Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Special Ramanavami Maha Feast | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, December 2013, Pretoria, South Africa, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture)
The nature of Srimad Bhagavatam is that it is ever fresh. It is never old; it is never stale but ever fresh! It is going on right now – Bhagavatam. There is no limit to the Bhagavatam. The demigods have a Bhagavatam of 100 000 verses. We have 18 000 verses and they have a 100 000. There is more and more… and more will be revealed. Bhagavatam will be revealed from within the heart because dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 25.57) – true religious principles are not found within the scripture alone but they are hidden within the heart. Within the heart these things will be revealed.
So we read Srimad Bhagavatam and then we live by Srimad Bhagavatam and then Srimad Bhagavatam becomes revealed to us, gradually. This is the system of how to change our lives. That is the idea. Only then will we know Srimad Bhagavatam. You cannot know the Bhagavatam just by reading. By reading, you scratch the surface but you cannot know; just as you cannot know Vrndavan by just buying a ticket, going there and walking around. One may say, “Radhe Radhe,” but we cannot know. We cannot penetrate into Vrndavan unless we live like the eternal residents of Vrndavan, unless we become pure devotees then we can perceive Vrndavan.
With Their soft flower-petal hands Sri Ra?dha?-Krishna carefully watered the trees and vines from the time of their first sprouting. They nourished them and made them grow and, at the proper time, married each vine to an appropriate tree . When They saw new flowers beginning to blossom, They became delighted and spoke many playful joking words. Let us bow down and offer our respectful obeisances to these trees and vines of Vrinda?vana forest.
[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-11, Translation.]
Please click here for more photos
Rtadhvaja Swami and Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Kabe Habe Bolo by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
“This is the aspiration of the devotee who is making advancement—to relish the ecstasy of the holy name. Not as a selfish desire, but as a sign that Krishna and the acharyas are pleased, that they have granted him admittance into the nectarean realm of pure chanting. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentions specifically, ‘after grasping the feet of a saint who constantly relishes the flavor (rasa) of devotion.’ ‘Grasping the feet’ can be taken literally, but ‘grasping the feet’ can also mean holding tightly to the instructions and following them.” —Giriraj Swami
A living being who lives in the mundane world has four defects: (1) he is certain to commit mistakes; (2) he is subject to illusion; (3) he has a propensity to cheat others; and (4) his senses are imperfect. No one with these four imperfections can deliver perfect knowledge.
- Srila Prabhupada, Sri Isopanishad Mantra 1
Greetings from the Garden……
It has been another busy week in the garden. Unfortunately, the April showers are keeping us from doing much planting and tilling. In the teaching garden post have been put in for the new fence. The plan for the teaching garden is to have 1/3 flowers, 1/3 greens, and 1/3 perennials & herbs. In the Garden of Seven Gates we planted Cayuga and Mars grapes this week. They are genetically the most resistant to black (also called brown) rot the bane of Eastern grape growers.
Some of the perennial plants to look forward to in the Garden of Seven Gates include: blueberries, red raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, bush cherries, grapes, honey berries, elderberries, and asparagus.
The newest addition to the perennial fruits in the garden are goji berries. The picture above is of goji berries, they are also know as the wolfberry. Goji berries are often used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are usually cooked or dried before eating. The berries are high in nutrients and are believed to have many health benefits. You can grow goji berries in your home garden they grow well in containers and in your garden soil. They can be pruned as bushes or trained to grow on a trellis.
Over the next few weeks we will be planting fruit trees, flowering bushes, perennial fruits, and hopefully if the rain holds off spring vegetables. Until next week, happy gardening.
This month, we would like recognize Neeraj and Kavitha Bhatnagar as our Donor Spotlight.
During the winter break, while all was quiet and peaceful at the end of the temple block known as TKG Academy, a storm erupted. The bus tour coming from Mexico descended upon the playgrounds. Nearly twenty youth, along with many of our own youth from Dallas, decided to give the school grounds some tender loving care. I was out of town and you can guess my reaction when I returned and saw the transformation that had occurred. I was elated!
The new ramps which had been installed during the summer break, needed priming and painting. During the first part of school, Joseph Clark who had been coming to the Wednesday classes, came several times and began the painting. We found it a bit difficult to have fresh paint in the porch area when children were around so he was asked to come back to paint during the winter break.
And then the service hungry youth appeared. Manorama Dasa has long been known for taking temples by storm with his energetic, talented youth. Some of our devotees here in Dallas realized that the grounds at the school needed raking and that the ramp painting needed to be completed. Someone told me that Krishna Mangala Dasi along with her children and many of our young men and women, gathered the bus tour youth together, and tackled the job.
Mother Jayanti says, “I wish to thank all of those persons who were involved in this project. This is the sort of work that makes an old woman happy to see accomplished. I just wish that I could have been there to thank these devotees personally. “
Procession celebration in Krishna Balaram Mandir. Read more › Brilliant as the Sun, my summary of the first nine cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam is now available on Amazon Kindle.
The post April 7th, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Our Vision: To create an environment where people and animals can practice natural living and higher thinking, in an atmosphere of love and trust, for the pleasure of Shree Krishna. Philosophy: Our motto at Hare Krishna Valley is “natural living, high thinking”. Natural living means that we live a comfortable, uncomplicated life in harmony with nature. By reducing our “wants” to “needs”, we manage to live in a peaceful state of mind. Peace of mind is a prerequisite to true happiness.
The needs of all humanity can be amply supplied from Mother Nature. At Hare Krishna Valley we aim to develop a self-sufficient farm community in which we gratefully receive our gifts from the earth and in return protect the earth from unnecessary harm. Our project includes an investment in bio-dynamic farming, a plan for a humanitarian dairy, protection of wild life, forest regeneration and developing solar energy. Read more › Damodara Dasa, damodara.d@gmail.com
The post To participate in Radha Syama’s service contact appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Off Road Pictures presents: Hare Krishna by Shivali Bhammer . Directed by Hasinth Pathirana. Produced by Arjuna. Read more › 
What is the last verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam? "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Hari, the congregational chanting of whose names destroy all sinful reactions, and the offering of obeisances unto whom relieves all material suffering." SB 12.13.23. Pandu Putra Prabhu from Italy (bravissimo!), and Saksi Gopal Prabhu lead the Kirtan on the streets of London. Enjoy the movie, Read more › by Madhava Smullen
Lilasuka with glasses.
Since moving back to New Vrindaban three years ago, Lilasuka Dasi has used her people skills to inspire residents to care for each other and communicate positively with one another. This, she feels, is the key to the community’s recent attempt at rebuilding and growth.
Originally from Toronto, Lilasuka first lived in the rural West Virginia community between 1980 and 2000, teaching at the day school there.
She then relocated to Pittsburgh until New Vrindaban president Jaya Krishna Das, who calls her “the mother of New Vrindaban,” invited her back to head up the communications department.
From the way she talks about the community, it’s clear that Lilasuka loves New Vrindaban deeply. And that makes her ideal for the job.
“I know the ins and outs of New Vrindaban, and am friends with just about everyone, because I lived here for so long,” she says. “It’s ideal for a deep spiritual life, and is full of interesting people. I just like people, so I like studying them and figuring out how to work with them.”
Initially, the goal of Lilasuka’s department was to establish communications amongst a variety of external groups like the media, the local municipal departments, and the academic community.
And she does nurture a relationship with some, like the Marshall County Tourist Board, whose website advertises New Vrindaban’s festivals and lists Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold as one of the top six tourist attractions in the county.
But her first priority, she felt, was to focus on internal communications amongst New Vrindaban devotees and nearby ISKCON communities.
“A lot of people didn’t know what was going on in New Vrindaban — even those who lived here!” she says. “Now many devotees tell me that they are glad to see the regular updates about what’s happening.”
Lilasuka writes these updates herself and posts them once or twice a week on Brijbasi Spirit, an online newsletter started ten years ago which she has helped expand from an agrarian-focused publication to a broader community-wide news service.
“I post interviews with devotees, write articles about festivals, and announce seminars, new calf births and more,” she says. “I also write almost every day on the New Vrindaban Facebook page, and have helped to rewrite the community’s official website to make it more accessible.”
As well as keeping devotees informed, Lilasuka’s service has also naturally evolved into devotee care.
“My office has become like a revolving door,” she says. “People come looking for help or advice.”
Some come complaining about other devotees or management, too. Lilasuka encourages them to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. She offers to go with them to discuss their differences with other department staff, or with community president Jaya Krishna. She even helps couples who may be having difficulties in their relationships.
“A lot of misunderstandings come from miscommunications,” she says. She adds that her work has helped devotees embrace a positive attitude and has improved their support of New Vrindaban’s new leadership.
Lilasuka also provides practical care for New Vrindaban residents, and encourages others to help.
“It’s been snowing every day here for weeks, and some of the older devotees can’t even get out of their houses,” she says. “So I’ve been shopping for them or helping them to find rides. I have helpers too. One devotee drives some of the single women who don’t have cars into town to do their shopping every week.”
Lilasuka also recently arranged for the local Department of Health and Human Resources to give a seminar at New Vrindaban on how to apply for President Obama’s mandatory new healthcare plan. Around twenty-five devotees attended. Many expressed their appreciation for making the process a lot easier for them.
Lilasuka has also helped facilitate Canada-based homeopathic doctor Visvadhika Dasi to visit New Vrindaban every few months to care for ill devotees. All this kind of care and communication, she feels, is essential.
“New Vrindaban is such a big place,” she says. “Sometimes people can can get lost here, or feel like they’re not being looked after. There’s definitely a need for that, that I’m trying to fill.”
Lilasuka plans to continue building on this work. One of her most recent steps has been to join the New Vrindaban Community Advocacy Group, an organization formed in December 2013 and comprising of residents rather than management.
“We want to be advocates of devotees in the community who feel they don’t have a voice,” she says. “Our first topic is devotee care: we’ve already had volunteers help older devotees by bringing them basic necessities such as firewood and water.”
As far as communications is concerned, she’s working with North American ISKCON Communications Director Keshava Das on a new print and online newsletter, with news from New Vrindaban’s different departments.
She also hopes to add more staff to the communications department and to increase its outreach efforts amongst other local groups. Already, media communications for festivals is being handled by the aptly named Vrindavan Das.
Lilasuka is clearly excited by her service, and how it can help New Vrindaban in its current rebuilding phase.
“I think it’s making more people aware that working together cooperatively, caring for each other and communicating properly with each other is the key to helping New Vrindaban grow,” she says.
Mangala Arati – 30.03.2014 Iskcon London
Bhakti Lounge will be closed over Easter but back open on Tuesday 22nd April for Vinyasa Flow Yoga and discussion on the treasure chest of knowledge in the Bhagavad Gita. We will be open the next Sunday for Soul Feast, Anzac weekend. Hope you all have a lovely refreshing break :)
Invigorate your body, mind and consciousness for the upcoming week with our Super Yogi Sundays – it just couldn’t be a better line up!
5pm Yoga with Muni = core power and laughter at the same time :D
6pm Soul Feast = Beautiful, uplifting kirtan beats, consciousness expanding wisdom and foodthat will blow you out of this world!
Every Sunday starting April 13th.
Cost – from your heart. You give what you can, and what it’s worth to you. Simply for the love of it :D
"It is confirmed in Padma Purana that the species of life evolved from aquatics to plants, vegetables, trees; thereafter insects, reptiles, flies, birds, then beasts, and then human kind. This is the gradual process of evolution of species of life. . . . But we do not accept Darwin’s theory. According to Darwin’s theory, homo sapiens came later on, but we see that the most intelligent personality, Brahma, is born first. So according to Vedic knowledge, Darwin or similar mental speculators are rejected so far as the facts are concerned."
Letter to his disciple Hayagriva Dasa (Los Angeles 9 March, 1970)
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.5.11-13… Vidura says it so well
“Who among us ever ceases to be thirsty for hearing about Krishna, whose sacred feet are adored by the gods? When this sound enters a person’s ears, it severs their affection for all the homely catalysts of material existence. Yes, your dark-skinned friend Vyāsa did describe the qualities of the All-Attractive in his Mahābhārata — using stories of worldly pleasures to attract the minds of common people to hear from and about Hari. If someone nourishes their interest in hearing Hari Kathā, it will cause them to lost interest in everything else. The pleasure of always remembering Hari immediately destroys all sadness.”
Vidura asked Maitreya many popular questions about the universe. Maitreya replied, “haven’t you heard the answers to these questions? Vyāsa has recently written about them in Mahābhārata.”
Vidura replied, “I’ve heard but I am not entirely satisfied.”
Maitreya: Why?
Vidura: The answers are not sufficiently connected to Krishna.
Maitreya: But Krishna is a central character of Mahābhārata.
Vidura: Yes, that’s true. Your friend Vyāsa has given Krishna in Mahābhārata… but not in a very direct and clear way. Mahābhārata is clouded with so many ordinary stories… so much “packaging” and “advertising” and not enough of the actual commodity – Krishna.
I don’t blame him for writing it like that. It was wise. By including all these stories he attracts the attention of ordinary people. And then, once their attention is attracted, he delivers sections like Bhagavad-Gītā, which contain the essence of Krishna Kathā.
And once ordinary people hear these sections, if they pay a little attention to them… the more they pay attention the more they will gain interest in Krishna and lose interest in everything else, everything which causes their entanglement in mundane existence. So the Mahābhārata will be effective for the ordinary person.
But I want something more.
I want something that is 100% Krishna-kathā, because I already have no interest in other topics. I can never get enough Krishna Kathā.
~ ~ ~
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is history’s first attempt to provide a radically condensed and saturated presentation of Krishna Kathā for the sake of people like Vidura, who are already directly interested in Krishna.
Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers have further condensed and sweetened it in their commentaries and expansive works.
We want to be born into (or moved into) a situation where such works are the dominant art form and entertainment that constantly saturates our ears. We are tired of watching hitopadesh type Lord of the Rings and Star Wars tales where Krishna is only very indirectly and allegorically present.
And certainly we are dead tired of coming into situations where Krishna Kathā is supposed to be spoken, but instead we are served reheated leftovers of grāmya-kathā in the form of psychology, astrology, sociology, astronomy, and plain old prajalpa.
We want our Krishna-kathā, and we want it now!
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.5.11-13… Vidura says it so well
“Who among us ever ceases to be thirsty for hearing about Krishna, whose sacred feet are adored by the gods? When this sound enters a person’s ears, it severs their affection for all the homely catalysts of material existence. Yes, your dark-skinned friend Vyāsa did describe the qualities of the All-Attractive in his Mahābhārata — using stories of worldly pleasures to attract the minds of common people to hear from and about Hari. If someone nourishes their interest in hearing Hari Kathā, it will cause them to lost interest in everything else. The pleasure of always remembering Hari immediately destroys all sadness.”
Vidura asked Maitreya many popular questions about the universe. Maitreya replied, “haven’t you heard the answers to these questions? Vyāsa has recently written about them in Mahābhārata.”
Vidura replied, “I’ve heard but I am not entirely satisfied.”
Maitreya: Why?
Vidura: The answers are not sufficiently connected to Krishna.
Maitreya: But Krishna is a central character of Mahābhārata.
Vidura: Yes, that’s true. Your friend Vyāsa has given Krishna in Mahābhārata… but not in a very direct and clear way. Mahābhārata is clouded with so many ordinary stories… so much “packaging” and “advertising” and not enough of the actual commodity – Krishna.
I don’t blame him for writing it like that. It was wise. By including all these stories he attracts the attention of ordinary people. And then, once their attention is attracted, he delivers sections like Bhagavad-Gītā, which contain the essence of Krishna Kathā.
And once ordinary people hear these sections, if they pay a little attention to them… the more they pay attention the more they will gain interest in Krishna and lose interest in everything else, everything which causes their entanglement in mundane existence. So the Mahābhārata will be effective for the ordinary person.
But I want something more.
I want something that is 100% Krishna-kathā, because I already have no interest in other topics. I can never get enough Krishna Kathā.
~ ~ ~
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is history’s first attempt to provide a radically condensed and saturated presentation of Krishna Kathā for the sake of people like Vidura, who are already directly interested in Krishna.
Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers have further condensed and sweetened it in their commentaries and expansive works.
We want to be born into (or moved into) a situation where such works are the dominant art form and entertainment that constantly saturates our ears. We are tired of watching hitopadesh type Lord of the Rings and Star Wars tales where Krishna is only very indirectly and allegorically present.
And certainly we are dead tired of coming into situations where Krishna Kathā is supposed to be spoken, but instead we are served reheated leftovers of grāmya-kathā in the form of psychology, astrology, sociology, astronomy, and plain old prajalpa.
We want our Krishna-kathā, and we want it now!
Happily picking many kinds of flowers from the trees and vines, Radha and Krishna praise the forest of Vrinda?vana. They bathe and sport in the lakes of Vrinda?vana forest and They play with the birds and other creatures there. Who would not serve Vrinda?vana forest, the supreme transcendental abode?
[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-10, Translation.]
Please click here for more photos
All people here are joining the Harinam party so naturally, eagerly taking Srila Prabhupada's books and reading them. Most times they dont have the money, so we give the book free and sometimes they give us some fruits in exchange. Read more › 
Kadamba Kanana Swami visited Cape Town from 28 March to 4 April 2014. Please find below recordings of lectures and kirtans from the various programs that he participated in.
You may listen online by clicking the “play” button on the media-player or download by right-clicking on a title and “save target as”.
Lectures
KKS_Cape Town_30 March 2014_SB 10.39.39
KKS_Cape Town_30 March 2014_Lecture_Sunday Feast
KKS_Cape Town_31 March 2014_SB 9.5.1
KKS_Cape Town_1 April 2014_SB 9.5.6
KKS_Cape Town_1 April 2014_Lecture_Evening Program
KKS_Cape Town_2 April 2014_SB 9.5.7
KKS_Cape Town_2 April 2014_BYS_Lecture
KKS_Cape Town_3 April 2014_SB 9.5.9
KKS_Cape Town_3 April 2014_Lecture_Evening Program
Kirtans
KKS_Cape Town_30 March 2014_Bhajan_JRM
KKS_Cape Town_30 March 2014_Bhajan_Sunday Feast
KKS_Cape Town_30 March 2014_Kirtan_Gaura Aarti
KKS_Cape Town_1 April 2014_Bhajan_JRM
KKS_Cape Town_2 April 2014_BYS_Bhajan
KKS_Cape Town_3 April 2014_Bhajan_Evening Program
It was in 1652 that Dutch colonialist, Jan van Riebeeck, reached the native pastoral land of the southernmost tip of the African continent. It was due to the optimism of establishing a supply camp for ships en-route to the East that this area was known as The Cape of Good Hope! It was here that the Dutch East India Company set up camp and developed the region to what eventually became known as the city of Cape Town.
Since the turn of the 21st century, another Dutch descendant has been making inroads into the development of this region but this time, on a spiritual level. Kadamba Kanana Swami has been referred to as the ‘favourite devotee of Cape Town’ as a result of his long-term dedication to the yatra. It was also nice for me to meet Maharaj here as it was at this temple that I met him for the first time in 2003.
Maharaj travelled from Sydney, Australia and arrived in Cape Town late on Friday, 28 March. After a day of rest to recover from the long journey and jet lag, the first program he did was at the house of a disciple on Sunday morning. Due to the intimate nature of the audience, his lecture was based on Krsna’s Vrndavan pastimes from the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and he spoke deeply on the guru-disciple relationship. The day continued at the temple with the Sunday Feast Program where the lecture focused on topics such as knowledge, guilt and attachment.
The daily morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes were from canto 9, chapter 5 entitled Durvasa Muni’s Life Spared and covered subjects like offenses, austerities, forgiveness and offering respect, amongst others.
Tuesday (1 April) evening’s lecture could be entitled The Good Times Ahead where Maharaj spoke of the imminent doom of technology and how it will serve as a catalyst for a shift to village life that is based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gita.
On Wednesday, Maharaj presented a lecture entitled The Modern Age, at the Bhakti Yoga Society weekly meeting at the University of Cape Town. The final program in Cape Town took place on Thursday night where the lecture began with descriptions of the mercy of Panca Tattva and then he continued to speak about faith in spiritual in life!
This was Part One of the visit to Cape Town. On Friday, Maharaj flew to Durban and then drove inland to the town of Newcastle to participate in their Ratha Yatra Festival (5 April). Today, he gave class at the Sri Sri Radhanatha temple in Durban at their pre-Rama Naumi Festival. Tomorrow (7 April), he will return to Cape Town and spend the rest of the week there.
Here are photos from all the programs mentioned above. If you cannot view the slide-show below, then please visit flickr.
