Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Saturday, March 21st was a day of traveling, flying to North Carolina to the community of devotees in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
We arrived too late in the evening for any temple greeting and went straight to our accommodations at the house of Aditya Narayana prabhu and his wife.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 10 – Travel to Hillsborough, North Carolina, New Goloka Dhama appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
On Friday, March 20th, the TOVP presentation took place to an audience of about 75 devotees. The Padukas received an abhisheka during an ecstatic kirtan while Jananivas placed Lord Nrsinghadeva’s Sitari on everyone’s head.
Temple President Tusta Krishna prabhu introduced the TOVP Team consisting of Jananivas prabhu, Radha Jivan prabhu, Vraja Vilas prabhu and Sunanda prabhu. Radha Jivan spoke for some time and introduced Jananivas who inspired the devotees to serve Sridhama Mayapur and the TOVP project. Radha Jivan then, once again, made an appeal for pledges and, although a smaller congregation than Alachua and Dallas combined, $200,000 in pledges was raised. After the program prasadam was served to all the devotees.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 9 – $200,000 Pledged from Denver Temple appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
On 26th March, we had a Prabhupada katha lecture in Mayapur Temple by His Excellency P.B Acharya (the governor of Assam, Tripura and Nagaland). He’s a Vaisnava born in Udupi, Karnataka and had the fortune of serving Srila Prabhupada at his house in Bombay for 40 days. During that time he had many memorable experiences […]
The post Prabhupada katha lecture by His Excellency P.B Acharya appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Even after all this criticism, the mountain-dwelling Śiva remained quiet and did not retaliate. Angry Dakṣa, on the other hand, ritually sprinkled himself with drops of water in preparation for pronouncing a curse: “Whenever sacrifice is offered to the gods, Indra and his followers will receive portions but Bhava shall not – for he is a god unfit to be counted amongst the gods!”
The leaders of the assembly had tried to stop Dakṣa from pronouncing this curse, but this only made him more angry, and he stormed off for home.
Śiva was not angry, but his great devotee Nandīśvara became red-eyed and blinded by rage. He pronounced a terrible curse upon Dakṣa and all the Brāhmaṇas who did not protest Dakṣa’s behavior: “You who are so superficial and external that you bear hatred towards Śiva – a Blessed Being who hates no one – will become fools, completely ignorant of philosophical truth! You will make a mockery of righteousness, while actually being completely addicted to mundane pleasures common to any ordinary household. Without any true realization, your comprehension of the Veda will be limited to rituals that promise materialistic, selfish gains. Dakṣa is already such a fool! His intellect is external, and mistakes the body for the self. Not knowing his true self-interest, he is like an animal interested only in reproducing with women. Therefore, he should look like an animal! Let him soon have the head of a goat!
“He has the learning and intellect of an ignorant fool, dull and obsessed with selfish deeds. Therefore he shall suffer again and again in this world of birth and death! And those who tolerated his insults of Gentle Śiva will suffer the same fate! Anyone who bears hatred towards the Destroyer shall become a bewildered fool intoxicated by the honey-fragrance of the Veda’s enchanting promises of material power and pleasure. You foolish so-called Brāhmaṇas will eat anything and everything just to nourish your fat bellies, and you will pursue so-called learning, austerity, and vows just to earn money to lavish upon your body and senses. May you all wander in this world like beggars!”
[Bhāgavatam 4.2.17 ~ 26]
Vraja Kishor dās
PS – Nandīśvara is a synonym for Nandikeśa, who the Purāṇic Encyclopedia defines as: “Chief of the Bhūta-gaṇa of Shiva” saying that he once took the form of a monkey and cursed Rāvaṇa.
From Dallas, our next stop is Denver, Colorado, home of Sri Sri Radha Govinda, Gaur Nitai and Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra.
Like Dallas, this is one of the original 108 temples established by Srila Prabhupada which he personally visited and installed the Deities. We arrived on Wednesday, March 18th greeted by an ecstatic group of devotees dancing and chanting. The Padukas and Sitari gave darshan while kirtan continued, and finally Jananivas prabhu spoke about Mayapur and the TOVP.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 7 – Travel to Denver, Colorado, New Badarikashrama appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
The post March 27th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Mangala Aratik Iskcon London
Lecture Podcast:
On Thursday, March 19th the Denver devotees congregated to observe the 71st birthday of Jananivas prabhu (and Pankajanghri prabhu).
Just as Srila Prabhupada came to America at the advanced age of 70 to bring the message of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and the parampara, Jananivas left India for the first time in 43 years to do “whatever it takes to build Radha Madhava’s new home.”
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 8 – Jananivas Prabhu’s 71st Birthday Celebrated appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
While traveling with us, Jananivas prabhu is giving Deity Seva Seminars and other talks at the temples in-between traveling.
On the evening of Tuesday, March 17th he gave his first Deity Seminar at the Dallas temple to another packed temple room of devotees eager to learn from him.
The post TOVP Tour Diary Day 6 – Jananivas Deity Seva Seminar appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:
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Gita Verse-by-verse Podcast:
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In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna describes how He is the origin and opulence in all of creation. In verse 35 He states, “Of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.”
Indeed, after weeks of overcast and inclement weather, the sun has peered from behind the clouds, bringing all vegetation back to life! Spring is here and we are celebrating its arrival. After a week-long break, the preschool class learned about the four seasons and sketched a finger-painted exhibition of their characteristics.
Along with the Lower Elementary class, we went to the Dallas Children’s Theater and were entertained by the “Tales of Peter Rabbit.” Mr. McGregor even came out for a group picture!
The appeal of the beautiful stage scenery of the woods and the garden demanded an outdoor picnic. Tietze Park, with its climbing trees, provided the perfect natural ground for play on this beautiful, sunny spring day!
Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 April 2010, Durban, South Africa, Lecture at Ratha Yatra)
There are many people all over the world who are all adhering to some religion and are worshiping God! They speak about intimacy and about getting close. One day, I was preparing a seminar on the topic of prayer so I had researched different things on prayer. I looked on the internet to see if I could find something general on prayer and I found a quote by one Christian priest who said, “Whenever I pray, I realize how far away I am from God…”
When I read that, I was thinking that we don’t have that! Whenever we pray, we feel very close to Krsna! All of us, although we are not very great devotees and although we do not have much love for Krsna, we do not feel so far away. Krsna is here! When we dance in front of the Lord, we know he is right here. So this is Krsna consciousness; it is immediately very intimate! A very intimate relationship with Krsna!
Naam Ramayana Podcast
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CC daily Podcast
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Daivi Shakti Mataji: history of ISKCON Vrindavan (55 min video)
Beautiful class and narration of the early days of Krishna Balarama Mandir, the donation of the land and more!
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/SPFEjG
Birmingham 24 Hour Kirtan 2015
In its 16th year running, it gives us great pleasure to invite you to our annual Birmingham 24 Hour Kirtan festival. This hugely successful event will host over 2,000 people during the course weekend and we will be serving vegetarian meals to all guests on both days. The kirtan festival is held in the beautiful surroundings of Radha Swami Rasila Satsang Centre.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16420
Community Dialog on the topic of a possible “Village Council” at the onsite Joint Board Meetings in New Vrindaban
The weekend of March 14 and 15, 2015 was a jam-packed, exciting and informative two days for NV. There used to be two weekends a year when the two Boards of Directors, namely ISKCON New Vrindaban ( INV) & ECO-Vrindaban would get together with their managers and staff so all involved could connect and communicate. Starting two years ago, however, the joint board members decided to expand these weekend gatherings and open them up for all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers to participate as well.
During the weekend of March 14 and 15, the activities were divided into four sections:
And, in between, on Sat. evening there was a relaxed, yet informative event at Prabhupada’s Palace. Sankirtan prabhu gave his dramatic, visual powerpoint presentation called “How the Hare Krsna Mantra Came to the West”.
The account in this article is a glimpse into Saturday afternoon’s discussion, just one of the weekend’s events, to inform anyone who missed it. There will soon be a series of detailed articles written by Madhava Smullen who also participated in the weekend activities.
Of particular interest to the residents of New Vrindaban was a lively community dialog,, after lunch on Saturday March 14, 2015, which was well attended by many community members. Chaitanya Mangala introduced the topic of a possible Village Council for New Vrindaban, which is just in the idea stage with no details worked out yet. The proposed Council could ideally consist of a body of local devotees working together, where all residents could feel that they have an increased voice in their community of New Vrindaban.
Chaits mentioned how previously leaders of New Vrindaban had made valiant efforts to manage a community through a non-profit religious corporate structure, but this doesn't work because the required legal structures have restrictions that can’t be transformed into a broader democratic system. Therefore, we need to approach this from a broader perspective.
Chaits emphasized three buzz words for such a Village Council: small, local and simple.
"Small: Let’s just have a few people on the Council, at least to begin with. Later it can expand as needed."
"Local: The members should be available to regularly meet face to face, for optimum effectiveness and communication."
"Simple: Let’s create as few pre-conditions as possible, so as not to restrict the group from starting. They can develop the rules they will operate under as they move forward."
Then the discussion was opened up. Devotees were expressing themselves very respectfully, but frankly as well. Many remarked afterwards that this was a mature discussion coming out of people’s honest desires to have a “village voice”. That is, the residents of New Vrindaban want a voice in how the community is run, so they spoke up frankly, but also showed much appreciation for the current leaders and managers and all the challenges they’ve faced.
The feeling of resignation that is sometimes evident in NV over the years was mentioned as one of the many challenges. This apathy has different sources. There is much skepticism that things will change, yet others still have hope. Some devotees have complained that, in their opinion, New Vrindaban is being run as more of a corporation than a spiritual institution. Some asked what kind of influence would a Village Council really have on the decision-making process in New Vrindaban. The NV Advocacy Sanga has been discussing many of these issues for the last year and a half.
One devotee appreciated that this year has been identified by Jaya Krsna prabhu as the year of “deepening relationships”. Just as we have to continuously deal with the structure of the roads and buildings of NV, dealing with ongoing devotee relationships is also essential.
A suggestion came up for us to possibly study how a few successful intentional communities run and what their successes are based on. Mukunda das said, “Those communities, although they may not be based on spirituality, have many of the “0’s” in the equation, but we have the “1” (Krsna) to make it perfect. So we can still learn from them.”
An old friend and well-wisher of the Hare Krsna movement, Burke Rochford, a professor of sociology, was present at the meetings. He expressed that he sees these types of dialogs as very important. He said that since Srila Prabhupada had set up New Vrindaban as a community, as opposed to a city temple, that we have had to face certain special challenges. He has also come to understand that the voices of the residents need to help shape the direction of New Vrindaban.
There was a short discussion on the topic of the Sunday feast. People were expressing both sides, namely what enlivens and what sometimes discourages the devotees’ attendance.
Although many topics were touched upon, the themes that were recurring throughout the afternoon were the need for the residents’ voices to be heard and the challenge of rebuilding trust. It was suggested that a Village Council could address these types of concerns for a win/win situation.
The NV Advocacy Sanga announced that the Sanga will continue the discussion of a Village Council and try to come up with a solid proposal from their side. They also expressed their wish, along with the joint Board members, that this healthy, open discussion will continue in the community at large.
The third annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture will be held today at the Business School of WITS University in Johannesburg. The speaker will be Bhuta Bhavana Dasa. Here’s the link to click to see the lecture streamed online.
Time:
Johannesburg: 7:30 pm
London: 5:30 pm
New York: 1:30 pm
The post Third annual Bhaktivedanta Swami Lecture today at WITS University appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.
Harinama in Japan (Album 80 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51] Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, one becomes free from the bondage of material existence and thus becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 9.14.48 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/1pw0R0
As The Phoenix From The Flames, A Grand, Beautiful New Temple Is Rising From The Debris!
When Cyclone Hudhud raged through the province of Andhra Pradhesh on India’s East Coast on October 12th 2014, it caused serious damage to ISKCON Visakhapatnam, leaving devotees feeling demoralized.
But like the proverbial phoenix from the flames, a grand, beautiful new temple is rising from the debris. Construction began on the auspicious day of Gaura Purnima on March 15th this year, and the monumental 67,000 square foot temple is expected to be completed by Nityananda Trayodasi in Feburary 2018.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/fQ1mnX
Hare Krishna! Religion of Non-envy
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
So the Krishna consciousness movement is not for the persons who are envious. It is a movement to train people how to become non-envious. Yes, it is very first-class scientific movement not to become envious. Any religion system, if there is jealousy, it is not religion. We should understand what jealousy is. Jealousy means that you are rightful owner of something; I won’t allow you to take it. This is jealousy; try to understand it.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16417
Hare Krishna! Some Confusion in ISKCON Regarding Fasting
Bhanu Swami: In ISKCON, there is some ambiguity in the term “fasting”. This ambiguity is reflected in the VCal computer program, and it is often perpetrated in many printed calendars produced by ISKCON centers. Sometimes “fasting” means fasting from grains all day, as on Ekadasi. Sometimes it means not eating anything, even non-grain prasad, until a certain time, as in the phrases “fasting till noon on Ekadasi” (which is mentioned for the Ekadasis that occur before Vamana and Varaha Dwadasis) or “fasting till moonrise” (which is mentioned for Gaura Purnima).
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16413
Glorious 40th Anniversary of ISKCON Vrindavan (Album 95 photos)
HG Deena Bandhu prabhu welcoming guests for the opening of the 40th Festival Entertainment with the beginning of manasa Vrndavana Parikrama, along with a slide show of Vrndavana photos on large screen with Krsna Balarama’s classical musicians
Parividha prabhu presenting his KRSNA cultural cabaret.
Madhura Theatre from Moscow presenting Agni and Butterfly
Manipuri dancers presenting the six Seasons of Rasa Dances and their Martial Arts
See them here: http://goo.gl/Ht8ASq
The Indian government has finally agreed to restore the Yamuna’s ecological flow through several steps demanded by protestors, beginning with bringing the sacred river under the Environment Protection Act within two to three months. The move is a huge victory for the Free Yamuna Campaign of Braj (the land of Lord Krishna’s pastimes), which has been fighting for years now to restore the beleaguered river.
“Forms of Devotion: The Spiritual in Indian Art” at New Delhi’s prestigious Lalit Kala Akademi on March 21st.
The exhibit features about 400 works by nearly 200 artists, selected from the Museum of Sacred Art’s (MOSA’s) permanent collection of over 1,600.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/eHhae6
The post Would you like Krsna to build you a house in Goloka? appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
When Cyclone Hudhud raged through the province of Andhra Pradhesh on India’s East Coast on October 12th 2014, it caused serious damage to ISKCON Visakhapatnam, leaving devotees feeling demoralized. But like the proverbial phoenix from the flames, a grand, beautiful new temple is rising from the debris. Construction began on the auspicious day of Gaura Purnima on March 15th this year.
Over 500 people attended the inauguration of the exhibit “Forms of Devotion: The Spiritual in Indian Art” at New Delhi’s prestigious Lalit Kala Akademi on March 21st. The exhibit features about 400 works by nearly 200 artists, selected from the Museum of Sacred Art’s (MOSA’s) permanent collection of over 1,600.
ISKCON Paris, France (5 min video)
With beautiful deities: Sri Sri Radha Parisvara
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/4r4mqP
In the consumer culture of marriage,one's commitment of wife-hood or husband-hood lasts as long as the spouse is meeting one's emotional and monetary needs. People want it out as soon as they see their needs not be met. It is fascinating to contrast the current measurement of success in marriages with Vindhyavali's view of her husband Bali Maharaja losing everything and becoming completely poverty stricken.
ISKCON Malaysia Youths Bhakti Groove Program (Album 6 photos)
KLANG - The second Bhakti Groove Youth gathering for this year was held on 21st March 2015 hosted by the ISKCON Klang Youth. It brought together more youth from the state of Selangor together. Around 30-35 youths attended the program which lasted about 3 hours. After a short kirtan, one of the youth members, Gauravani Dasa gave a half an hour talk in conjunction with the upcoming Rama Navami festival. Interestingly he spoke about the manifestation of lust, greed and anger which is represented by Ravaana, the evil character in the Ramayana. And to curtail this, we need to dovetail all our activities and thoughts to be Krishna Conscious centric.
See them here: http://goo.gl/RM6Szi
Hare Krishna! Kali-yuga loses: River Yamuna to come back to Braja Vrndavana!
Bhaktisiddhanta Swami: A most positive event within the century, and unprecedented victory in the age of Kali; a new government supports the saints and sadhus in their concerns for preservation and restoration of the Yamuna, the wife of the Supreme, the cynosure of cultural India. As stated in the Skanda Purana the prediction of disappearance of the Yamuna after 5,000 years of entrance into the Kali-yuga; has been temporarily delayed because of the presence of the devotees of the Lord.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16409