Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna Devotee mouse befriends a lion.

Namahatta Festival in Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.” (Kali-santarana Upanisad)
See them here: https://goo.gl/LCjL7i

Adya Samastam Radha’s Marriage (9 min video)
Today everything is fruitful. Today is the marriage of Sri Radha and Sri Krsna. 1) Her mother’s and father’s family are here. The families of all the people are here. Here are good fortune, wealth, transcendental pastimes, and Her peerless gopi friends. 2) Here are love, meeting, separation, auspicious reunion, and endless happiness. 3) How can I describe in song all the happiness Radha’s marriage has brought to the king and queen of Vraja, who are now Her father-in-law and mother in-law? This marriage is a glorious tilaka mark for the family.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/aUmhlw

Hare Krishna! Iskcon’s 50th Fast Approaching!
Mukunda Goswami: There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.” If the longest journeys begin with the first step, then at minimum that first step should be taken. Doing what I know I can do in my limited sphere of influence is extremely important. Every member of ISKCON can take the first step. Thinking “big” should also be encouraged. Srila Prabhupada is known for saying that his only flaw was that he could not think small. Doing something magnificent globally is indeed a “consummation devoutly to be wished”, in the words of Hamlet.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18286

50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America - (Album with photos)
Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia
See them here: https://goo.gl/kfoP6g

Answer Podcast

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Maharaj Yudhishthira blamed himself for the Kurukshetra war and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami considered himself to be lower than Jagai and Madhai. These are clearly not true things. So does humility mean not being honest about the reality?

Answer Podcast

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Answer Podcast

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Hare Krishna! The Holy Name
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura: My heart is like a desert, hot with the rays of the sun. This is my internal mental condition. The desire for temporary, material things cannot satisfy me because by nature they are death producing. And not one or two, but thousands of such death-producing desires have taken shelter in my mind. So, my subconscious region is always burning. This is my condition. But somehow, by the grace of sadhu and my guru, the holy name of Krishna with its infinite prospect has entered through the holes of my ears and reached the plane of my heart. And there, with some peculiar hope, with infinite, auspicious possibilities, it touched my heart with a new kind of nectar.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18283

Sunday Feast Lecture at Radha Gopinath Temple
Lecture Podcast

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Srila Prabhupada uvaca
Yamuna Devi: “After settling in Oregon with my Godsister Dinatarine, Srila Prabhupada, while pronouncing us ‘independent’ to a concerned Godbrother, at the same time twice rebuked us when we approached him to leave. 'You westerners are so restless,’ he admonished. 'Why can’t you remain in the same place? Stay where you are.’ We questioned, 'But Srila Prabhupada, they are saying that if we aren’t in ISKCON, we lose your blessings and cannot make advancement.’ Prabhupada replied, 'ISKCON is where you are chanting the holy name - that is ISKCON.’ We rejoined: 'They are saying we don’t have any association here and are therefore in maya.’ He replied: 'Association can be two or two hundred. If you are two and compatible, you can become perfect in Krsna consciousness. If you are 200 and are not, then no one will make advancement.’

The post Daily Darshan – July 6th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 July 2013, Serbian Summer Camp, Fruska Gouranga, Seminar Part 2)

I remember, one year I was with Sacinandana Maharaj and a whole group of devotees on a boat, sailing in Danish waters. Maharaj gave this seminar about Krsna’s sweetness. It was all about Krsna being so sweet, looks so sweet… and this sweet and that sweet… and at one point, it just got too sweet for me.

Having a bad character and being not sweet myself, when things get too sweet, I cannot handle the sweetness. So, I spoke after Maharaj and I said, “Well, I very much appreciate the presentation of Sacinandana Maharaj but I have one little question. Why is it that in the Middle ages, one third of the world population died of the Black plague? Why is that just a decade ago, in three days, five million people were killed in Rwanda? In one night in Bangladesh, five hundred thousand people drowned? Where is your sweet Krsna in the middle of all that? Is that sweet also?“

So I asked him, how is Krsna so sweet? I remember that he rolled-up the sleeves of his sweater and he even loosened his scarf. He was getting serious and philosophically explained how even this is sweet, bitter sweet! Because ultimately, the sweetness of Krsna means that Krsna will leave no stone unturned. Krsna is not a passive Lord who is just seated on a throne, accepting our offerings – another golden plate with beautiful fruits, “Bless, bless…” No. That is not Krsna. Krsna is the one who, out of his sweetness, is destroying our material life. As death he destroys everything. He acts as a destroyer – very sweet. Simply because Krsna cannot wait.

This point, that I have just reached now, is a very difficult theological point in our philosophy. Because we are the living beings who said to Krsna, “No, I want to go to the material world.” Even when Krsna wanted us to stay in spiritual world we said, “No, thank you. I want to try it, to see what it is like to be the Lord and master, to be an enjoyer.”

And here we are, trying hard but why is it that Krsna’s put sand in the sweet rice? It is not fair! Why did he put suffering in the material energy, just when we are enjoying. Why did he not give us independence to enjoy when we wanted to? Why did he have to create suffering in the material world, active suffering?

Passive suffering means the suffering of missing Krsna. That is alright; that is logical since we have left the spiritual world – so some suffering, some home sickness. But why is there active suffering if Krsna is sweet? If he is not cruel? Why does someone gets squashed under a car? I have seen it, so much suffering; I have seen with my own eyes. Wars – some people here are from Sarajevo and they can tell you stories about the dead bodies in the street. So how about that, is that sweet? Why this extra suffering? Why…

That is Krsna’s sweetness. It shows how deep Krsna’s love is. He cannot tolerate it. Krsna is like a parent who has a rebellious son that says, “It is my life! I’ll do what I want and I’m leaving home,” and he goes in the wrong direction, with the wrong friends. The parents say, “Yes, we let you free to do whatever you want,” but meanwhile, they are making all kinds of plans how to spoil his so called freedom so that he would learn a lesson and come back home soon because they are suffering.

So, actually, it shows that Krsna is suffering. It is not we who are suffering. No, it is Krsna who is suffering. Here, the Lord, who is the complete enjoyer, feels incomplete. When there is still one living being in the material world, even although there is an ocean of transcendental nectar which is eternally increasing, it is still incomplete.

Harinama under the rain in Moscow (Album with 155 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” (Narada-pancharatra)
See them here: https://goo.gl/2pbwNX

His Holiness Radhanath  Swami is truly the master of spirit. Swami was born in Chicago and as a teenager migrated to India on the journey of a spiritual search to eventually become one of the greatest Indian spiritual leaders.

Currently Swami is on a tour of North America and will be our special guest this Thursday, July 9th.

The program will be as usual:

• 7:00 pm – lounge opens
• 7:30 pm – kirtan
• 8:00 pm – talk by HH Radhanath Swami followed by dinner/snacks

Since we are expecting large attendance, much larger than our lounge could possibly accommodate, the event will be held at the temple which is next door to the lounge.

Radhanath Swami & President Barack Obama

Radhanath Swami and Forest Whitaker

Radhanath Swami with B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar yoga

Radhanath Swami & Russell Brand

Radhanath Swami and Joe Walsh

Radhanath Swami speaks to 830 HSBC bankers

Radhanath Swami speaks at a media show in India

Chanting Hare Krishna attentively is extremely easy, but wanting to chant Hare Krishna attentively is in fact very difficult.

As my tired heart protests the impending hour and something I will be sitting down with japa beads, I ask myself, “Why do you want to chant Hare Krishna?”

For me, the immediate answer is, “Because I want to establish a real relationship with Krishna.”

Then, I ask, “Why bother? You have and have had countless relationships, what do you need with another one – so abstract and difficult to achieve?”

Maybe I would reply with something about how incredibly cool, attractive, hypnotic, and breathtaking Krishna is – “All-Attractive.” But honestly, I think that is too abstract for times like this. And somehow I just don’t get the opportunity to really hear enough Krishna Kathā directly about Vṛndāvana Līlā for this to really blossom in my heart. That’s damn sad. Its a crime. But it is what is.

Yet I can talk about something else here, which is real and practical and immediate: I want to develop a relationship with Krishna because… Well, the reason boils down to Absolute intimacy.

Absolute intimacy and oneness is what all relationships hunger for and strive towards, yet it is impossible when the partners are two different beings. A relationship with Krishna is a relationship with the root of Paramātmā, a being who is not different from the ātmā (at least not in the same way that Sally is different from Joe). The ātmā is an āṁśa of Paramātmā, like sunlight is a portion of the sun. The absolute root of the self (ātmā) is the superself (paramātmā). Since Krishna and I are not fundamentally separate entities, absolute intimacy is a real possibility, not just a hypothetical ideal.

I want a relationship with Krishna because I want a relationship with my real self, my deepest self, the very root of who and what I am; I want a relationship with Krishna because I want a relationship with reality – not just apparent reality, temporary reality, fragments of reality – but the whole of reality, and the truth of reality.

By chanting Hare Krishna carefully I have tasted some of what I seek, some absolute intimacy with the root of everything. And it’s that taste, and the wanting for more of it, that addicts me to the sometimes tiresome effort of trying to chant Hare Krishna.

You seriously think a relationship with a concept like “Krishna” is more attractive and more intimate than a relationship with real people?

I’ve pursued this relationship with Krishna for a couple of decades now, and I’ve come to realize that it’s not just a concept or ideal. It is something with tangible taste, feeling, color, shape, etc. This is mystical, and pragmatists would therefore write it off as dreaming. But then, still, so what? We are all in various stages of dreaming. Even if its just a dream, a relationship with Krishna is the best dream I’ve heard of.

There is also something more practical and tangible that even pragmatists might appreciate. Over the years I have gradually realized that my relationship with Krishna generates a very tangible effect on my relationships with “real” people in the “real” world. By becoming more intimate with Paramātmā, I become more intimate, friendly and open with everyone. Indeed, through relationship to the superself, I can sometimes experience some hint of oneness and absolute intimacy with other selves as well, other ātmā, because they are rays from the same sun as I, leaves from the same root as I.

What does chanting have to do with establishing a relationship?

Firstly, because the mantra being chanted is what it is – a collection of names. Names invoke a person. By calling a name I call to a person. By relating to a name I relate to a person. By relating to “Hare Krishna” I relate to Rādhā Krishna.

How do you “relate” to the name?

I relate to it in absolute femininity: absolute receptivity and facility. I am consciousness, the name is the enjoyer of consciousness, the object of consciousness, the focal point of consciousness. I am the field, the name is the plow and farmer.  I am the womb, the name is the seed and the seed-giver. I am the śakti the name is the śaktimān and śaktīśvarī. The name is the absolute male, śaktimān, always desiring enjoyment. I am absolute female, absolutely enjoyable – śaktī. And the goddess of femininity, śaktīśvarī,  accompanies the name to direct my coordination with the symphany of bliss she conducts for śaktimān. 

It is just japa. It is just the name, and my consciousness. But this is what it means to give my consciousness to the name, and hold none back for my selfish use. This is the realtionship formed by the simple, easy act of chanting a name with affectionate attention.

So, what’s the problem? Why is it “difficult to want to chant Hare Krishna”?

A women whose husband abuses her often stays with him simply because she is habituated and doesn’t know how to break that habit and achieve any other type of life for herself. I am used to loving my own ego. I am used to employing my consciousness to think about the things I want to prove, disprove, explain, accomplish, overcome, etc. It does not give me what I want, but I don’t really know how to do anything else. I’m not used to absolute femininity, absolute pure love, absolute intimacy. That’s why its difficult, and that’s why I need things like japa beads in the first place – to count and make strategy and try to measure progress.

I think this is also a big reason why śaktīśvarī Rādhā is everpresent in the mahāmantra. We need her guidance, we need a transmission of power-realization from her, so that we can understand this new way of living – where consciousness is purely devoted to its ultimate source.

– Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Bhaktivedanta Players Mahabharata performance (Album with 260 HR photos)
To commemorate their 30th Anniversary, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s
Bhaktivedanta Players drama group put on an extravagant two-hour Mahabharata play.
Touring three external venues around London they put on four shows,performing to nearly 2,000 people. Tickets were sold out and they received a standing ovation on the opening night.
See them here: http://goo.gl/KHsgux

On this date in 1969, Srila Prabhupada initiated me—probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. He accepted me as his disciple and chanted on my beads in Los Angeles, while I was in Boston. And he sent me the following instructive letter. —GS

My dear Giriraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, sent along with your beads. I have chanted on them, and your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is the name of Goverdhan Hill, on which Krishna used to tend His cows. In Vrindaban Goverdhan Hill is worshiped as a representation of Krishna. Sometimes devotees take stone from Goverdhan Hill and keep it at home as a representation of Krishna, and they worship in this way.

I am very glad to understand that you have relished at least some of the transcendental bliss of Krishna consciousness. It is a great fortune for you. Living entities are roaming within the universes in different species of life and in different planetary systems, enjoying or suffering the reaction of pious or impious activities. But they have no information how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death. Due to the darkness of ignorance, most living entities have no idea about the values of life. Therefore, one who understands the importance of Krishna consciousness must be a very fortunate soul. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.

With my blessings, I am sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me. You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible, and follow the four regulative principles, as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good godbrother Satsvarupa will always help you in this connection.

Regarding your $2,000, which you promised to send me within three weeks, I beg to thank you for this.* Actually, a brahmachary should contribute whatever he has got to Krishna, through the spiritual master. The spiritual master does not accept anything for his personal use, but he employs everything for Krishna’s service. Therefore the spiritual master is accepted in the renounced order of life. So far as householders are concerned, they may contribute at least half of their income to Krishna. Then life is sublime. After all, everything belongs to Krishna, and the sooner we return whatever we have got to Krishna, the better it is. That is our normal life. Regarding your stocks, you can keep them for yourself for the time being, and if need be I may ask you to deliver them in the future. Your engagements there are nice, so continue to follow rigidly.

You may inform Satsvarupa that I have sent the Krsna tape #13, so he may transcribe it and send me a copy. I will be sending further tapes henceforward, because my Nectar of Devotion is now finished and I shall concentrate on the Krsna tapes.

I hope this will meet you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

*You can directly transfer this amount to my a/c No. 12410 with the Equitable Savings & Loan Association, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California.

Hare Krishna! Program on mind control based on Bhagavad Gita by ISKCON Ahmedabad
Srimad Bhagavad Gita is not just a sacred book for all but a book giving lessons on various topics like : – How to control your mind – How to control your senses – How to connect to God – How to know “whom am I “ and many more such questions. Srimad Bhagavat Gita is not only popular in people generally but is now catching up in corporate organizations too. Manager are interested to know what lessons Bhagavad Gita has to solve their managerial problems.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18277

Rightly Said (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: A great flood of mercy inundated the town of Rewal, Poland yesterday as our samkirtan party descended in all its glory upon the town’s beaches. Chanting and dancing in great ecstasy we distributed thousands of invitations to our festival that evening. Upon receiving an invitation one gentleman smiled and rightly said, “By the appearance of it all, it seems the festival has already begun!”
See them here: https://goo.gl/4xnWXG

Harinama at Byron Bay - 05 July 2015 (Album with 65 photos)
ISKCON New Govardhana - Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari
See them here: https://goo.gl/V9CGLD

The post The land of eternal festivals of love appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America (Album with photos)
50 years on and Srila Prabhupada is still spreading his divine mercy far and wide. A gathering of approximately 500 people at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Hall yesterday to commemorate the occasion was a huge success. 280 children from Tamil Schools in the Klang Valley took part in the Mahabharat Quiz while guests were treated to multimedia presentations on Srila Prabhupada. Sumptuous vegetarian delights were served. Special Abhisekh ceremony for Srila Prabhupada and Katha on Srila Prabhupada by his disciples are highlights for today’s session. Be there to experience the joy.
See them here: https://goo.gl/5CKJtT

On Saturday, June 20th, we left Delaware after breakfast at the home of Krishna Mohan and Amala Sundari prabhus for the nearby Philadelphia Temple (where we had previously visited in March) for the Bhumi puja yajna of the new temple on the property.

By the grace of Lord Nityananda, only three weeks after we had visited for the TOVP fundraising presentation, they raised almost $900,000, enough to complete their entire project! The Padukas and Sitari were served with attention, and Radha Jivana and Jananivas prabhus spoke. From there we left for Baltimore, Maryland a few hours away.

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 96: Philadelphia Temple Bhumi Puja appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Hare Krishna! Sri Lanka – One month preaching tour report
A team of 15 devotees from ISKCON Batticaloa and guests from abroad voyaged from the east coast of Sri Lanka till the capital city of Colombo covering all major cities and towns of the island bringing Vaikuntha atmosphere at each location. We mainly targeted youths in schools and colleges by performing drama, distributing books, holding harinama sankirtana, distributing prasadam and follow-up. Every school program had an attendance of 500 to 900 students.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18270

On Friday, June 19th, after arriving at the home of Temple President Krishna Kirtan and his wife Shyamala and their children Gauranga and Vasudeva, we made our way over to the temple of this small but dedicated and growing community of devotees for the TOVP presentation.

During arati the Padukas and Sitari received Their abhisheka and puspanjali from the hands of all the devotees. Our presentation took place outside in a grassy area on the temple grounds and was attended by about 60 devotees and congregation members. Radha Jivana and Jananivas prabhus spoke to the attentive audience and when the fundraising was over we received almost $130,000 from this wonderful devotee community. Prasadam was then served to all the Vaishnavas.

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 95: ISKCON Delaware TOVP Presentation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

New York Rathayatra

New York is considered the most important city in the world. Therefore, it’s not surprising that it was the first city where Srila Prabhupada preached and established his first center. It was also in New York that he incorporated ISKCON, that the first Harinama samkirtana went out, that Back to Godhead magazine started, that the BBT (originally ISKCON Press) was established, and much, much more. Sri Sri Radha Govinda, the presiding Deities, were installed in 1972.

On Saturday, June 13th, the 40th annual Rathayatra went rolling down 5th Avenue, the most well-known street in the world. And Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Sitari were there also, traveling on Lord Balarama’s cart. Forty New York city blocks away, at the other end of the procession ast the Festival of India site in Washington Square Park, we had set up a tent for darshan of the Padukas and Sitari and to hand out TOVP information. Thousands of devotees from all around the world attend this Rathayatra and when Lord Jagannath, Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra finally arrived at the festival site our tent was flooded with devotees offering flower petals to the Padukas and receiving the Sitari on their heads from the hand of Jananivas prabhu. We handed out almost 2000 packets of TOVP information by the end of the festival.

TOVP Presentation

The Sunday program at the New York temple on the day after Rathayatra is a famous event, packed with devotees. Kirtans by well-known kirtan leaders, dramas, dances, and a world-class prasadam feast are the attractive features of this festival. The TOVP presentation was also scheduled for this evening. About 500 devotees were present and the program began with the Padukas and Sitari receiving Their abhisheka during a kirtan by Agnideva prabhu. Ramabhadra prabhu, the Temple President, then introduced the TOVP Team. Amabrisa and Svaha prabhus were also present, and along with Radha Jivana and Jananivas prabhus they all inspired the devotees with the importance of the TOVP project. The fundraising finished with $315,000 in pledges and, after a drama and Bharatnatyam performance, a wonderful feast was served.

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 93-94: New York Rathayatra and TOVP Presentation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We departed from Toronto, Canada and arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, June 5th for the weekend of the Rathayatra and Panihati Festival. The Atlanta Yatra is also one of the original temples opened during Srila Prabhupada’s physical presence, and he visited a number of times, exhibiting various pastimes, including going into a deep trance of devotional love for several minutes before the main Deities, Gaur Nitai.

We initially intended on doing the TOVP presentation on Sunday, but felt the time was not appropriate for a focused TOVP program. We rescheduled for August 15th, although Jananivas prabhu and the Padukas and Sitari will not be present. The following descriptions and photos are from our 7 day stay in which we also visited the homes of many local devotees:

Friday, June 5
Arrival in Atlanta, New Panihati Dhama, the home of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra and Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan. We stayed at the temple during the entire stay. Jananivas gave morning Bhagavatam classes during this time.

Saturday, June 6
Atlanta Rathayatra

Sunday, June 7
Abhisheka of the Padukas and the Panihati Festival

Monday, June 8
Breakfast at the home of Lakshman Ram prabhu and family
Lunch at the home of Vrshabhanu and Shyam Bihari prabhus
Dinner at the home of Gita prabhu and family

Tuesday, June 9
Breakfast at the home of Adi Gadadhar prabhu and family
Lunch at the home of Ramachandra prabhu and family
Evening program at the temple with Jananivas prabhu

Wednesday, June 10
Breakfast at the home of Temple President, Vedasara prabhu and family
Lunch at the home of Saci Prana Gaura Hari prabhu and family

Thursday, June 11
Stopover at Govinda’s Café for lunch before departing for New York

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 86 – 92: Visit to New Panihati Dhama: Atlanta, Georgia appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We spent the following four days in Toronto visiting different devotees’ homes and other nearby temples and devotee communities:

Monday, June 1
Brunch at the home of Shasank and Satyabhama prabhus in Toronto
Travel to Muskoka for a TOVP presentation to 50 devotees and Indian congregation members organized by Jaya Gopal
and Vyasacarya prabhus: $34,000 pledged
Night spent in Muskoka

Tuesday, June 2
Return to Toronto for lunch at the home of Rupa and Sanatan prabhus
Evening sanga with Jananivas at the Toronto temple

Wednesday, June 3
Morning program at the Bhakti Lounge in Toronto
Trip to Niagara Falls
Evening program at the home of Jagannatha Misra prabhu in Burlington

Thursday, June 4
Visits to these devotee homes:
Vidya Nidhi Krishna prabhu and family
Vicky prabhu and family
Tushti Mohan prabhu and family
Keshava prabhu and family
Minakshi mataji and family

The day ended with the final TOVP program at the Scarborough, Canada temple. The temple devotees, though a small group without a temple of their own yet, and lead by Ananda Gauranga prabhu, pledged an astounding $215,000, bringing the total Greater Toronto Area visit pledges up to $1.4 million!

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Days 82-85 – Four Days in the Toronto Area appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

ISKCON Brampton is a suburb in the Toronto area that has a small temple and congregation of devotees. On Sunday, May 31st we made our way there for a special mid-day Sunday Feast TOVP program which was also attended by His Holiness Bhaktimarg Swami who had come especially for the TOVP presentations in Brampton and Toronto that day.

After an abhisheka of the Padukas and Sitari, puspanjali and kirtan, Bhaktimarg Swami, Radha Jivan and Jananivas all spoke and inspired the devotees with the greatness and importance of the TOVP project. Pledges started coming in and in the end $243,000 was pledged. Prasadam was then served.

From Brampton we went to the Toronto temple, one of the original temples opened during Srila Prabhupada’s physical presence. He very much liked this large, old church building and would often comment in a joking manner how ISKCON was buying old churches throughout North America because the Christians could no longer attract people to them. Srila Prabhupada called the temple New Remuna Dhama on account of naming the presiding Deities Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinath after the same Deities in India who are fond of receiving an offering of Ksira daily. He instructed the devotees to do the same.

The temple was almost filled to capacity with 3-400 devotees eagerly awaiting to hear from the TOVP team which now consisted of His Holiness Bhaktimarg Swami, Ambarisa, Jananivas, Radha Jivana and Svaha prabhus. Every devotee became inspired by the presentation and the pledges soon started to roll in. By the program’s end $930,000 had been pledged. A puspanjali ceremony took place, Jananivas placed the Sitari on everyone’s head, and the program came to a close with a wonderful feast.

All glories to Lord Nityananda Rama. All glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Diary Day 81 – TOVP Presentations at ISKCON Brampton and ISKCON Toronto appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.