Planet ISKCON

Here in Hong Kong we will spend Christmas Eve chanting the holy names of the Lord in the old part of the city from 9pm until midnight. Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people take to the streets to celebrate at that time. Though the city authorties are still wary of large demonstations, they have [...]

HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami – CCM 19.147 24.12.2014

With love from Hawaii.

Hare Krishna, Dear devotees!
We have good news! One brahmachari from our team, bhakta Pavel was initiated today in Shri Vrindavan dham, his new name is Pranata-Karuna das.
Lets bless him for non-stop Harinama Sankirtana yajna till end of his life.
Hari Hariboool!

Krsna’s, all glorious, photogenic Kirtana party… Tonight, Krishmas Eve, Melbourne Australia….
Bathing in the nectar of devotion to “the God” Lord Sri Krsna.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare !!
love is the only Recommended retail price… All Glories To Srila Prabhupada

Harinama in Moscow!
Srila Prabhupada: Bhajanti means “He’s always engaged in My service” That is mahatma. Laziness is not bhakti. There must be some activity. If somebody says, “I’ll chant sitting down. Who will notice? I’ll doze and people will think I am chanting,” this kind of cheating will not do. (Bhagavad-gita 9.14 Purport)

Cultural Program by ISKCON Russian Dance Group Mayuri (40 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Padma Purana, Krishna says, mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami narada: “O Narada, I am present wherever My devotees are chanting.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 17.132 Purport)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/nQEKQq

A little story about respecting others by Radhanath Swami (8 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: If one chants the holy name of God-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-eventually he will see Krishna’s form, realize Krishna’s qualities, and remember Krishna’s pastimes. That is the effect of the pure chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. (A Second Chance, 16)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/FOJXsW

ISKCON Hungary Celebrates Christmas With Massive Food Distribution
During the month of December, ‘Food For Life Hungary’ ISKCON Hungary’s charity program has been distributing 30 tons of dry food (rice, flour, oil, pasta, canned vegetables) as well as 30,000 plates of hot meal to the needy all across the country. The ‘Christmas packages’ that the volunteers have been giving out in 12 locations and cities represent the only source of food for many families during the cold winter and the holiday season.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/AFve9F

During the month of December, ‘Food For Life Hungary’ ISKCON Hungary’s charity program has been distributing 30 tons of dry food (rice, flour, oil, pasta, canned vegetables) as well as 30,000 plates of hot meal to the needy all across the country. The ‘Christmas packages’ that the volunteers have been giving out in 12 locations and cities represent the only source of food for many families during the cold winter and the holiday season.

ISKCON News wishes a happy holiday season to all its readers with ''Jingle Bells' with a Gujarati twist.

Festival of the Holy Name 2014 at Iskcon Alachua (Album 110 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Age of Kali, there is no religious principle except chanting Krishna’s name. It has been ascertained from all the scriptures that Krishna’s holy name is the essence of all mantras. (Renunciation Through Wisdom, 5.1 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/jv3Ujj

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Personal Diary (Album 12 photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Hari Sauri prabhu’s Bhaktivedanta Research Center in Kolkata recently procured a copy of the personal diary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati from the early 1900’s. It was copied from the original by a close disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, who’s family donated it to the research center. Pranava dasa, the academic director of the center, plans to publish the diary with English translation by the end of 2012.
See them here: http://goo.gl/E1ar1a

1967 December 24: "All these changes of lives one after another are considered to be dreams. Less intelligent persons are very much interested in dreaming life, but one who is intelligent enough he searches after eternal life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 December 24: "The idea of prasadam distribution is long standing, and I suggested this from the very beginning of my missionary activities but it has never come to any practical shape till now."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 December 24: "If you can start a Prasadam distribution program, it will be very very nice. But it is to be done in the temple premises, do not start a separate restaurant for this purpose."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 December 24: "When the husband advances, automatically the wife shares in his success. So a good wife is a great boon to her husband and to her children so please continue in this way."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 December 24: "Chestnuts and pomegranates take time to fructify. So Krishna Consciousness is the greatest of all good fruits. We must therefore have necessary endurance and enthusiasm to get the result."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1973 December 24: "Whatever has been done in the past we shall not try to make up for but I want that now this Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust money not be spent under any circumstances without my direct order."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 December 24: "So I have never seen Haridwar also and I am getting older so before my last days I wish to visit the holy places in Northern and Southern India so you may fix up the program."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

Krishna Lounge will be closed on Christmas. You are all invited to my friend’s for kirtan and amazing feast. My friend, Manuel, aka Mahabharata, does this every year. Feel free to drop by any time between 2:30pm and 3:30pm. The address is 8600 Echo La Mesa, CA 91941.

“He is the root of all beings, including ourselves; if we do not love him, how deeply can we really love ourselves?”

- Brahmā to Svāyambhuva and Śatarūpā [ŚB 3.13.13]

Holy Name Meditation Podcast:


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Gita Verse-by-verse Study Podcast:

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Lord Krsna's name is cintamani, formed of eternal and transcendental touchstone. Just as a touchstone yields all desirable objects, so the touchstone of Krsna's holy name gives religiosity, wealth, sense pleasure and liberation to a materialistic person. To a surrendered devotee, it offers pure love of Krsna.

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“Live and let live” is an idiom expressing the ideal of allowing each other to live their lives as each sees fit.

 

While it may still be something of a well-kept secret, at least in the English-speaking world, Brazil’s Hare Krishna Seminary of Philosophy and Theology has been systematically educating Portuguese-speaking devotees in Srila Prabhupada’s books since 2001.

The Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) course covers the most important sutras of the Sri Harinamamrita Vyakarana, Srila Jiva Gosvami's complete Sanskrit grammar, a work that contains around 3200 sutras or grammatical rules.  By the end of the course students will be able to directly read and understand the Sanskrit verses and commentaries on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam, along with several other writings of Vaishnava acharyas.

ISKCON Communications Director and Governing Body Chairman Anuttama dasa offered his thoughts on lessons Vaishnavas can gain from the Christmas season during a Sunday Feast lecture at the Washington DC Temple. Is there something to gain from contemplating the sacrifices of Lord Jesus Christ...and plastic reindeer? 

Holy Name Meditation Podcast:

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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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Updated BBT style guide (December 2014)
Here is the most recent version of the BBT Style Guide (formerly the BBT Style Sheet).
The style guide offers the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s latest standards on such matters as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word choice.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/TnwNAH

1967 December 23: "Our Kirtana movement is genuine, so we don't want cheap popularity. Let us convert one person in Krishna consciousness, that is our success of life. We don't want many cheap rascal followers."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 December 23: "I do not like too much editorial work. There is no need of editing the final manuscripts - I have already written to him. One man should edit it and be sufficient. Not that it should be edited again and typed again and waste time. That is my desire."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1972 December 23: "I thought Krishna Consciousness is the most important idea in the world, so let me go to the most important city in the world, New York City. I thought even at the fag-end of my life, if I am able to do anything for my Spiritual Master, let me try for it there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

This blog is a continuation of the last two about undercurrents in groups and for each of us, personally. In a sense the fruit of dealing with our personal undercurrent, or unresolved life issues, is discovering and sharing our gifts, and the joy and fulfillment that ensue.

Many of us feel that being a soul in a physical embodiment is a strange combination. So strange in fact that some people, even without any spiritual awareness, have the experience of feeling they don't fit into the world, or are depressed for no apparent reason. A few of us have taken this angst as an impetus to search for the meaning of life beyond the status quo, finding the spiritual quest as the solution. I understand though, that being on the spiritual journey doesn't mean to deny the physical, or to just live our life waiting to transcend—as I did for many years as a single monastic (brahmacari). Awakening to our spiritual nature requires being fully present in the world and understanding our unique contribution to the family of the Earth while focusing on our Source through spiritual practice.

There are many dimensions to life. My feeling of emptiness and depression with the world led me to begin my spiritual quest. This search inspired me to regularly visit and live in the redwood forest, observe Nature, and read spiritual books. That led me to Krishna and I lived a spiritually focused life in various temples around the world for 12 years or so. That was good for me and gave me standing in, and a taste for, bhakti. Then I came to another dissatisfaction, or inner prompting, which led me to the journey of interfacing with the world and understanding that I was out of balance with my material self; I had to attend to what I would come to understand as my life lessons and "karmic mission."

Both our spiritual practice and understanding what we need to do in the world are essential. It is better to live in the world hankering for our spiritual ideal (Krishna Consciousness), then to live in a temple community, hankering for material facilities and wondering what is wrong.

read more

1972 December 23: "I was alone, I was thinking, who will listen to me? I shall stay little longer, at least I can distribute a few books. But Krishna was all along preparing something I could not see. Now I can see that it is a miracle."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972