Planet ISKCON

Devotees in Nepal emgaged in prasadam distribution accompanied with Harinama (Album with photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/pdu3q9

Iskcon devotees from Nepal recorded this 6min video-message for you. Watch it here: http://goo.gl/8zEUE6

We can see all these symptoms today. It was predicted 5000 years ago but these things are considered fashionable.

In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power. Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one’s expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brāhmaṇa just by his wearing a thread. - Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.2-3

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Bhakti Shastri Graduation in England.
The graduation ceremony for the 2013-14 cohort of Bhakti Shastri students took place on last February with an impressive twenty one students successfully completing the course. The Bhakti Shastri course provides an opportunity to systematically study four key texts – the Bhagavad Gita, The Nectar of Instruction, Sri Isopanisad and The Nectar of Devotion. The interactive sessions not only equip students with knowledge of the scriptures but also explain how to assimilate and apply those lessons to their own lives. One of the graduates, Harsha Parmar, explained ‘ Studying Srila Prabhupada’s books in the association of devotees enabled a greater depth of understanding, it was an enriching and transformative experience!’ The course is entering its tenth successful year this September, with around 300 students having participated since its launch in 2006.

From Prathamesh P:

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From Prathamesh P:

You mentioned that the Brhad-aranyaka upanishad comes before Isopanishad and the samhitas are before the aranyakas, etc. Is this order based on increasing spiritual realizations or suggested order of study of these books?

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From Prathamesh P:

How is the living entity able to experience infinite happiness when he is limited? I have heard that pure devotee experiences more happiness by serving Krsna than Krsna experiences in being served. Could you kindly elaborate on this. Thank you.

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Giclee Prints of TOVP Drawing by Award Winning Artist
Kishori Radha, a talented young artist from Mayapur, is working on a project to help raise funds towards the construction of the TOVP.
Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17007

From Prathamesh P
Among the 3 ways for reading scriptures - literal, moral / ethical and metaphorical, the literal way, as mentioned in the lecture, is most purifying. Which is considered to be the best? How does one decide which way to use for reading? Kindly elaborate on this. Thank you.

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From Prathamesh P:

Since material prosperity is proportional to good karmic credit, why do we see that the people in west are more materially prosperous even while committing much more sinful activities compared to the people of India, who have been performing relatively much less sinful activities because of following Vedic doctrines? Kindly elaborate on how to understand this point.

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From Prathamesh P:

Is the experience of pain due to bodily injury a result of attachment to the body? If so, does a liberated person experience pain? Neuroscience explains the mechanism of pain on the bodily level and ways to alter it (e.g. anesthesia). How does this factor into our understanding of pain? Kindly elaborate. Thank you.

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From Prathamesh P:

You mentioned in the Bhakti Shastri video that Bramhan is also sat-cit-ananda. I am confused about the difference between this ananda and the ananda which is derived from devtional service (that is, the 'andanda' in sat-cit-ananda). Is there ananda in the cit aspect also? Kindly elaborate. Thank you.

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TOVP Construction Update (Album with photos)
Work on the final ring, which is number 9, has commenced!
Today the first of the 24 sections was put into place without any problem.
We will be adding more pieces in few days.
Within a month’s time, the 9th ring will be completed!
With this, the main part of the temple dome structural frame will be concluded, we will then commence preparation for the Kailash supporting structure.
You can see in the first photo what will be the angle of the segments once placed on the dome.
See them here: http://goo.gl/ALPJ6n

The post Boat festival 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srila Prabhubada’s followers in Nepal provide fresh prasadam, place to stay and medical faclities to all aflicted from the earthquake.
You can also help: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16989

https://youtu.be/eQ4TKSfGzJA

The post SRS: Thank you appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Mantra Therapy Retreat in Iskcon UK
Earlier this year was the first ever Mantra Therapy Retreat at Buckland Hall in Wales. Rich with history and natural beauty, the UK’s premier Retreat venue was the perfect setting. Nearly 40 professionals from different backgrounds came together for the common purpose of personal, physical and spiritual transformation, led by long-standing temple congregational devotee, Prashant Kotecha. Mantra Therapy is the culmination of this outreach work, which includes regular meetings and Retreats for professionals between 25-50 years old. The Retreat included mantra meditation and personal development workshops in the mornings, followed by yoga, hiking and martial arts in the afternoon, and culminated with Mantra Therapy freestyle east-west fusion kirtans. For more information contact Prashant at pck_108@yahoo.com

Sunday Feast program, 26/04/15, at Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia (Album with photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/g4HEP7

Auckland NZ: Harinam (Album with photos)
O son of Maharaja Nanda [ Krsna ], I am Your eternal servitude, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.
See them here: http://goo.gl/ebae2v

Preaching program at Krasnodar, Russia (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: 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 in Krasnodar with a nice temple just outside of the city. Within the temple is a beautiful Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva, alongside Gaura Nitai. We enjoyed two evenings of kirtan and classes with the devotees.
See them here: http://goo.gl/7A3WS9

Harinama at the Jacksonville Art Walk, photos, descriptions, insights and more…
The Jacksonville Art Walk, which occurs the first Wednesday of each month, is a great venue for chanting the Hare Krishna mantra in public and for distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. Somehow we had missed every one this semester, but we were not going to miss this last one. Mother Caitanya of Krishna House brought a van load of about fifteen devotees from Krishna House, and we chanted and distributed books for over three hours.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/P7BCJr

Devotees from UK participate in BBC’s popular TV show “Big Questions”
Visnu Murti Das, Head of Deity Worship at ISKCON Leicester took part in BBC One’s The Big Questions debate show in London, where the topic of debate was “Is there too much evidence to believe in religion?” The Big Questions team were keen to speak to a devotee with a scientific background, and Visnu’s training as a bio medical scientist stood him in good stead. He was the only person on the panel that was representing the Vaishnava Hindu perspective. Live on air he was asked a question about what the Vedas said about the human condition and his view on the debate question. He spoke of the scientific nature of the Vedas and drew on examples in the Srimad Bhagvatam that accurately describe the different stages of foetal development, and highlighted how this content was contained in an ancient text.

Kirtan London
A six hour session hosted by Kirtan London took place on Valentine’s Day at Bridewell Hall, a beautiful part of the St Bride Foundation which also houses one of the oldest churches in London. Guests chanted along with mantras and, aided by visuals projections, were led in guided meditations. At the end they enjoyed a vegetarian dinner catered by Govindas restaurant. Just two days later, at the Mantra Lounge, participants were guided in joyful chanting by Abishek Singh, and later heard about ‘The Power of Sound’ by Bhakti Vijnana Goswami. Mantra Lounge is a twice-monthly event run by Kirtan London that takes place in Covent Garden. For more information visit www.kirtanlondon.com

Catering for the Catwalk
Govinda’s Restaurant in London was chosen to cater for world renowned fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s backstage area for her catwalk show at the Science Museum. As a student almost 20 years ago, Vivienne Westwood regularly ate at Govinda’s. When the fashion show was hosted in Italy, Govinda’s in Italy was asked to cater. This made Govinda’s a natural choice for the show in London. The backstage area was bustling with models, photographers, make-up artists, hairdressers and event organisers, who enjoyed the vegetarian cuisine and offered many compliments. Many of them were vegan or vegetarian and were pleased they could eat everything on the menu. Impressed by the devotees’ cooking, Vivienne Westwood has now requested ISKCON Paris to cater for her next show.

Hare Krishna! Bhaktivedanta Players 30th Anniversary (1985-2015)
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor’s main drama group. The group has been led chiefly by Jaya Krishna Das and Dwarka Puri das but over the years a great many other devotees of all ages and backgrounds have participated and given much of their time. Disciples of Srila Prabhupada pioneered the first dramas at Bhaktivedanta Manor during the early 1970’s. By 1985 the baton had gradually passed onto the next generation and The Bhaktivedanta Players in its present structure was born.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17027

Hare Krishna! Bhaktivedanta Players 30th Anniversary (1985-2015)
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Bhaktivedanta Manor’s main drama group. The group has been led chiefly by Jaya Krishna Das and Dwarka Puri das but over the years a great many other devotees of all ages and backgrounds have participated and given much of their time. Disciples of Srila Prabhupada pioneered the first dramas at Bhaktivedanta Manor during the early 1970’s. By 1985 the baton had gradually passed onto the next generation and The Bhaktivedanta Players in its present structure was born.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17027

Hare Krishna! Seminar on Vedanta and Science at TELKOM University, Bandung, Indonesia
Subhag Maharaj encouraged the students saying, “At your request we have delivered the seminars, now please accept our request also, please see our books at the book table and take some. You will become truly happy.”After the seminar many of students and teachers bought Bhagavad gita and other Srila Prabhupada’s book. Maharaj personally signed the book purchased at that time.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17023

Hare Krishna! Seminar on Vedanta and Science at TELKOM University, Bandung, Indonesia
Subhag Maharaj encouraged the students saying, “At your request we have delivered the seminars, now please accept our request also, please see our books at the book table and take some. You will become truly happy.”After the seminar many of students and teachers bought Bhagavad gita and other Srila Prabhupada’s book. Maharaj personally signed the book purchased at that time.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17023

Hare Krishna! Sabbatical Adventures in UK, 2014-15
For over ten years now the Manor has organised an annual sabbatical, a sixmonth residential course for men. Ketan Suchak shares: “I enrolled this year, as six of us spent three months in India, beginning in September with a three-week stay at a Mumbai monastery. There we studied the scripture, ‘Nectar of Instruction’. We next flew to Calcutta and booked a car to Mayapur. The spiritual city is the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, the place where the Lord danced and sang the Hare Krishna mantra. We spent ten days there and in the evenings I enjoyed listening to melodious prayers in the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17018

Hare Krishna! Sabbatical Adventures in UK, 2014-15
For over ten years now the Manor has organised an annual sabbatical, a sixmonth residential course for men. Ketan Suchak shares: “I enrolled this year, as six of us spent three months in India, beginning in September with a three-week stay at a Mumbai monastery. There we studied the scripture, ‘Nectar of Instruction’. We next flew to Calcutta and booked a car to Mayapur. The spiritual city is the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, the place where the Lord danced and sang the Hare Krishna mantra. We spent ten days there and in the evenings I enjoyed listening to melodious prayers in the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17018

Hare Krishna! Supporting ISKCON Intiatives Around the World
Every year Bhaktivedanta Manor contributes £10,000 towards various ISKCON projects both nationally and internationally. Over the last thirty years many worthy causes have been supported, including the saving of the New Mayapur Temple in France, establishing a centre in Brussels and the Bhaktivedanta School in Mayapur, supporting Vrindavan’s Food for Life program and the Sandipani Muni School for poor and unprivileged children, and many more.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17014

Hare Krishna! Supporting ISKCON Intiatives Around the World
Every year Bhaktivedanta Manor contributes £10,000 towards various ISKCON projects both nationally and internationally. Over the last thirty years many worthy causes have been supported, including the saving of the New Mayapur Temple in France, establishing a centre in Brussels and the Bhaktivedanta School in Mayapur, supporting Vrindavan’s Food for Life program and the Sandipani Muni School for poor and unprivileged children, and many more.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17014

6th Annual Clearwater Beach Festival of Chariots & Rath Yatra Parade
An multi-cultural parade and festival will be celebrated with entertainment for the whole family. There will be live music, singing, classical dance, books, bazaar, and lots of free delicious vegetarian food. The Ratha Yatra Parade is the oldest known parade in the world. As it is Mother’s Day we will have a special treat for all mothers!
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17011

The post April 27th, 2015 – Chandan yatra Darshan- Day 7 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

On April 25^th, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, which is now reported to have killed some 2,500 people. The ISKCON community has also been affected, with many devotees injured and having their houses lost. Some of their relatives got buried under the collapsed buildings and died. ISKCON Katmandu is trying its best to help devotees and people in need by providing shelter, medical help and organizing prasadam distribution.