Planet ISKCON

Let us all give our best effort to chant and hear the Holy names with respect and keep in mind that Krsna is present with all His energies in the Holy names.

Care for Cows is an organization started by HG Kurma Rupa das prabhu in Vrindavan. The organization protects abandoned cows. Today I heard that HG Kurma Rupa prabhu is in an advanced stage of cancer. He may leave his body at any moment. Please pray for prabhuji so he can go back to loving embracing arms of Sri Gopal and their transcendental cows.

Below is an email from H.H BB Govinda Swami maharaja who met HG Kurma Rupa prabhu yesterday in Vrindavan.

Hare Krishna

From BB Govinda Maharaj:

June 25th, 2015

Dear All,

Obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Our wonderful god-brother Kurma Rupa Prabhu is dying of cancer in Vraja. Today may be his last day. He was diagnosed a few weeks ago with stage four cancer .. a big tumour at the base of his stomach. He has lived in Vraja approximately 31 years. 

He served with the Gurukula and later started the “Care For Cows” program. I went to see him the other evening. He was very weak but we spoke for about an hour. I asked him about his japa and he said he was too weak to chant. But then he shared that for many years he had chanted 64 rounds a day. And he said that during those rare, special moments of his life when Krishna would bless with a drop of mercy .. he could see that his only desire and aspiration was to serve Sri Gopal and His cows. He said that many great souls speak of service to the servants of Sri Radha, and, that he offers his obeisances to them millions of times. But all he prays for is the service of Sri Gopal and His cows. The next day he was planning to leave the room he was staying in return to “Care For Cows.” 

He said he wanted to be there to “hear the cows, smell the cows, have the dust of the cows walking cover his body.” Take a moment and offer a prayer to Sri Gopal that He quickly embrace Kurma Rupa Prabhu . and that arm and arm they walk together amidst 900,000 cows.

Hare Krishna. 

Affectionate regards.
Your servant,
BB Govinda Swami 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 June 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, United Kingdom, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.40)

When we look at the temple, here we are in the Bhaktivedanta Manor, we can see that the deities, Radha-Gokulananda, Sita-Rama-Laksman-Hanuman, Gaura-Nitai, are all transcendental. This temple is so much Prabhupada’s headquarters in Europe. It is so much connected with Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada was sitting on the lawn and with that, the lawn has become like a place of pilgrimage. Like that, the Manor is so transcendental.

In this way, we look and we think, “Yes, everything and everyone is transcendental – except me!” Do you also feel like that sometimes that you are the odd one out in the Hare Krsna movement? The one that is, somehow or other, not transcendental. What to do about that? That kind of situation does occur but then at least we understand, we feel, “Well, I am not really making any advancement but gradually, by devotional service, the mode of goodness awakens and even more gradually some attachment to Krsna awakens.” That naturally arises, even when we do not notice.

I compare that to getting older. You do not notice that you are getting older and then one day you look in the mirror and think, “My God, I look old!” You know, it is like that, it creeps up on you, like you do not really notice it. You think, “I did not change a bit.” And then you say, “Well, maybe my body did change a bit.” Like that, sometimes, one becomes aware of it. In the same way, sometimes we realize, “ Maybe I did become a bit more established in the mode of goodness. Maybe I did even develop some attachment to Krsna.” And with it, it is a fact, it is this attachment that will save us.

All glories to Sri Krishna Sankirtana. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
As I walked passed a security guard greeted me “ Hare Krishna!”, it was special. I wasn’t in an ISKCON temple by the way, I was at Delhi’s largest Liver Hospital.This is what happens to every devotee who walks in through this multi storied speciality hospital , and the magic being created by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami.
His holiness Jayapataka Swami has visited this hospital a number of times for receiving protein supplements and had been admitted here twice as well. His charming personality has made many staff of the hospital take advantage of the Holy Names and be favourable to Krishna’s devotees. The nurses, the doctors , the guards they are all concerned for Maharaj and are literally delighted to be of service to him. Read on for some experiences of the hospital staff had with Maharaj.
Rajesh an experienced nurse who nursed Maharaj at the Intensive Care Unit had to say this about his Holiness. “Immediately after removing the ventilator tubes ,he asked me my name , I said "Rajesh”. He was still partially sedated and had been on the Ventillator for so many days. Patients in that state will hardly speak or remember. I left and got to see him after two days. When I entered he said “Rajesh”! I was stunned. I tell a patient my name so many times and they never remember. And I don’t expect anyone to remember if I told them who I was when they are sedated.He is different , he is not an ordinary person.“ Rajesh went on to tell me that patients treat the doctors with lot of respect, but Jayapataka Swami treats all of them on par with the doctors. He said,” Swamiji respects everyone.“
I was waiting in the corridor to see Dr.Rakhi, the head of the Intensive Care Unit, to ask her about her experiences with Maharaj.I had never met her before, when she saw me waiting she was sure happy and said "Oh it’s you, are you with Swamiji? I’ve been wanting to see him from the time he left ICU, I feel like seeing him everyday, now you reminded me , come lets go and see him”. As we took the stairs she told me what a challenge it was to treat Maharaj because he was such a VIP “every move was so well thought and we were extremely cautious , we knew there are perhaps a lakh of people eagerly waiting for him”, she said. She went on to tell me that it was a pleasure to treat Maharaj as he was very positive and very cooperative. “Patients don’t give us direction, but Swamiji gave us, and that was amazing, especially when it came to important decisions he was with us”. She told me that she was not a very religious person but certainly believed that Maharaj had an aura that was very attractive. “Seeing him gives me some unknown satisfaction and makes me happy” , she added.
I happened to interview doctor Lalitha, she was from the Intensive Care Unit as well. She told me that Maharaj’s motivation was highly commendable. “His inner strength that kept him going, his determination and sheer will power helped us treat him” she said. She was overwhelmed with Maharaj’s sense of humour and said that in such a critical state patients would be rather dull and passive, but Maharaj was always keeping everyone around him happy with his funny jokes. “It was surprising for me to see someone in a critical condition like his, so active and positive”.
It’s quite remarkable to see how Maharaj has captured everyone’s heart. Justin another nurse told me that treating patients wasn’t that easy but nursing Jayaptaka Swami was easy because he was a person with no complaints whatsoever. When he was asked what he feel about Maharaj he said, “I don’t know how to explain this feeling in words. When he came into the ICU I didn’t know he was such a big person. But now I know.” He also added that seeing Maharaj made him happy, and the more he saw him the more he wanted to see him again. Tarun who now nurses Maharaj in the day shift told me that for him, serving Maharaj was not just his duty but his good fortune. “The kind of internal happiness when I serve Swamiji I haven’t got till date with anyone else, it is my privilege to serve him”, he added.
There are more people at the hospital who’s life has been touched forever by this very dear servant of Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Sri Krishna Sankirtana. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Your servant,
Nandapriya Nivedita Devi Dasi, Chennai

Auckland New Zealand: Friday night Harinam (Album with photos)
The best spiritual practice during this holy Purushattama month (2015 Adhika Maas/Mahina (Purushottam Adhika Maas 2015) date is from 17 June 2015 to 16 July 2015.
See them here: https://goo.gl/DaTyUU

When in Vraja I was informed that Kurma Rupa Prabhu was quickly leaving his body due to cancer. So I walked to his room one evening and we spent time together.
Last month he had his gall bladder removed. I saw a picture on Facebook after the operation and his hand was completely filled with gall stones.
When the doctors performed that operation they detected a tumour at the bottom of his stomach which was blocking passage for the stomach to the small intestine.
It was biopsied and declared to be benign. So the doctors left it and made a small slit in his stomach to connect the stomach to his intestine that he could begin to eat and eliminate.
A few weeks ago he began to experience burning pain in his stomach. He tried all varieties of antacids to no avail. Thus again he went to Delhi to see his doctors.
The burning was caused by bile .. and lots of it.
Since his gall bladder operation the liver had gone into overdrive and could not deal with the creation of bile. The doctors placed a catheter in his liver and the first night night drained 4.5 litres of bile. Everyday since there has been at least a litre drained.
The doctors also realised the tumour had expanded greatly, again biopsied, the doctors returned the verdict of a stage 4 cancer tumour.
They wanted to reopen Kurma Rupa prabhu but he said no .. take me back to Vrindavan to die.
While I was with him he was very weak but very focused.
He was salivating all the time and had to spit regularly. He said the bile was causing him to have a very horrible alkaline tasting saliva.
We spoke.
He said initially he was worried .. but now he had no fear.
We both remembered when we were young in Vrindavan. Whenever we were faced by danger, gundas, thieves, or temple presidents our mantra was,
“Look, I came to Vrindavan to die .. so .. if you want to kill me do it now.”
He softly said that during rare moments in his life of sadhana bhakti, when Krishna had blessed him with His causeless drops of grace, he had seen that his only aspiration was to be with Gopal, helping him to tend to the cows in Vraja.
I mentioned that when I had first spoken to Srila Akinchana Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja that I told him,
“Babaji Maharaja, I am so blessed to be in Vrindavan.”
Babaji Maharaja looked at me and said, “why are you blessed?”
I replied, “I am blessed because in this Vraja I can see two merciful paramhamsa vaisnavas, you .. and my guru maharaja.”
He looked at me very intensely, yet very kindly, and relied,
“Do you really want to know why you are blessed here in Vrindavan?
You are blessed …
because just outside these windows Sri Krishna and Balaram are walking and playing with Their cows,
and the dust from Their divine feet, and the dust of the divine feet of Their cows, is rising up, and covering your entire body,
and this is your greatest treasure of life.”
Then Babaji Maharaja fell silent.
When I told that to Kurma Rupa he looked down in his deep and serious way,
and replied,
“my only hope and desire is to serve Gopal as He is with his cows.”
Then he said,
“some people think in a beautiful way of service to Sri Radha and Her associates.
I give them my deepest respects .. but my only hope and desire is to be with Gopal and serve Him and His cows.”
He said that he deeply admired how I was always travelling and sharing harinama.
I replied that I love Vrindavan, and if I were not unqualified, I would always remain here. But as I am not qualified, I can only stay for a few days before I am again sent away.
But I said his life was most blessed life because he has spent at least 30 years in Vraja, and everyday fixed in service.
He then said that he felt bad that he did not travel and preach. He said that if he made it through this crisis he may go west somewhere in the west and attempt to start a cow care program.
Then I became very strong and told him,
“No !! If you do recover stay here and serve your cows with more and more love and affection.
But I order you, never, never, never leave Vrindavan.
Never leave …
Until that blessed moment arrives when Gopal comes to take you from this Vrindavan to the other Vrindavan, welcomes you with tears, embraces you with love, swears to you that you that He will never allow you to leave again, and then, introduces you to Sudama, Subala, Madhumangala, and you both walk, arm in arm, in the mist of 900,000 cows.
He said, “I accept your instruction as an order. I will never leave Vrindavan.”
The next day Kurma Rupa returned to Care For Cows.
He told me that he wanted to go back there as soon as he could. he said he wanted to hear the cows, smell the cows, breathe the dust of the cows.
He looked at me seriously and said;
“Maharaja, If you ever have a problem in life .. serve a cow with love .. then, all your problems will dissipate by the grace of Gopal and you’ll be blessed with bhakti.”
I held his hand tight and begged him to forgive me if I’d ever offended him.
I begged him to give me blessings to attain bhakti.
And, I deeply thanked him for his full life of sacrifice to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, harimana, vaisnavas, and his glorious and selfless love for cows.
We embraced and parted.
Just a few minutes ago Dharmatma Prabhu called me and said that Kurma Rupa prabhu’s situation has deteriorated.
Today may be his last day in this section of Vrindavan.
My request is that everyone offer a prayer to Gopal for this selfless servant,
Kurma Rupa Prabhu. May Sri Gopal quickly come, give Kurma Rupa the sweet embrace that he so merits, and deliver him to the planet of the cows.
My realisation was that as youngsters we had souls like Prabhupada, Babaji Maharaja, Shridhar Maharaja and other venerable vaisnavas that we would associate and beg mercy from.
Venerable vaisnavas like Kurma Rupa Prabhu are the saintly monarchs and pure devotees of this age.
Kurma Rupa Prabhu Ki Jai !!
Patita Pavana Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai !!
Harinama Sankirtan Ki Jai !!
Jai Jai Sri Radhe … Shyam !!

 

The post SRS: This is a beautifully written letter by Govinda Swami about a beautiful Vaisnava about to depart from this world appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Chant for Change - Mega Kirtan Festival
By the Lord’s mercy, this is a major opportunity to unify various proponents and practitioners of dharma for the cause of spreading the yuga-dharma of nama-sankirtana. On July 18th (Nabakalebara) day, all the 4 Vaishnav Sampradayas along with other groups will be performing Sankirtan to welcome Lord Jagannath, Baldev & Subadra in their new form, in their temples and mathas around the world. The GBC has approved this program.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18104

Looking for recordings from remembrances of HH Sridhar Maharaj
We wondered if anyone had any audio/video/transcribed recordings or photos of any remembrance celebrations of His Holiness Srila Sridhar Maharaj.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18101

Hare Krishna! 4th Jagannatha Ratha Yatra in Jakarta, Indonesia
The ‘JAKARNAVAL -2015’ or the annual Jakarta Carnival on June 7, 2015, celebrating the 488th anniversary of Jakarta was the venue for this year’s Sri Jagannatha Ratha Yatra Festival at Jakarta, Indonesia. The theme of the carnival was ‘Colorful Jakarta’ and the chariot of Lord Jagannatha pulled by so many devotees not only added a special color to the carnival but also gave a distinct flavor and taste to the celebration. By the blessings of Lord Jagannatha and Srila Prabhupada, the 4th Jagannatha Ratha Yatra in Jakarta was wonderfully performed leaving fond memories in the hearts and minds of the devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18098

Bhaktivedanta Manor, the UK headquarters of the Hare Krishna movement, hosted the celebrations which featured presentations by Sivarama Swami, Praghosa Das, Kripamoya Das and Devaki Devi Dasi, kirtan by Chakrini Devi Dasi and shared memories and offerings by Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and senior devotees.

Hare Krishna! A Friendly Letter Makes Padi Cry?
Meet Padi, aka Padayatra. He’s a humble, shy, 9 year old boy from Hungary, the son of Citravasini devi dasi and Devadeva dasa, studying in 4th Grade at TKG Academy. I find myself fortunate to be his teacher. This morning, we began our Shurley English lesson of “Writing a Friendly Letter”. Students need to identify the Heading, Salutation, Body, Closing and Signature of writing a friendly letter. They learn the proper punctuation and indentation for each part.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18094

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The post Conversation with Russian guests on their plans for a farming community appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

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Hare Krishna! Sri Jagannatha Ratha Yatra 2015 at Borneo Island, Malaysia.
Upon reaching the Hare Krishna Multipurpose Hall, a grand mass of fireworks and Lion Dance performance by the Chinese Association welcomed the glorious deities. His Grace Kripa Sindhu Krishna Dasa, Temple President of ISKCON Kuching addressed the crowd with a warm welcome, thanked all organizations, congregation members of ISKCON especially devotees from West Malaysia who were about 90 of them this year, who took the trouble to fly over to Sarawak to extend their full support.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18086

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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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 24^th, 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 50^th 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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