Japa Question And Answer Session
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Japa Question And Answer Session
The Krsna West approach
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 June 2014, Stockholm Sweden, Sunday Feast, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.14)
When Srila Prabhupada came to Germany, he met Sacinandana swami’s father. His son had just become a devotee and Sacinandana Maharaj’s father asked a question to Prabhupada,”How can a crocodile survive in the Rhine?” Srila Prabhupada’s answer was, “It is not required to wear this dress. One can also be in plain clothes and be a devotee.” So, there are many quotes on this story, some a little dramatic. Then Sacinandana Maharaj’s father was very impressed and said, “Oh, your guru is very intelligent.” Because Prabhupada understood that question, ‘A crocodile in the Rhine!’
We see that many spiritual traditions in the world have two sides to it. One monastic side, a priestly class, that wear some kind of uniform, some dress standing for spirituality that distinguishes them from the world and gives them their spiritual identity. The other is the secular feature. So, I think that the Krsna West approach to Krsna consciousness is going to be the secular feature of the movement, and best, and has always been because it is not a new invention. It has already been there, now it is just that the idea is formalised a bit more. You already know about the Krsna West because most of the time you are dressed in the Krsna West uniform, so the secular aspect.
Now the secular aspect of Krsna consciousness – Krsna consciousness is a transplant, it is ‘A crocodile that has been put into the Rhine’. It is another culture, not a tradition. The dress, well what is our idea of the Vedic dress? The kurta as Hridayananda Maharaj rightly points out, is a Muslim invention and the cholis are not exactly Vedic. But saris and some sort of dhotis or whatever, that sort of goes back to a more traditional thing. The chaadhar – very traditional! So it was born out of another culture. The clothes, they come out of a culture. This was born out of a culture that had tried to regulate sexual activity and therefore was not ‘putting it’ some much out into the public. Therefore, certain parts of the bodies were nicely covered. This (sannyasa) cloth is different! Tight jeans kind of displays whatever is there, right! Or when ladies walk around with tight jeans and tight t-shirts with nothing under it and chant Hare Krsna at the same time! Hare Krsna is nicely chanted but the dress is of a different culture, a culture that deals with sexuality in a different way.
Now, when I brought up this argument to Hridayananda Maharaj, he pointed out, “Yes, I am not saying we should wear those kinds of clothes, I am talking about wearing sattvic Western clothes, something in the mode of goodness.” All right, nice, better than those other clothes which incite passion. But I can imagine that many people in the world could relate much easier to Krsna consciousness if it was not in such an oriental religious guise; you know, if it was a little more integrated. For those people, it is good. But I also think that as all traditions of the world show the monastic aspect of spiritual tradition, there are those people who are full time dedicated to it, without having to compromise with society. They are withdrawn from society. They are spending all their time with their spirituality and they become the spiritual leaders, the inspiration for the secular practitioners. So, I think that is, in my estimation, the best we can expect from Krsna West with all due respect to the efforts that are out there. I think it is nothing new, it sounds more dramatic than it is.
I am a sannyasi by vow, the vows are strict! I find that if we just dressed in jeans and in regular clothes then I would find that a burden. I find that if I would just let my hair grow and a little beard, I would sort of lose a certain amount of self-discipline. I find that even every once in a while when I shave my head, it reconfirms my self-discipline. So, I find I get benefits from all these practises on a personal level and therefore I am quite convinced that it is beneficial!
Death, Dying, and Compassion–On my Father’s Death Anniversary
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[This is republished from August 5th 2014, which I publish today, on Father's Day, as my tribute to my father. Though he was the tragic figure of his worldly drama, I know he loved me and did his best to raise me. He went to the temple at my first wedding, loved prasad, and said Hare Krishna frequently to shock his friends and acquaintances about the strange group I was part of. So he was blessed in many ways.]
[An interesting fact is that other than a few baby pictures with my parents, I only have the above picture and one other of them together during my childhood, and they both show my father pretending to be attacking my mom--but in fact, that was the nature of their relationship. I also have no pictures of my father and I. Life leaves us many clues!]
August 3rd will be the death anniversary of my father who, as we devotees say, “left his body” in 1986. “Leaving our body,” means someone, the soul, has left the physical covering behind and moved on. I don’t remember many dates, but this one is etched in my memory—along with a few birthdays, and my wedding anniversary (very important date for you those of you who are married). When I was with my mom in her last days in 2010 I obtained his death certification and some family memorabilia—presently of interest only to me, as the last surviving blood member of my family. This should tell us something about such memorabilia!
My mom was a collector, and saved even her baptism certificate, though she was an unbeliever, brought up by a strong religious mother, and, as fate would have it, had a Hare Krishna son! We are strongly karmically connected to our parents and children. Part of a successful life is to make peace with our past and current life—since our present is very much a reaction to our past, and our present choices becomes our future. Thus, part of bhakti is cutting the worldly cords of attachments by attachment to the spiritual via the “cords” of our beads which we use to chant the maha-mantra, as well as all the practices of devotional service.
I wanted to at least say a few words about this day to honor the lessons I learned from my “dear old dad,” though mainly to share some perspectives in dealing with the death of loved ones. Though the soul is eternal, due to our bodily dress, we calculate the age of the body. So he isn’t really old in a physical sense, but he died when he was 65—you could say he retired his body to ashes (he was cremated) at the age of retirement, since he was tired of living.
08 Aug 2014 – Disappearance Day of Sri Gauridasa Pandita
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Questions and Answers, Ratha-yatra Festival, August 3, Venice Beach, Los Angeles
Giriraj Swami
Once again their Lordships Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra descended with the spiritual world and their associates and devotees to bless all the living entities in Venice Beach. Giriraj Swami attended the festival and hosted a questions-and-answers session, posted below.
“We are persons. When the soul leaves the body, the body is dead—it is just a bag of chemicals. So, that personality that animates the body is the soul. The soul is active when it is in the body, and the soul continues to be active after it leaves the body. It is a person when it is in the body, and after it leaves the body it is still a person. And Krishna is the Supreme Person. He never enters a material body. He always exists in His original, blissful, spiritual form. Our goal is to revive our loving relationship with Radha and Krishna. As far as karma is concerned—we don’t care for karma. The pains and pleasures will come and go. You can’t stop them.”
tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah
tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham
kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa
“Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by wandering from the topmost planet down to the lowest planet. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.18)
08 Aug 2014 – Disappearance Day of Srila Rupa Goswami
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800,000 Strong
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Polish Woodstock came and went so quickly! The organisers say 800,000 people attended. We chanted, danced and distributed prasadam ( 126,000 full plates ) until we could no longer stand on our two feet. Kirtans went on until 4 am each morning in a tent filled continously with hundreds and hundreds of people. Many thanks [...]
Citralekha Bhagavat Saptaha in Mayapur (Album 33 photos)
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Devi Citralekha ji's, a devoted to Krishna soul, visit to Mayapur. Read more › Polish Woodstock: 800,000 people attended, 700 devotees preach, 126.000 full plates of prasadam distributed! (Album 147 photos)
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Indradyumna Swami: Polish Woodstock came and went so quickly! The organisers say 800,000 people attended. We chanted, danced and distributed prasadam ( 126,000 full plates ) until we could no longer stand on our two feet. Kirtans went on until 4 am each morning in a tent filled constantly with hundreds of people. Many thanks to the 700 devotees from Russia, Ukraine and all over Europe who gave their hearts and souls to sharing the blissful life of Krsna consciousness with hundreds and thousands of festival goers. Certainly the lives of those people will never be the same, and neither will ours. It was a dream come true. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Read more › Citralekha Bhagavat Saptaha
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August 5th, 2014 – Darshan
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The post August 5th, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Old BBT Newsletters?
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For the past several months I am writing detailed memoirs of Srila Prabhupad, and there is a large chunk of history missing. From June 1971 through all of 1972 I traveled with Prabhupad as secretary, and I sent almost weekly newsletters, describing whatever Prabhupad was doing at the time, to Karandhar in LA, who would copy and include these descriptions in his regular BBT Newsletters, mailed out to all temples.
The old BBT Newsletters seem to have disappeared, even the Bhaktivedanta Archives do not have any copies.
So I am appealing to all devotees: If anyone has--or has a lead to--any BBT Newsletters from the period June 1971 through December 1972, will you kindly let me know? Read more › Lord Balaram Goes on Pilgrimage
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SB 10.79.1-15 Lord Balaram Goes on Pilgrimage, Durban, South Africa.mp3
The National Green Tribunal slams Mathura admin for garbage at holy sites
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MATHURA: The National Green Tribunal has pulled up the Mathura district administration for not ensuring proper cleanliness on the Govardhan Parikrama Marg, causing hardships to pilgrims visiting the holy site. Read more › Prema-rasa asks about the differences in humility at the practicing and perfected stages
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Why would there be lust and anger in someone hearing rasa-lila, can grhstas advance in KC and whether just service to guru without advancement allows one to go back to godhead?
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Preaching program in Iskcon, Sao Paolo, Brasil (Album 42 photos)
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“One who chants Krishna's name and constantly remembers Him, even though living in this material ocean of nescience, is like the lotus, which is born in the water but is untouched by it: it's position is transcendental. This great soul is capable of liberating all the suffering residents of the hellish planets. (Varaha Purana) Read more › Ancient texts eerily describe our present
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“In Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behaviour and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power ... success in business will depend on deceit... A person’s propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar. A person will be judged unholy he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue.” Read more › ISKCON Leicester performs first Pahandi Vijaya Ceremony in the UK (8 min video)
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Leicester's Rathayatra is the second largest festival in the UK, and thousands of spectators came to participate in the festival.
Leicester's Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, who started the procession said: "It is a beautiful visual and symbolic celebration which has become deeply woven into the fabric of our city."
At the park, revellers were entertained with a special Mahabharat themed festival--with dance, kirtan, archery, a Bhagavad Gita drama experience, and a children's world. Many people signed up for an introductory course on the spiritual principles of the Bhagavad-gita.
ISKCON Leicester has been on an exciting journey since their devastating explosion on Vyasa-puja four years ago. This year, the yatra will celebrate Janmasthami in the new temple, and neighbouring Town Hall Square. Read more › Morning Street Sankirtan in Ludhiana (Album 29 photos)
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On the auspicious occasion on Sri Krsna Janmashtmi Festival, we are holding twenty days long Morning Street Sankirtana started from 27th July in the different locality of the city to invite everybody at their door step for coming Appearance day of Sri Krishna (Janmashtmi). Devotees were seen pulling chariot of Lord Jagannath, Baldeva and Subhadra. Devotees chant Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra and were dancing. Later in the end prashadam was distributed among the congregation devotees. Read more › 38th Annual Los Angeles Rathyatra at Venice Beach, LA (Aug 3, 2014) (Album 135 photos)
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“The chanting of Hare Krishna is recommended for persons who commit offenses, because if they continue chanting they will gradually chant offenselessly. Even if in the beginning one chants the Hare Krishna mantra with offenses, one will become free from such offenses by chanting again and again.” Read more › Malaga Retreat 2014 – Introduction Talk
Bhakti Charu Swami
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS Founder-Ācārya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda The following presentation is an introduction talk for the Malaga Retreat 2014 by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, given on Wednesday 16 June 2014 in Spain. His Grace Priyavrata Prabhu: Please welcome His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami with three Haribols: Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!(...)
Mangala Arati of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath ; 3rd August 2014
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Mangala Arati of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath ; 3rd August 2014
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:35:00 →
1958 August 5: "Both the audience and the lecturer are mundane persons and out of sheer foolishness their indulgence in the matter of Rasalila will result only in imitating Rudra who swallowed up an ocean of poison. By drinking such poison a man surely goes to hell."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:28:00 →
1969 August 5: "This Krishna Consciousness Movement is for understanding one God, one scripture, one mantra, and one engagement for all living entities, not only within this world, but throughout the whole universe."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:26:00 →
1969 August 5: "You have asked me about my plans: my plan is for preaching with your help. You arrange, and I shall talk anywhere for any length of time about Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:14:00 →
1971 August 5: "Forget taking sannyasa. Now you should take care of your wife. At the time of the marriage ceremony there is a promise that the husband will care for the wife throughout her life. When the child is grown up then the husband can take sannyas. Anyway I think now you are doing more than sannyasa."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:10:00 →
1972 August 5: "Make our presence in Vrindavan very impressive and prestigious. Lead sankirtana party every day from Radha Damodara Mandir to our new place in Raman Reti and wherever possible hold kirtana and speak in Bengali and English. If you can have such engagements from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily, do that."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 01:09:00 →
1972 August 5: "I am very happy to hear of your daily walk through your Brooklyn neighborhood with Deities. That is customary in India, and all the neighbors come out and offer incense, garlands and other gifts for Radha and Krsna. So encourage your neighbors to participate and their lives will improve."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 00:52:00 →
1972 August 5: "It is not necessary for you to return to university for further education. Your material education is finished. Your real education is to be found in my books. So do not bother yourself anymore with this idea but go on learning from our own scriptural evidence how great is the supreme science."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-08-05 00:50:00 →
1972 August 5: "If you want to teach in universities and colleges, they must accept us on our high degree of Vedic learning, not on their so-called credentials. They must accept our system of scholarly learning from the bona fide Spiritual Master."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
Summer Fun @ Radhadesh Holi Festival – 26 & 27 July 2014
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Ever saw a flying swami?
If you would have attended the Summer Holi Festival in Radhadesh then you might have seen Kadamba Kanana Swami stagedive into the dancing crowd. We have proof on video, so check out the links below for ‘the flying swami’.
The Radhadesh Summer festival is a 2-day annual festival that takes place at the “Chateau de Petite Somme” in the Belgian Ardennes. The festival includes organized castle tours, a special stage program, the market and this year, for the first time, a special holi celebration. And we had some special guests visiting, namely Kadamba Kanana Swami, Lokanath Swami, Krsna Ksetra dasa, Tattvavit dasa and of course our Parividha prabhu. The festival was well attended and the extra special holi put the icing on the festival cake.
Straight from the Czech Republic, Kadamba Kanana Swami landed upon the Summer Holi Festival in Radhadesh that always takes place in the last weekend of July. This year, the festival was combined with a special holi celebration organized by Manu dasa. Kadamba Kanana Swami rocked the kirtan which was already strong during the throwing of holi colors. And he continued the next day, during the Summer Festival final kirtan in the amazing orange party tent.
Kadamba Kanana Swami also gave the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class and did a multi-lingual introduction on stage in addition to the kirtans. He left Radhadesh on Monday morning to attend the Swiss Mountain Retreat and afterwards he will visit the Czech republic for Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day.
Audio
Jaya Radha-madhava – 26 July 2014
Srimad Bhagavatam SB 6.8.42 – 26 July 2014
Kirtan Explosion – Final Summer Festival Day – 27 July 2014
Srimad Bhagavatam SB 6.9.1 – Krsna Ksetra dasa – 28 July 2014
Video
Kirtan Explosion – part 1
Kirtan Explosion – part 2
Kirtan Explosion – part 3
Photos
Simply By Carefully Chanting
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From Nectar of Instruction Text 7
07 Aug 2014 – Radha Govinda Jhulan Yatra Begins
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07 Aug 2014 – Pavitropana Ekadashi
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Harinama in Rijeka, Croatia (Album 14 photos)
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Ritualistic religious practices like yajna, charity, sacred baths and chanting of Vedic hymns are all regulated by rules of times, cleanliness, etc. To consider that the chanting of the holy name is subject to the same restrictions is a gross blunder. There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. Therefore, everyone chant Krishna's name at all times. Read more › Big explosion in Tel Aviv’s central bus station, an explosion of….happiness! (Album 118 photos)
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The holy name of Lord Krishna is a reservoir of all transcendental happiness. It destroys the sins of the Kali-yuga. It is the most purifying of all purifying things. It is the saintly person's food as he traverses the path to the spiritual world. It is the pleasure garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play. It is the life of the righteous and the seed of the tree of religion. May that holy name of Lord Krishna bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.—author unknown (Padyavali 3) Read more › Kirtan program in Moscow with Bhakti Bringa Govinda Swami (Album 67 photos)
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O Supreme Personality of Godhead, when someone desires to chant Your holy name, sins tremble in fear, the glory of material illusion faints unconscious, Yamaraja's scribe Citragupta becomes happy and gazes at the chanter's toenails with awe and reverence, and Lord Brahma prepares madhu-parka with which to worship him. O Lord, what more can we say than this?—author unknown (Padyavali 4) Read more › ISKCON Scarborough – Appearance day celebrations of Lord Balaram – Sunday 10th August 2014
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Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
ISKCON Scarborough will be celebrating the Appearance day of Lord Balaram in a grand manner on Sunday- 10th August 2014.
Program starts at 10.30 am with Tulasi Arti followed by Guru puja and a special class on Lord Balaram at 11 am.
There will be a grand feast served at the end of our special program
We welcome you, your family and friends to this auspicious event coming Sunday at ISKCON Scarborough
Who is Lord Balarama?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Balarama is His second body. They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists in Lord Krishna's transcendental pastimes. He is the source of the entire spiritual world and is the Adi-guru, the original spiritual master.
Descent of Lord Balarama
Whenever Krishna appears in the material world, He is accompanied by His associates and paraphernalia. Five thousand years ago when Krishna descended into the material world, He was first preceded by Baladeva.
When Baladeva appeared as the seventh child in the womb of Devaki, she could understand that this was a divine child and this made her all the more concerned about His safety. Even Kamsa could sense His potency and he became fearful, thinking he may have been tricked by the prophecy that he will be slain only by the eight child of Devaki. At this time Krishna instructed Yogamaya, His internal potency, to transfer the unborn child from the womb of Devaki to that of Rohini, one of the other wives of Vasudeva, who was hiding from Kamsa in the house of Nanda Maharaja in Gokul.
In this way Balarama was born in Gokul under the protection of Nanda Maharaja.
Garga Muni the venerable kulaguru (family priest) of the Yadu dynasty revealed “ This child, the son of Rohiṇī, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rāma. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families — Vasudeva's family and the family of Nanda Mahārāja — He will be known as Saṅkarṣaṇa”.
ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7
Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
website:
www.iskconscarborough.com
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Balarama is His second body. They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists in Lord Krishna's transcendental pastimes. He is the source of the entire spiritual world and is the Adi-guru, the original spiritual master.
Descent of Lord Balarama
Whenever Krishna appears in the material world, He is accompanied by His associates and paraphernalia. Five thousand years ago when Krishna descended into the material world, He was first preceded by Baladeva.
When Baladeva appeared as the seventh child in the womb of Devaki, she could understand that this was a divine child and this made her all the more concerned about His safety. Even Kamsa could sense His potency and he became fearful, thinking he may have been tricked by the prophecy that he will be slain only by the eight child of Devaki. At this time Krishna instructed Yogamaya, His internal potency, to transfer the unborn child from the womb of Devaki to that of Rohini, one of the other wives of Vasudeva, who was hiding from Kamsa in the house of Nanda Maharaja in Gokul.
In this way Balarama was born in Gokul under the protection of Nanda Maharaja.
Garga Muni the venerable kulaguru (family priest) of the Yadu dynasty revealed “ This child, the son of Rohiṇī, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rāma. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families — Vasudeva's family and the family of Nanda Mahārāja — He will be known as Saṅkarṣaṇa”.
ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7
Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
website:
www.iskconscarborough.com
Increasing Attachment to the Supreme Lord(With Russian Translation)
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SB 4.22.22 Increasing Attachment to Supreme Lord, 2014 Vaisnava Festival, Lithuania.mp3
How to transform our entire lives into sacrifice (Part 1)
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Bhagavad-gita in Romania June 30th.
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