The Dust Quickly Clears
→ Japa Group

"Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one's heart is always covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge."

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 10.11 purport

Wellington
→ Ramai Swami

IMG_0449IMG_0448

It’s always a pleasure visiting the Wellington yatra. We have two centres here, one down town known as Gaura Yoga and the other at Newlands, a nearby suburb.

When I visit the devotees usually come from both centres to attend kirtan and lectures, sometimes at the Gaura Yoga centre and other times at the Newlands centre.
The Newlands centre is planning an extension to the temple building and is raising funds from well wishers. Recently, next door, they opened another “Higher Taste” cafe that especially deals in take-aways. It’s only been open a month but business is picking up nicely.
IMG_0451IMG_0447

It’s addictive
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 December 2013, Soweto, South Africa, Lecture)

kks switzerlandThis human form of life is a chance, we have got a chance! It is up to us. Srila Prabhupada’s movement came to us. Because of previous sinful activities, we still have sinful desires now. We may say, “I am struggling in spiritual life.” But this just means that in your previous life, you were sinful and that is why you are struggling now.

“I find it so difficult. I find spiritual life so difficult,” means that you were sinful in your last life. If you were a great devotee in your last life then now it would be so easy, so natural. But when you were sinful in your last life, then in this life it is so difficult, you see the point!?

So all right, we may be struggling. In kali yuga, we are all sinful but we understand why we are struggling. So, we need purification by hearing and chanting and taking Krsna prasadam. Some will take shelter of that and some how, we will make it because these things are addictive, you see.

Chanting is addictive, it is hard to stop. Prasadam, “Aaahhh is there more?” Devotee association, you do not find it anywhere else. So, all these things are addictive and it will save us even from our sinful desires at the end of the day. So let us hear, let us chant, let us take Krsna prasadam and somehow or other, chanting just once destroys more sinful activities than we can commit in a lifetime!

Lessons From Previous Births
Bhakti Charu Swami

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS Founder-Ācārya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda The following lecture on the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5th canto, 12th chapter, Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata , Text 13, was given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami in Iskcon Śrīdhāma Māyāpura, India, on 25 January 2014.  Bhajan / Chanting Of […]

One Who Leaves The Battlefield
→ travelingmonk.com

Yesterday we went on harinam in Dakor, home to the famous deity of Ranchor. In sanskrit Ranchor signifies a coward or, “one who leaves the battlefield.” Krsna, however, is glorified and is famous amongst His devotees as Ranchor because He left the battlefield to rescue Rukmini, His first queen in Dwarka. People were stunned seeing [...]

Grand New Houston Temple to Finally Open this May
→ ISKCON News

From May 17th to 18th this year, ISKCON Houston will finally celebrate the grand opening of its brand new Vedic temple. The temple was originally set to open in November 2010, then later in 2011, but was delayed by multiple challenges. Amongst them were city permit and structural issues, as well as the shocking theft of small utsav deities Sri-Sri Radha-Giridhari on October 6th 2010.

Not directly related to Iskcon but still interesting: Meditation talks to the World Economic Forum in Davos!
→ Dandavats.com

There are hundrends of articles about this unprecedented event of oriental spiritual practices being presented to the gathering of the most influential peope on the planet. Even though there was not direct talk about bhakti yoga and linking to the Supreme, still familiarizing these leaders with the ancient traditions of India could surely help the preaching of the devotees to all classes of people! -- Read more ›

Without you, my Lord, I am nothing
Bhakti Charu Swami

THE FOLLOWING LECTURE ON SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM THIRD CANTO CHAPTER NINE, “BRAHMA’S PRAYERS FOR CREATIVE ENRGY”, TEXT 29, WAS GIVEN BY HIS HOLINESS BHAKTI CHARU SWAMI ON 15 FEBRUARY 2009 IN ISKCON UJJAIN, INDIA. Transcription & Editing : Ranga Radhika Dasi Srimad Bhagavatam, third Canto, chapter nine, text twenty nine. sri-bhagavan uvaca ma veda-garbha gas tandrim sarga […]