Planet ISKCON

A primary school run by Avanti Schools Trust was among 49 new Department for Education approvals revealed on Monday.

Harinama 2015.03.07. Budapest (Album 109 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah, gopala govinda rama sri-mudhusudana. This is another way of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The meaning is as follows: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. He is the descendant of the Yadu family. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Gopala, Govinda, Rama and Sri Madhusudana.”
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 25.64 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/jrzrCv

I find it ironic that in the US, we have the highest incidence of obesity in the world, and yet we have become a low fat, no- fat obsessed nation.

Herbs not only add magic to many of your dishes, they also play a key role in maintaining good health. 

Hare Krishna! UK Prime Minister announces new Avanti school
Two new Croydon free schools, including the borough’s first Hindu faith school, were announced by Prime Minister David Cameron this week. A primary school run by Hindu charity the Avanti Schools Trust and a secondary school offshoot from a top Sutton grammar were among 49 new Department for Education approvals revealed on Monday. Both are expected to open in the next three years. Avanti Schools Trust, which already runs exisiting schools, had its initial application turned down by the DfE last year.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16024

The GBC College for Leadership Development isn't specifically or exclusively designed to groom future GBCs (ISKCON Governing Body Commissioners). The intention of the GBC is to assist in creating better leaders; devotees who can deeply imbibe Srila Prabhupada's mood and instructions and who can give shelter to devotees and help them feel happy in Krishna-consciousness.

The material world is like a jail; here we eternal joyful souls are sentenced to life in temporary miserable bodies. What matters most in a prison is not how miserable it is, but how accessible the way out of it is.

Our last parikrama in Vraja.

The post Pastimes at Ter-kadamba appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5F7w2c

The post Vraja-parikrama: Scenes from our last parikrama to Javat and Ter-kadamba appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar’s Boat Festival - 2015 (Album 80 photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/Y5cJAj

Hare Krishna! Step-by-Step: How to Start a Vaishnavas Care Team in Your Community
A Vaishnavas Care Team (V-Care Team) is a group of devotee volunteers within your temple or community who assist members of your congregation when they are acutely or chronically sick or even terminally ill with an end-of-life illness. Even when a devotee is sick with a “flu” or has had an accident, is hospitalized for any reason, or needs surgery, help is often required from the community. Visits from our volunteers, bringing prasadam meals or maha-prasadam from the Deities, flowers, or photos of the Deities are acts of kindness and very appreciated.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16020

Beautiful Boat Festival 2015 in Sri Vrindavana’s Krishna Balaram Mandir (50 min video)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/BsE0C2

The post March 11th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

2015 03 05 Gaur Poornima Festival Abhishek

Let me introduce Narayana and Laura Meyer. We wish to recognize them as the Donor Spotlight for this month and express our gratitude for their support over the past year. In addition to their regular monthly donation, they gave $1,500 to TKG Academy over the New Year holiday.

Narayana is the son of Kalachandji Dham’s Mathuranatha Prabhu and Mother Lila. He grew up in the Dallas Hare Krishna community. Along with his brother Janardan, he attended TKG Academy throughout his entire education – from preschool to high school.  Narayana and Laura have recently moved back to Dallas. Their daughters, Catherine and Laleh attend school in Highland Park and Rockwall High School, respectively, and their youngest son, Ethan, is enrolled in the Preschool class at TKG Academy.

In getting to know Narayana and Laura, I have grown to appreciate how gentle and relatable they are. Mathuranath Prabhu’s and Mother Lila’s Vaisnava qualities combined find their perfection in Narayana. My recent interview with the couple revealed even more admirable qualities, rendering the staff of TKG Academy privileged to be serving their family.

Narayana currently works as Director of Merchandise and Design for Sports Obermeyer, a sports company that manufactures ski clothing. He previously worked for St. Bernard Sports in Dallas and was Vice President of Merchandise.   His work requires him to travel to international locations such as China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Germany, for more than two months out of the year.

Narayana proudly credits his professional success to the education he received at TKG Academy. He was a student under the tutelage of Rupanuga Prabhu and Mother Jayanti. “The main reason why the Dallas Gurukula has flourished all these years has been the Robinsons’ team.” When asked what he applies from his education, his first response is respect. “I learned how to treat people in the world. Rupanuga Prabhu was very respectful – from his expecting students to respond, yes, sir; no, sir, to the very demeanor in which he taught us.”

He also appreciates how the Gurukula taught him to “question everything”. This is the basis of the Krishna conscious philosophy, athato brahma jijnasa. Children aren’t expected to just follow the regular norm of society – they are expected to challenge it, question it. They are expected to consider how something can be better, different, improved. “This gets you ahead in the world.”

Even his expertise in sales and marketing he attributes to his Gurukula education. Narayan fondly remembers distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books at Deep Ellum. “Preaching taught me how to sell!”

“The flexibility that the Gurukula offers isn’t found anywhere else. We break stereotypes. We educate differently. Creatively.” Because of all of this, Narayan feels that Gurukula children have an edge. They are ready to take on any hurdle, without fear. He gives the example of how he had to learn Adobe Illustrator for his job. What would have taken others two years to learn, he tackled in less than two months. Laura nods knowingly.

What does Laura think about all this? Born in a devout Christian family, she too has had a remarkable journey. When asked about this, she laughs, “I told him I could never marry him because he was a Hare Krishna. I was conflicted. Ultimately, my dad told me, ‘Listen. He loves God and you love God. That’s all you need.’”

Today her son Ethan is in a Hare Krishna school, and she loves it. “It’s the best any private school can provide. It offers what people pay thousands of dollars for. His teacher, Nrtya Kishori, takes it upon herself to individualize his education. What’s right for Ethan may not be right for every other student. In the previous private school, he was stuck. Here, I’m seeing him make such strides. His fine motor skills have significantly improved.” She loves the individual learning environment. Her favorite quote: “Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

And though she isn’t a practicing Hare Krishna, she has never felt foreign to the TKG Academy atmosphere.  She comes to the playground and sees an Upper Elementary student carrying her little son.  “We’re part of the family,” she says with a smile.

Yes, TKG Academy is a family because of supporters and parents like Narayana and Laura Meyer. Thank you.

One of my absolute favorite things about teaching a multi-level classroom is when the themes of the grades come together and the entire class is able to discuss as a group. In Language Arts, the compositions that the 5th and 8th graders had to analyze this week were both about dreams.

I was surprised this summer when I found “Dream Within a Dream”, by Edgar Allen Poe, in the 5th grade text. It seemed quite advanced. However, I decided that with a little help and guidance, they could come to an understanding of the poem. My fifth graders like a challenge, and as a teacher, there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing them go from zero to experts in one discussion.

The older boys had the poem “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. With Martin Luther King, Jr. day just behind us, and Black History Month around the corner, it seemed appropriate to schedule the poem for this time. We would take a literary trip back to the Harlem Renaissance and learn about the importance of the movement.

Before reading the poems, I had students warm up with some questions on dreams. They had to record the literal definition of “dream” before adding their own personal knowledge of its various connotations. Then they each wrote some of their dreams for the future.

We read the poems and pointed out difficult vocabulary words. After coming to an understanding of the terms, we discussed the content. Both poems were about dreams, but to what kind of “dream” was each poet referring? In Poe’s, we decided that he mostly used the word in the literal sense; the illusions we create in our minds. In Hughes’, he mostly referred to the dreams that we aspire to.

Peeling back yet another layer of this theme, we researched what the Vedas have to say about dreams. Here are two of the verses we came up with:

“Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body. That relationship is just like a dreamer’s seeing his own body working.”
SB 2.9.1

“Therefore this entire universe, which like a dream is by nature unreal, nevertheless appears real, and thus it covers one’s consciousness and assails one with repeated miseries. This universe appears real because it is manifested by the potency of illusion emanating from You, whose unlimited transcendental forms are full of eternal happiness and knowledge.
-SB 10.14.22

We read Srila Prabhupada’s purports, discussing what he meant by the use of the word “dream”. The material world is real in one sense, but it is unreal – like a dream – in the sense that our suffering and enjoyment here are temporary and only related to the body. We compared this waking dream to people crying while watching a sad movie. The movie is real, but the suffering of the audience is not real.

I asked students how we could use this knowledge to preach to Edgar Allen Poe, who was lamenting the loss of a loved one, and to Langston Hughes, who was lamenting an unfulfilled dream. Here were some responses:

“This knowledge can help make people happy. Dreams are just illusions. And by sharing Krsna consciousness to others, they can come out of dreams.”

“You can tell them that you should dream of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not dream of being God.”

“We can preach to people by saying that this is all a dream. Only the Spiritual World isn’t fake, except for when you use the material world for Krsna.”

Another great day in the Gurukula smile emoticon

Very fortunate Bhṛgu got two sons and a daughter from his wife Khyāti. This marriage represents coming to the precipice (bhṛgu) of fame (khyāti).

The daughter of Bhṛgu and Khyāti is named Śrī, because auspicious fortune (śrī) is both the cause and effect of rising (bhṛgu) to fame (khyāti). This daughter was an exalted devotee of the All-Attractive, because the All-Attractive is the natural root and shelter of auspiciousness.

The sons of Khyāti and Bhṛgu are named Dhātā and Vidhātā, because at the precipice of fame it is essential to remain balanced and sober (dhātā) and avoid becoming excessive (vidhātā).

Dhātā gained Meru’s daughter Āyati as his wife, because sobriety allows fame to endure (āyati). Vidhātā married Meru’s other daughter Niyati, because imbalance and excess causes fame to be fleeting (niyati).

Āyati gave a son to Dhātā. They named this body Mṛkaṇḍa because enduring fame breaks (-kaṇḍa) the force of mortality (mṛ-). Mṛkaṇḍa became the father of Mārkaṇḍeya, a very important scholar who plays an important role in the Upaṇiṣads.

Niyati gave a son to Vidhātā. They named him Prāṇa because fleeting fame is extremely exciting and invigorating (prāṇa). Prāṇa became the father of Vedaśirā, another important scholar who became angry with another sage, and was cursed to become the serpent, Kāliya.

Śānti, who is also known as Citti, gave Atharvā a son named Dadhyaṇca, who followed strict vows and is famous for wearing a horses head. Thus when thoughtfulness (citti) is primary (atharvā) we naturally minimalize our external affairs and become “thin” (dadhyaṇca).

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.16.4.

“Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura  says that if one does speak about others while under the influence of devotional impediments, such as envy, pride, hatred, or the desire for position, then one commits an offense at the feet of bhakti-devi. So, for the sake of the institution we may have to point out the defects of even another member of the institution but he warns that if one does so being influenced by these impediments one commits an offense at the feet of bhakti-devi. Now, this warning will make us introspective that. ‘Am I doing this out of envy, pride, hatred, or the desire to increase my own position?’ We may not be sure. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has stated that the weeds may closely resemble the creepers and it may not be easy to distinguish between the two. So, what do we do in such a situation? One course is to consult an expert gardener who can distinguish between weeds and creepers.”

SB 4.16.4, Eco-Village, Wada

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, June 2013, Summer Camp, Czech Republic, Initiation Lecture)

Faith is essential. One must have faith that Krsna will protect me, rakshishyathi vishvaso. One must have faith that if I choose for Krsna then I will not miss out on anything. Not that we regret, “Oh, I took initiation and now, I cannot be like ordinary people anymore. So many things I have given up!”

No, we must know that all our desires will be fulfilled! In material life, our dreams are always greater than reality, therefore it is said that material existence is frustrating because we are never satisfied. But spiritual life is the opposite – in serving Guru and Krsna, we will be satisfied beyond our imagination!

An example is of Dhruva Maharaj. He wanted a kingdom greater than his father and greater than his grandfather, Lord Brahma. But then, when Dhruva Maharaj approached the Supreme Lord for a material purpose – when he actually received the darsana of the Supreme Lord – he had a change of heart! Then, he realized that all these material desires that he desired so much were like broken pieces of glass, and now he had received the most valuable jewels, unexpectedly. So this faith must be strong that actually by taking shelter of the regulative principles of devotional service and by taking shelter of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, all our desires will be fulfilled!

Gita Verse-by-verse Study Podcast

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Holy Name Meditation Podcast

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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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CC daily Podcast:

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Radhanath Swami Joins International Yoga Festival, Rishikesh.
Radhanath Swami was twice featured in the Spiritual Discourses Series and spoke on the topics ‘Equanimity Amidst Turbulence’ and ‘Yoga of Love’. He gave a third talk on ‘Qualities of a True Yogi’ on one of the evenings. At the end of the discourse he led the participants in the kirtan of the holy names, as everyone danced in ecstasy.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/jmxQdL

Hare Krishna! GBC College for Leadership Development, Day 2
Another session that was thoroughly appreciated was the afternoon presentation by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Within the topic of “Being a Srila Prabhupadanuga,” Maharaja launched into a comprehensive historical, philosophically and esoteric description of who really is Srila Prabhupada, of how his appearance and accomplishments fit into the context of Lord Caitanya’s descent and mission. Maharaja explained Srila Prabhupada fulfilled the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to have a collective management of the institution, and how the vaidhi and raganuga approaches naturally harmonize within Gaudiya Vaisnavism.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16017

Podcast:

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Lecture Summary:

Not compromising doesn’t mean confronting unnecessarily

Eg. Not compromising = doing surgery; confronting unnecessarily = not giving pain-medication, not being aware of patient’s particular complications

Lord Chaitanya’s social sensitivity

Eg. Didn’t insist that Haridas Thakura be allowed entry in Jagannatha temple

Eg. Took prasad only at brahmana’s house

Differentiate eternal spiritual message from medium, which includes language, recollected facts and contextual social message

Acharya’s social stands may not come from shastra, but from acharya’s pratyaksha and anumana eg statements on Hitler

Scripture on rape:

8 kinds of marriages – Forcible intercourse leading to marriage: Pishacha vivaha. Not prescription, but description

Different meanings of rape:

1. “expert at rape” – means aggression within affection to convert a coy woman’s no to yes

2. Ramayana translator – Rape of Sita – means abduction, not violation

3. Other ‘rape’ quotes – means involuntary pleasure due to orgasm during forcible penetration

In no way, shape or form does Prabhupada recommend rape – he doesn’t even recommend consensual sex.

Be intellectually responsible in presenting shastra’s message properly – share clarificatory message, develop ISKCON’s theological positions, and improve ISKCON’s online presence

See this controversy as a shock treatment for spurring self-improvement in our movement

From the last artistic album of Indradyumna Swami.
See all the photos here: http://goo.gl/NRWEiZ