Planet ISKCON

Toronto, Ontario

Walking In the Rain

It dripped and it dropped
I stepped and I stopped,

For the rain had come
In a hiss and a hum.

The slope had a slip.
I thought, “Oh!  What a trip!

Don’t be uptight! 
Slide not, stay upright!”

Somehow I succeeded
Prayers were all I needed

On the slimy raw trail
With no rope and no rail.

Rain drove all away
But I was fixed to stay.

Before I took to trek
“Clouds,” but what the heck! 

I’ll just have some fun
Should I walk or should I run

I’m a monk on the move
Conviction I must prove.

May the Source be with you!

9 KM

Toronto, Ontario

I Turned a Corner 

As I turned a corner at Roxborough and Yonge, a middle-aged woman was standing there, waiting for, my guess was a cab.  You could tell she was curious as hell. 

In order not to appear like I had my hand in a sling (on my actual pouch for holding my meditation beads), I held my beads free in my hand.

“Are you praying?” she asked.

“Yes, it is actually for meditation.”

“Are you a priest?” 

“A monk.”

“I’ve never seen before, your clothes,” she persisted in inquisitiveness.  “I’m Catholic and from Portugal.  Are you from Canada?”

“Oh yes!  I’m a Krishna monk and I adapted to this ancient culture from India.”

“Do you get married?”

“In our tradition most priests do but I stayed single.”

She went on with her curiosity.

“Our priests don’t get married.  Sometimes they make a mistake,” she said as she swayed her head. 

I concurred and we both broke into a smile. 

“Yes, sometimes they make a mistake!”

I walked on, on that note, thinking that I do not believe I errored on my celibate life.  I had put a little walking in before speaking at a group on “The Glories of Sannyasa” which means the life of renunciation.  I asked the group to consider 18.2 from the Gita:

“The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned people call the renounced order of life (sannyasa). And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation (tyaga).”

My message was, “At the maturing of your life when passions have been subsided to a good degree, consider renunciation.”

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

In the mid-1990’s ISKCON scientist Sadaputa das (now deceased) of the Bhaktivedanta Institute was instrumental in designing the planetarium as well as various scientific exhibits for the TOVP project.

In this Srimad Bhagavatam lecture/video (3.29.6) from 1997 his genius and intelligence stand out as he explains the nature and purpose of some of the exhibits, as well as other scientific, archeological and historical facts. Please note that not all of the exhibit plans in this lecture may be in the current scheme.

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The post TOVP Exhibits appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

BY GAURAVANI DASA 

KUALA LUMPUR - "I offer my obeisances unto the shoes of those devotees who are expert in extricating those sunk in the rotten muck in the bottom of the ocean of material existence, and who become blissful by hearing the pair of syllables, 'Krsna', impelled to dance with all their hairs bristling." [A verse by an Utkala Poet from Srila Rupa Goswami's 'Padyavali'] 

1965 September 12 :
"Mrs. Pandiya has foretold my future. The crisis which I have crossed is mentioned by her. All blessings of Lord Krishna for her. If I have crossed this crisis, then that is the Good Will of Lord Krishna, my friend and philosopher."
Jaladuta Diary :: 1965

1965 September 12 : "Today there is a great deal of lurching although the sky is clear. In the evening I felt a bit sea-sickness. I could not take my food properly. A little sweets were accepted with some relish. The lurching continued till midnight."
Jaladuta Diary :: 1965

1974 September 12 : "If he received the vote, why you have opposed? He has been chosen by the vote, and I am giving the casting vote for him. He is doing things very nicely there, so he must be the president."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 September 12: "Why did you close the temple without asking me? Is this too much to do this? Our propaganda is opening temples, and you are closing them. We are not for closing but for increasing. Don't do anything whimsically without consulting me."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 September 12: "The women are doing nicely, so why are they being changed from the pujari to Sankirtana? These are internal things, and you should not interfere. I do not approve. It should be the choice of the President."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 September 12: "It is a great offense. I am not in favor of closing even a small temple. The Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening - it cannot be closed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 September 12: "I made the GBC to give me relief, but if you do like this, then where is the relief. It is anxiety for me. This is the difficulty, that as soon as one gets power, he becomes whimsical and spoils everything. What can I do?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Giriraj Swami and Vaisesika Dasa spoke and accepted disciples during the ceremony.

“The spiritual master goes from place to place speaking about Krishna and in that way captures the soul. Then the person who becomes inspired by that spiritual master captures him by asking for initiation. So they capture each other in different ways. In this way they enter into a sacred relationship that is meant to connect to the adi-guru, the original spiritual master, who is Krishna. Srila Prabhupada would give the example of copper wire. No matter how far down the line you are, if the wire is connected, you will get electricity.”

—Vaisesika Dasa

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Initiation Talk by Vaisesika dasa
Initiation Talk and Name-giving by Giriraj Swami

As the world holy name week 2014 entered day 7, some devotees organized Harinam and lecture close to their residence as part of the holy name celebrations. By Mahavrata Devi Dasi Read more ›

Hare Krishna

Anxiety, insomnia, muscle tension, fatigue, high blood pressure, and anger are just some of the symptoms of stress. Stress not only affects our body, but also our behavior that can lead to social withdrawal. This presentation will explore the nature of our mind and the various factors in our lives that cause us stress.

Praying for others is itself an act of selflessness, but praying for God is the act of ultimate selflessness. What the Vrajavasis are unconscious of is Krishna’s divinity, not divinity itself. They are obviously not atheists – they are the topmost theists.

This seminar helped us to explore the finer dimensions of identity, how it affects our work and relationships. We also learned how to transform our work duties into an avenue for personal development and growth. By attending the seminar we heard about: •How to inspire others and be inspired •How to use your occupation as a catalyst for personal development •How to enhance any relationship •How to understand the feelings and needs of others and much more... Read more ›

Written and Produced by Michael J Martin & Gareth Wakeham. Directed by Michael J Martin. Produced by Alfie Ambrose.

The post September 11th, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

12-08-2014 B.G 9.29-31 Lord Krishna’s Dealings , Lotus Park, Durban, South Africa.mp3

She was in the prime of her youth when her world flipped upside down in an instant. Up until the year before, Jahnavi had been enjoying all of the thrills and fun that life could offer. Not worrying about the future, not taking the Krishna consciousness that her parents had given to her very seriously. But then it happened – the harsh pains of suffering that many of us have faced in this world hit her family like a storm.

People have a romantic idea of spirituality: escape worldly distraction, access higher states of consciousness, and settle into an internal serenity. The dedicated practitioners, however, will frankly admit that it doesn’t always work like that.

Get ready for the autumn harvest everyone. Listed below are some delicious, mouth-watering superfoods that the mouth will crave long before that first bite.

Patients at Sewree's TB Hospital will soon be fed hygienic, protein-rich food specially prepared by cooks from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Keeping in mind that patients need wholesome meals to improve their health, BMC has asked ISKCON to set up a kitchen at the 1,000-bed hospital, that has recently come under fire for bad food and poor hygiene. 

ISKCON Devotees haven so far sent 14,000 prasadam packets to help the victims of the severe floods in Jammu & Kashmir. In Delhi , devotees begin packing early in the morning at 5:30 am and once done its picked up by the Indian Air Force to be sent by airplanes to the disaster relief centers in J & K. In wake of this disaster, we request you to please keep them in your prayers. Read more ›

An updated edition of  Searching For Vedic India by Devamrita Swami is now available as an e-book in all flavors at bbtmedia.com. The sages of India’s lost past delighted in knowledge of the nonmaterial. But they testified that they also knew how to produce material benefits without industry. Dare we consider that the subcontinent of India, thousands of years ago, was the center of the greatest spiritual wisdom and mystical technology that Earth has seen?

Don’t want to use medication? You’re not alone. Many people are desperate not to take tablets regularly…but what are your alternatives?

Govinda Swami: Murari Krishna Prabhu, our cowherd man at the Kazakhstan farm, died from the injuries he sustained when struck by a car this morning. Murari has left a wife, a sweet daughter, thirty cows, and many friends. We will all miss him very much. May I request you all to say a prayer for this kind, simple hearted Vaisnava. Hare Krishna. Read more ›

Ambarisha prabhu: Just look how fast the fourth level of the main dome is coming up! Only 7 segments left until it will be fully complete. Read more ›

Not only does butter taste incomparably better, it's a natural product that human beings have been eating and cooking with for centuries without ­damaging their health. So the good news is that we can carry on eating butter (in moderation, of course) or even start eating it again if we were one of the millions duped into swapping it for unhealthy and unpalatable margarine. Read more ›

Written and Produced by Michael J Martin & Gareth Wakeham Directed by Michael J Martin Produced by Alfie Ambrose Read more ›

The pictures are from the "Kerala Safari" tour organized by HG Mahojvala Gopi Devi Dasi, headed by HH Vedavyasapriya swami maharaj. The pictures were taken on Sept 8th 2014 at the Guruvayur Temple in Kerala. Thanks, Robin Bhargava Read more ›

Those who are advanced and highly qualified and are interested in the essence of life know the good qualities of Kali-yuga. Such people worship the age of Kali because in this age, simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can advance in spiritual knowledge and thus attain life's goal. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11.5.36) Read more ›

Just look how fast the fourth level of the main dome is coming up! Only 7 segments left until it will be fully complete.

The post Fourth Dome Ring Rising Fast appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Mangal Arati Of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath 8th Sept 2014

This week’s challenge: Where is the sacred spot described on this rock?

What to do: Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook Page.

1965 September 11:
"Today the ship ran on very smoothly. The sky was clear and there was sunshine all the day. At about 7/30 in the morning we passed on the Azore Islands under the Portugal Republic."
Jaladuta Diary :: 1965