Planet ISKCON

With summer in full swing, the excitement surrounding the 42nd Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) is growing as each day passes!

The Festival of India has always relied on the power of volunteer efforts to make it the amazing success that it is today. Volunteering also means meeting incredible, new people while helping to make one of Toronto’s most astonishing summer events a reality. 

Whether posting flyers and posters across the city or helping on the days of the festival itself, the heart and soul of the Festival of India are the volunteers who make it happen! 

Join our enthusiastic and energetic team and be part of the Festival of India family!

To sign up and register to be a volunteer, please click here and you will be directed to our online form. Once you have signed up, one of our friendly Volunteer Coordinators will be in touch. 

For all general questions and/or concerns, please feel free to contact: 
Volunteer Coordination Team
Festival of India (Toronto)
1-888-535-3378 ex: 52
volunteers@festivalofindia.ca

Stay tuned for more exciting information about the festivities leading up to Festival of India!

Prasadam cooking live demonstration. Read more ›

With Bhakti Dhira Damodar Swami. Read more ›

In the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, near Durbuy, lies the fairytale castle of Petite Somme. The castle has a long history which now houses the spiritual community, Radhadesh Ardennes. The new residents have thoroughly restored the castle and transformed it into a true spiritual oasis where you can explore the colorful culture of the Indian traditions. The castle is now one of the main attractions of the Ardennes and is open to visitors every day. Read more ›

Krisnakert Balamodaka Das: A few days ago I managed to guide troop movements above Krishna-Valley. This is my dear friend Kántás Andor and thanks to his courtesy this aerial footage has become a reality. We thank him for the kind offer! Read more ›

A healthy diabetes plan together with exercise, and fruits with high vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are effective at managing blood sugar to help those with diabetes.

" I have given you everything, so read and speak from the books and so many new lights will come out. We have got so many books, so if we go on preaching from them for the next 1,000 years, there is enough stock. Just like we have spent one day discussing one sloka, so you introduce this system in all of the temples, and very quickly the devotees will make spiritual progress by getting knowledge." Read more ›

Sharing our experiences in our search for bhakti and the practice of bhakti enables us to tap a hitherto untapped opportunity to share Krishna consciousness opened by post-modernism.

Novosibirsk is the third most populous city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg and the most populous city in Asian Russia, with a population of 1,523,801. Read more ›

Osoyoos, British Columbia

Where Bhakti Is Strong


Fran was struggling up the summit with her bicycle which was weighed down with her goods, namely her tent, sleeping gear, clothes and food, which were equally balanced on either side of her conveyance.  Her one third of the way up the mountain and my two thirds of the way down at a road’s switchback, became the meeting point, a spot ideal to stop and take a few breaths.  We naturally had something to share about the glories of road travel, and as we did so, the strong scent of sage was ever present, enhancing the already pleasant sensation of overlooking the Okanagan Valley at the city of Osoyoos. 

Happy trails, friend! 

Down at the Osoyoos Beach, where Karuna was waiting for our ritual wraps in the morning, I also met Keith Lacey of the ‘Osoyoos Times’.  Both he, and then minutes later, Brian Highly, of Okanagan Times, raised great questions about the walk. Hey, here we also met the local pot dealer.  No, he didn’t even bother to try to sell us weed, we’re monks, right? 

The real high power time of the day was a trip up to Kelowna.  The stay over at Karuna Shakti and Aaron’s place, and then the program arranged at the Italian Cultural Centre.  The hall is not large, but it did accommodate 50 plus.  Just imagine a snug group of kirtan lovers who came to indulge in chants and dance after a brief “Tales From Trails”.  I witnessed this enthusiastic group.  There were no shy folks, no transcendental wall flowers.  All was good. Also, our bhakti books, music CD’s and meditation mala beads sold very well.  This is also a barometre that gauges the interest of devotion in a location. 

Residents of Kelowna and Osoyoos, we love you.

May the Source be with you!
 
25 KM

A restaurant in Nairobi is subsidizing its sanctified vegetarian food, or prasadam, so that it’s affordable for low-income workers, while at the same time developing an ambitious plan for large-scale free prasadam distribution. Located on the ground floor of the Golok Dham building at ISKCON Nairobi, the Jagannath restaurant projects a warm and welcome vibe even before you enter.

Rock Creek, British Columbia

Terrific Ordinary People


During my walking break time, I converged with my backup team in Rock Creek Trading Post.  We met Steven, a former TM teacher from Toronto, who came up to us to sing the ancient song in Sanskrit, "Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami..."  This means, “Oh Creator, I consider You totally awesome, for You are the original person.”  This is a popular song sung in Krishna temples all over the world, and Steven happens to know it.  Amazing how when and where you meet the most ordinary but special people. 

Today I also met Derek, Jared and Kim, all of Bridesville.  And even though perception  may have it that we are looking at just ordinary people, because they reached out and offered to help me by proposing a ride or giving directions, I considered them extraordinary.  Also, along the walk, I met a Dutch couple who pulled over their RV (recreational vehicle) and wondered if I was the monk they read about in the Creston News.  Right they were.  He is from Holland and she, from Surinam.  What a fabulous gesture it was of them to invite me into their mobile home in sheltering me from the rain for a time. 

My last installment of walking permitted me to meet cyclist, Mark, from Ireland.  What an upbeat fellow he is.  His journey, like many who traverse the vast track of land, happens to end up being one of pursuing self discovery.  It’s not what he initially anticipated.  He admitted about his trip, “I’m learning a lot about me.  It’s meditative.”

May the Source be with you!

46 KM

On the weekend of Friday June 6^th to Sunday June 8^th, around 500 yoga practioners from Tuscany and beyond attended a yoga festival with a difference: the third annual Bhakti Festival at Villa Vrindavana,  Italy. The festival was established in 2012 by ISKCON Villa Vrindavana and Yogendra, leader of the Samadhi yoga school in Florence

Let’s increase, expand and push the boundaries. This is where we experience the divine presence first-hand. After all, ‘impossible,’ Bhaktivedanta Swami said, is only found in a fool’s dictionary.

The post June 20th, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Something useful to learn today :-) Read more ›

Yesterday’s cremation of little Narottama.

The post The closing chapter appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The festival of Fiji was organised by disciples of HH Tamal Krsna Maharaja and was attended by hundreds of devotees from different countries of the world.

Mahavishnu Swami Kirtan at London Ratha Yatra - 15 June 2014Mahavishnu Swami singing at the London Ratha Yatra Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannatha. 15 June 2014. Continue reading →

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly 1,500 km long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe. "The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.’ Padma Purana " Read more ›

sadhu sanga retreat north carolina 2014 day 2 hg gaura vani

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This talk is a part of the "Fascinating Mahabharata Characters" series. To know more about this course, please visit: bhakticourses.com

1966 June 20 :
"Tritiya. One artist has drawn a picture of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. So I have hung over the present Lord Chaitanya's picture. It is looking nice. There was meeting: 16 persons attended and the contribution was $9.00, book collection $1.25."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 June 20: "Your simplicity is a great asset for Krishna Consciousness. Krishna is very kind to the meek and simple. Better to remain dull and simple as you are, and thus make advancement in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 June 20: "This is very good opportunity that your mind, hand, and attention are all absorbed in Krishna samadhi, and tongue chanting Hare Krishna. This is first class samadhi, and the highest position of the greatest yogis."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 June 20: "We have got enough followers, let us train them up perfectly. Unless all of my students become very much fixed up in their spiritual progress, what is the use of so many programs for expansion?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 June 20: "If we are able to make a whole generation of our children into fine Krsna Conscious preachers, that will be the glory of our movement. But if we neglect or if we lose even one Vaisnava - that is very great loss."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

The famous rock group the Scorpions singing "Jaya Guruveva" (Across the Universe).

1975 June 20: "It is my habit to see that money is not being squandered. We are collecting with great effort, if money is spent unnecessarily, I feel very badly. Now I am very much doubtful. I think there has been some cheating."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 June 20: "Yes, I shall arrange to pay. Don't worry. This I have already said. Why are you speaking of a loan when you have already taken two lakhs from the Book Fund? What do you mean that you want another loan?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 June 20: "My mission started by selling my books, and still whatever money we are getting it is coming from selling my books. You simply have to apply your brain to selling my books - then you will have plenty of money."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

On Sunday 15 June, London's most famous landmarks were brought to life in a dazzling display of sound, music and colour, as thousands of devotees came to the streets of London's West End to celebrate the 46th annual Rathayatra festival. Three chariots began their journey in Hyde Park and were pulled by hand to greet a huge gathering of devotees, visitors and tourists in the city's iconic Trafalgar Square. 

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

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player is needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer; if you are using Google Chrome it will automatically play, so if you don't want to listen, mute your speakers.)

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?" - PAUL MC CARTNEY; JOHN LENNON

When I was 64, I first published this blog. Today, June 22, is my 67th birthday, and I find the message I share here even more important, as over the last year and a half I have had to literally stare death in the face. Growing up in the 1960s I naturally remember the Beetle’s song, “When I’m Sixty-Four.” Yeah, after 47 years of bhakti practice those old songs (and ad jingles!) are still floating around in my subconscious mind. This Beetle’s ballad is a love song about staying together despite aging that Paul McCartney wrote at the advanced age of 16. As a person involved in marital and premarital education this is an important topic for me (and my wife of 24 years). When I was 16 I couldn’t even imagine being 25, what to speak of 64! I was an only child with very limited experience with older persons. After living in Berkeley, California for a few years and then moving into the temple, when we went to San Francisco for street sankirtan (group chanting), I was taken back seeing all the old people! Berkeley is a college town and I was hanging out with only the young, and when I moved into the temple, the oldest person was 23

In any case, on my birthday, I thought the subject of aging, suffering, and being 64--and now 67--would be a good blog topic. Of course, most anything can be grist for the writer’s mill (we usually notice those things we are focused on), but this one was a natural candidate. Thus I wanted to find the words to the Beetle’s song, but before I began my Internet search, my dear friend, Dulal-Chandra Prabhu, sent me the lyrics and wished me a happy birthday. I wished him a happy birthday back, since his birthday is the same as mine—with THE SAME YEAR! How interesting and rare is that—especially among close friends! In 2010 we celebrated our 60th birthday together, and amidst fun and games, we went around the room to compile a list of shared personality traits and devotional histories. Though we have a number of differences, our wives and friends found an amazing amount of shared traits and experiences.

My general thoughts when writing are to share what I am going through, experiencing, thinking about, or inspired by, in a way that I pray may have relevance to you, my readers. Birth, disease, old age, and death, being shared by all embodied beings, are very rich and important topics. Called the four-fold, or four, miseries of material life, they are listed in the Bhagavad-gita verses (8-12) from the 13th chapter, as part of understanding the process of spiritual knowledge.

Since the soul is eternal and is never born or dies, speaking of these four miseries isn’t considered by devotees to be morbid or a topic to avoid in polite conversation.

read more

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 09 May 2014, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.23.36)

One can never be complacent! One can never think, “I’m there, first initiation! Yeah. I’m there, second initiation! You know, bra-ma-na!” and casually forget to put the brahmin thread back, “Oh, it is still hanging there (on the ear).” (Laughing). And then, you know – sannyasa!

Somehow, I received sannyasa here at Bhaktivedanta Manor, in this very spot. I tell you the truth – the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime (Laughter). So here we are, back once again. I remember sitting in the yajna and I was sweating. It was not because of the heat of the fire, it was because of the heat of the vow!

I was 44 years old and I thought to myself, “You are always too bold, always! You always get yourself in big trouble and this time, you really did it!” (Laughter) “Are you really sure that you want to go through with this!? It will look so stupid if you stand up and walk away right now.”  So I sat through it and I took the danda although my heart was pounding and yes, it was done; there I was!

A TV crew was also here and then they asked me afterwards, “Do you feel any different now?” Well, I sure did and I told them, “It is just like when someone gets married. When someone gets married and you ask them straight after the marriage if it feels any different. Yes, it does, now you have responsibility.”

So, once you have this danda you have this responsibility. So, after the third initiation, you know, three stars. And then, over time you become a guru, then four stars. And then you get tempted to want a fifth star – I am God! (Laughter)

So it is hard but realize that sannyasa is just an opportunity, a good opportunity, to finally get serious about spiritual life. That is what it is!

 

Giriraj Swami and devotees in Carpinteria and Durban shared memories and realizations of Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja via Skype.

“One of the main things I learned from Goswami Maharaja was that love is not just sentimental words and offering obeisances and garlands but it is expressed in the details of one’s service—details like serving one dhokla at a time to ensure that you get them warm, and to not speculate. I was thinking to bring a few at a time so I could leave you and Goswami Maharaja alone to discuss privately as far as possible, but I was speculating, and he immediately cut through all of that. He taught us not to speculate and to show our love in the details of our service.

—Swarup Damodar das

 

Various Devotees
Giriraj Swami

This is my latest video, although I’ve not been doing so many giving a flavor of this years London Rathayatra.

Filmed on my smartphone.
Enjoy