Planet ISKCON

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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“You mentioned that Pṛthu would ‘milk the earth,’” Vidura asked Maitreya. “The earth has so many forms, why would she chose to appear to Pṛthu as a cow? What sort of ‘milk’ did she give? Who was her calf? What did Pṛthu use as a milking pot?”

“You mentioned that Pṛthu would level the mountains to create smooth roads,” Vidura continued. “The very nature of the earth is to become mountainous, so how did Pṛthu manage to level her?

“You said that Indra stole the horse meant for Pṛthu’s hundredth and final horse-sacrifice. Why did Indra do this?

“You mentioned that Pṛthu gained transcendental knowledge from the blessed Sanat Kumāra, the greatest knower of spirituality. What knowledge did the philosopher-king gain? How did he realize it? What result did he achieve?”

In case Maitreya might wonder why he was so curious to learn more about Pṛthu, Vidura concluded by saying, “I am very eager to hear all these wonderful things, and more, because Pṛthu is a previous birth of my Prabhu, All-Attractive Krishna. So please tell me all about Transcendent Krishna who took the form of Vena’s son and milked the earth. I will listen attentively and with devotion.”

– Translated from
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.17.3-7
An initial draft for part 4 of Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive
by Vraja Kishor
VrajaKishor.com

CC daily Podcast:
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• Vice President of ISKCON Toronto in the 70's;
•  President of ISKCON Chicago in the early 80's;
•  Zonal Secretary for USA mid-west in the 80's; and 
•  GBC(Governing Body Commission) appointed him as Global  Coordinator for Community Relations in the 90's 

Sunday School

To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).

Gift Shop

Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your visit. It offers textiles, jewellery, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.

Please note that ISKCON Brampton is a peanut free environment in order to support those with allergies. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant and Be happy

Rupa Vilasa das, a doctor and Priya devi dasi, a pharmacist, are both from Fiji and have been living with their children in Australia for over ten years.

In his new book Vanity Karma: Ecclesiastes, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Search for the Meaning of Life, ISKCON guru and BBT trustee Jayadvaita Swami explores the works that set him on his spiritual path in the hopes that they may help others on theirs. “Both books deal with questions crucial to the life of an intelligent human being,” he says.

The Lake shore city of Kenya – Kisumu, celebrated its annual Rath Yatra on the 18^th of July, coinciding with the Puri Rath Yatra, and "Idd-Ul-Ftr" (a local holiday). Taking advantage of the auspicious date, the Kisumu devotees organized the festival in less than a week.

North Sentinel Island, located in the Bay of Bengal, is home to an isolated tribe that has never been colonized or even made contact with.

Having found ourselves in the abyss of an ecological tragedy, the current inheritors of the earth are entitled to a moment of solemn reflection in which we wonder, “Am I really responsible?”

The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is named as such because within its main dome it will house a 3-dimensional, moving model of the universe according to the Vedic scriptures. This explanation describes the planetary systems and all the universal contents to be in the shape of an incredible chandelier.

The walls of the temple in Durban, South Africa vibrated to the sounds of the holy name through a six-hour Kirtan Festival.

A permanent art gallery entitled “Walking with Srila Prabhupada – The Path of Perfection” is set to open on August 30^th in Malaysia in honor of the 50^th anniversary of the ISKCON Founder’s  arrival in the U.S. The gallery will open the day after the long-awaited second and third phases of Penang State’s Temple of Devotion and Understanding, which was first envisioned by Srila Prabhupada himself during a 1971 visit.

Hare Krishna! Rathayatra: When the Lord Comes Out, Let’s Invite Him In
While in Dwarka, Krishna heard about their love-afflicted plight. In amazement, His mouth fell open, His eyes became large, and His limbs became motionless and withdrew into themselves just as His consciousness withdrew from everything else to focus on His devotees. And Krishna became Jagannatha. The celestial sage Narada blissfully beheld this extraordinary form and begged the Lord to bless everyone with its divine darshana. His desire was fulfilled through a later king, named Indradyumna, whose haste-induced error turned out to be part of a divine plan, as narrated in the Skanda Purana and the Brahma Purana.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18609

Hare Krishna! Sri Jagannath Rath Yatra – A manifestation of the spirit of Vasudhaivam Kutumbakam
Jagannath Puri is one of the most important holy places of this planet. It was here where this Rath yatra originated and the date of origin goes back to Satya-yuga (beginning of cosmological era) as the temple was inaugurated around that time as per the scripture Skanda Purana. There is also information in other scriptures that mentions about Rath yatra being celebrated in 3rd century BC and credits it to King Pandyavijaya, a devotee of Lord from south India. But with reference to present age, one can say the Rath yatra of Lord Jagannath is going on since time immemorial and there is not much information available regarding the nature of celebrations during yore days.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18606

Hare Krishna! My Sources of Inspiration
I came to the United States in September of 2000 to pursue the great American dream. I was twenty-three, had just finished medical school in India, and had secured a residency spot with The Ohio State University Medical Center, one of the top internal medicine residency programs in the country. My apartment was but a few blocks away from the medical center, which I soon discovered was just across the street from an ISKCON temple. During my residency, I started visiting the temple regularly for pious association, prasada, and some peace from a hectic life of training. The devotees were nice; they never “preached” to me but always gave me prasada and encouraged me to join the kirtanas. Over time, I made friends with lots of devotees and slowly started relishing going to the temple. Then, in May 2003, something special happened. I overheard devotees talking about an upcoming festival at New Vrindavan, the ISKCON farm community in West Virginia.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18603

Hare Krishna! Miracle Day in Stockholm - Book Distribution with Maha-Harinam
A few amazing things happened during the book distribution, things which only happen when one is out of the mental platform, when the mind is not in between you and the person you meet. For example, there were two boys who bought books, they said they were from Dalarna County, and without any thinking I just exclaimed, “From Avesta?” “Yes”, they said, completely astonished. There was a living statue standing in Gamla Stan, with outstretched arms with slighly bent fingers in a graspable position. It looked so inviting, as if something was missing there, so I got inspired, couldn´t resist to place a Srimad Bhagavatam in the hands of her. Paramesvari devi dasi helped me with this delicate task.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18597

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 June 2015, New Govardhana, Australia, Caitanya Caritamrta Antya Lila 20.12)

Success on spiritual life does not depend only on our service. I would like to mention Srila Prabhupada’s Godbrother, Bhakti Vaibhav Maharaj, who used to visit us regularly every year for Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance Day. He spoke every year, commemorating Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes.

But the last time he came, he was very old, very weak and deeply absorbed in his own meditation. When he spoke, it was very short. He said, “Swamiji made you all vaisnavas. Vaisnavas are able to give blessings. Therefore, my request to all of you is to please bless me.”

And that was it! It was big credit to Prabhupada who made so many vaisnavas and vaisnavas are treasure houses who give blessings. At age ninety-three, a vaisnava in humility is realizing, “What service have I done? Actually, I need the blessings of all the vaisnavas.”

That is a fact. In the end, our service will not be enough. We need blessings of the vaisnavas. May we follow in the footsteps of the great personalities and also have the humility to look for the blessings of the vaisnavas.

Even bears and monkeys join the Sankirtana movement! (7 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: One is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he considers himself a servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.16 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/i7gkL7

Teak wood is a naturally grown wood from Myanmar (previously Burma). This wood is known for its superb stability, good strength, easy workability, bug proof- and most of all, its outstanding resistance to decay. It basically last for ever.

Burmese teak wood is exported all over the world for its quality.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

Sadbhuja Prabhu personally travelled to Myanmar to negotiate the best price and pick the best quality of wood.

This wood will be used for all windows and doors in the Temple.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

This is the 2,600 years old Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon (Myanmar capital) where it is believed to hold eight hairs of Bhudda.

The post New Materials – Burmese Teak Wood appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Prabhupada’s 50th series.

The post Srila Prabhupada’s unswerving determination appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Simply Wonderful Harinam in Prague, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Harinama sankirtana and book distribution are 2 sides of one arrow to hit the target of making people Krishna conscious. Srila Prabhupada had such an ambitious plan to change the world, because harer nam harer nama harer nama eva kevalam: “Harinama is the only way for spiritual perfection in this age.” But Prabhupada saw that people don’t have time, nor the inclination. This modern society makes the people into demons. So this simple life is very conducive for spiritual advancement.
See them here: https://goo.gl/g2QLoH

By definition, a “coffer” is a sunken panel in a ceiling.

The inside of the inner domes, main dome and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s, will have a coffered ceiling. Below we can see a full size prototype of the ceiling segment.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The segments will be made of ALLOY, which is a very light mixture of metals. This is the first prototype, it is 22.9 feet (7M) length, 9.8 feet (3M) wight and 1.9 feet(0.6M) tall. It is the smallest segment, the biggest will be more than double this size!

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The segments are made very big because from a distance they will have a much smaller affect.

The post Coffered Ceiling Mock Up appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Hare Krishna! Compassion Well Placed
Srila Prabhupada: When a person is advanced in spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, he naturally becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world. Naturally such an advanced person thinks of the suffering of the people in general. However, if one does not know of the material sufferings of fallen souls and becomes sympathetic because of bodily comforts, … such sympathy or compassion is the cause of one’s downfall. If one is actually sympathetic to fallen, suffering humanity, he should try to elevate people from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. … As far as the material body is concerned, we cannot do anything for anyone.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18593

We cannot love God and not love every living entity
Radhanath Swami: We cannot love God and not love every living entity. The testimony of the authenticity of our love for God is how it extends to everyone. When we love God, we see a part of God in every heart beyond the superficial differences we saw earlier. But also, in order to achieve that love of God—through the chanting of God’s names and the practice of bhakti— it is an elementary practice of bhakti to be amanina mana-dena — to honor and respect others and feel oneself the servant of all beings.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/7EvTgZ

Seeing God and Helping the Blind (3 min video)
Radhanath Swami offers heartfelt observations about the “eye camps” he organizes in the holy land of Varsana, India, where the impoverished are treated for various eye diseases. Doctors from all over the world who provide this service free of charge, amazingly, consider their acts as their own humble efforts to “see” God.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/UJiMcm

Muslim Devotees of Krsna - Launched
The book - “Muslim Devotees of Krsna” was launched by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami during Baroda Ratha Yatra festival on 18th July, 2015. The book contains synopsis of biographies and works of thirty Vaisnavas from Islamic background. This book has been reviewed by Srila Chandramauli Swami, Srila Hanumatpresaka Swami, and other eminent devotee and Islamic scholars.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18590

Karuna-avatara - Guna-grahi & Kirtan for the Soul (15 min musical video)
Melodious rendition of the mahamantra with chorus and good quality recording.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/urCgu1

The post Daily Darshan – July 23rd, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

TOVP Universal Chandelier Video Presentation (5 min video)
The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is named as such because within its main dome it will house a 3-dimensional, moving model of the universe according to the Vedic scriptures. This explanation describes the planetary systems and all the universal contents to be in the shape of an incredible chandelier.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/venWLq

Hare Krishna! Spiritualizing The Fillmore Jazz Festival of San Francisco
The Fillmore Jazz Festival of San Francisco is the biggest free jazz festival on the West Coast attracting a variety of jazz enthusiasts from all over the state of California. Interestingly enough, the theme of the jazz festival this year was, rediscovery. The Weekend Sankirtana Warriors of ISV joyfully went out on book distribution with the single-pointed purpose of helping one and all rediscover their soul. The results were tremendous and the lives of so many hundreds were changed never to be the same again. People from every nationality, religion, and class took interest in the Bhagavad-Gita, welcoming the wonderful wisdom of the Gita supplemented by the soul-stirring revolutionary purports of Srila Prabhupada into their lives.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18584

Lecture Podcast:

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Lecture Podcast:

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The post The quest for fame deconstructed and redirected appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavatam daily Podcast:

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Q: I have been reading your “A Simple Gita” and there are many things I like about it. For example, the very clear and modern language, which makes me think about what Krishna says in a slightly different way, which makes the message sink in better.

For example, I like how you have replaced the word “lust” with “selfishness” in chapter three. Of course both words are useful. “Lust” connotes the strong desire for sense objects. “Selfishness” is more general and explains a bit less of the mechanics, but is a term much more widely understood.

A: Thank you!

The term in chapter three is काम (kāma) which is one of the four goals of life, indicating happiness or pleasure, but as it is used in this content, a negative context, it refers to selfish conceptions of pleasure. Kāma (“lust”) is actually defined as a selfish conception of pleasure.

ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’

“Kāma” is known as self-centered desire”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, ādi-līlā, 4.165

Q: However, I don’t know why you use the word “nirvana” in several places. For example in verse 2.72, in fact Krishna uses the word “brahma-nirvanam”, which Prabhupada translates as “the spiritual kingdom of God”. You translate it as “the supreme spiritual peace (nirvana).”

A: I think you’ve answered the question yourself. I use the word nirvana where Krishna uses the word nirvana.

Q: Also, you translate 4.35: “You will see that all living beings are within you, and that you are within me.” Whereas Prabhupada translates: “…you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, that they are Mine.” All living beings are within Arjuna?

A: 4.35 says: येन भूतान्यशेषाणि द्रक्ष्यस्यात्मन्यथो मयि – yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi

The word yena refers to the subject Krishna was discussing, knowledge.

Bhūtāni aśeṣāni means “in endless creatures” / “in all living beings.”

Drakṣyasi means to see.

ātmani means “in the self.”

So bhūtāny aśeṣāni drakṣyasy ātmani means “seeing all creatures within yourself.” It means seeing unity with all creatures. Seeing every creature as we see our own self. Seeing no divisions between oneself and others.

Then the line conclues, atho mayi.

Athaḥ means “then” or “thus”

Mayi means “in me”

So this means that by seeing the self within all creatures, we will see Krishna everywhere.

The fuller meaning is that all there entities, Arjuna/the self (ātma), Krishna/God (“mayi”) and all creatures (“bhūtāny aśeṣāni”) are all unified, and one sees all three in all three.

It’s quite difficult to express it succinctly in English. In the next revision of A Simple Gītā, I will look at this verse carefully again and see if I can make the English include more of the full meaning, without rambling on too much.