Planet ISKCON

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast

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Govinda Dev temple unharmed by tremors; claimed ASI
Vrindavan, April 28th 2015: Following two major aftershocks on Sunday afternoon after a series of tremors in the wake of the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck Nepal on Saturday, the devotees and the priests of Vrindavan got concerned about the safety of the architectural heritage temples and buildings of Vraja.
A rumor was spread on Monday that a crack had appeared on the wall of the 16th century Govinda Dev Temple of Vrindavan. On Monday morning the temple priests Shri Sukumar Goswami and Shri Sanjay Goswami expeditiously informed the ASI officials at the regional office in Mathura about the crack in the red sand stone building after the tremors jolted many parts of Vraja on Saturday and Sunday.
Subsequently conservation assistant SK Kulshreshtha, visited the temple and denied that any crack had appeared due to the aftershocks. He said that it was nothing but the joint of two stones, which are intact. Shri S. K. Kulshreshtha said, “We are maintaining the temple in the condition in which we got it. We can’t alter anything, as per the guidelines set by the Archeological Survey of India. We can’t remove those stones which have scratches on them from before. We simply can’t replace them with the new stones.” Later, M.C. Sharma, the Deputy Superintending Archaeological Engineer also visited the protected monument to ensure if the temple remained unscathed by the earth quake.
Govinda Dev Temple is the first temple of Vrindavan, was built in 1590 by Raja Man Singh of Jaipur under the guidance of Shri Rupa Goswami during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. There are four protected monuments in Vrindavan, namely Govinda, Madan Mohan, Yugal Kishore and Radha Ballabh. The Archeological Survey of India takes care of the maintenance of these temples.

Hare Krishna for salvation in Estonia (3 min video)
In Estonia’s capital Tallinn, where nine out of 10 people are agnostics and atheists, Krishna believers are taking to the streets with a quest for the divine.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/UeCAf1

Hare Krishna! A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s Mother
Often, while I care for or bathe patients who are unable to do such tasks for themselves, I chant or sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane’s grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.” “The Jayananda?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. And he told me how his uncle had built the Ratha-yatra carts. He then went in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krishna. Gaynelle, Jayananda Prabhu’s sister, came out of the room and said that she was so happy that a Krishna devotee had cared for her mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krishna. She said that she told her mother but wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said that I had a feeling she already knew, and I laughed. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17092

From Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s own handwritten song book!

Sochi is located on the Black Sea in southern Russia. It is Russia’s largest resort city. It hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. ISKCON has an attractive temple in a forested area 15 minutes from the city center. Devotees regularly do harinama and book distribution throughout the beautiful city.

A Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur (Album with photos)
This year Soulphotography witnessed a Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur. Over the Easter break I had the pleasure of heading out to east India, to a very holy area known as Mayapur which lies north of Kolkata. It was all for the wedding of two very good friends of mine, Madhura & Sunandani, whom I’ve grown to know and love over the last 8 years since I settled in Birmingham.
See them here: http://goo.gl/Ae3h9L

Everyone is invited to the special festival held in New Vrindaban on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Appearance Day Sat. May 2, 2015.  Don’t miss the evening 7:00 PM Aroti, which will be followed by some exciting Nrsimhadeva nectar!

New Vrindaban’s Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity is unique.  He was made in New Vrindaban and installed in July 1986, the first full-size Nrsimhadeva deity installed in the U.S.A.

Soma dasa, whose many sculptures adorn the New Vrindaban community, carved the Nrsimha Deity.  Soma dasa, consulting regularly with Sampat Kumar Bhattacarya, head of the famous Vyenkatesvara temple in Tirupati, India completed the Deity in only three months. The Deity is modeled according to descriptions of Nrsimhadeva given in the Vedic literature.

SCHEDULE SAT. MAY 2, 2015

5:00 a.m.                                     Mangal Aroti

5:45-7:30 a.m.                            Japa

7:30 a.m.                                     Gurupuja

7:45 a.m.                                      Greeting the Deities

8-9:00 a.m.                                 Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H.G. Sankirtan das

9:00 a.m.                                     Light Breakfast for those not fasting

10:00 a.m.                                   Govardhana Parikrama

12:30 p.m.                                                Aroti

1:00 p.m.                                     Bhagavad Gita Class by H.G. Gauranatraj das

1:30 p.m.                                      Light Lunch for those not fasting

3-5:00 p.m.                                 Fire yajna

5-5:30 p.m.                                 Gopuja at the Goshalla

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.                         Abhishek

7-7:30 p.m.                                 Aroti

7:30-7:45 p.m.                            Short Drama

7:45-8:00 p.m.                            Nrsimha Aroti

8:00 p.m.                                     Feast

(fasting till dusk)

Please bring your offerings of bhoga by 6:30 pm.

Please bring flowers for the abhishek by 3 pm

 

So far the Food For Life in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur has served over 40,000 plates of hot prasadam in shelters and hospitals. On Tuesday 28 April, 15 doctors arrived from Bhaktivendanta Hospital, Mumbai, who are conducting health camps around the affected areas. FFL Nepal has also received supply of two tons of grains from Kolkata. 

2015 VIHE Bhakti Shastri Course
We are heartily inviting all serious students to this year’s VIHE Bhakti-sastri course. The Bhakti-sastri course is a systematic study of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Srila Prabhupada wanted all of us to deeply study his books, so that we could become better preachers and teachers, and, very importantly, achieve a clear understanding and application of the beautiful science of devotional service. Shri Vrindavan Dham mercifully provides a unique environment to enhance one’s taste and appreciation for the treasures of the direct path of bhakti.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17086

The three steps of anything: 1) Initial enthusiasm, 2) doubts, disinterest and struggle 3) eventual reward for the committed. This seems to be the standard pattern for most things in life: studies, career, relationships, hobbies, and yes, even spirituality.

Kirtan Shakti ~ Promo Without Borders (6 min video)
Bhakti Without Borders blends melodies from the East Indian Bhakti tradition with the folk, bluegrass and country elements of traditional American and Irish music. The result is a sound that is both fresh and familiar.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/E6HL0L

Dance Flash Mob Performance Praises Jagannatha (8 min video)
On the occasion of the World Dance Day, a flash mob performance was organized by ISKCON devotees in downtown Budapest, Hungary on April 29th, 2015. They suprised the passer-byes with a beautiful Odissi dance piece praising Lord Jagannatha.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/i6jopM

A page from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur’s personal handwritten song book. A rare gem! How fortunate we are to see it.

Letting the cows out at Bhaktivedanta Manor 2015 (5 min video)
An annual ceremony at ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, UK that takes place every Spring and is all about releasing Lord Krishna’s cows onto the fields.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/xP9t69

Nepal: Narasimha deity from 7th century intact!!

The post Lord Caitanya asked, “What shall I do now?” appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

On the occasion of the World Dance Day, a flash mob performance was organized by ISKCON devotees in downtown Budapest, Hungary on April 29th, 2015. They suprised the passer-byes with a beautiful Odissi dance piece praising Lord Jagannatha.

Hare Krishna! Mayapur Masterplan
Masterplan department (MDM) is conducting an online survey with valuable input of the Mayapur residents. The purpose of the survey is to understand the needs and vision of the community members regarding Mayapur Dham. We would request all the devotees to participate individually. (Please ask your family members also to participate in the survey). The survey will take only 5 -10 mins of your time. This survey will help us identify and address the concerns of the Mayapur residents in Masterplan Proposal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17083

Hare Krishna! Mayapur Masterplan
Masterplan department (MDM) is conducting an online survey with valuable input of the Mayapur residents. The purpose of the survey is to understand the needs and vision of the community members regarding Mayapur Dham. We would request all the devotees to participate individually. (Please ask your family members also to participate in the survey). The survey will take only 5 -10 mins of your time. This survey will help us identify and address the concerns of the Mayapur residents in Masterplan Proposal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17083

Krsna Consciousness in Sochi (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Sochi is located on the Black Sea in southern Russia. It is Russia’s largest resort city. It hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. ISKCON has an attractive temple in a forested area 15 minutes from the city center. Devotees regularly do harinama and book distribution throughout the beautiful city.
See them here: http://goo.gl/v6qZJC

Hare Krishna! Food For Life Nepal Day 4, 29th April
We are also extending our services through Health Facilities. Team of 13 Medical crew members from Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mumbai, with 7 Super specialist Doctors came to Kathmandu at their own cost to serve their best for the Earthquake victims in Nepal. They, together with ISKCON Nepal Doctors made a team of 28 members comprising of 7 Super Specialist Doctors from Mumbai and 5 Specialist Doctors from Nepal along with 12 Paramedical and 4 Medical Volunteers.
On their first day (29th April) they had their camps at Padma College, near Durbar Square Gate, Bhaktapur. They divided their teams in three groups, first – Psychological care group, second – Door to door Health care group and third – Stationary Health care group. Stationary team at Padma College checked 167 patients and Door to door health care group visited 63 families whereas psychological group counselled 4 psychologically traumatized patients. This team aims to provide care to nearby villages such as Changu-Narayan area where no medical facilities have arrived.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17080

HG Gaura Gopal Dasa – SB 10.83.17-19 – 17.04.2015

The post April 30th, 2015 – Chandan yatra Darshan- Day 10 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Our life should revolve around our Japa - it should be in the centre of our sadhana. Our daily schedule and time should give priority to this most important activity.
Just as you give great care and attention to make the cornerstone of a building very strong, in the same way our Japa should be given time and careful attention as it is the cornerstone of our spiritual life.

Dakṣa said, “Consciousness is pristine, self-manifesting, beyond the grasp of anyone’s intellect, unified, carefree, and impervious to externalism (māyā). Yet it becomes the husband of the external world by entering into her. You only appear to be here in this non-pristine external world with us, in truth you are always situated within your conscious self.”

The Ṛtvik priests said, “O All-Attractive, he cannot understand the pure truth about you, nor can we. As a result of Rudra’s curse, all we can think about are the three selfish rewards to be gained by the supposedly religious deeds of so-called sacrifices. Our conception of religion is nothing more than a grand arrangement praying to modify fate.”

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Comment: The “three selfish rewards gained by the supposedly religious deeds of so-called sacrifices” are ethics/morality (dharma) which solidifies ones economic security (artha) which allows one to prolong ones exposure to pleasure (kāma).

The external conception of religion is nothing but a big, fancy way of begging ‘the gods’ not to get what we really deserve – which is actually stupid.

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The overseers of the sacrifice described the path of selfish-rewards in more detail, “The proliferative lifestyle is a relentless path infested with time’s fearsome deadly serpents, granting no rest from terrible and extreme dangers. We dare to tread this path because of our animalistic thirst for the mirage of external objects it seems to lead to. We lug along our heavy accumulations, pitting the path with potholes as we discover the bumpy reality that every pleasure is accompanied by distress. The stronger animals on the path strike fear into our hearts, and make us run into the desperate forest of depression. Oh, when will we slaves of lust, ignorant of our own self-interest, instead tread the welcoming path towards the refuge of your feet?”

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Comment: This is a gem!

“proliferative livestyle” (utpattyadhvani) is the materialistic lifestyle where we try to get stuff and increase and produce.

Time (serpents) constantly threaten this lifestyle, for we always need more time to get more and produce more. It is a very dangerous path, but we enter it because we are like animals thirsty for the water in the mirage at the end of the path. The more we get and produce, the heavier the burden we have to lug along with us on this difficult path. It is a bumpy path because every happiness is something we have to work for, and work to maintain, and work not to lose. So every pleasure is accompanied by pain and stress. 

We are not the only animals treading this path. There are many others, and many of them are more powerful and ferocious than us. They threaten us if we try to move towards the mirage faster than they do. In fear of our lives we run off the path, into the surrounding forest, a forest of sadness and depression.

Thus we are slaves to our thirsts, lusts. When will we look for a more welcoming path, one that leads to the shelter of Viṣṇu’s feet?

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Rudra said, “Your precious, wish-fulfilling feet can certainly fulfill our every desire. That is why sages with no material illusions adore them as worshipable. My own mind is enamored by them, so why should I even notice whatever the ignorant, impure masses may say about me? I should always be supremely affectionate to everyone, like you are.”

Bhṛgu said, “Your external energy (māyā) lulls every embodied being, even Brahmā, into a dark sleep and treacherously steals their self-knowledge. Even at this very moment we cannot understand how you are within our true selves. You are the friend of the humble soul, so please don’t be upset with us for our ignorance.”

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Comment: Each person is speaking “yathā-mati” (4.7.24) — according to their own level of realization. Bhṛgu has phrased it as if Māyā is the active agent stealing our self-knowledge and putting us into darkness. This is his realization of the truth. It seems to me that the actual truth presented overall and consistently throughout Bhāgavatam is that the soul is the active agent, and Māyā facilitates. The soul wants to be devoid of self-knowledge and sleep in the darkness of identifying with Māyā, because they soul is infatuated with her beauty. Māyā merely complies. See Kapila’s explanations of this in Canto 3. Kapila’s realization of the truth, in my opinion, is far superior to the realization expressed here by Bhṛgu.

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Brahmā said, “Your intrinsic personality and form can’t be known to anyone who wants to see other delights. You are the ultimate origin of perception, senses, and sense objects, but your true self is certainly quite different from these things.”

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Comment: We possess three things: perception, senses, and sense objects – all of these are transformations of Krishna’s external energy. We are qualified to experience all these transformations of Krishna’s external energy, but as long as we maintain facination with these things we are not qualified to experience Krishna’s internal energy.

The reason is that the nature of externalism is selfish, we look away from our true self (interior) towards an artificially separated, divorced concept of self. This makes it impossible to be sensitive to the internal reality.

The order in which people spoke is fascinating and seems very spontaneous. I also note that almost everyone seems to be elaborating on the main theme that Dakṣa said first. 

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Indra said, “It is true that you are beyond perception, Acyuta, yet you show yourself within this external universe, delivering blissful joy to our minds and eyes. Your eight arms with raised weapons will destroy all who hate the gods.”

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Comment: Indra’s realization is almost funny. First it sounds really, really nice. “You show your beautiful form and bring joy to our mind and eyes.” Then he ruins it (imo) by explaining why he feels so joyful to see Viṣṇu: Because he has eight arms with lots of weapons to destroy Indra’s enemies. Indra is like the prime example of the materialist on the fearful path to mirages – he’s constantly worried about other animals on the path who might get bigger and stronger than him.

To be fair, Dakṣa’s realization was also simultaneously sublime and comical. The sublime part was how well he described consciousness. The comical part was how sexual his imagery was, being that he is the foremost progenitor. Anyway maybe that’s not so comical but quite accurate. Kapila deva also used these sexual terms when describing the relationship between Consciousness and matter.

Tagged: Bhagavata Purana, God, Spirituality, Srimad Bhagavatam, Understanding God

The Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannatha was celebrated at Brisbane temple a little early this year. This was because the only date the devotees could book the Civic Square for the Rathayatra was in early May.

Krasnodar is located on the Kuban River about 148 kilometers northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in Russia. It was founded on January 12, 1794 as Yekaterinodar, meaning “Catherine’s Gift” in recognition of Catherine the Great’s grant of land to the Black Sea Cossacks. ISKCON has a bustling community of over 300 devotees [...]

The Final Moments of Hiranyakashipu From the Subhasita-ratna-bhandagara [When Hiranyakashipu saw his servant running towards him in fear, he spoke as follows:] Hiranyakashipu: “What is it? What is it?” Servant: “O Lord! It is a lion!” Hiranyakashipu: “So what?” Servant: “O Lord! He has a human body! I have never seen such a strange creature.” [...]

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast

Download by "right-click and save content"

An annual ceremony at ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, UK that takes place every Spring and is all about releasing Lord Krishna's cows onto the fields.

Our life should revolve around our Japa - it should be in the centre of our sadhana. Our daily schedule and time should give priority to this most important activity.
Just as you give great care and attention to make the cornerstone of a building very strong, in the same way our Japa should be given time and careful attention as it is the cornerstone of our spiritual life.

If we keep our priorities clear and simple, our life will become less cluttered.

People who make it to the top, have a clear goal and a clear method in reaching the goal. Because the goal and method is clear, obstacles do not faze them. So the key to have a clear goal and clear method is to keep it as simple as possible. To keep the goal and method simple and clear is the key to success in any field. This is no different in our spiritual career. By keeping things simple yet clear, we are able to be flexible to the changing environment simultaneously not losing sight of our destination.

From the perspective of God, a person who claims to follow God, should also have his or her goal and method simple and clear thus ensuring success to see God face to face. What is the goal and method?

Goal - To satisfy the desires of God
Method - Align/employ our desires and material resources/circumstances to satisfy God's desires (Let Thy Will be Done not my will)

The above two simple yet clear ideology can ensure success to see God face to face. If you note above, part of simplicity is that the goal and method is singular not plural.

Devotees of Krishna often confuse chanting as the method. Actually chanting (at least in the conditional state) is a method to achieve the above stated method. Chanting in the conditional state will purify our desires to the point where we can align our desires/circumstances to satisfy God's desires.

Once we align our desires with God's desires, then the method and goal merge as one. Till that happens, we have to keep the goal and method simple and clear. In doing so, any barrier to implement the above will only help us progress towards our goal.

Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna! Youth Bus Tours 20th Anniversary – An Interview with Manorama das
Manorama das and his wife Jaya Sri Radhe devi dasi have been developing the ISKCON Youth Ministry bus tours since 1995. Road-tripping across the globe is an exciting way to engage the ISKCON youth in bhakti yoga, combining the youth’s craving for adventure with practices of devotion. The travelers not only deepen their own bhakti, but also share it with others through kirtan and cultural presentations. Such road trips encourage young people to step out of their comfort zones, giving them an opportunity to do things they would never have thought possible, while simultaneously building strong bonds of friendship and accumulating memorable experiences.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17077

Bhaktapur Devotees in Nepal conducting Food For Life despite the rain (Album with photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/h3Lc93

Food for Life after Earthquake in Nepal- 2015 (5 min video)
An update from Nepal about the Hare Krishna Food for Life program. As on 29th April, nearly 12,000 people are being served with fresh meals.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/YHe6on