Planet ISKCON

In the first two photos you can see the construction of the TOVP fundraising building. It will serve as headquarters for the TOVP project and will be situated in the far right corner of the site. The estimated completion date is October, 2014.

The next two photos record the construction progress of the utility building. You can see that it is almost complete. This building will serve as an electrical sub-station. It will also house all the generators and pumps. It was specially designed with arched windows to follow the architecture of the first Mayapur Lotus and Conch buildings which were made in the early ISKCON years in the presence of Srila Prabhupada.

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This is the Grand Altar where Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Sri Panca-tattva will be moved, and the Sri Guru Parampara installed.

The construction of the altar is progressing rapidly. In the future, thousands of people from all over the world will stand here before the Deities to worship and chant Harinama sankirtan before Them.

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Installation of the fourth ring of the beautiful and marvelous Temple of the Vedic Planetarium began a few days ago.

3 out of 24 sections are now complete. Each part of a new segment will be placed every 2-3 days until the fourth ring is complete.

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Moving the Deities into the new temple will be a great step forward in the Deity worship.

The Mayapur Deity department is the largest in ISKCON and many pujaris will be serving the Deities of Sri Panca-tattva, Sri Sri Radha Madhava. Lord Narasimhadeva and the Guru Parampara. They will be housed in the Long Building across from the TOVP. Prabhupada’s Bridge will connect the Long Building with the main temple so they can have more convenient access to the pujari floor and to the main Deity altar.

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Learning through experimentation is important for students to master Science objectives.  Here Upper Elementary students learn about mass, weight, and volume using a scale, spring scale, and graduated cylinder.  They learn how to calculate the volume of an irregular shaped object by use of water displacement.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 July 2014, Serbia, Summer Camp, Caitanya Candramrta Seminar Part 1)

Sri Caitanya-candramrta by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati

Chapter 1, Verse 6

“When Lord Gauracandra’s devotees, who are worshiped even by the demigods, drink the wonderfully sweet nectar of bliss of pure love of God that flows from the lotus flower of Lord Gauracandra’s feet, they become completely intoxicated. In that condition they laugh at Lord Brahma and the other demigods, condemn the impersonalists and yogis, and do not consider the great devotees of Lord Visnu who do not worship Lord Gauracandra to be very important. Let us glorify that Lord Gauracandra!”

In India, so many people bow down every day to the demigods. If you go to the city of Benares, the presiding deity of the city is Lord Shiva and on the banks of the Ganga, there are thousands of brahmanas performing different pujas very piously, every day. Many people also join in that worship – practically to worship the devatas, demigods, but such worship will give only temporary benefits. So why would we bother for temporary benefits? What is the point? It will only make it worse.

After the Russian revolution in 1918, so many Russian aristocracies went as refugees to Western Europe. Many of them used to be prominent personalities in the government and used to appear at royal gatherings, wearing opulent uniforms. When they went to Western Europe, somehow or other, most of them got jobs as porters or door-keepers of hotels. All big hotels had Russian refugees who were there, dressed in their uniforms as before. But this time – a lost glory! So, when one has material success, it is worse than not having any success because one will lose it again and then the pain is much greater. Once you have been rich, how can you be happy with ordinary things? Therefore, praying for material benefits is never beneficial.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagvatam 10.2.31 for the morning class on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja day.

“In Srila Prabhupada’s initiation letter to me he wrote, ‘I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.’

“The pure devotee prays to Krishna to give mercy to the fortunate conditioned soul. And because Krishna is bhakta-vatsala—affectionate and favorably inclined to His devotees—He fulfills their desires. Within the heart He encourages the candidate—the object of the devotee’s mercy—to appreciate the value of Krishna consciousness and accept the process of devotional service.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.31

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A brand new professionally-shot documentary about the construction of ISKCON’s flagship temple, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal has just been released, as the initial burst of progress settles to a slower yet steady pace.The documentary is the second in a multi-part series focuses on the community behind the ambitious project.

The 10th Annual Festival of the Chariots & Ratha Yatra Parade, an Indian multi-cultural extravaganza, will take place on the beach & at the Seawalk Pavillion, Seawalk Plaza Beach Blvd. & Ocean Front South in Jacksonville Beach from 3:30 to 9 PM.

Vyasa-puja is an annual celebration by devotees of Krishna to offer homage to their guru, or spiritual teacher. Each year, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publishes a limited number of copies of a Vyasa-puja book—a collection of homages to Srila Prabhupada from devotees and temples all over the world.

Kirtan is a sure way to transcend the mundane preoccupations of the mind and enjoy the bliss of Divine.

Please visit TOVP.org and donate to help build The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Ahmed, who is the principal of a municipal school, believes that religion does not teach hatred or rivalry, instead it promotes love and fraternity.