Festival of Kirtanas by the ISKCON Temple in Bangalore
→ Dandavats.com

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 ›

Temple Profile: Budapest, Hungary
→ ISKCON News

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.

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental “Throwback Thursday” – 02/27/14
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

NV TBT 02-27-14

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.

ISKCON Food Relief Foundation Celebrates 10 Years
→ ISKCON News

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 6th. 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.”

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ February 26, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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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 (Aishwarya vs. Prema – Title Fight)
→ The Enquirer

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


Sweet Like Sugar Candy
→ Japa Group

"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

Cry until you are dry…
→ KKSBlog

(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.

LORD KRISHNABut 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.

 

 

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-02-26 17:51:00 →

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

Field Trip-Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
→ TKG Academy

TKG Academy’s Upper Elementary class took a field trip to the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History.TKG students were engaged with an interactive way to enhance and support classroom curriculum by going to the Museum for an exhibit field trip. The exhibits provided a wide-range of interactive experiences.

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Crying For Him
 
Mayapura, India

This gem in the form of a small pocked-size book came my way by the author.

Kancana-Valli, the author, was born in Newcastle, England and became a devotee of Krishna at age 20.  In order to create this book, she apparently adopted the profession of a bumblebee- “collecting nectar from the divine flowers adorning Vaishnava literature”.

Kindly, she gave me a copy of this new release and I don’t think she’ll mind me sharing some contents, worthy stuff for thought.  By the way, the book is called, “Crying for Krishna”.

Awaken within me the ability to concentrate.

Within attention are the seeds of love.

Help me to become fascinated by how you appear in sound.

Remind me that I will get out of my spiritual practices what I put into them.

Consider me Your servant, patient, property and instrument.

Enable me to tolerate my weaknesses and shame and not run away from them.

Let me live and die, in full consciousness of the glory of Your love.

Thank you, Kancana, for this treasure.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Monday, February 24th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

To and From the Clinic
 
Mayapura, India
 
Just one kilometre from my accommodation at Mayapura is the Bhaktivedanta Hospital and Clinic.  It’s basically a new facility.  Keshava, our very own Canadian rep living in the community is much loved and appreciated for bringing in a dental department to the facility.
 
I took advantage of the opportunity for a check-up.
 
As I had known there is a gum recession, just like I’m aware of cartilage wear-down at the knees.  Such is the reality of the body, it starts to slowly deteriorate from aging while concurrently our devotional spirit should be rising.
 
I hope that’s the case for me.  I have to wonder sometimes.
 
After the clinic visit I contemplated my internal situation.  Heat and traffic is something I’m becoming perhaps less tolerant towards – a sign of aging?  Appreciating life in the bhakti lane is maybe on the rise.  I really enjoy the moments with peers.  In my more youthful times here in the dhama, I felt more competitive.  There was the inclination to feel “I’m a better student” or “a better singer or cook” or “I’m more surrendered”.
 
With experience comes truth.  Time invokes wisdom unless you block the opportunity.  That’s why it can be well appreciated that if you keep life clean, free from substances that inhibit clear thinking it lessen chances for self-realization.  Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, encouraged the restrictions, “No intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating and no illicit sex”.
 
As he told, so he did.  In his last days his thoughts were clear and sharp, focused on the Absolute.
 
While taking steps back from the clinic I was compelled to think on the terms that I would like to be clear in mind, as he was.
 
May the Source be with you!
 
5 KM

Vande
→ Ramai Swami

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VANDE, which stands for Vaisnava Arts For A New Devotional Era, is headed by Bhaktimarga Swami and a dedicated team of ISKCON thespians. Maharaja travels the world encouraging devotees to spread Krsna Consciousness through this ancient medium.

Srila Prabhupada said on many occasions that Krsna Consciousness will be spread in a philosophical and cultural way.
At the ISKCON Leadership Sanga, I went to one of Maharaja’s seminars where he was inspiring devotees to cultivate their acting skills so they could perform wonderful drama in their respective areas of the world.
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