Websites from the ISKCON Universe
This is the glorious Sally Agarwall (here participating in the Festival of Inspiration which is taking place right now in New Vrindavana). She & her husband sponsored Srila Prabhupada to come to America in 1965. Prabhupada stayed with them for three weeks. Thank you Bhaktin Sally!
See the photos better here: https://goo.gl/wbHYzp
The Great Gift Of Krsna’s Holy Names (5 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Myself, Bada Haridas and Chaturatma had been looking forward with great expectation to our visit to St. Petersburg. The devotees there are especially sweet. The first evening program satisfied all our desires. The holy names had everyone chanting and dancing in great ecstasy. In the midst of it all I remembered the words of Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya in glorification of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
“His name calms the mind and subdues the senses. He gives the great gift of Krsna’s name. He is the ultimate mercy, for He protects those who are fallen and lowly. His beautiful body shines brilliantly and He reveals Krsna’s confidential pastimes in the bowers of Vrindavan. May Lord Gauracandra, the best of dancers, reveal Himself within the midst of our hearts.” [ Susloka Satakam, verse 57 ]
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/K4n6BS
The post Our new Govinda’s restaurant and cultural centre in the historic city of Eger appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Brisbane Ratha-Yatra (Album with photos)
Taking Lord Jagannath through the streets of city.
See them here: https://goo.gl/Ebw12I
Spiritually Deepening Experience: The International Vaishnavi Retreat
The principle of gratefulness grew clearer in my heart during the seminar given by Urmila Devi, another ISKCON veteran. She gave the example of the gopis, who didn’t give up on Krishna. With His flute He invited them to the rasa dance. But when they arrived, He told them to return home – even though they had performed severe austerities for millions and millions of years, intensely longing for Krishna to reciprocate with their desire for intimate loving exchanges. When the time finally arrived to meet their dear beloved who had invited them to the rasa dance with His flute song, Krishna told them to return home. I looked disapprovingly at my own faith.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17256
The Authority of the Puranas
Sri Tattva-sandarbha is the first of Srila Jiva Goswami’s Bhagavata-sandarbha, or Shat-sandarbha, six treatises that firmly establish the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In the texts leading up to this section, the author has discredited direct perception and inference as valid means to acquiring perfect knowledge. He has concluded that only the eternal Vedas can fill that role. Now he argues for the need to turn to the Puranas for understanding the unified message of the Vedas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17253
Mukunda Goswami’s New E book Spirit Matters Released (2 min video)
Mukunda Goswami’s new book Spirit Matters has been released by Torchlight Publishing is now available as e-book for free download for 3 days only on dates May 11-13.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/1WpBzU
Harinama in Germany (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Chaitanya, however, has recommended only one yajna, or sacrifice, called the sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of Hare Krishna, in which everyone can take part. Thus both devotees and fruitive workers can derive equal benefit from the performances of sankirtana-yajna.
See them here: https://goo.gl/sa9Waz
Israeli soldier joins the Harinama (7 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: When a Vedic mantra is chanted within the mouth so that only the chanter can hear, the chanting is called japa. But when such mantras are chanted loudly it is called kirtana. Hare Krishna can be chanted both softly to oneself or loudly; therefore it is called the maha-mantra, or the great hymn. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.14.32 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/opJCuA
On the morning of Wednesday, April 21st, before departing from Saranagati, we stopped at their Govardhana Academy where Jananivas prabhu spoke about how he became a devotee and what he likes about being a devotee.
Upon returning to Vancouver we went for lunch prasadam to the home of Tulsi das and Chaitanya Priya dasi. Chaitanya Priya is the granddaughter of Saktimata dasi, a well-known disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Tulsi das pledged a Silver Gratitude Coin ($11,000) and then their son and daughter, Parameswara and Vrnda, fourth generation ISKCON devotees (see the video on the TOVP website) each made a pledge to the TOVP. The Padukas were bathed and worshiped and prasadam served.
The evening program was at the home of Vishuddha Sattva Das and Shuddha Bhakti Devi Dasi. Their son is 17 years old and pledged a $2500 Radha Madhava Brick even though he doesn’t have a job or a dollar. He has promised to work hard in the next few years to fulfill his pledge. As usual, the Padukas were respectfully worshiped and prasadam served.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 42 – Return to Vancouver and Lunch and Dinner Programs Fourth Generation Devotees Make Pledges appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Hare Krishna! Even if we can’t get over things, we can still get on with things
Certainly, we have a right to our emotions – we are sentient beings and we can’t just do away with our emotions. Still, our life is too precious to be dissipated by living in the past, wallowing in self-pity, sighing about the way things could have been and begrudging the way they have turned out. The Bhagavad-gita (18.28) cautions that such morose living characterizes the ignorant. Thankfully, Gita wisdom counters such ignorance with an empowering insight: we are bigger than our present material emotions.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17250
On Tuesday, April 21st we made a one-day excursion to Saranagati Dhama, a devotee farm community in Ashcroft, British Columbia (Canada) and Lord Nityananda arranged for us to meet a special disciple of Srila Prabhupada along the way.
Adi Yajna owns and operates a Tour Bus company called Chaitanya Coachways out of Calgary, Canada. Due to his driving schedule he missed us in both Calgary and Vancouver, but Lord Nityananda had plans to fulfill the desire of Srila Prabhupada’s servant.
While stopping for gas on the way to Saranagati, Adi Yajna also arrived at the same gas station with an empty bus. A great exchange took place between him, the Padukas and the devotees when we discovered each other. It was most definitely a transcendental arrangement by the Lord. Adi Yajna happily and immediately pledged towards a Silver Gratitude Coin ($11,000) and promised to pay it off by the end of the year and then pledge more.
We arrived in Saranagati and were greeted by a large group of devotees, many of them Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and their next generation. We were invited to the home of Ghosh Thakur das and Giriraja dasi fo prasadam. In the evening there was a potluck dinner at Mother Yamuna’s (ACBSP) old residence which now serves as a temple for the community. About 60 devotees attended and Radha Jivan and Jananivas spoke. All the devotees generously pledged or the TOVP, including the teenagers who donated for Square Feet. $31,000 was pledged that evening.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 41 – Arrival in Saranagati Dhama in Canada And Evening Program appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Nrsimha Chaturdashi 2015 – Morning Class – HG Kripamoya Dasa – 02.05.2015
CC daily Podcast:
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Gita Verse-by-verse study Podcast:
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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
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“In 1976 Srila Prabahupada came to Detroit. We had just purchased the Fischer Mansion and opened it as a temple. We had put a couple of million dollars into refurbishing it and making it first class. My parents were freaking out that I had become a Hare Krishna and was spending so much money. So, Srila Prabhupada was making his only visit to Detroit and he was talking about building a fantastic temple in Mayapur that would attract the whole world to come and be introduced to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and chanting Hare Krishna. He was describing the whole project with the planetarium and chandeliers then he turned to me and said. ‘So, Ambarish Maharaja what do you think?’ Even though I didn’t know where Mayapur was I said. ‘It sounds like a great idea Srila Prabhupada.’ Then Srila Prabhupada said.’Oh. You also like it? So, you can finance!’ It was at that moment that he planted the seed to help with this project.”
—Ambarish Dasa
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Jananivasa Dasa
Ambarish Dasa
Giriraj Swami
Radha Jivan Dasa
Hare Krishna! Program with leading industrialists about simple living and high thinking
On April 15, 2015, over 100 industrialists, investors and corporate leaders converged at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai for a conference organized by Artha Forum Dubai Chapter, a community dedicated to providing healthy work-life balance and holistic world view to entrepreneurs, and business and thought leaders. Held in the Al Falak Ball Room, the event was entitled “Simple Living High Thinking”. It was attended by the Indian Ambassador to The United Arab Emirates His Excellency T. P. Seetharam who spoke of how the building, seminar room and the lifestyle are the antithesis to the concept of simple living, and he was looking forward to hear from the swamis. This was followed by a keynote address by His Holiness Radhanath Swami and Mr. Ajay Piramal, leader of The Piramal Group. Radhanath Swami explained how the idea of Simple Living High Thinking is actually a state of consciousness. “When I was looking around I was thinking ‘what am I supposed to say here’. But actually, simple living is a state of consciousness, and one can apply this principle by living without duplicity and with the values of compassion rather than values of selfishness, arrogance and greed” he said.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17247
Day 12 FOOD FOR LIFE NEPAL 7th May 2015 Nuwakot. (Album with photos)
Our Volunteers from FOOD FOR LIFE Nepal went to Thanapati VDC ward no 1 & 2 Chanju Narayan Nuwakot on 7th May 2015, Thursday to distribute Khichadi cooked by FFL NEPAL’s Volunteers. We Packed almost 2400 Kg of Rice, Daal, Clothes in Luggage carrier bus and Left for that earthquake affected Village. After reaching there We distributed clothes to about 150 critical conditioned people. There we cooked Khichadi and fed almost 600+ victims. They were very happy to have hot, nutritious Khichadi. This Continued on the next day also and remaining Sacks of Rice were distributed to 204 families at Thanapati VDC Ward 1 and 2 Chanju Narayan- Nuwakot.
See them here: https://goo.gl/sZWbDo
Pilgrimage in Vrindavana by Iskcon Russian devotees (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/jLEk7b
Sri Chaitanya Charitamritam Glorification Song (16 min video)
This is very melodious Sri Chaitanya Charitamritam (CC) glorification song with 12 stanzas uploaded today, 9th May 2015 on the very special occasion of 400th compilation year (1615 – 2015) of Sri Chaitanya Charitamritam by Srila Krishna das kaviraja Goswami. Melodious karnatic tune, excellent video presentation and English subtitles for meaning should make this glorification song a nice feast to your ears, eyes, mind and soul on the occasion of the wonderful 400th compilation year. Srila Prabhupada’s CC translation work was made available to the readers in 1975 as 17 volumes series in English. Thus Srila Prabhupada’s translation work also completes 40 years of its appearance!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/5mzgIH
Hare Krishna! 2015 VIHE Sanskrit Course
This is in relation to our upcoming 2015 VIHE Sanskrit Course at our Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education.
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17243
Hare Krishna! 2015 VIHE Sanskrit Course
This is in relation to our upcoming 2015 VIHE Sanskrit Course at our Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education.
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17243
Hare Krishna! A free new website to help devotees enter grihastha ashram
For everyone, the site offers guidance and advice that is consistent with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions on grihastha ashram and Vedic marriage. The Advisory Council consists of senior ISKCON devotees (including gurus and sannyasis) who are experts in this area.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17240
Hare Krishna! CC Compact – Free E-Book!
Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami’s Chaitanya-Charitamrita is considered the most accurate, authentic, and philosophical biography of Shri Chaitanya. At present, however, it remains a relatively unexplored literature. Since the studies of Bhagavad-Gita and Shrimad-Bhagavatam are vast in and of themselves, many neglect the opportunity to bathe in the delightful narrations of Shri Chaitanya’s life. CC Compact does not fully describe each episode of the Chaitanya-Charitamrita, since Shrila Prabhupada’s translation does that perfectly.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17237
The post On this day, 400 years ago Kaviraja Goswami completed Caitanya-caritamrta appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
A few pictures taken at the Western Outreach Seminar held at ISKCON Chicago
See them here: https://goo.gl/s2sfrp
Hare Krsna devotees!! DevoteeMatch.com – a new marriage portal for ISKCON devotees to find a match and enter grihastha ashram has been launched. It’s an advanced platform for both devotees and matchmakers, under the close guidance of an expert Advisory Council. And it’s totally free to use! For more information, and to register, please visit: www.devoteematch.com Site […]
The post DevoteeMatch.com: a free new website for would be grihasthas appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Over the years my idea of victory has changed somewhat. In my younger days, filled with the naïve certainty of youth, I saw myself conquering the world, acquiring vast riches, fame and all that sort of thing. That ambition has been rather tempered by reality, as it tends to be, but thankfully I no longer see world conquest as even a desirable victory.
How I see success depends of course on my values and as a young man material achievements were high up on my list. This tends to be the paradigm instilled in us by modern living, earn more, have more, and find more happiness. As I’ve grown older I’ve come to understand that having more things in this world –whether possessions, fame or fortune — will never make me happy. That seems to be the case for many of us, and indeed our consumer society is built upon this fundamental fact. If I am satisfied with the phone, or car, or clothes, or whatever it is I own then so many industries would pretty quickly dry up and die. But thankfully for them we are not so easily contented. In the universal search for that bit more happiness, we crave the latest, newest and better model of everything and business is booming.
But will it ever make us happy? Lao Tzu, a great Chinese philosopher, said, ‘he has the most who wants the least’. In other words, what we really want is contentment and peace of mind. We’re hoping that our acquisitions will somehow satisfy us and make us happy, but it never seems to happen. For this reason the ancient spiritual treatise Bhagavad-gita says that only one who subdues the ever-demanding senses can be peaceful, not one who strives always to satisfy them. It goes on to say that one whose mind is not controlled won’t be happy even owning the entire earth and all its wealth.
For this reason I now see victory as conquering over my own material wants, turning them away from the things of this world and inwards towards the spirit within. That to me would be the greatest possible victory.
Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra is a festival that is celebrated by devotees all over the world. Srila Prabhupada first inaugurated it at San Fransisco in 1967.
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Getting ready for Brisbane Ratha Yatra. The mercy of the Panca Tattva is there in every town and village of the world and as we travel, it is most wonderful to see that with our own eyes. Last night, we did a Hari Nama and distributed flyers. Today, it promises to be a sunny day and we are about to go for the parade.
We chanted Hare Krsna, did a puja and had nice prasadam; it’s a good life!
The post May 9th, 2015 – Chandan yatra Darshan- Day 19 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
k2015 05 03 Abhishek Of Lord Narasimhadev ISKCON Chowpatty
ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 4/19/2015
Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes Simple Living, Cow Protection, Engaging Oxen, Local Agriculture, and above all, Loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.
Participating Directors: Anuttama, Bhima, Chaitanya Mangala, Kripamaya, and Ranaka.
Participating Advisors: Sri Tulasi Manjari
Participating Managers: Mukunda
Recording secretary: Jordanna
1. Ox Program Manager and Garden Manager Search
The Garden Manager search announcement went out last week and the Ox Program Manager listing will be posted this week. Madhava Smullen will write an article about the positions, as well. There has already been some interest in the Garden Manager position and the Board Members look forward reviewing potential candidates for both roles.
2. Managers’ Housing
Vyasasan reports that the Prabhupada House (formerly known as the Green House) renovations are slated to be completed in about two weeks, in time for Mukunda’s relocation.
3. ECO-V Forest Preservation Policy
There is concern that trees have been cut down without permission on ECO-V managed land. Kripamaya and Mukunda will look into the issue and make recommendations to the Board.
4. Addition of a Timekeeper to ECO-V Meetings
The ECO-V Board will be adding a Timekeeper to their meetings as a way to make them more concise and efficient. Mukunda prabhu has volunteered to take on this role. He will work with the Board Chair and Secretary to allot a specific amount of time for each agenda item.
5. Village Council
A “Steering Committee” has been organized in order to form the Village Council, consisting of Ananga Manjari, Advaita, Devala, Jaya Krsna (Gopisa as proxy), Mukunda (Ranaka as proxy), Nityodita and Vyasasan. They will be meeting this Tuesday. Mukunda will begin attending meetings once he is living in New Vrindaban.
6. Update about Flower Garden Crew
Currently Vidya is working in the flower gardens, along with the help of a few volunteers. Jaya Krsna requested additional assistance for this volunteer crew. Mukunda will help with this once he is settled in New Vrindaban.
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