New TOVP Dome and Chatri Photos
- TOVP.org

We are pleased to present a collection of new TOVP Dome and Chatri photos by our main photographer, Thakur Saranga das. We hope this will instill confidence and inspiration in devotees that we are progressing towards the Grand Opening of the TOVP in 2024.

Please consider this time to continue to support our construction by contributing to the TOVP 2024 Marathon or the Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser to open Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Hall in the Fall of 2023.

Please see full gallery.

TOVP Dome and Chatri Photos

 

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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Kartik and the TOVP 2022
- TOVP.org

Dear Worldwide ISKCON Devotees and Congregation,

Please accept our obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We would like to wish you a happy Kartik month full of divine service to Lord Damodar, and hope you and your family are well and in blissful Krishna conscious spirits. This time of the year is always greeted with great anticipation and excitement by devotees eager to chant the Damodarastakam and remember the pastimes of the Lord with Mother Yashoda.

One important lesson to learn from this pastime is that Krishna responds to desire and effort in His service. These two elements, desire and effort, are essential in devotional service and play a key role in our progress towards love of God, Krishna prema. And therefore, it’s no wonder that the Lord tests us to see the extent of our strength of purpose and resolve in this regard, and rewards us accordingly. Krishna wants our love so we can join Him in His eternal lilas in the spiritual world and be happy, but He doesn’t force us to express it; it must come from our own heart. His job is to find ways to draw it out of us more and more as part of His lila.

The same principle applies to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. How much do we desire to build this for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and our acharyas, to fulfill their hearts’ desire to spread Krishna consciousness? The intensity of our desire and willingness to sacrifice must be there for it to manifest. And this pleases Krishna more than even the temple itself, just as Mother Yashoda’s sweat and tears pleased Lord Damodar more than being bound with the rope. Rather, He was bound by Mother Yashoda’s love, which overwhelmed Him.

We are making an appeal for help again to continue construction and open the TOVP on time in 2024, to relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their long-awaited new home. This is the TOVP 2024 Marathon: “We run, you win!”. Our part is to run the marathon and build the temple on time, and your part is to help facilitate that, in which case you win; and we also win. Our slogan has always been, “The Temple Built by the Hands of Every Devotee.”

Our humble request to each and every one of you is to continue to support the TOVP. Some of you made pledges, but at some point stopped making payments. Some never even started their payments. Some have just a little ways to go to complete their pledges. And some of you have completed those pledges, for which we are grateful. Please re-evaluate your commitment to this project, strengthen and renew your level of enthusiasm, and show Lord Damodar that you really want this temple opened in 2024.

Please, kindly consider the above and go to the TOVP website: www.tovp.org during this auspicious Kartik time. You can begin or complete your pledges there or sponsor one of the many new options we have available for the TOVP 2024 Marathon. You can also sponsor a Nrsimha Brick to be placed under the Lord’s altar at the opening of the Nrsimha Wing in the Fall of 2023. Kartik is the best time for this kind of seva.

Thank you again and may the Lord bless you and your loved ones with unlimited mercy.

Your servants,
Ambarisa das
Braja Vilasa das

 

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQqFCRU5H1xJA5PV2hXKrA
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Kartik and the TOVP 2022
- TOVP.org

Dear Worldwide ISKCON Devotees and Congregation,

Please accept our obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We would like to wish you a happy Kartik month full of divine service to Lord Damodar, and hope you and your family are well and in blissful Krishna conscious spirits. This time of the year is always greeted with great anticipation and excitement by devotees eager to chant the Damodarastakam and remember the pastimes of the Lord with Mother Yashoda.

One important lesson to learn from this pastime is that Krishna responds to desire and effort in His service. These two elements, desire and effort, are essential in devotional service and play a key role in our progress towards love of God, Krishna prema. And therefore, it’s no wonder that the Lord tests us to see the extent of our strength of purpose and resolve in this regard, and rewards us accordingly. Krishna wants our love so we can join Him in His eternal lilas in the spiritual world and be happy, but He doesn’t force us to express it; it must come from our own heart. His job is to find ways to draw it out of us more and more as part of His lila.

The same principle applies to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. How much do we desire to build this for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and our acharyas, to fulfill their hearts’ desire to spread Krishna consciousness? The intensity of our desire and willingness to sacrifice must be there for it to manifest. And this pleases Krishna more than even the temple itself, just as Mother Yashoda’s sweat and tears pleased Lord Damodar more than being bound with the rope. Rather, He was bound by Mother Yashoda’s love, which overwhelmed Him.

We are making an appeal for help again to continue construction and open the TOVP on time in 2024, to relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their long-awaited new home. This is the TOVP 2024 Marathon: “We run, you win!”. Our part is to run the marathon and build the temple on time, and your part is to help facilitate that, in which case you win; and we also win. Our slogan has always been, “The Temple Built by the Hands of Every Devotee.”

Our humble request to each and every one of you is to continue to support the TOVP. Some of you made pledges, but at some point stopped making payments. Some never even started their payments. Some have just a little ways to go to complete their pledges. And some of you have completed those pledges, for which we are grateful. Please re-evaluate your commitment to this project, strengthen and renew your level of enthusiasm, and show Lord Damodar that you really want this temple opened in 2024.

Please, kindly consider the above and go to the TOVP website: www.tovp.org during this auspicious Kartik time. You can begin or complete your pledges there or sponsor one of the many new options we have available for the TOVP 2024 Marathon. You can also sponsor a Nrsimha Brick to be placed under the Lord’s altar at the opening of the Nrsimha Wing in the Fall of 2023. Kartik is the best time for this kind of seva.

Thank you again and may the Lord bless you and your loved ones with unlimited mercy.

Your servants,
Ambarisa das
Braja Vilasa das

 

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQqFCRU5H1xJA5PV2hXKrA
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Just give them my books
→ Dandavats



"Arguments are like a full-frontal attack on a person's identity. Reading a book is like slipping the seed of an idea into a person's brain and letting it grow on their own terms. There's enough wrestling going on in someone's head when they are overcoming a pre-existing belief. They don't need to wrestle with you too.


Read More...

“Save Earth Now!” Bhadra Campaign Smashes Goal
→ ISKCON News

Our global team continues to distribute unprecedented numbers of Srimad Bhagavatam sets through the Bhadra Campaign. This year, 250+ communities from 50+ countries distributed 45,800 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam, smashing the worldwide goal of 43,000 sets. The long-term goal is to reach 100,000 sets by 2026. This Bhadra Campaign was launched in 2017 by the […]

The post “Save Earth Now!” Bhadra Campaign Smashes Goal appeared first on ISKCON News.

TOVP in The Times of India
→ ISKCON News

The Times of India has published another article about the TOVP. Below is our short article with the direct link to the Times of India. The article about the TOVP in the TIMESNOW section is entitled, ‘World’s Largest Religious Monument to Open in India’. READ ARTICLE: https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/worlds-largest-religious-monument-to-open-in-india-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iconic-building-article-93847270

The post TOVP in The Times of India appeared first on ISKCON News.

Value Education Olympiad (VEO)-2022: Bigger and Better
→ ISKCON News

ISKCON’S venture with UNEP and the Government of India to address climate change through Value Education for school students. 2,30,000 students from 15 countries participated in the Value Education Olympiad (VEO) organized by ISKCON in collaboration with the UN Environment Program in the year 2021. Along with live sessions, and practical workshops, 200000 trees were […]

The post Value Education Olympiad (VEO)-2022: Bigger and Better appeared first on ISKCON News.

First Ever Ratha Yatra in California’s Capital
→ ISKCON News

First ever Sri Jagannath Rathayatra in Sacramento, Capital City of California.   ISKCON Sacramento celebrated its first Ratha Yatra in front of the California State Capitol Building, which serves as a museum and the State’s working seat of government, on Sept 18, 2022. More than seven hundred devotees from all over California participated in the […]

The post First Ever Ratha Yatra in California’s Capital appeared first on ISKCON News.

Vrindavan Food For Life Awarded Top 20 NGO
→ ISKCON News

The Indian Corporate Social Responsibility Awards ceremony was organized on 27th August 2022 in Gurugram, India to acknowledge all those organizations who have brought prestige and honor to the nation through their contribution to humanity and nation-building. We are thrilled to share that Food For Life Vrindavan Society was nominated as one of the ‘Top […]

The post Vrindavan Food For Life Awarded Top 20 NGO appeared first on ISKCON News.

Durga Puja
→ Ramai Swami

Worship of the goddess Durgā is mentioned this way in Brahma-saṁhitā. We should worship the demigods in that spirit. Because the goddess Durgā satisfies Kṛṣṇa, we should therefore offer respects to goddess Durgā.

SB 5.7.6, Purport: 

Demigod worship is mentioned in Brahma-saṁhitā, but actually the ślokas advocate worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda. For instance, worship of the goddess Durgā is mentioned this way in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44):sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekāchāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgāicchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sāgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Following the orders of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the goddess Durgā creates, maintains and annihilates. Śrī Kṛṣṇa also confirms this statement in Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: “This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings.” (BG 9.10)

We should worship the demigods in that spirit. Because the goddess Durgā satisfies Kṛṣṇa, we should therefore offer respects to goddess Durgā. Because Lord Śiva is nothing but Kṛṣṇa’s functional body, we should therefore offer respects to Lord Śiva.

Similarly, we should offer respects to Brahmā, Agni and Sūrya. There are many offerings to different demigods, and one should always remember that these offerings are usually meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Shukratal Yatra and the Glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam
→ Dandavats

By Chandan Yatra Das

Shukratal is a tiny holy town about 2-3 hours (72 km) from Haridwar on the banks of Ganges River in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Srila Sukadeva Goswami spoke sacred Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana) to Maharaja Pariksit (the grandson of Arjuna and son of Abhimanyu), under a banyan tree 5000 years ago. Here at a place called Sri Sukadeva Temple, there is a gigantic 5100 year old Banyan tree, also known as Akshaya Vat Vriksha, underneath where Sukadeva Goswami, Maharaja Pariksit and 80,000 sages sat for 7 days continuously hearing Bhagavatam narration. The branches of this Akshaya Vat tree spread far and wide, sprouting through the nearby surroundings. The Sukadeva ashrama is built around the tree. Continue reading "Shukratal Yatra and the Glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam
→ Dandavats"

Pasankusa Ekadasi and the TOVP 2022
- TOVP.org

Pasankusa or Papankusa Ekadasi is one of the most significant Vedic fasting days, and is observed in the Ashwin month on the eleventh day (Ekadasi) of Shukla Paksha. Therefore, the festival is also popular as ‘Ashwina-Shukla Ekadasi’. According to the Gregorian calendar, this festival is celebrated either in the month of October or September. Pasankusa Ekadasi is celebrated to worship Lord Padmanabha, the Lord with a navel like a lotus.

It’s recommended to chant extra rounds and stay up all night chanting and hearing the Lord’s glories. It is also auspicious to donate to Vaishnavas and Lord Krishna’s service on Ekadasi and we invite our readers to consider this Indira Ekadasi to donate towards the Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser. We are focusing on the completion and opening of the entire Nrsimhadeva hall and altar by the Fall of 2023 as a forerunner to the Grand Opening of the TOVP in 2024 when all the Deities will be relocated into Their new home. Please go to the Give To Give To Nrsimha 2023 Fundraiser page TODAY and help complete this offering to the Lord.

  NOTE: Pasankusa Ekadasi is observed on Oct. 5th in the US and Oct. 6th in India. Please refer to your local calendar through www.gopal.home.sk/gcal.

  View, download and share the TOVP 2022 Calendar​.

 

The Glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi

From Brahma-vaivarta Purana

The glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi, also known as Papankusa Ekadasi and which occurs during the waxing moon in the month of September/October, is described in Brahma-vaivarta Purana in the conversation between Lord Krishna and Maharaj Yudhisthira:

Yudhishthira Maharaj said, “Oh Madhusudana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that comes during the light fortnight of the month of Ashvina (September – October)? Please be merciful and disclose this truth to me.”

Lord Krishna relied, “Oh king, please listen carefully as I explain the glories of Pasankusa Ekadasi – which removes all sins. On this day one should worship the Deity of Padmanabha, the lotus naveled Lord Vishnu, according to the rules of archana viddhi (regulations). By so doing, one achieves whatever heavenly pleasures one may want in this world, and at last attains liberation from this world thereafter. Simply by offering one’s humble obeisances unto Lord Vishnu, one can achieve the same merit as is gained by performing great penances for a long time restraining and controlling the senses. Although a person might have committed unlimited and abominable sins, he can still escape hellish punishment just by paying his obeisances to Lord Sri Hari, the taker away of all sins.

“The merits gained by going on pilgrimage to the Holy Tirthas of this earthly planet can also be achieved simply by chanting the Holy names of Lord Vishnu. Whosoever chants these sacred names – such as Rama, Vishnu, Janardana or Krishna – especially on Ekadashi never sees Yamaraj, the king of death’s punishing abode. Nor does such a devotee who fasts on Pasankusa (Papankusa) Ekadasi, which is very dear to Me, see that hellish place.”

“Both the Vaishnava who criticizes Lord Shiva and the Shaivite who criticizes Me certainly go to hell. The merit obtained by performing one hundred horse sacrifices and one hundred Rajasurya sacrifices is not even equal to one-sixteenth of the merit a devotee is able to attain by fasting on Ekadasi. There is no higher merit one can achieve than that attained by fasting on Ekadasi. Indeed, nothing in all the three worlds is as pleasing or as able to purify one of accumulated sins as Ekadasi, the day of the lotus-naveled Lord, Padmanabha.

“O king, until a person observes a fast on the day of Lord Padmanabha named Papankusa Ekadasi, he remains sinful, and the reactions of his past sinful activities never leave him like a chaste wife. There is no merit in all the three worlds that can match the merit that one gains by observing a fast on this Ekadasi. Whosoever observes it faithfully never has to see death personified, Lord Yamaraj. One who desires liberation, elevation to the heavens, good health, wealth, and food grains should simply fast on this Pashankusa Ekadashi. O king, neither the Ganges, Gaya, Kashi, nor Pushkara, nor even the holy site of Kurukshetra, can grant as much auspicious merit as this Papankusa Ekadasi.

“O Maharaj Yudhishthira, protector of the earth, after observing Ekadasi during the daytime, the devotee should remain awake through the night, absorbed in hearing, chanting and serving the Lord – for by so doing he easily attains to the Supreme abode of Lord Vishnu. Not only that, but ten generations of ancestors on his mother’s side, ten generations on his father’s side, and ten generations on his wife’s side are all liberated by a single observance of a fast on this Ekadasi. All these ancestors attain their original, four-armed transcendental Vaikuntha forms. Wearing yellow garments and beautiful garlands, they ride to the spiritual realm on the back of Garuda, the renowned great enemy of the snakes. This is the benediction My devotee earns simply by observing one Papankusa Ekadasi properly.

“O best of kings, whether one is a child, a youth, or in old age, fasting on Papankusa Ekadashi frees him from all sins and makes him immune to suffering a hellish rebirth. Whosoever observes a fast on the Papankusa Ekadasi becomes free of all his sins and returns to the spiritual abode of Lord Sri Hari. Whosoever donates gold, sesame seeds, fertile land, cows, grain, drinking water, an umbrella, or a pair of shoes on this most auspicious of Holy days will never have to visit the abode of Yamaraj, who always punishes the sinners. But if a resident of earth fails to perform spiritual deeds, especially the observance of a fast on days such as Ekadasi, his breathing is said to be no better, or of as much use as the breathing/puffing of a blacksmith’s bellows.

“O best of the kings, especially on this Papankusa Ekadasi, even the poor should first bathe and then give some charity according to their means, and perform other auspicious activities in accordance with their ability.

“Whosoever performs sacrifices and benefits the people or builds public ponds, resting places, gardens or houses do not suffer the punishments of Yamaraj. Indeed, one should understand that a person must have performed such pious activities as these in the past life if he is long-lived, wealthy, of high birth or free from all diseases. But a person who observes Papankusa Ekadasi goes to the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu.”

Thus ends the narration of the glories of the Pashankusha or Papankusha Ekadashi, or Ashwina-Shukla Ekadashi, from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana.

 

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQqFCRU5H1xJA5PV2hXKrA
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/