Hold On To Your Beads
→ Japa Group

"In the beginning, the rock stubborn, lazy mind will rebel with a thousand excuses and obstacles to foil one's attempt to implement the three M's. Persevere; hold on to your beads! By the mercy of Sri Guru and Gauranga one will patiently progress through the three stages of method, mood and mellow."

From Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja, Evening Session, September 27, Houston
Giriraj Swami

09.27.14.VP“Serving you and learning how to serve you is all in the details of that service. Making sure that everything is done very properly. Making sure that everything is done very carefully. And being very conscious. Learning to serve you properly helps us become very conscious. And the whole Krishna consciousness process is meant to help us become conscious of Krishna and our eternal relationship with Krishna.”

—Nila Madhava dasa

Giriraj Swami’s Evening Talk

Misguided Society
→ simple thoughts

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Vicaru Das
ISKCON Harinam Ruci

SB CANTO 1 CHAPTER 1 TEXT 10: O learned one in this iron age of Kali men almost always have but short lives, they are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and above all always disturbed.

The devotees of the Lord are always anxious for the spiritual improvement of the general public, when the sages of Naimisaranya analysed the state of affairs of the people in this age of Kali; they foresaw that men would live short lives. In Kali Yuga, the duration of life is shortened not so much because of insufficient food but because of irregular habits.

By keeping regular habits and eating simple food any man can maintain his health. Overeating, over sense gratification, over dependence on another’s mercy and artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy. Therefore the duration of life is shortened.

The people of this age are also very lazy not only materially but in the matter of self realisation, that is to say man should come to know what he is, what the world is and what the supreme truth is. Human life is a means by which the living entity can end all the miseries of the hard struggle for life in material existence and by which he can return to Godhead his eternal home. But due to a bad system of education men have no desire for self realization even they come to know about it they unfortunately become victims of misguided teachers.

In this age men are victims not only of different political creeds and parties but of many different types of sense-gratificatory diversions such as cinemas, sports, gambling, clubs, mundane libraries, bad association, smoking, drinking, cheating, pilfering, bickerings and so on. The minds are always disturbed and full of anxieties due to so many different engagements. In this age many, unscrupulous men manufacture their own religious faiths which are not based on any revealed scriptures and very often people who are addicted to sense gratification are attracted by such institutions. Consequently in the name of religions so many sinful acts are being carried on that the people in general have neither peace of mind nor health of body.
Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Krsna, which is feared by fear personified .

Vaisesika Dasa: My dear false ego…
→ Dandavats.com

Vaisesika Dasa: My dear false ego, It has taken me quite some time to find the courage to write you this letter; and I realize that it may come to you as a surprise since we have been together for so long and we’ve been through so much. I know also that I’m the one who started this relationship in the first place, but I’ve changed. I now know that what we had was unhealthy: especially my depending on you to watch and appreciate every move that I made, and your telling me that I was great, wise, clever and so on, even when I wasn’t Read more ›

Rare, original photo of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji recently discovered
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: An original photo of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, recently discovered by the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in Kolkata. The photo was found inserted between the pages of an old book previously owned by a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Under the direction of Hari Sauri prabhu the research center is collecting and preserving ancient manuscripts and rare works, making them available to scholars and students all over the world. Read more ›

The following transcriptions have been uploaded.
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Do we need to posit the existence of eternal souls to make the design argument robust?

Do the Anthropic Principle and the multiverse theory make the design argument redundant?

Is it right for devotees to use kirtan singing for earning their living?

If we shouldn’t be disturbed by the mind’s impurities, then how can we beat the mind? Why do dharma-shastras say that aggressors should be forgiven?

What are dharma-shastra and artha-shastra? How are they different?

How do we respond when prominent scientists like Stephen Hawking write books propounding atheism?

Do the dharma-shastras say aggressors shouldn’t be killed and artha-shastras that they should be killed?

Do cultural practices change as per age as does the yuga-dharma?

ISKCON Malaysia Seberang Jaya’s Fundraising Gala Dinner on the 28th September
→ Dandavats.com

Recently on the 28th of September,a fundraising gala dinner was organised by the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple Complex, at the Sunway Convention Hall, Seberang Jaya, Penang, Malaysia, and we had the pleasure of hosting two esteemed guests, HH Jayapataka Swami and HH Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami, in addition to the 1000 other supporters, donators and well-wishers who attended. This gala dinner was held to raise funds and create awareness of the upcoming new temple located a stones throw away, the Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding. Read more ›

Srila Prabhupada Shares His Vision of an “Ideal Life” in New Vrindaban – June 24th, 1976
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

 

New Vrindaban, Prabhupada, ISKCON, Madhuban, 1976

Srila Prabhupada converses with his followers while sitting in the yard at Madhuban in New Vrindaban, June 1976.

“Anyway, learn to love this natural mode of life, life in a wide-open space. Produce your own grain; produce your own milk; save time; chant Hare Krishna; glorify the Lord’s holy names; at life’s end, go back to the spiritual world to live forever. Plain living, high thinking — [this is an] ideal life.”

Click here to read and/or listen to the rest of the conversation at the Vanipedia website.

 

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Peerism


As I mentioned in the talk, “A Day In The Life Of A Monk” the other day at York U, perhaps one of the most important elements, if not thee most for the mainstay of a monastic is peer association.  It is the camaraderie in its shared vision and feeling that provides the highest encouragement. 

I know for myself, the gelling of the like minded is a special bond.  For instance, if I meet someone whose done the same or similar feat such as a daring long trek, I am spontaneously excited.  You can spend hours with such a person merely because you’ve taken a familiar track.  It’s the small experiences on the road that become magnified, in the course of dialogue, that means so much. 

I feel the same connection with god-brothers/sisters whom I devotionally grew up with.  I remember the ashram on Henry Street in New York when a small contingent of our brahmacharis would come to visit from Canada.  We shared in the good life of the early rising, the cool shower, the robes of a Vaishnava, the meeting and chanting in the brisk morning, the classes on bhakti, and the missionary endeavours.

I recall seeing Vishnu Gada, a tall young monk, who was staunchly engaged in the kitchen at pot washing and cooking.  Seeing him again in Philadelphia this past weekend brought back those memories of fineness.  As I was about to leave to return to Canada, Vishnu Gada, as a matter of factly, handed me a gorgeous book (like those that you rest on a coffee table) entitled, “Govardhana:  The Hill That Fulfills All Desires” by Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, another god-brother.  Full of photos and clarity through captions and text, this book is a gem.  It outlines details of this popular hill that pilgrims know so well in Northern India.  I’ve done the walk around the hill myself, even as of this past February, to the duration of four hours. 

Friends do give and receive gifts to and from each other.  On top of that, they exchange powerful words of comfort.  It’s a boost. 

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

If You Do This Vigorously
→ Japa Group

"By deliberately hearing the sound of each syllable, your mind will be occupied, and if you do this vigorously, there will be no chance for the mind to wander to other realms of thought. This method is so simple that chanters may overlook it, but if you apply it, it is very effective."

From Bhajana Kutir #75
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Join us for a Special Sunday Feast From 11.00am to 2:00pm.Hear and associate with our Special guests HH Bhaktimarga Swami & HG Radha Jivana Dasa for a Special Presentation on TOVP
→ ISKCON Brampton


Sunday Love Feast

When?
Sunday,Oct 5th,2014
Program starts at 11 am

Where?
6 George Street South
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 1P3, Canada
Park underground(free) @ City Hall
Phone:416-648-3312

New! Listen
Click here to listen to previous class recordings on our blog
Make a Donation
Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.2.40
eva-vrata sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā
jātānurāgo druta-citta uccai
hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty
unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhya
TRANSLATION
By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.
 

Program Schedule
11.00- 11.15      Tulsi Puja                                           
11.15 - 11.30     Guru Puja                                            
11:30 –11:55     Aarti & Kirtan                                      
11.55 - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers                  
12.00 – 1:00     Vedic discourse
  1:00 –  1:30      Closing Kirtan
 
About His Grace Radha Jivana Dasa
The inaugural event for TOVP Canada is this special visit of Radha Jivana Prabhu on the weekend of October including a special discourse at ISKCON Brampton’s Sunday Feast on October 5th.
Radha Jivana Prabhu comes from a well established vaishnava family in Rajasthan. He was educated in Doon School and graduated from St. Xavier’s College Mumbai, after which he joined ISKCON in Shri Dham Mayapur in 1978. He served as the Vice President of Calcutta temple, director of  BBT in Mayapur and a member of the administrative council in India.  After serving in Mayapur for 14 years he shifted to Alachua, Florida, a large devotee community in America. Over the last two decades he has become a successful businessman who also provides employment for numerous devotees.
Radha Jivana Prabhu is a dedicated disciple of H.H. Tamal Krishna Goswami and actively supports a preaching center in Guanzao China. He has been a major donor in the construction of ISKCON Dwaraka, Rajkot as well as projects in Mayapur.
Currently he is active in building the beautiful Las Vegas ISKCON temple.Most recently he has been asked by the GBC to take up the challenging work of raising $50 million in funds for the construction of the TOVP and is coming to present this “Once in a Millennium” opportunity to devotees in the Greater Toronto Area.

 
COMING UP AHEAD
 
 Damodar Festival
 Commencing on Oct 8th,2014,celebration @ 7.00pm

Kartik (Damodar) is the best, the purest of purifiers, and most glorious of all months. Kartik month is particularly dear to Lord Sri Krishna. This month is full of bhakta vatsalya. Any vrata, even the smallest, will yield huge results. The effect of performing a Kartik Vrata lasts for one hundred lifetimes, Kartik or the festival of offering lamps to Lord Krishna, glorifies Lord Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yashoda.One should daily offer a ghee lamp to Krishna and sing the Damodarastakam, meditating on meaning.
Check this link out for Damodarastakam http://www.krishna.com/damodarastakam

**Details of the special program will be posted shortly**
Pasankusa Ekadasi
Fasting.....................onOct 4th,2014
Breakfast................. on Oct 5thth,2014 b/w 7.19am-11.10am

Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.

Govardhana Puja(Celebration)
Celebration on Oct 24th,2014 @ 7.00pm

Volunteering: If you're looking for service opportunity for this event please do contact Radha Gopinatha Dasa.

Sponsorship:If you are looking for an opportunity to finance the event please do contact Krishna Smaran Devi Dasi( kavitabalram@yahoo.com) for details.

**Details of the program will be posted shortly**

ON GOING EVERY SATURDAY
 
Bhagavad Gita Classes(New Session)
Started on Sep 6th,2014

Course fees: $125.00 per Student and  $75.00 for family members of Student(Prasadam and study material included).Mone is payable to ISKCON Brampton....tax receipts will be provided.
Join our new session of  Bhagavad Gita Course with His Grace Vaisnava Dasa from 8.45am-12.00pm and get certified from Bhaktivedanta College at the completion of this course towards Bhakti Sastri Degree.The course duration is approximately 10 weeks.To register please contact Vaisnava Dasa Prabhu in person or via email[vaishnavadas@icloud.com]


ON GOING EVERY SUNDAY
ISKCON Brampton Yoga and Wellness(Appointment needed)

Empower your mind and strengthen your body as you move through a series of meaningful poses.Mother Rashmi Ahuja will be conducting Yoga Classes every Sunday from 10am-11am before our Sunday Feast Program at ISKCON Brampton.These classes will be focussed on promoting our physical and mental well being.(Please bring your yoga mat)
Please Register here:
Email:rashmis.yoga@facebook.com 
Facebook page:Yoga and Satvic Nutrition with Rashmi
Contacts:416.569.6373 or 905.488.7272
Nutrition Help & Diet Tips(Appointment needed)

Mother Rashmi Ahuja is offering free one to one consultations and development of Individualized Nutrition Plans on Sundays between 1:30 - 3pm. Please contact (416)569-6373 or (905)488-7272 to book an appointment.

Sunday School

To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).
 
Please note that ISKCON Brampton is a nut free environment in order to support those with allergies. Your cooperation is appreciated.
 
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant and Be happy!

Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja, September 27, Houston
Giriraj Swami

Post by Palika Devi Dasi.
Vyasa-puja Address by Giriraj Swami
Appreciations:
Rtadhvaja Swami (read)
Bhakti Charu Swami (read)
Guru Prasada Swami (read)
Partha Sarathi Das Goswami (read)
Nityananda dasa
Syamasundara dasa
Balarama dasa (TKG)
Sarvabhauma dasa
Rasikendra dasa
Guru Bhakti dasi
Visnupriya dasi
Ananjay
Chaitanya dasa
Advaita Chandra dasa
Aashish Pandya
Abhay Charan
Chaitanya Charan dasa
Patita Pavana dasa
Nishtha Sharma
Balarama dasa (GRS)
Nama Ruci dasa
Krishna Priya dasi

The Awesomest
→ Seed of Devotion

Tonight I went to Bhagavad Gita class at the Bhakti Center, and we are in the midst of the 10th chapter, which describes the opulence of God.

This is God:

I am adventure. 

I am the beginning, the middle, the end. 

Of bodies of water, I am the ocean. 

I am all-devouring death. 

I am the generating force of all that is yet to be. 

I am the taste of water. 

Of secrets, I am silence. 

Of immovable things, I am the Himalayas. 

Of all sacrifices, I am the chanting of the holy name. 

Know that all beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.

God is so great. I can choose to see Him in every moment, every breath, every step I take in this world. He is everywhere. He is so amazing, so beautiful, so perfect.

Although He is so vast and great, I also know that Krishna is a simple, lovely boy who takes care of cows and steals butter. 

Combine these two aspects - the awe-inspiring universal form and the heart-melting lovable cowboy - and I just want to love Krishna every day of my life, take shelter of his awesomeness.

I swear, there must be a verse in the Bhagavad Gita, it MUST be in there: Of all awesome people, I am the awesomest.




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