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“We have been given the opportunity to get the holy name but if we maintain material attachments in our heart we will not be able to accept the gift fully. To really accept the gift we have to cleanse our heart of material attachments and motives then there will be room for the holy name. Otherwise if our heart is crowded with all sorts of material attachments and ambitions there won’t be much room for the holy name. This is what our acharyas are telling us. Of course by making the effort to chant attentively it does cleanse the heart—ceto darpana marjanam, but we have to want the heart to be cleansed, We have to be chanting with the desire for the holy name to enter and clean the dirty things. Otherwise if you chant to get something material it still helps but it will take longer.”

Jagannatha Misra Utsava, Juhu

The post Gaura Purnima Abhishek appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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Cultural Program on Sri Gaura Purnima, 2015 in ISKCON-Delhi (Album 48 photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/tyw3Vo

2015 Gaura Purnima Abhisheka in Hare Krishna Melbourne (Album 78 photos)
O my merciful Lord Caitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desertlike tongue. Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud chanting of Krishna’s holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river’s flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears. (Chaitanya-caritamrita 2.2)
See them here: http://goo.gl/pidWJu

Radhakunda Seva: February 2015 Photos and Updates (Album 85 photos)
Happy Gaura Purnima, dear friends! On this most auspicious day of Mahaprabhu’s 529th appearance anniversary, we are happy to share with you that the promotional video Prananatha Prabhu so kindly made for us will be posted shortly. Finally! :) We are praying to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for His mercy so that we can do some service in the Dhama. He asked the six Goswamis to restore the Dhama and reestablish the sites of Radha and Krishna’s pastime. If we can play some small part in this desire of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, we feel ourselves to be most fortunate.
We are still working to transfer the land that was donated to the name of our trust. We will keep you informed as to the progress of that.
Raised beds and benches were built at the Sakhi Kunda Garden area this month and we are really excited to put plants there soon.
We’re trying to get government cooperation to fix the leaking pipe. We’ll keep you informed on that too.
The prasadam distribution to pilgrims and residents of Radha Kunda has expanded. Besides their daily meal of roti and sabji, the widows are now getting two feasts per month. And we’ve added puris to the bi-monthly kitri distribution.
See them here: http://goo.gl/fpW0Vb

by Lilasuka dasi

The New Vrindaban 2015 Gaura Purnima festival on March 5 was very special. It is said that “You can’t buy a ticket to Vrindavan – you have to be invited by Srimati Radharani Herself.” It seems that Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra of New Vrindaban gave out special mercy invitations to those who braved sub-zero temperatures and seven-inch deep snow drifts to come from Pittsburgh and surrounding towns to see Sri Sri Gaura Nitai on this Gaura Purnima day. The snow-covered roads and the trees lining the roads of the dhama were a milky scene from a winter dreamland.

Gaura Purnima’s serene snow scene.

Despite the extreme snow, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu spread out His golden rays of mercy and warmed the hearts of the souls attending the celebration. In the early morning, a few people had the good fortune to attend Malati Prabhu’s uplifting class on Lord Caitanya. Sweet, soft bhajans began early in the afternoon, when a few more stalwarts drifted into the temple room. Then, Sankirtan prabhu gave his slide presentation of “How the Hare Krsna Mantra Came to the West” to a slightly growing crowd. This was followed by the beautiful abhishek of little Gaura Nitai, where a steady stream of devotees took their turns bathing the deities at the front of the altar with great reverence.

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai

Varsana Maharaja’s class was well attended as he held everyone’s attention with the pastimes that flowed from his mouth. The evening kirtan exploded with all the devotees’ exuberation and enthusiasm. We finished the day with a sumptuous Gaura Purnima feast.

An added bonus to the significance of the day is that we were fortunate enough to get a live phone interview on a local radio station, WKKX, a few days before the “Rising Moon Gaura Purnima Festival”. The interviewer had been to the Palace of Gold before and he was very interested in letting the people of the local Ohio Valley know about this special celebration in honor of the founder of kirtan, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All in all, Gaura Purnima 2015 was a smashing success.

Sri Gaura Purnima Maha Abhishek in ISKCON-Delhi (Album 58 photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/PRmSP1

In Australia, devotee academic Padma Dasi was chosen to receive first prize in a Bhagavad-gita As It Is Essay Competition amongst 200 university and tertiary education students across the country. The competition was organized by Satya Armstrong and other disciples of ISKCON guru Bhakti Charu Swami to encourage people to delve more deeply into the ancient spiritual text.

The GBC’s Strategic Planning Network (SPN) recently concluded its five-day bi-annual meeting in Mayapur. Facilitated by the GBC’s Strategic Planning Team, the numerous SPN committees, made up of GBC members and ISKCON leaders and thinkers from across the globe, continued to explore new ideas and initiatives with the view to providing documents  that will form a  comprehensive plan for the future of ISKCON.

Happy Holi!

We are scheduled to be featured for three minutes on tonight’s edition of BBC’s ‘The One Show.’ It will probably be at the end as the show plays out. Expect lots of throwing of colored powder.

Auckland NZ : Chant,chant,chant, Friday night Harinam!! (Album 34 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is the aspiration of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falter and his heart throb. These are good signs in chanting the holy name of the Lord.
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 7.81 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/bilV59

Levels of religious restrictions and hostilities among the world’s 25 most populous countries vary tremendously.

Hare Krishna! From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir: HH Bhakti Purusottam Swami
When the living entities they forget Krishna, they develop desire to enjoy separately from Krishna so maya catches. That’s why Bhagavad Gita explaining that two kinds of living entities as, ksara and aksara. ksara living entities they are prone to fall down, they are prone to fall down, so they develop this desire thinking that I will go enjoy separately from Krishna and though Krishna forbids him but still he wants to come. Prabhupada saying, Krishna is greatest friend of the living entity. Just like a friend always likes to fulfill the desire of his friend, then Krishna reluctantly He wants to fulfill the desire of this living entity and living entity wants to come to this material world thinking I will enjoy, I will enjoy more in this material world.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15943

ISKCON SALEM Gaura Purnima celebration (Album 95 photos)
See them here: http://goo.gl/7L7dvi

There’s nothing gray about Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s all black. Abuse is not glamorous or cool.  It is never OK, under any circumstances.

Hare Krishna! Lord Chaitanya makes the abominable age worshipable
To understand how sankirtana makes this inauspicious age auspicious, let’s consider the prison metaphor. What matters most in a prison is not how miserable it is, but how accessible the way out of it is. In Kali-yuga, the way out of the prison of material existence becomes eminently accessible: no strenuous yogic austerities, no expensive fire-sacrifices, no complicated deity worship, as was required in the previous ages; just the chanting of the names and glories of Krishna.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15940

The Indian president has approved a bill which bans the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef in the western state of Maharashtra.

A 2.8-million-year-old jawbone fossil unearthed in an Ethiopian desert is pushing back the dawn of humankind by about half a million years.

Festival of Jagannath Mishra (3 min video)
The Festival of Jagannath Mishra is an observance of the Jata karma samskara for baby Nimai (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Following the fast for Gaura Purnima, which is broken upon the rising of the moon, the next day is held for feasting. On Jagannath Mishra festival day, the devotees meditate upon the Jata karman ceremony. The festival is also known as Anandotsava amongst the Gaudiya Matha devotees.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/Rov54T

The post March 6th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

I am very happy to learn that you are rendering a nice service to Krishna by cooking for him and distributing prasadam to others. The association of devotees is the only solace for our existence.
Letter to: Yadunandana, San Francisco, 26 March, 1968

For those who followed the charts in the 1980’s may recall a band called The Belle Stars with a dynamic singer by the name Jennie Matthias, you never expect to meet of hear from your musical idles.
However some desires Krishna fulfils in the strangest of ways for this singer has been busy putting her time and talents into helping the devotees in an area that has a dedicated band of supporters, our very own Food For All.
Now here comes the humble request
Food For All in London is on a fund raising mission

And Jennie Matthias has been working hard to put on a concert with the proceeds going to help the prasadam distribution (sadly for me they dont deliver in the Welsh Valleys)
As part of the concert this lovely prasadam is being distributed, and what makes prasadam that much more special the smiling faces of the devotee’s.
So the call to action is here the time to show why Krishna Prasadam is the best ever and give the most valuable commodity a devotee has that of association. You never know your smile may make a devotee whilst raising funds for the food for all team, with your support this mission will be a success

SB 06.17.21 by Bhima Prabhu at ISKCON Juhu on 2015-02-08

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila, chapter 7.

In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Panca-tattva distributed love of Godhead. — Cc Adi-lila 7.23.

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada followed this principle and distributed Krishna consciousness throughout the world. And he excepted as devotees people from all parts of the world, from all casts and communities and creeds, and elevated them to the positions of servants of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. So we also should not make any conditions. In other words we should be free from envy. One of the obstacles to devotional service is jiva himsa. Which means to do violence to others or to envy them. So, we should welcome and encourage everyone — without pride, without discrimination, and without envy or malice.  And then we will truly be able to chant and dance in ecstasy.

——————————
Gaura Purnima, Juhu

C.C Adi 14.1

kathancana smrte yasmin duskaram sukaram bhavet

vismrte viparitam syat sri-caitanyam namami tam

“Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.”

The 2015 Gaura Purnima festival was joyously celebrated Wednesday at the Bhakti Centre and Thursday at the Brisbane Temple.

Needless to say, everyone was in ecstasy chanting Hare Krishna and “Gauranga.”

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 January 2015, Soho Temple, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.77.33-37)

I was reading a verse where it says, “Not by any means nor by any weapon, can one take away the possessions of a devotee.” That was interesting because I do watch over my electronics and do not leave them lying around because things sort of move in different directions. I learnt that early in the days of when I joined the Hare Krsna movement; I saw someone go out the door with a sleeping-bag that looked just like mine and I understood that things do go missing.

But the possessions of a devotee cannot be taken away by any means, because the true possession of a devotee is Krsna and devotional service; and devotional service cannot be taken away! Devotional service is always there. It is something we can always do, a little service to Krsna and no one can take that away!

In South Africa, where I regularly visit, every year they celebrate a very large Ratha Yatra. Every year for the Ratha Yatra, the deputy mayor of Durban attends and he gives a speech. He never misses it and the speech is the same every year. He talks about the apartheid days where he was part of the forbidden political party and all the leaders of that party were jailed, so this man was also in jail. He was put into solitary confinement and he was allowed to have one book. He asked for a Bhagavad-gita, and he was given a Bhagavad-gita As It Is and for three years, he was locked up in jail with Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita.

You can understand that there was nothing else to read – no newspaper, no internet, nothing else to read – but Prabhupada’s Gita! That jail sentence, in one way, was a blessing because it changed his life… I mean, three years with just Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita. He can never forget it and therefore, every year he has to come to Ratha Yatra and tell that story. Although we have heard it a hundred times, it does not matter, every time the story has power… three years with just Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita! What an amazing blessing he got! In that way, we can never take away the possessions of a devotee; it is not possible because no matter what we do, devotional service remains.

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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