Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Tulsi Gabbard was a Special Guest at the celebration of International Yoga Day at the UN Headquarters in New York on Jun 21, where she spoke, along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and India’s UN Ambassador Asoke Mukerji. Her UN remarks were broadcast live in Times Square. She and other leaders also went to address a crowd in Times Square where over 30,000 people practiced yoga throughout the day.
For at least the past two decades, ISKCON Baltimore has been a small center, and the congregation remains at only around 150 people today. But it has been growing, with more young Indians and Westerners becoming regular visitors due to several innovative outreach programs.
The worldwide increase of popularity of yoga inspired the United Nations to recognize 21st June as ‘International Yoga Day’. On this occasion, ISKCON’s Youth Forum (IYF) shared the bliss of bhakti yoga with Delhi youngsters through its bi-monthly youth festival called ‘Umanga’.
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Since 17th June, devotees at ISKCON Mayapur are sincerely observing the Purusottama month. Daily ghee lamps are being distributed for free in the Temple hall. Devotees offer these lamps to all the Deities singing melodious Hare Krishna kirtan and bhajans like ‘Jay Radhe Jay Krishna Jay Vrindavan’. Some devotees take daily bath in the Ganges, […]
The post Purusottama month being sincerely observed appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Harinama in Moscow (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna chant is called the maha-mantra, the great, exalted mantra above all other Vedic mantras, because simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra brings so many beneficial effects. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 9.1.17 Purport).
See them here: https://goo.gl/m5Oed8
On June 24th, a day-long celebration was held at the famous Sri Badarinath Temple, in Badarikashram, Uttarakhand, India. he purpose of celebrations was to commemorate the upcoming 50th Anniversary of ISKCON’s establishment and to educate people of Uttarakhand about the teachings of Sri Caitanya.
Where there’s less consensus, however, is how to affect change.
June 12th marked the last day of a moderately successful first year at the New Goloka Community School (NGCS), located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA. After pioneering for almost 10 months, the students are happy to take a break during the long summer stretching ahead.Challenges present an opportunity to learn and grow, and NCGS has done just that in their fledgling year.
Hare Krishna! Temples urged to form a 50th Anniversary Committee to organize local celebrations
By ISKCON 50 Global Office
Gauri Das who is a member of the 50th Anniversary International Committee said, “Leaders and the management of many temples may be busy with regular preaching programmes and day-to-day management. Hence to ensure that they can celebrate the 50th anniversary in the most befitting manner, we suggest creating a Committee made up of congregation devotees who can step forward with their time and talent to work with temple management. This will help the 50th anniversary celebrations get broader ownership and make a big impact at your local level.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18083
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BG 7.12 says that modes of nature comes from Lord, but 13.20 says that modes comes from Prakriti, how to reconcile such contradiction?
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What did Einstein mean by his statement that God does not do so? What is the Vedic perspective on this?
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The post Daily Darshan – June 26th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
HG Prabhupada Priya Devi Dasi – SB 10.85.7 – 18.06.2015
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The more I read that book, the more I became the local authority on the subject. Not many people asked me much, but Tom was a bit interested in the whole Krishna thing, so at one point, while we were driving slowly through my neighborhood, he asked, “So, Krishna’s have four rules, right? And one of them is ‘no sex,’ right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “‘no illicit sex.’”
“OK, whatever,” Tom said. “But why should Krishna be allowed to have sex with all these girls?”
“Gopīs?”
“I guess,” he said. “Is that what you call all those girls who are always around Krishna?”
I tried to answer as I made the right turn from Gainsborough onto Berkshire Road. “Well, we’re not Krishna.” I said. “Krishna lifted a mountain with one hand – so obviously he’s a bit different than you or me.”
“What’s so different about him?” Tom asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” I said, “But the difference is that, by nature, Krishna is male and we are female.”
Tom squinted at me, trying to figure out what the hell I had just said.
Hoping to explain how two guys driving a car down Berkshire were actually female, I said, “‘Male’ means ‘predominating’ and ‘female’ means ‘predominated.’”
His squint turned to incredulous frustration. I knew I was saying some incredibly weird stuff, but I always considered Tom incredibly weird himself, so I had hoped he might get it. The look on his face, however, made me suspect he was hearing me in a sociological context, in which case what I just said must have sounded very sexist. “I’m not talking about sexism or social stuff,” I said. “I’m talking about psychology, you know? About the basic psychological natures of men and women. And you can even see that nature in our physical bodies. Men have a penis…” As I said this I extended the pointer finger of my left hand, holding the steering wheel with the other fingers. “And women have a vagina…” I took my right hand off the wheel and joined thumb and forefinger to make a circle. “A penis goes into a vagina…” here I enthusiastically performed the typical gestures for visual aid. Then, holding the penis-finger aloft, I said, “This one ‘predominates.’” Waving the vaginal-hand, “This one is ‘predominated.’”
Tom backed away from me in his seat, looking at me like I was a raving lunatic who might say or do anything next.
I knew my ridiculously esoteric explanation was failing pretty hard as a useful answer for Tom, but I felt like finishing it anyway. I had already come this far out into the deep end, so I might as well at least try to wrap the whole thing up. “So Krishna is the real male,” I concluded. “He’s the real enjoyer. And everything that comes from Krishna, like you and me and everything else… we are all female, at least psychologically – because we are enjoyed by Krishna. So for him to enjoy the things that come from him is totally right. It’s totally proper. But for us to imitate him and try to enjoy, it’s not right.”
Tom pulled himself together and asked another question, “So a Krishna devotee isn’t supposed to enjoy anything?”
“Being enjoyed is enjoyable!” I said. “Women enjoy sex too, right? So, we enjoy life, but not in the male position, in the female position.”
“Yeah,” he said, “but Krishna is supposed to be your role model, right? Your leader; the example you try to follow, right? So why should his followers not be allowed to do what he did?”
“Krishna’s not our ‘leader’ or ‘role-model’,” I said. “Guru is that. Krishna is the object of our love. Guru is the guide. Guru lives the way you are talking about: never doing anything that we shouldn’t follow.”
We arrived wherever we arrived and did whatever we did next. I don’t know if I helped or hindered answering Tom’s question, but the conversation did burn itself into our memories forever.
— Excerpt from the first draft of
Train Wrecks and Transcendence: The collision of Hare Krishna and Hardcore.
By Vraja Kishor dās
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Kirtan with Hladini Kirtan Band at your home
Padmini
Sunday School
Gift ShopScholars headed by Bhṛgu always look out for the welfare of the world. They had seen that humans become just like animals when they are without guardians, so those spiritualists called for the heroic mother, Sunīthā, to coronate Vena as the guardian of the world – even though he was not really qualified for it.
So it does seem reasonable that sometimes substandard people have to fill leadership posts. But it leads to serious problems, as we will see as the story continues
Like rats terrified of snakes, criminals vanished when they heard that the very fierce punisher, Vena, had ascended to the throne.
So it seems that even an oppressive government with a cruel leader has advantages over a completely weak and disorganized government, or ungoverned lawlessness. Specifically, at least the people have only one harasser, who is rather predictable – the state/king, instead of fearing bandits and theives from any direction and any time.
Nonetheless oppressive leaders cause problems and therefore cannot remain in control for very long before being hated and overthrown.
Vena’s pride inflated with the wealth and power he gained over the eight directions by his royal ascension. Thinking that he had become the strongest and most glorious person, he disrespected everyone, even the most exalted. Blinded by his intoxicating pride, he roamed in a chariot like an unbridled elephant making heaven and earth tremble. His entourage beat drums everywhere as he prohibited religion by declaring, “Worshiping anyone but me is banned! Charity to anyone but the state is forbidden! And the priests can never again offer sacrifices!”
This sounds exactly like secular communism.
Watching all the misadventures and wrong-doings of Vena, the compassionate scholars who had been band from their sacred duties, considered how to save the people from disaster. “Aho, like a log burning from both ends, the people face disaster from both sides. The king harasses them, but without a king, criminals will harass them. Even though he was not fit to be king, fearing what would happen to the kingdom with no leader, we enthroned him. But now we fear what will happen to the kingdom because of the leader! What can we do for the welfare of the people?
“A snake fed milk is dangerous to the person who feeds it. Vena is naturally just as wicked as a snake, since he came from the womb of Sunīthā. Like a snake biting the hand that feeds, he punishes and harasses the people who have appointed him king and the citizens he was appointed to protect. Since we appointed him, we share the blame for what he does. We must therefore find some way to calm him down.
“We made a great mistake by appointing him king, when we knew what sort of wicked person he was. If we will not calm down and heed our advice, we will burn him with our powers. The people have already burned him with their condemnation.”
— Translated from Śrīmad Bhāgavata 4.14.1 ~ 12
By Vraja Kishor dās
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Highlights of Purusottama / Adhika Holy month
It is a special month and very dear to Krishna. It is the only time when the full moon occurs twice in a month. This month occurs every 2-3 years. It is a very good time to engage in full devotional service.This extra month is dedicated to Shri Krishna.
Benefits of observing Purusottama Vrata
Glories of Purusottama month (from Padma and Skanda Puranas)
Lord Sri Krsna: “Purusottama month has all the power I have to bless its observer. One who follows Purusottama vrata will destroy all his past sinful reactions. Without performing Purusottama vrata, one cannot perform pure devotional service. The value of Purusottama month is far more valuable than all other types of austerities and religious activities mentioned in the Vedas. Anyone who observes Purusottama vrata will return to my abode, Goloka, at the end of his life.”
Durvasa Muni: “Just by bathing in a holy river during Purusottama month, one becomes sinless. The glory of all other months is not equal to one-sixteenth of the glory of the Purusottama month. By bathing in a holy place, giving charity and chanting the Holy Name Krsna during Purusottama month, all miseries are destroyed; one attains all kinds of perfection and fulfills all his desires.”
Valmiki Muni: “By observing Purusottama vrata, one attains more benefit than performing one hundred horse sacrifices. All holy places live within the body of a Purusottama month vrati. Anyone who faithfully performs Purusottama vrata will go to Goloka Vrndavana.”
Narada Muni: “Purusottama month is the best of all months, vratas and austerities. Just by faithfully hearing the glories of Purusottama month, one attains krsna-bhakti and immediately nullifies his sinful reactions. One who performs Purusottama vrata properly will attain limitless sukrti and go to the spiritual world.”
Naimisaranya sages: “Merciful Purusottama month acts like a desire tree to fulfill a devotee’s desire.”
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Hare Krishna
Sannyasa Candidate Training Program.
His Holiness Krishna Kshetra Maharaja, as part of the ISKCON Ministry for Sannyasa, is developing a training program for sannyasa candidates. The seminar will be offered for the first time after the GBC Meetings in Mayapur in 2017. All sannyasa candidates are requested to plan to be in Mayapura at that time.
Jayapataka Swami visits Delhi temple after his recovery (Album with photos)
Today, 23rd of June, H.H. Jayapataka Swami, ISKCON Congregational Development Minister has finally been discharged after been hospitalized in Delhi for month and a half. He will stay some more days in the Delhi area for routine checkups, and then it will be decided where he would travel. Jayapataka Maharaja was very grateful for all the support and prayers he received from devotees around the world. He personally thanked the medical staff who attended him for all this time.
During these weeks, from his hospital bed, Maharaja has encouraged many to take up the chanting of the Hare Krishna and distributed several books to patients, relatives, doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.
The most regular and positive “parameter”, apart from his breathing, blood pressure, temperature and other physical signs monitored during this crisis, was his constant emphasis on devotees all over ISKCON celebrating the most auspicious Purusottama Month. Currently by the thousands, devotees are reporting a drastic increase in their preaching by encouraging newcomers to perform devotional service. Now many temples at night are celebrating -as in Kartika- the offering of ghee lamps to Krishna and singing authorized bhajans. This is added to the increase of devotional practices (attending aratiks, chanting, reading, offerings, preaching, etc) that devotees are performing.
Just as Srila Prabhupada said, “preaching gives me life”, Jayapataka Swami is practically a medical miracle of determination and endurance for the sake of continuing his preaching mission on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
His personal staff, office and servants convey their gratitude for all the support received during these difficult times. Finally, we all know that is Krishna who is determining that this exemplary preacher remains in this world to continue his service of taking Krishna Consciousness to every possible place.
See them here: https://goo.gl/DoZN1v
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 May 2015, Sydney, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.23)
Trivikrama Maharaj tells the story of when Prabhupada said, “My spiritual master made in into a diamond!” A diamond, as we know, is completely transparent – light comes through a diamond and reflects in every direction. When Prabhupada said that his spiritual master made him into a diamond, it means that his spiritual master made him completely transparent to Krsna’s instructions, to Krsna upadeśa.
The sankirtan devotees from Germany went to meet Srila Prabhupada; it was the last time that Srila Prabhupada came to Europe. He was not well at all and he was staying at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. He was carried in a palanquin and was wearing dark sunglasses. He was very skinny and weak and was in his room. The whole Manor was quiet. Everyone was tiptoeing because no one wanted to disturb Prabhupada, in case he needed to rest.
Then the German sankirtan devotees came in. They were the top book distributors at the time, number one in the world! They came in and made so much noise and all the devotees went, “Sshhh, Prabhupada is resting!” They wanted to see Srila Prabhupada but the devotees said, “Nobody is going to see Srila Prabhupada as he is not well. He doesn’t see anybody.”
But they said, “No, no… He will see us because we are sankirtan devotees.” They insisted and so someone went to ask Srila Prabhupada and he immediately said, “Oh yes, sankirtan devotees, let them in.” One of those devotees, Manidhar, has told the story many times and I have heard it many times. He said that when they entered the room, they saw Prabhupada sitting there and seeing Prabhupada sitting was like looking over the walls of Vaikunta into the spiritual world. They saw Prabhupada sitting there and emanating this incredible transcendental consciousness and they were just shocked.
Anyway, all the sankirtan devotees went in and Srila Prabhupada asked, “So, are you distributing my books?”
“Yes, yes, yes, Srila Prabhupada, we are distributing your books!”
Prabhupada said, “Okay, are you reading my books?”
They did not expect that kind of question! So they did not know what to say to that. Prabhupada again asked, “Are you reading my books? What is the most important verse in my books?”
And then Pritu said, “Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa,” (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 7.128). Whomever you meet, instruct them about Krsna and in this way, become a spiritual master and deliver the entire country. And then Prabhupada asked, “What does it mean?”
It means so many things. It means that it is Krsna’s desire to deliver every living being, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.19). Krsna is the original spiritual master. Krsna is the origin of all transcendental knowledge. Krsna is full of love for all living beings and cares for every single one of them and wants to see them go back to Godhead. A devotee who is a diamond, who is transparent, he becomes the via media and through him, so many will be delivered. This is most pleasing to the Lord. That is what he desires!
Hare Krishna! Iskcon UK Launch 50Th Anniversary Celebrations
A celebration to mark the launch of a year of events and festivities to commemorate 50 years of the Hare Krishna movement worldwide was hosted on Saturday 20th June by ISKCON UK. It marks the start of a year of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of ISKCON, founded by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada in 1966. HG Praghosa Das, GBC, said: “It is a great privilege to be launching ISKCON 50 in the UK. With this early event we want to inspire everyones hearts and prepare there minds for the great year of celebrations ahead.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18077
