Planet ISKCON

Bhagans at Niagara Falls coming this June. You are all invited!

Hare Krishna! The latest news from the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre’s work
At the end of 2014, the disciples of Lalita Prasad Thakura (Bhaktivinode Thakura’s son) and members of the Bhakti Binod Gosthi committee visited BRC to see how BRC’s restoration efforts were coming along. The committee was very pleased with our efforts to preserve the literature. Test strips are used to determine the level of acidity present in the paper. Manuscripts are treated to neutralize the acid.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16692

The post April 9th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Humorous class by HG Gaur Gopal Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty (video)
Prerana Youth Festival - Playing Master Strokes of Life
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/DO3Ebw

Holy Name Meditation Podcast:

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Holy Name Meditation Podcast:

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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.4)

After years of chanting, we may stop and say, “Why am I doing this? I do not feel like it anymore. I do not know. I cannot get myself to chant.” What happened? What happened to your knowledge? Is it all gone?

Don’t you know that there is no alternative? Don’t you know that the material world is hell?  Don’t you know that you are caught here? Don’t you know that it is all glossed over by the illusory energy with nice packing? Nice beautiful packing with ribbons and beautiful colours but what is inside? It is poison, it is suffering inside. This beautiful gift, packaged with glitter, beautiful ribbon and everything. And you want it but, oh God, it is Pandora’s Box.

In Greek Mythology, Pandora’s Box was given as a punishment to mankind and I will not get into the whole description of it, but basically, in Pandora’s Box all the suffering of the material world was kept and it was a beautiful box. Such an amazing box, a gift from Zeus himself, “Whoa, like a gift from the Gods! Oh, we are so lucky! Oh, what will be inside? I wonder, oh, let’s look, open it up.” And all the suffering came out.

So this principle of the beautiful packaging of the material energy is there – it looks good but inside is suffering. When you open up the package, “Do not open it. Watch out, do not do it!” The material energy is like that. So when one has knowledge in this way, he will not go for the material temptation, it is not worth it.

Sukadeva das and Radharani devi dasi were brahmacari and brahmacarini living in the temple ashrams for years. Around ten years ago they got married and now have two beautiful girls.

The director of Titanic and Avatar is establishing a new organic food store in New Zealand.

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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Morning puja at ISKCON Kanpur, India (Album with 37 photos)
See them here: http://tinyurl.com/kmnzk52

20150408 SB106031 Rasa analysis of Krishna’s teasing of Rukmini-Chaitanya Charan Prabhu ISKCON

Lecture Podcast:
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Lecture Summary:
Radharani is Satyabhama - neither is afraid to neglect Krishna. Chandravali is Rukmini - both wait for Krishna and are afraid that he will leave them. Both the moods are meant for pleasing Krsna. Krsna likes variety.

Here goal of Krsna is to relish the beauty of Rukmini when she is angry - so he is trying to provoke here. At the end however she becomes angry when she refutes Krsna's arguments one by one.

In relationships there has to be a healthy blend of predictability & unpredictability. Too much predictability affects the excitement in the relationship. Too much unpredictability affects the stability of relationship.

Rukmini's reaction to Krsna's words revealed a new facet of her love for Krsna: Krishna expected humour, but got horror.

Rasa Theory - constituents of any rasa:
1. Karana: Stimulus - external condition that activates the emotion. 2 types of Karana: Uddipan - setting, alamban - people.
2. Karya: external actions & gestures that express the emotion. 2 types - conscious & unconscious (asta sattvik vikara).
3. Sahakari: assisting emotions & actions that flavours the main emotion.

When a pregnant woman screams due to labor pain, a child is born. But if a woman who isn't pregnant starts screaming, it is futile. Similarly when a devotee who has intense love for Krsna within his heart, manifests emotions & actions unconsciously (asta sattvik vikaras), Krsna is attracted. But when sahajiyas, who have no genuine love for Krsna, imitate pure devotees by consciously displaying emotions of love for Krsna, it is unfruitful.

Find what uddipana inspires you - place yourself in the current of emotion that takes you towards Krishna.

ICC - Indian Continental Committee meeting @ Kanpur (Album with photos)
Pictures taken at ISKCON Kanpur on April 6, 2015. The ICC is a meeting of the temple presidents and managers of ISKCON India
See them here: http://tinyurl.com/mjvxqhr

A 5,000-year-old underground city discovered in central Turkey in December 2014 is thought to be the largest in the world!

A video by Bhava Films. 

Unbelievable feat by Bhumi the calf…See it to believe it!!! (1 min video)
Govardhan Eco Village
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/ShKQMF

Glories of the Holy Dham Vrindavan by HH Kavicandra Swami (13 min video)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/91q6d9

Hare Krishna! Elevation to Goodness
Teachers wishing success in their service must cultivate the mode of goodness. But wait a minute! Am I hearing protests from hard-pressed devotees sincerely striving to serve their Lord with a passion? Are they not crying out from the distance that there’s no need for goodness? Are they not emphatically stating that devotees are transcendental to the three modes of material nature? Srila Prabhupada once addressed this very question after a Sunday feast lecture at 26 Second Avenue. Prabhupada had finished speaking, and I raised my hand and spoke my first words to my spiritual master. They were not submissive.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=613

The post Simplicity and being satisfied appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Scenes from Mayapur dham (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada:
Narada Muni, citing a practical example from his own life, established that by associating with devotees and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, any man in any condition of life can achieve the highest perfection without a doubt. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.74 Purport)See them here: http://goo.gl/WlSpRH

Prasadam table (Album with photos)
Transforming an old table into a beautiful “prasadam table”
See them here: http://goo.gl/8BSxjP

Harinama and book distribution in London 07.04.2015 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If we simply place ourselves at the lotus feet of Krishna by taking to Krishna consciousness and keeping always in touch with Him by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we need not take much trouble in arranging to return to the spiritual world. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.53 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/vaXgVB

Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī defines the qualification in BRS 1.2.291-293:

rāgātmikāika-niṣṭhā ye vraja-vāsī-janādayaḥ |

teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān ||

“One is qualified for this [rāgānugā-sādhana] when he has strong desire to attain the devotional nature of a specific, definite rāgātmikā among the Vraja-vāsī.” 

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīryād apekṣate |

nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca tal-lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇaṁ ||

“The symptom of this strong desire is that his concentration will naturally want to fixate on hearing all about the sweet devotional affairs of Krishna and the rāgātmikā he admires, without any intellectual or moral prodding.”

vaidha-bhakty adhikārī tu bhāvāvirbhavanāvadhi |

atra śāstraṁ tathā tarkam anukūlam apekṣate ||

“If his interest in Krishna needs to be prodded by morality or favorable logics, then he remains without real interest in these devotional moods and is qualified for vaidhi-bhakti.”

Hare Krishna! Krishna Sambandha
Through melodies, percussion and singing classical and devotional compositions, the audience is transported to the sacred lands of India, in an atmosphere of meditation, joy and spiritual bliss. The concert in this famed theater was a very special meeting as it presented Krishna Sambandha’s first album, which was recorded in “Estudios Del Sur”, recognized as one of the best studios in Latin America. The debut album of the group was led by prominent Chilean producer Christopher Manhey, who received a Grammy for his work as an engineer in “Dejame llorar” by Mexican artist Carla Morrison, elected in 2012 for Best Alternative Music Album.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16685

Harinama at Hash Bash (2015) (Album with photos)
We were present at the 44th annual Hash Bash event held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the University of Michigan Diag. We performed big Harinaam and distributed huge number of Srila Prabhupad books and Krishna Prasadam to all those who gathered to smoke marijuana on the campus. Devotees from Detroit and Chicago joined in this venture to make it the biggest Harinaam event of the year.
See them here: http://goo.gl/b31KMA

Hare Krishna! Sri Jagannath Ratha Yatra Done In Kolaka, Ladongi, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia
The devotees of the Govardhan Ashram in Putemata village, Ladongi district in the regency of Kolaka, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, out of their sincere desire and even they are small in number but their spirit and enthusiasm were bigger than their size that they desired so strongly to follow H.H. Subhag Swami Guru Maharaj Instruction in serving Prabhupada to satisfy The Lord through the second Jaganath Ratha-yatra festival.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16682

SB Class by HG Mukunda Datta prabhu (ACBSP) at Iskcon Vrindavana, 06.04.2015 (51 min video)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/bwKSKF

The post April 8th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 January 2015, Simhachalam, Germany, Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 7.16)

Caitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out to various devotees what he had learnt from them, so we should try to follow his example. We should see that devotees are giving us gifts. It is the association of vaisnavas, who have done so much service in the past, from who we are getting gifts. This is how association of devotees actually works.

‘sadhu-sanga’, ‘sadhu-sanga’ — sarva-sastre kaya, lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya   (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 22.54)

It is said that even a moment of association with vaisnavas can bring us all perfection. The scriptures say so, but how does it happen actually? Vaisnavas give us many gifts of their service but, they can only give us gifts that they personally have – they cannot give us gifts that they do not have. So first one has to get wealth in order to give it graciously to others. The wealth of the vaisnavas is the wealth of their service – it does not come from some karma but it comes from serving Krsna and making a special endeavor. This is where we get the mercy of vaisnavas – through their service. That is the gift of the mercy of vaisnavas and that kind of association is what we are looking for.

We used to do really crazy kirtans in Vrindavan – wild ones, all over the place, for two to three hours every day; this was before Aindra came to Vrindavan. We would just go around and around, from one arati to another, and in between we would do the whole guest house and gurukula and awaken all the kids, and then run them around. It was like a transcendental terror, those super wild kirtans!

Then later, I became temple president of the Vrindavan temple, and it is a service where you are locked in meetings, but the Saturday night, I had off! And also that was the one night in the week that the gurukulis had off from gurukula and they were allowed to have kirtan as long as they wanted and could come to the temple. So for the whole week we were locked up – me in meetings and the kids in school. Then on Saturday night, we did it! I tried to drive these kids totally mad with kirtan and then more mad! I guess, I got that specific style of kirtan from there and now I am bringing that same madness here, as my gift to you.

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