Planet ISKCON

1969 February 27: "In my childhood I was very naughty boy, and I used to catch my father in so many ways demanding unreasonable things, and my father used to satisfy me."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 February 27: "You say you are my disobedient son, but I think I am your disturbing father. I am putting more and more burden upon you but you have no hesitation to accept my demands."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 February 27: "Regarding your kirtana success, it is so much pleasing to me. This is the way of our preaching work. Infuse this Krishna Consciousness idea amongst the student community."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 February 27: "When you send news of successful kirtana performance so I experience personally and I am overwhelmed with spiritual joy. Kindly send at least two letters in a week as I am always anxious to hear from you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1972 February 27: "So-called transcendentalists who have no real knowledge they are fond of these miracles. Krishna Consciousness is not a miracle, it is science, practically we can understand. We do not see anything miracle."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 27: "I am an old man. If you help relieve me from this administrative work, that will free me to give you so many more books. So kindly assist me in this way."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 27: "Actually, if you simply serve in a surrendered attitude, and go on chanting regularly, the answers to everything will come out automatically."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Well here is what to do…

The post Do you want to start a revolution in your preaching area and in your spiritual life appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

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Pictures taken at the home of Sri Krishna Mishra, near ISKCON Juhu, Bombay, last night at the celebration of his 46th birthday. Read more ›

Lecture Podcast

Little devotees play Lord Nityananda in this lovely play from Chaitanya Bhagavat. This was their very first public performance. Read more ›

In order to please our most beloved Lordships Sri Sri Gandharvika Giridhari and His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the ISKCON Temple in Bangalore organizes a grand “Festival of Kirtanas” every month providing an opportunity to all the souls in hearing and chanting the holy names of Lord. The “Festival of Kirtanas” is conducted on the fourth Sunday of the every month. Please do come, join us and participate in this wonderful festival. Read more ›

Around ninety Russian-speaking devotees attended the 3rd anniversary celebrations of London’s Russian Bhakti Vriksha program on Saturday February 15th. The event was held at Covent Garden’s Swiss Church, a beautiful sacred space built in the 1850s that has become home to many Vaishnava gatherings.

The interior is like a combination of modern museum and Indian palace. It is spotlessly clean, airy and full of sunlight from the skylights in the ceiling. And it’s filled with chandeliers, glass, shining reflective Italian marble floors, hand-painted furniture from Gujarat, and a stunning marble altar for Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Vijay Gauranga.

Political turmoil and campaign schemes aside, the man now in the center is no average politician. 

Eve class by HG Radha Raman Prabhu. Nityananda Trayodasi: Appearance of Lord Nityananda. 12.02.2014

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental “Throwback Thursday” – 02/27/14.

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

This week’s challenge: There are fourteen devotees in the photo. Can you correctly identify them all?

Extra Credit: Why are they dressed up so colorfully?

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.

Mr. Vara has helped ISKCON in a variety of campaigns with ISKCON Hungary and Moscow and with many projects for the Hindu community in the UK.

Radha Krishna Das and Radhanath Swami speak about the beginnings of ISKCON's Midday Meal program (Annamrita) and the inspiration for doing this service.

On the occasion celebrating ISKCON's Annamrita Food Relief program Basanti Roi a Government Officer speaks appreciatively about the project.

ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (IFRF), which has so far served 1.25 billion healthy sanctified vegetarian meals to underprivileged school children across India with its “Annamrita” program, celebrated its tenth anniversary on February 6^th. People packed out the 3,500-seat auditorium at the Yogi Sabhagriha of the Swaminarayan Temple in Mumbai for the event, entitled “Abhar: Expressing Our Heartfelt Gratitude.”

The Mahabharata says that, while ordinary arrows cut us once, the arrow of our words ‘burn the heart day and night.’ This is poignantly true when the heated exchange is between near and dear ones, as is so often the case.

He who with food, clothing and other gifts, serves Vrndavana’s residents that are penniless, desireless, afraid of materialists company, and plunged into Krsna nectar makes Vrndavana’s king and queen his submissive servants.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-74 Translation.]

Please click here for more photos

Once upon a time

Lalitā scolded Hari, saying, “You rascal! How dare you treat us like that! Who do you think you are!?”

Hari replied, “I am Hari. I am not only the king of this land, I am the king of everything. I am Jagannath, Viṣṇu, Puruṣa the original person.”

The Gopīs made fun of him by busting into uproarious laughter.

“I’m not kidding,” he said.

“Ok, then prove it,” Lalitā challenged.

“How?” he asked.

“Show your incarnations,” she demanded. “Assume the form of one of the avatars.”

“OK,” he said, and there on the spot assumed the form of Varaha, the gigantic boar. Thus the place in Vraja is known as Varaha-ghat (at that time it was on the riverbank, now it is a few hundred yards away).

The gopīs love for Krishna was not hindered by this at all. Their awareness of Krishna’s godhood only increases the sweetness of their intimate relationship. Indeed this theme is presented directly by Śrī Śuka in the Second Canto, Chapter Seven – where he repeatedly shows how the sweetness of Krishna cannot be diminished by his majesty.

Vraja prema is supremely powerful. There is no threat to it. Aishwarya prema is no threat to it. Aishwarya, like everything, is a maidservant to madhurya-braja prema.

- Vraja Kishor

www.vrajakishor.com

"The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛiṣhṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidya [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root."

From Nectar of Instruction Text 7

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, July 2011, Fruska Goranga, Serbia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.16)

Question: How to deal with the notorious false ego?

You can buy a self-help sociology book. It is useful because it makes you more aware but your false ego will still be there. Carl Jung speaks of a swollen ego. We can try so many techniques and all may help a little bit.

But I think that the approach of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is nice. It is an approach where we just don’t pay attention to this false ego. It works through our mind, and constantly the mind comes up with endless rubbish.

The mind is like a spoiled child. If we want this child to stop crying, just ignore it. Cry until you are dry. Simple as that!

Not that we do it in the mood of just renouncing and being hard. We just get busy in devotional service. Too busy and then we can’t complain.

“Oh, I’m so busy. I have no time for anything else. I can hardly chant my rounds! Oh, I have never time to read! I have so much service.”

Good! Because if we would have time, we would just think of nonsense anyway and if we would have time, we would still not chant seriously. We would still chant, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna… Oh, how are you today?”

So, if you have such a big, swollen false ego then the best remedy is to just become overloaded with service and that service will save us. Then later, after we have made sacrifice in service, then we will find that our hearing, chanting, remembering has grown deeper.

 

 

Thus the Complete Whole is not formless. If He were formless, or if He were less than His creation in any other way, He could not be complete. The Complete Whole must contain everything both within and beyond our experience; otherwise He cannot be complete.

- Srila Prabhupada, Sri Isopanishad : Iso Invocation purport

1966 February 26:
"The whole day and night remained at Ananda Ashram. Kirtan demonstration was given. Dr. Mishra appreciated it very much. Next morning also invited. The following letters received

1. From Teertha Maharaj
2. From the Nepal Permanent Commission
3. From Brindaban.
4. From United States Navigation Co.

The following letters despatched.

1. To Mr. Prem Gandhi
2. To Sally Agarwal.
3. Brindaban's letter replied."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 February 26: "I am very much ambitious for leading a Kirtana party, especially all over your United States, and Europe. If you can move with this Kirtana party, say a batch of 12 to 15 heads, all over the United States, as well as Europe, I am sure we will be more popular than the so-called yogi."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 February 26: "If he comes back then our dream of opening a center in India is not very encouraging. Kirtanananda came back, Ramanuja has joined the Buddhist camp and the other two boys living with Bon Maharaja, they are not very much hopeful. If I would have been there, I could manage, but I am here."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

Young entrepreneurs :-) Read more ›

1968 February 26: "We have got 50 or more volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam and they can be printed here if it can be arranged. If printing of Bhagavatam is done here and a Kirtana party is organized then I shall never go back to India. I shall stay here in your good care till my death."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 February 26: "I am pleased that you are doing very nicely in your center. By no means should you stop kirtana. It must be done regularly because that is our strength. We are always in the whirlpool of maya, and only this chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra can save us from all pitfalls."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969