Websites from the ISKCON Universe
We are now at the final stage of the main dome construction. Preparation works has began for the Kalash and the Chakra!
Looking at this image, you can really see how big is the Kalash by comparing the proportions of the people and the Kalash. Standing at 277 feet (84.4 meters) from the ground, it gazes upon us in great splendor.
The post Kalash – Preparation Works has Begun! appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Hare Krishna! Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy in Malaysia
The 13th Global Indian Festival was held from 3rd - 7th June at one of Malaysia’s biggest malls, the Mid Valley Megamall. The Indian population in Malaysia is a small fraction of 7% and during this festival it seems like the entire Indian population has descended here. The atmosphere is completely chaotic and the only intention in people’s minds is to either sell something for a profit or buy something with a good deal. Dare I say though, the only good deal in the festival is the presence of sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17930
The post Discussing with Ananda Caitanya after arriving in London appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
“As an actor I pretend for a living,” starts his speech DeCaprio. “I pretend fictitious characters usually solving fictitious problems. I believe that mankind has looked at climate change in the same way. As if it were a fiction. As if pretending that climate change wasn’t real would somehow make it go away.”
Harinama in Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure (a central park in Moscow, named after Maxim Gorky)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended five items of devotional service, namely to serve the devotees of the Lord, to chant Hare Krishna, to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, to worship the Deity of the Lord and to live in a place of pilgramage. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.19.38 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/Nl33Hu
Avanti Schools Trust are recruiting for very exciting role
Avanti Schools Trust are recruiting for very exciting role. This person will become the head of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics at our secondary school. This is a newly developed curriculum which incorporates the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This individual will also have a key role in contributing to developing religious studies across the Avanti Schools Trust and associated GCSE and A-level examinations.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17926
The post Daily Darshan – June 17th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Animation created in Flash and After Effects looking at mans relationship with the natural world.
The post More scenes of Little Lake Joe appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur Disappearance Day 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 
by Assit Administrator 2 SJMKL - Panihatti Cida Dahi Festival 2015 BY BCC
SEBERANG JAYA - The recent Sunday Feast, Simheswara Dasa received a cheque for RM10,000 from Cakreswari Dasi as 50% sponsorship of her RM22,000 pledge towards Srila Prabhupada Gallery. She's a pensioner with a big heart to serve Sri Guru & Sri Gauranga!
Every Sunday without fail she would go for book sankirtan. She is also very active in Food For Life in Bhaktivedanta Cultural Center (BCC) & outside (markets, orphanages, etc) too, helps out in the deity kitchen services almost everyday and heaps more of services done by mataji.
Beside her, there are also so many other such jewels who are serving with their pure hearts from this humble place we all call BCC, which will be revealed from time to time.
For your kind information, this gallery is being created in the honour of Srila Prabhupada is first of its kind in South East Asia and East Asia. It will consist of a variety of art styles done by skillful artists. This gallery of Srila Prabhupada will be located at the 2nd floor of Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple & will be officially opened on the 30th of August 2015. If you would like to assist us to honor this great personality, feel free to contact us. Any kind donation will be of great help.
Thank you all for being a gem!
2015 06 13 Chetana Festival Who’s Responsible-Radharani Mataji ISKCON Chowpatty
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The word rama literally means “pleasure.” With a long initial “a,” rāma, it means “pleaser and enjoyer” – a “lover” in the romantic and erotic sense. It is a name for the god of eros, kāma-deva, and is used amongst commoners to denote any extremely seductive and attractive man or woman.
The words rāma and krishna form a natural pair, because krishna indicates the attraction of consciousness, and rāma indicates the thing consciousness is attracted to: pleasure! It also indicates the result of being attracted to krishna: pleasure.
If krishna refers to Brahman – the self-sustaining, effortlessly manifest effortless consciousness – then rāma refers to the bliss of that carefree existence: brahmānanda – nirvāṇa.
If krishna refers to Paramātmā – the effortless manifestor of all consciousness – then rāma refers to śānta-rasa the joyful experience of seeing all things as equally divine and thus feeling effortlessly peaceful and satisfied.
If krishna refers to Bhagavān – the epitome of effortlessly joyful personal consciousness – then rāma refers to devotional sentiment, bhakti-rasa, the feeling of affection and admiration for that Supreme Person.
Some say that the entire mahāmantra is about Bhagavān and the word krishna refers to one manifestation of Bhagavān, the Gopa of Vṛndāvana, but Rāma refers to a different manifestation, either Paraśū-rāma, Rāma-chandra, or Bala-rāma. There is nothing incorrect in this view, but it does not allow the deepest understanding of the mahāmantra to unfold. It is not wrong, but it is not the best understanding either.
The best understanding is that the three nouns of the mantra name and describe the same entity – the being who is the origin of all manifestations of Bhagavān, Paramātmā, and Brahman. That entity is the primeval erotic principle in person – the transcendent, self-manifest kāma-deva at the root of all existence.
By the name krishna he “pulls” and “attracts” us. Then, by the name rāma he enjoys us… and thus delights us.
I was really inspired to see how much interest there was in my article on chanting. There were a few consistent or excellent questions I heard amongst the responses, so I’ll try to reply to them.
I was surprised that a few people found it hard to believe that it is possible to chant rounds quickly (aiming for 3.5 minutes, but at least achieving 4.5 ~ 5 minutes per round). Just get a stopwatch, sit down and time yourself over a period of a few consecutive days, trying to improve your speed. After a few days you’ll figure out how to at least be around 5 ~ 5.5 minutes per round. Remember, the chanting must be light if you are doing it vocally.
Many people found it hard to believe that moving around rhythmically while chanting is counter-productive. To reiterate, the problem is that this will give us the illusion that we are chanting, when actually we are not paying any attention. The movements count off our progress, because its easy to keep track of movements while thinking of something else. The words of the mantra should count off our progress through the mantras, but it is very difficult or impossible to keep track of those words while thinking about something else – and that’s why we bop around while chanting.
100% of the time, when I realize I’m not paying attention, I also realize that I’m swaying to and fro to keep the beat while my mind drifts off to some other pasture.
The definition of how we should perform japa is āsana – which means “sitting.” And the definition of how āsana should be done is sukha-sthira — comfortable but solid. Solid does not mean bopping around. No śāstra has ever recorded a yogi rapt in concentration while swaying to a beat. They always sit perfectly still.
One person asked a very intelligent question. It was something like this, “You said that mental chanting is the most powerful, but you also said that chanting is not something done by the mind. Isn’t this a contradiction?”
Even when chanting is done with the tongue, it is not actually the tongue that produces the mantra. Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī cites Padma Purāṇa as saying ataḥ śrī kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ | sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphurty adaḥ – “Śrī Krishna’s name and so on are beyond the reach of the senses, but if the tongue and so on develop a devotional attitude Krishna will appear there of his own accord.”
The mind is the collection of internal senses (the actual sensory powers which receive input through the nervous system from the physical sense organs), so it operates on the same principle. Krishna (his name and so on) is beyond the grasp of the mind. His name cannot be produced by the mind or its sensory tools – but if one takes a devotional attitude, Krishna is delighted to manifest within the grasp of our mind and senses.
To clarify a little bit, while chanting, I have noticed that my mind is only straining and busy when I am trying to wrestle with other simultaneous thoughts. If I simply agree, “OK, no other thoughts right now, I am giving my attention wholly to Krishna – let him take it or leave it as he pleases and do what he wants with it.” Then, chanting becomes easy and delightful.
I hope these replies are useful to the great devotees who are sincere about developing a relationship with Krishna name. I hope I am of service to them by posting these articles.
Vraja Kishor das
The Sydney devotee community is looking forward to building another temple at Vineyard in the western part of the city. They have named it Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir.
