Harinama in Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic (Album 41…
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Harinama in Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic (Album 41 photos)
For many years harinams – the color joyous procession of devotees singing the holy name of Krishna accompanied by harmonium, mridangas and karatalas – are inseparable from Prague. This singing represents the yuga-dharma for this age. We go regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4 PM from Obecni dům on Republic Square.
See them here: http://goo.gl/vVlMcJ

“Garbha̅dha̅na-saṁska̅ra” Book Released
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Gabhadhana-samskara, the first and most important of all the purificatory processes in the tradition of Sanatana dharma is yet either less prevalent today or almost extinct. Such a sacred practice remains obscure, less propagated and even less  understood. The new publication titled, “Garbha̅dha̅na-saṁska̅ra, The Science of Vedic Family Planning” humbly attempts to fills this gap.

Lecture by HH Niranjan Swami
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On 18th February, HH Niranjan Swami gave the morning Bhagwatam lecture on SB 6.17.30. Below is the transcript of the lecture. (Pranama Mantras) First I would like to thank all of the assembled vaisnavas for this opportunity to render service. I pray to all of the vaisnavas who are here today to bless me that I may […]

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Hare Krishna! From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir: HH Niranjana…
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Hare Krishna! From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir: HH Niranjana Swami
All of us have gathered to relish the sweet taste of Krishna’s names here in the association of devotees. But as servants of the holy name, we should never try to selfishly relish that sweet taste ourselves. Our duty is to go out and to give it to others. That is the auspiciousness of this event that has been created for all of us to take part in – to go together and to relish these sweet names
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Monday, February 16th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

Hit By A Monk


One swami gave me a slug.  Yes, in truth I got hit by a monk in the left brow and cheek.  It was not ill-intended.  It was an accident but at the time it felt a hard blow.

What actually happened is that at the first day of the kirtan mela, the chanting fest, I was making my dance moves during the chant session.  Dozens of men were following my lead when Chandramauli Swami comes in to participate.  He always gravitates to the place where there's a beat and a thump and a mantra - I commend him for that.

At one point in the kirtan he broke into a wild spin and like a tornado he spun out of control and headed my way.  The Maharaja apologetically said, "I stepped out of line, I'm sorry."  And of course, all was done with genuine heart.  The incident had all alarmed but the dance persisted and both swamis, he and I, demonstrated a transcendence, if I could say.  The hurt subsided and there were no signs of permanent damage.

Life goes on, as it should, with the chant in prevalence.

I think of the conviction of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who carried on, despite being knocked over by a horned bull while on the streets in Delhi, and how on his ocean journey on the vessel "The Jaladuta" he encountered two heart attacks, but on the will of persistence, forged ahead with a mission.

The apparent blow to my head was minuscule compared to what my guru has done.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Sunday, February 15th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

From Tongue to Nose


Cashews and figs are my breakfast.  During meetings my colleagues and I enjoy a snack bar with water right out of the dab (coconut).  Other juices are freshly made pomegranate, sugar cane, lemon, and bael.  Delicious!  Good for any one walking or sitting (at meetings).

Lunch is much the same every day.  I pass on the rice but delight in steamed veggies, a banana curry, and today it was jackfruit, an actual vegetable.  I tell you, even a meat-eater would relish cooked jackfruit, its texture and taste.

Daru Brahman is a student of mine who brings a lighter meal at night during our rehearsals.  I will not pass up on the fruit-filled custard, a fitting food to our tummies taken just two hours before retiring for the night.

Somehow the above-mentioned gets burned up during the daily walk, the recreation of dance during the morning auspicious time at tulasi puja and then somehow or other the warmed-up temperature that we experience at our think-tank hours, the AGM for our society.

What a pleasant change it was to have that downpour of rain.  It didn't take much for areas to flood.  I guess you call it a token flood.  By the following morning most of that had disappeared and was drained out to the nearby Ganges.  It was shortly after the rainfall that the coriander fields in the area exploded in fragrance.  Tucked away we were in the samadhi auditorium at the time and that remarkable scent burst at the nostrils, adding to the magic of nature and its Creator.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Appreciating Sripada Tamal Krishna Goswami’s Disappearance Day, February 18, Govardhana, Vrindavan
Giriraj Swami

02.18.15_TKG_Disap_PuspanjaliMy dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my prostrated obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All
glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for the wonderful day today, spent at your samadhi at your palace at Govardhana. Thank you for the association of wonderful loving
godbrothers, united in their love for you and Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for the association of your fortunate disciples, who are fixed in devotion at your lotus feet. May we be associated in loving service to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu always. I love you.

Your eternal servant,
Giriraj Swami

On chanting of the holy name
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 February 2015, Sridham Mayapur, India, Kirtan Mela, Address before kirtan)

kirta_mela_2015Srila Krsnadas Kaviraj Gosvami, in the Caitanya Caritamrta (CC Adi 14.1), writes the verse:

kathañcana smṛte yasmin
duṣkaraḿ sukaraḿ bhavet
vismṛte viparītaḿ syāt
śrī-caitanyaḿ namāmi tam

He explains that things which are in themselves very difficult become easy by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore, in this chanting of the maha-mantra, we first chant the Panca-tattva mantra: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda because it is by that mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that we are chanting in the first place. It is by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that in spite of our lack of qualification in the chanting, still there will be amazing results.

It is by the very mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that we are able to chant here in front of the Panca Tattva in Sridham Mayapur and that is such an added mercy which cannot be found anywhere in the word! Understand that in the form of his murti, the Lord is particularly adding his mercy, so it is the combination of the holy name and the mercy of Sri Sri Panca Tattva that can produce the most amazing results. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Kirtan mela, by coming to Mayapur, has come home and along with the Kirtan mela, we have also come home! Therefore, let us take full advantage of this mercy and let us pray to the Lord so that we can actually enter into the meaning of the holy name.

 

Hare Krishna! Radhanath Swami felicitates Book Distributors at…
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Hare Krishna! Radhanath Swami felicitates Book Distributors at ISKCON Chowpatty
This year we had a successful Book distribution Marathon at ISKCON Chowpatty. This time the highlight was cent percent devotee participation. All devotees – Temple as well as Congregation put up strong efforts to please Srila Prabhupad by distributing his books. Irrespective of their age and gender, right from Gopal Fun school kids to Varishta Vaishnavas (Senior citizens), all went out to distribute Srila Prabhupad books.
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Hare Krishna! Message from the GBC Chairman: 2015 Year of the…
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Hare Krishna! Message from the GBC Chairman: 2015 Year of the TOVP!
Srila Prabhupada: “My idea is to attract people of the whole world to Mayapur”. 2015 will be the official year of the TOVP whose purpose is to fulfill this desire of Srila Prabhupada. Watch this new video about the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in High Definition with the messages of GBC Chairman Praghosa prabhu and of TOVP Chairman Ambarisha prabhu. A special TOVP World Tour is now being organized, carrying with it Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s divine lotus shoes and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s sitari (helmet) from the Mayapur Chandodaya Mandir, accompanied by His Grace Jananivas prabhu, His Grace Radha Jivan prabhu, and His Grace Vraja Vilas prabhu. TOVP Chairman Ambarisa prabhu will also be present at many of the programs. The Tour will begin Spring 2015 in North America from March through July.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15647

Hare Krishna! No One Can Help You Like You Can Mahatma Das: A…
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Hare Krishna! No One Can Help You Like You Can
Mahatma Das: A devotee asked Prabhupada for help, saying that he was not able to follow the four rules. Prabhupada looked sternly at him and said, “If you do not follow the regulative principles, then no one can help you’.” Following the practices of Krsna consciousness is the platform from which help comes. It is not that we attract mercy by virtue of the fact that we are so fallen that we can’t follow or don’t try to follow. To think this way only perpetuates the problem. Devotees feel in great need of mercy, not because they are having difficulty following principles or vows, but because they don’t feel they are spiritually advanced and thus need help.
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Yamuna Protest Will Not Budge or Negotiate This Time
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100,000 people are expected to participate in a third march protesting the condition of the sacred river Yamuna this spring – and this time, organizers say, they will not budge or negotiate with the government. Two previous marches in 2011 and 2013 yielded some results -- for instance, the government agreed to construct a sewage canal to stop Delhi drains discharging pollutants and sewer waste into the river.

Sivaratri celebrations at ISKCON Rajapur
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On 19th February evening, there was a grand celebration of Siva ratri festival at ISKCON Jagannath Temple, Rajapur. More than hundred devotees gathered for the event. Many resident and visitor devotees went from Mayapur Chandrodaya Temple.  First of all, there were lectures by HH Candramauli Maharaj and HH Bhakti Vighna Vinasa Narasimha Swami. Both of them glorified […]

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Hare Krishna! Affcap Meeting With Rajasthan’s Minister Of Cow…
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Hare Krishna! Affcap Meeting With Rajasthan’s Minister Of Cow Protection
Presently, AFFCAP is formulating a proposal for a Pilot Project with the goal of identifying this region’s registered cows. According to Ministry records, there is presently over one and a half million cows officially registered in government programs throughout the State. Of course, the devil is in the detail, but we will report back regarding our success or failure in designing and implementing the Ahimsa Verification Program throughout these first 284 gaushalas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15638

Hare Krishna! Farewell to uncle Jnanagamya prabhu A writer,…
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Hare Krishna! Farewell to uncle Jnanagamya prabhu
A writer, speaker, movie maker and fighter of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON is no more with us. The cremation took place in the all auspicious holy dham Mayapur yesterday the 17th of Feb at the Ganga, while some 150 devotees sang the holy name. His desire to leave his body in Sridham Mayapur was fulfilled and his inspiring association will be greatly missed. A few months ago on the Mayapur Forum there was discussion on devotees getting sick, their health care and death; Jnanagamya prabhu, in his usual combination of utmost sincerity and witty mood, wrote “Do Not Remove from the Dham!
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15629