a wonderful temple. The village was also the residential quarters of Raghava Pandit, a dear devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 06 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: The secret of spiritual advancement)

It is said that the spiritual master is very pleased when the devotees chant the holy name and play musical instruments. The playing of musical instruments is our tradition; it is not about being a musician. Some of us may be more musically inclined than others; that is a fact but every member of the sankirtan movement is meant to learn a little bit of how to play a musical instrument, a little beat, and simply chant Hare Krsna. When we just chant like that, it does not matter what melody, it is just ultra-positive and it is a simple thing to do. So if you want to know one of my secrets, it is doing just that! It is not that I am such a great musician, in fact I am a terribly bad harmonium player compared to some others, there are many others who are much better than me, but I like to sing and I realize that this singing is giving me positive energy. These are inspirational things we have to look for!

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
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Aerial view of the flooded area around the Iskcon Mayapur Temple (5 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/YLl3bQ

India in Greece or Truth in mythology “The affinity between the Greek language and the old Parsee and Sanskrit is certain and essential. The use of cognate idioms prove that the nations who used them to have descended from the same stock. That the religion of the Greeks emanated from an Eastern shore no-one will deny. We must therefore suppose the religion, as well as the language of Greece to have been derived, in great part, largely from the east”. Dr Prichard - Physical History Of Man. “The whole of this state of society, civil and military, must strike anyone as eminently Asiatic; much of it specifically Indian. Such it undoubtedly is… these evidences were but the attendant tokens of an Indian colonization with its corresponding religion and language… the whole of Greece, from the era of the supposed godships of Poseidon and Zeus, down to the close of the Trojan war was Indian in language, sentiment and religion, as well as the arts of peace and war.” - Edward G Pococke. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18818

The monsoon in West Bengal is midway and has brought tremendous rainfall already. The ISKCON Mayapur campus and the surrounding villages are fully flooded with three feet water. Devotees now are getting around in boats and still continue to attend temple functions and visit the Deities. 

Pupils try tasty alternative to white bread
A healthy alternative to “nasty” cheap white bread is on the menu for hundreds of Northland schoolkids thanks to a $10,000 donation all the way from Singapore. Food for Life founder Buddhi Wilcox had been wanting to make chapati - a thin pancake of unleavened wholemeal bread - for the students for years. Founded in 2012, the organisation provides free, nutritious vegetarian meals weekly to more than 1000 Whangarei schoolchildren. Unfortunately making chapati is quite time consuming, with it likely taking a volunteer five or six hours to make the number required. “The whole idea for me was at the schools a lot of the kids are just used to having cheap nasty white bread,” Mr Wilcox said. “This (chapati) is a staple diet in India and it’s part of a good balanced meal.” Normally the commercial chapati making machines were very large, though Mr Wilcox managed to find a small one less than 2m long online from the United States.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/KmGFGz

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Hare Krishna! BBT Draft Editorial Policy
BBT Global Communications: During Srila Prabhupada’s physical presence, all of his books were edited before publication. For some of these books – Sri Isopanisad, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam – his editors, with his approval, undertook a second, revised edition. Apart from this, during his lifetime his editors made various minor revisions. And Srila Prabhupada himself sometimes directed that some particular word or sentence be revised. Srila Prabhupada, however, many times expressed his disapproval of “needless change.” And on one notable occasion (in Vrindavana on June 22, 1977) Srila Prabhupada expressed strong disapproval of changes that “rascal editors” had made to his books, and he directed that these changes be reversed.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18813

Surprisingly, in our modern high-paced high-controlled life style the thing that is out of control is our own mind. Though there is a simple process that can help to bring the mind back under control. This 5 min documentary is about Awakening the Soul, an event lead by BB Govinda Swami, that delivers such an experience. May 31, 2014, Dubai.

Never Stop Chanting by Vrindavan Experience has a chance to get People's Choice Award at MusicBed Film Festival! Please support the film by voting it up! https://filmfest.musicbed.com/submi…/never-stop-chanting/681#

Evening arati with candle offering.

Hare Krishna! ISKCON 50 Festival in Houston
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, fulfilling his Guru Maharaja’s instruction and the 50th anniversary next year of the incorporation of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Many wonderful presenters have committed to attend, including, Bhakti Caru Swami, Giriraja Swami, Romapada Swami, Mother Rambhoru Devi, Bhaktimarga Swami, Vaisesika Prabhu, Gunagrahi Goswami and Mother Radha Devi. Join us, for not-to-be-missed kirtans, sadhu sanga, classes and seminars, great prasadam feasts, international special presentations, product and service displays, outreach and sankirtana networking and much more celebrating the first 50 years of Srila Prabhupada’s mission. There will also be special programs for children.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18810

Bhakti Charu Swami’s program at Chickballapur on the evening of
July 28, 2015 (Album with photos)
Taken at a program at the ISKCON Namahatta center at Chickballapur, Karnataka, 70 kilometers North of Bangalore City
See them here: https://goo.gl/kSxZN9

Spiritual Retreat @ Gita Nagari 2015 with Radhanath Swami (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/2j4xHo

Mayapur temple yesterday, 4th of August, 2015

Maddi Kat tells us all about her experience with the Hare Krishna parade in Venice Beach, Los Angeles (3 min video)
“… such wonderful, happy people! Why the christians were harassing them!”
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/wzuM0h

Police removes the local people from that sky bridge for chariot to pass under so that none would be above Lord Jagannatha’s chariot..
Bhaktapur Jagannatha Ratha Yatra. (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/9ZnDa9

Srimad Bhagavatam 07.03.01 By HG Chaitanya Avatar Prabhu at ISKCON Juhu

Kumari and Rupa’s beautiful Vaishnava wedding at the Palace of Gold, New Vrindaban (Album with photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/cagfum

“A Thunder bird will only drink water from the cloud. In India it is called a Chatak bird. Sometimes the cloud doesn’t give water but gives thunder and lightning but still the Chatak bird will not go anywhere else for water. So, the example is given that a devotee will take mercy only from Krishna. He does not want material mercy from the material world. Even if apparently Krishna is not giving mercy but giving thunderbolts he will still not look for mercy from the material world but will patiently wait for Krishna’s mercy. So, even if a devotee is in difficulty, he does not look for relief anywhere but from Krishna. He does not look for relief from intoxication or any other from of sense gratification.”

Q&A, Ratha-yatra, LA

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 06 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: The secret of spiritual advancement)

Question: How do we overcome challenges of associating with family members who make spiritual advancement difficult, e.g. mother, father, siblings, wife or husband, without dishonouring them?

I think that everyone has to live a life based on truth. If your life is not based on truth, not based on what you believe in, then you are in big trouble and then it is really time to make a change. So, once you have realized that Krsna consciousness is the truth then you have to make it clear to your family that you are a devotee and that you have certain principles, you have a certain way of life – no eating of meat, fish, eggs, etc. – so they should keep those things away as you cannot be part of that.

One has to be very clear and firm. In my life, my father expired before I came to Krsna consciousness but at a young age, at age seventeen, I had decided that I wanted spiritual life and I wanted to go to India. My father had other plans for me, he wanted me to go into the family business and take over from my grandfather, so he became very upset, VERY UPSET and in a thundering voice with all his might, he told me, “If you leave home, I won’t give you a cent!”

He said that very strongly and at that point I could have argued with him but I did not; I stayed completely calm and said to him, “That’s alright! I don’t need so much money and whatever money I need, I think I can get it with my energy because I have some higher goals in life!” When I father saw that I had remained completely calm and I was not shocked by his statement, then he lost control over me. And then, his anger transformed into fear and I won as he did not have any control over me. Then I walked away with my head held high, following my path and my father had to accept it because I stood up for what I believed in and stayed calm. There was more discussion but I was not doing it to cause grief to my family; a man has to live a life of the heart.

So tell your family members that you have to live a life of your heart and if it is different from what the family has been doing, what to do, but still they have to respect it. Sometimes, we cannot keep relationships with our family members, we do try, but those who are not willing to accept our way of life are not worth it. They may be from the same family but they are not our friends; such people are not our well-wishers.

Karmically speaking, we must understand that not everyone who is born in the same family is automatically a group of well-wishers and friends. By karma, not all friends end up in the same family – karma does not work like that! Just may be that nasty, problematic neighbour from your last life came as your brother in this life (audience laughter). It is also like that. Karma is not entirely about well-wishers coming together and helping each other. No, sometimes enemies come back within a family; someone may take birth to give trouble. Have you ever thought of that!? Karmically, it is possible and this is discussed in many Vedic texts. So think about that concept but I do not want you to start thinking of your whole family like that, “I have always thought that about uncle!” Anyway, you get the idea…

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The Best Community You’ve Never Heard Of!
New Goloka Dham, featuring Their Lordships Sri-Sri Radha-Golokananda
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18801

Hare Krishna! Did Indra help the construction of New Vrindavana’ s Govindaji Mandir?
Varsana Swami: A few days later, after the water had drained out of the footer, Bob and I went back up to Govindaji Hill and continued the footer exaction. To our surprise and delight, the rock broke out easily this time. I cannot say definitely that it was because of the lightning because standing water will also loosen layered rock. The excavation for the footer of Govindaji Mandir was completed in time so that the community was able to conduct two simultaneous installation ceremonies. There was a grand installation ceremony in Bahulaban for the cornerstone of Govindaji Mandir, the first of the seven temples that Srila Prabhupada had envisioned in New Vrindaban. There was another cornerstone ceremony for Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18798

The goal of our educational system is to inspire our children to become devotees of Krsna, while living in this world like perfect, responsible ladies and gentlemen. We see such example in the life of Radhika Raman Prabhu, who, along with his younger brother, was homeschooled by his mother, Aruddha Mataji. Their story is a success story and thus we invited them to share it with us.

Their seminar was inspiring and gave us a sense of recommitting ourselves to the standards established by Srila Prabhupada. The home environment, saturated with spiritual practices, while minimizing other distractions, is so essential and beneficial for attaining our desired goal. They urged us to forgo the excessive use of electronics and instead, invest our time studying the Srimad Bhagavatam with our children. They spoke about the importance of including children in outreach; in presenting Krsna consciousness and sharing it with others.

The seminar they presented in the temple room was followed the next day by additional Questions and Answers session for the benefit of our parents, as part of our Orientation Meeting. One parent wrote: “I wanted to thank you for the visit of Radhika Raman Prabhu and his mother. Amazing advice, association, etc. Great start to the new year.”

To listen to the recording of the seminar:  https://soundcloud.com/premasindhu/sets/the-art-of-krishna-conscious

A Letter from Tribhuvanatha Prabhu
Padmapani das: After more than 20 years, I’ve decided to make the following letter available to devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18795

Varnashram - the Foundation to Deepen our Chanting
In former times the Varnashram system was practised with so many detailed rules and regulations, many of them being connected to all kinds of karma kanda rituals. In our modern days it is certainly impossible to re-introduce this kind of understanding of Varnashram, and there is also no need for it. Nevertheless, the basic principles of Varnashram can be extracted and will always be very relevant for any civilized human society. These principles are simply part of Krsna’s system in order to create stability and harmony in this world, and to support our spiritual practice.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18792

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