Planet ISKCON

As you may already know, we are celebrating quite the festival this Golden Weekend and it all starts off with a non-stop 6-Hour Kirtan on Saturday, March 15, 2014! The kirtan will kick off right at 3:00pm and end with a grand finale at 9:00pm, including prasadam (vegetarian feast).

Please come and join us as we begin to celebrate the appearance of Lord Chaitanya this weekend!

Schedule (subject to change):

3:00pm - 3:30pm: Mayapurchandra das
3:30pm - 4:00pm: Kunti
4:00pm - 4:45pm: Radha Murari Kirtan Band
4:45pm - 5:00pm: Gopinath Kids Camp Children
5:00pm - 5:30pm: Darshan
5:30pm - 6:00pm: Nipun
6:00pm - 6:30pm: Hitesh
6:30pm - 7:15pm: Sukhayanti devi dasi
7:15pm - 8:00pm: Radha-mohan das
8:00pm - 9:00pm: Dhira Grahi das

Aditi Dukhana Prabhu at Kirtan Mela Mayapur 2014 Day 3

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 03/13/14.

Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

This week’s challenge: In the photo, there are approximately 20 devotees whose faces are recognizable. How many can you identify?

Extra Credit: What are the names of the elephant and her caretaker?

Post your guesses on the “who, what, when & where” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook Page.

Technical stuff: We share the photo Thursday and confirm known details Sunday. Let’s keep it light and have a bit of fun!

Special request: If you have a photo showing New Vrindaban devotees in action, share it with us and we’ll use it in a future posting.

Villa Vrindavana, nestled in the vivid green Tuscan hills near the historical city of Florence, is planning two festivals that will literally bring color and music to Italy’s bright summer sunshine.

The opening verse of Śrī Govinda Līlāmṛta is exquisite

śrī govindaṁ vrajānandaṁ sandohahānanda mandiram.
vande vṛndāvanānandaṁ śrī-rādha-saṅganānanditam.

Beautiful Govinda,

- Vraja Kishor

New on the schedule for Gaura Purnima Day:

!!Bhajans!!

Sunday March 16, 2014

from 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Followed then by the Announced Schedule:

5:00 PM……. ABHISHEKA ON THE ALTAR
6:00 PM……. LECTURE BY HIS HOLINESS VARSANA SWAMI
7:00 PM…….ARATI
7:40 PM……. MAHA KIRTAN
8:00 PM……. PRASADAM FEAST

I have fallen into the blind well of household-life, and I am being devoured by the black snakes of lust and other faults. O abode of Vrndavana, when will you take me out of this well and acting as a mother, give me shelter on your lap?

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-88 Translation.]

Please click here for more photos

While in Gokula, Sri Hari (Krsna) killed the demon known as Aristasura. During that time, Radha cried out to Him with great feeling and by doing so, She stole His mind. She is thus known as Hara.

The Ahimsa Foundation For Cattle Protection (AFFCAP), an organization started in 2012, has developed a certification process for all ISKCON India cow protection projects, or goshalas.

International Women’s Day 8th March 2014

This is an annual event we take part in every year. We are asked to distribute prasad in three locations in central London and organise a ladies Harinam party for the procession down Oxford street and ending in a rally in Trafalgar Square. Lalita Saki Dasi was our main preacher on the day. Everybody loves prasad and everyone needs liberating.

Then in the evening the Kirtan party again liberates one and all. The singer is Doya Dasi with her child Nadia.

)

A disciple of Swami Narayana said to Srila Prabhupada. “My spiritual master said to avoid women and never go where there are women”. Srila Prabhupada laughed and said ” that’s impossible,there are women everywhere”. Then coming back to the temple and watching two women devotees bow down to him, he said,” by associating with these women,you will be purified”.(Madhavanda)

Hitler for matajis from Food For All on Vimeo.

Dear Devotees,
PamHo AgtSp,

Just keeping you up to date with our projects.

We had a busy weekend with the International Women’s Day event, then on Monday we had a fund raising gig with Pete Doherty in Camden Town, the video is of our devotee Jennie on stage:

)

Tuesday we had Tribhuvanth’s festival team holding a festival in Essex and this Thursday we are off to Ireland for a prasad distribution event called “feed the 5,000″.

Your servant
Parasuram Das

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 December 2013, Mayapur, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.9.3)

There are many ‘how to’ questions in Krsna consciousness, “How to be humble? How to be determined. How to keep a balance? How to do all these things?’”

The only answer to that is to become independently thoughtful; Krsna consciousness is never just about blind following, “Maharaj, please give me an instruction that I can apply in all places and all times?’”

I can give you one, “Always chant Hare Krsna!” That is the only one I know and in all other matters, you have to take instructions and use the intelligence on how to apply it.

“Should we all become like Jada Bharata?” I think Mayapur will become total chaos if we were all to walk out of this class and start to act like Jada Bharata! Maybe, we take something of the spirit of Jada Bharata. So how to follow Jada Bharata? The answer is: with intelligence.

“How to follow instructions, of when to say yes and when to say no?” Judge every situation by itself. Analyze the situation and see if it is favourable for Krsna. If you are not sure, ask advice of somebody you trust and in that, way we stumble along in spiritual life:

‘durgame pathi me ’ndhasya
skhalat-pāda-gater muhuḥ
sva-kṛpā-yaṣṭi-dānena
santaḥ santv avalambanam,’ (CC Antya-lila 1.2)

My path is very difficult. My feet are slipping again and again but by the stick of the mercy of the devotees, I can stay on the path. So, when we are not sure ask someone for advise!

Pictured here is the Temple of Vedic Planatarium, under construction. Before entering Sridham Mayapura we visited the sacred home of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, from where he had a vision of a magnificent temple appearing one day in the future just across the Jalangi river. By Srila Prabhupada’s strong desire that temple is now beginning to [...]

Because we do not know that there is a complete arrangement in nature for our maintenance, we make efforts to utilize the resources of nature to create a so-called complete life of sense enjoyment. Because the living entity cannot enjoy the life of the senses without being dovetailed with the Complete Whole, the misleading life of sense enjoyment is illusion. The hand of a body is a complete unit only as long as it is attached to the complete body. When the hand is severed from the body, it may appear like a hand, but it actually has none of the potencies of a hand. Similarly, living beings are part and parcel of the Complete Whole, and if they are severed from the Complete Whole, the illusory representation of completeness cannot fully satisfy them.

- Srila Prabhupada, Sri Isopanishad > Iso Invocation

Indradyumna Swami: Pictured here is the Temple of the Vedic Planatarium, under construction. Before entering Sridham Mayapura we visited the sacred home of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, from where he had a vision of a magnificent temple appearing one day in the future just across the Jalangi river. By Srila Prabhupada's strong desire that temple is now beginning to manifest as the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. We also visited Nrsimha-pali, where Lord Nrsimha took bath on His way back to Vaikuntha, after killing the demon Hiranyakasipu. Purified of heart and in a mood of humility we finally arrived in ISKCON's Mayapura Candrodaya Mandir. Good to be home again! Read more ›

Verse 4.31: O best of the Kuru dynasty, without sacrifice one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?

It's been awhile since I've written my last post and I'd like to extend my apologies to everydaygita's regular readers. Although it wasn't intentional, this break from writing has filled with me more experiences of seeing the Gita in action. That said, you would think that I would be bubbling over with words and that the greatest challenge I would be facing right now is to stop myself from writing a 10 page essay!

Instead, I'm finding it hard to shake off the cobwebs that form whenever I stop writing and quite confronting to stare at the blinking courser which seems to be taunting me to come up with the right words.

At this moment, I can totally relate with the subject of sacrifice!

Writing on the Gita always brings me a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness. As opposed to just reading some words, appreciating them for a few minutes and then forgetting about them, writing compels me to personalize and internalize the Gita's teachings. In short, it forces me to use my intelligence!

All of us discover new connections and experience new realizations frequently. But if you're anything like me, it's easy to forget them if they are not written down immediately. The process of capturing those feelings and emotions in an articulate manner leaves a lasting effect.

But to get there requires sacrifice. For me, it's the sacrifice of reading the Gita, introspecting on the meaning, praying for realizations, and setting aside time to journal them here.

It's a pretty simple yet apt analogy for illustrating how sacrifice is required to achieve happiness. For those who long for eternal happiness, the same formula holds true - it too requires sacrifice, and as the bhakti yoga texts explain, requires that we understand a couple of things:

1. The happiness that we experience when we are live in the mind-set of "I am this body" is temporary. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not ever-lasting.

2. To experience ever-lasting happiness, we have to realize that we are the soul and not this body. That comes by associating with those persons who have already realized this (i.e. advanced bhakti yogis) and engaging in the practice of mantra meditation which helps us to re-connect with our souls.

3. Eternal happiness requires that we sacrifice temporary happiness. But just like writing, the process is not painful. It may a bit uncomfortable when we begin, but as it becomes more consistent, the process itself is blissful.

So whether you are looking for happiness in certain aspects of your life or are looking for the ultimate, everlasting kind, just remember one thing. The process of sacrificing may seem uncomfortable or even painful at first, but give it some time. You may be surprised to realize that sacrifice itself can be blissful.

These are photos mainly from the parikrama of Russian bhaktas. Just watch their bliss! Read more ›

This was our first hall festival of the year and was very successful! We planned for 150 people to come, but around 230+ guests came! There were a few hiccups such as audio issues and the dancer being late from stuck in traffic! The feast at the end was very delicious! We apologise to those who could get seating but next time we will try to book the hall next door with 300 seats. Read more ›

Jahnava Sundari Devi Dasi and Tom Jawel at Iskcon Mayapur Read more ›

1968 March 12: "I am very pleased to hear about Krishna's new throne. I am anxious to come there and see it as well as you and all my students there who are carrying on so nicely even in my absence. Always remember I am always with you all so long you are executing Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 12: "Householders may wear dhotis in the Temple. Outside the Temple they may wear American gentleman's dress, with Tilaka, flag, and beads. If they so desire, for ceremony, they can dress in dhotis for Kirtana."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

Nabadwip and Nadia were great centres of learning and intellectual prowess. For five centuries, it was referred to as “Oxford of Bengal”. Read more ›

1968 March 12: "This is willful violation of our rules and regulations. She cannot take charge. She may execute nicely wherever she is, I have all blessings for her, the door of Krishna Consciousness is always open. But to be in charge one must be completely above suspicion."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 March 12: "By the Divine Will of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura we are now combined together, although born in different parts of the world, unknown to one another. This is the way of Krsna transaction. So follow the path chalked out by our predecessors, and success is sure."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 March 12: "Krishna will give you timely a suitable place, don't worry. Our leader, Sanatana Goswami, was living underneath a tree, keeping His Deity hanging on the branch of a tree and still He was always engaged in the service of the Lord. So place or no place, we must go on with our preaching work."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1972 March 12: "If self-realized souls write something song about Krishna, that is perfectly from the transcendental platform, without any tinge of mundane influence or nonsense imagination. Unless someone comes from this category, his manufacturing some songs about Krishna will be misleading to himself and others."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 12: "Become determined to fix all your attention for seeing Krishna face to face by the Krishna Consciousness process and chant always this Hare Krishna mantra - than you shall qualify yourself for writing songs about Krishna."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1975 March 12: "Yes, you are right - all qualifications come if you simply surrender to the bona fide Spiritual Master. To take shelter of the Spiritual Master means to follow his instructions. So, you should be very careful to not deviate even a little bit from the order of the Spiritual Master."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

On 13th march there is a big festival held at shantipur a place near Mayapur which was the residence of Advaita Acharya. There will be a huge amount of cooking held and all devotees including Maharajas will serve Khichudi to the devotees and pilgrims. The pastime behind this festival is – A very auspicious festival […]

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(Kindly transcribed by Swetha Ganeshan Mataji) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From: Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir! Date: March 10th, 2014 Speaker: HH Bhakti Asraya Vaisnava Swami Subject: S.B. 5.13.21 rajovaca aho nr-janmakhila-janma-sobhanam kim janmabhis tv aparair apy amusmin na yad dhrsikesa-yasah-krtatmanam mahatmanam vah pracurah samagamah TRANSLATION: King Rahugana said: This birth as […]

The post Srimad Bhagavatam 5.13.21 – HH Bhakti Asraya Vaisnava Swami appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Live from Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir! Date: February 20, 2004 Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.32 Speaker: HH Bhakti-tirtha Swami atah param yad avyaktam avyudha-guna-brmhitam adrstasruta-vastutvat sa jivo yat punar-bhavah TRANSLATION: Beyond this gross conception of form is another, subtle conception of form which is without formal shape and is unseen, unheard and unmanifest. The living being […]

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(Kindly transcribed by Mataji Swetha Ganeshan) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From: Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir! Date: March 8h, 2014 Speaker: HH Danavir Goswami Subject: S.B. 5.13.20 HH Danavir Goswami: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. S.B. 5th Canto, Chapter 13, Rahugana converses with Jada Bharatha, […]

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(Kindly transcribed by Mataji Swetha Ganeshan) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir! Date: March 7th, 2014 Speaker: HG Krsnanandini devi dasi Subject: S.B. 5.13.19 HG Krsnanandini devi dasi: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya So we are reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto […]

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(Kindly transcribed by Sheela mataji) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir! Date: March 5th, 2014 Speaker: HG Anuttama Das Subject: S.B. 5.13.17 So reading today from the Srimad Bhagavatam Canto Five Chapter Thirteen entitled “Rahugana converses with Jada Bharata’ tair vañcito hamsa-kulam samavisann arocayan silam upaiti vanaran taj-jati-rasena sunirvrtendriyah […]

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(Kindly transcribed by Mataji Swetha Ganeshan) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir! Date: March 4th, 2014 Speaker: HH Niranjana Swami Maharaja Subject: C.C. Adi Lila 8.16 HH Niranjana Swami Maharaja: jaya jaya śri-caitanya jaya nityananda jaya advaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda (Call and response) Reading today from Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila […]

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