Planet ISKCON

23-12-2013 SB 1.9.16 Bhismadev on Time, Providence and Suffering Part 5, Flacq, Mauritius.MP3

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur's speech during Sri Navadvipa Parikrama in 1936 inspires us greatly. “But I am predicting. I am predicting, that the next disciple of mine, who will cross the ocean – but it will not be soon, I won’t be able to see it – this devotee will bring here the whole world!” Jay Srila Prabhupada! Jay Srila Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama -- Read more ›

We have begun preparing on the global level to show how ISKCON has survived, thrived, and is here to stay. It's an opportunity for major media attention including appreciation from scholars, and a good opportunity to bring out Srila Prabhupada's major contributions to our society. -- Read more ›

New Vrindavan Village Co-op is a consensus based community gathering of individuals who are working towards a more self-sufficient life style. In line with two of the four pillars of Prabhupada’s vision for New Vrindavan, our focus is agriculture, horticulture, agroforestry, natural building, renewable resources, healing arts, crafts, living off the land with local economies and cow protection.

We serve as a think tank and work force for ECOV, who has a very similar mission. In weekly meetings we discuss, organize and prioritize projects we wish to work on. We serve as a place for co-ordination and co-operation between the community members, ECOV and ISKCON.”

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NV Village Co-op Meeting on Sunday January the 12th:

THE AGENDA WAS:

1. Fence Proposal for Teaching Garden
2. Food Production Contracts
3. Food Production Manager
4. Food Production Facility
5.Housing Projects
6. Marketing

Meeting every Sunday at 12 PM

The site was conceived by Anuttama Das, the International GBC Minister of Communications, and Keshava Das, the North American Director of Communications. It was created by Murari Das and Devaprastha Das. According to Keshava, the website will help to remind devotees that “as a movement, we play a role in a much larger world.” “We want to encourage our leaders to think of ourselves as not an insular religious group, but as playing a bigger role in the communities that are temples and centers are in,” he says. -- Read more ›

On the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad holiday yesterday, Harinam team went to Vishnu Kencana Garuda Buses Sarbagita use. Along the way we are allowed to harinam and distribute prasadam cake on the bus. Garuda Vishnu Kencana is located in the famous Unggasan Vishnu and Garuda statue measuring 12 meters and 18 meters are able to pick a lot of tourists to the place. That day the place was so crowded by tourists. " Harinam was well received there and some of them come to dance and sing with us. Photo by Kanai Hall das and Nagarivika -- Read more ›

1968 January 17: "I am old man, I have no objection to death, still I wish to live because I want to see that the mission I have started may be more stronger still before I leave. So I pray to Krishna for this."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 January 17: "I duly received estimate of Krishna Picture Book. You have said the price is just at your rock bottom. I have accepted the estimate, and very soon I shall send you the manuscript."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 January 17 : "You propose to print Krsna Book in the tens of millions. That is nice, but I think it is still insufficient."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 January 17 : "I count you and your godbrothers among those few who are treading seriously the path Back to Godhead. We must maintain such exalted position and not fall back by neglecting our highest standards. "
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 January 17 : "I am so much depending on you to take full responsibility for teaching others purely. Otherwise, this pure process will gradually become mechanical and fade away like every other so-called religious movement."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1974 January 17: "I was surprised you are contemplating canceling the Vrindaban touring. In my opinion it must be carried out. If there is a little inconvenience, still the devotees must visit Vrindaban."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 January 17: "If you are not intending to send for food distribution, then do not collect in the name of Food Relief. Whatever is collected for India food distribution, must be sent as soon as it is collected, to India."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

What should one do if he takes a vow or sets a standard and can’t keep it? How can he be freed of the vow and the offense/reaction of not keeping it?

The post Sruti Kulkarini asks appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Nelson's Hare Krishna community celebrated the Ratha Yatra festival last week, the first time the event has been held in Nelson. Ratha Yatra marks the journey of Lord Jagannatha across India. It is celebrated worldwide besides its spiritual home Puri, a city in eastern India. Nelson's Hare Khrishna community is based in Motueka. -- Read more ›

Haripuja devi dasi attended the Art College of Pittsburgh in 1970-71, where she learned to hand-design advertisements. Being the age before computers, this art form would later allow her to hand-correct Srila Prabhupada’s book negatives. Her real desire was to learn fashion design. Haripuja prabhu tried many things before coming to Krishna Consciousness such as modeling, traveling, and yoga. She was searching for answers about God and this world. Upon meeting the devotees, satisfying answers convinced her to join the temple in Pittsburgh in 1971. Within a year, she took initiation. -- Read more ›

The Office of Communications for ISKCON launched its brand new website, communications.iskcon.org. The site’s main purpose is to serve as an initial touchpoint for outside parties. It allows groups such as the media, academics, neighbors and the interfaith community to find contact details for their local ISKCON communications liaison, and to get some basic information about what ISKCON is and what it does.

“On New Year's Eve central London becomes one big party,” says organizer Parasuram Das, who serves prasadam meals to one thousand needy people daily as director of the Food For All charity. “Millions of people take to the streets, and no cars are allowed. The ground is set for the biggest Harinam ever.”

Food for life volunteers distribute pure vegan food daily to more than 1,000 victims of typhoon Yolanda-Haiyan in different barangays in Tacloban, Leyte and Samar. A total of 64,210 meals have been served over the last the two months from November 11, 2013 to January 11, 2014.

 

A belated welcome to our newest Christmas 2013 baby bull, Priya Darshan! And congratulations to his mata, Asha Gomata. Hare Krsna!

 

As ISKCON's flagship project The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium's representatives put it: "The day has come. The suspense is over. After over a year of correspondence, negotiations and near failure, the blue marble has finally been ordered."

1975 January 17: "Secure the new building. Be cautious. Do not spoil the negotiation. That building is very nice. We want it."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

We will catch up on reporting on events taken place in January.

In Mayapur, the new year was greeted by a Kirtan Mela that featured Kadamba Kanana Swami and Lokanath Swami. The Kirtan Mela was held in Prabhupada Park which is behind the Lotus Building. The program started at 7 pm on the eve and continued until after midnight. Despite it being a cold night, a large crowd turned up which were mostly international members of the Mayapur community. A huge fire and melodious kirtans kept them going. At the stroke of midnight, a fireworks display lit up the sky.

In the first week of the new year, Maharaj presented a three-part Caitanya Caritamrta seminar to the Russian devotees. Each seminar was two hours long. Unfortunately, part one of the seminar was not recorded, however parts two and three were and are available for download below.

Maharaj continues giving Srimad Bhagavatam classes and doing other programs whenever possible. On Sunday (12 January), he was invited to a program at the house of Doyal Gauranga Prabhu, a resident of Mayapur. On Monday (13 January), Maharaj spent the morning with students of the Kirtan Academy. There was kirtan, a Q&A session and a discourse on Caitanya Caritamrta. The Kirtan Academy is a relatively new concept in Mayapur and you may read all about it on their website. Recordings from these two programs will follow shortly.

Maharaj’s service with the TOVP project is ongoing and as part of it, this week he had to travel to Abu Dhabi and to Johannesburg, to meet with engineers. In this short visit to South Africa, he will present the lecture at the Sunday program (19 January) at the temple in Durban which also coincides with the Chandra Yatra festival of Sri Sri Radha Radhanath.

We would like to acknowledge the following devotees who have assisted with photos and recordings for the blog in recent times: Bhadra Balaram Das, Pradyumna Misra Das, Vibhu Caitanya Das, Candrasekhara Das and Malini dd.

 

Audio recordings

KKS_Mayapur_31 December 2014_Kirtan

KKS_Mayapur_1 January 2014_CC Seminar_Russian_Part 2

KKS_Mayapur_3 January 2014_CC Seminar_Russian_Part 3

KKS_Mayapur_January 2014_Lecture_Russian_SB 5.10.6

 

Photos

Here are pictures from all the programs mentioned above as well as darshans of Sri Giriraja. If you cannot view the slide-show, then please visit flickr.

It's a constant reminder that, restaurants, delis, and a variety of other businesses are opening or going out of business, but the one establishment that seems to remain constant and unaffected by the economy is that funeral home.

Research showing the relationship between vitamin D and cancer. The benefits of this vitamin apply to both cancer prevention and cancer survival.

HH Candramauli Swami SB 10.57.35-40

“Srila Prabhupada wanted this temple to be opened in his presence. So much of his valuable energy and time were dedicated to opening this very temple. He fought for it, he struggled, he personally collected for it, but it was not possible to open it while he remained in this world. So these devotees—many devotees—but I am thinking now how personally His Holiness Tamal Krishna Maharaja and His Holiness Giriraj Maharaja took this as their gift to Srila Prabhupada that was inviolable. They had to do it. So these two events were so strongly fixed in their consciousness that the opening of this Radha-Rasabihari Mandir was on an equal level to placing Srila Prabhupada in samadhi.”—Bhurijana dasa

______________________________________________

Gopal Krishna Goswami
Bhurijana dasa
Radhanath Swami
Narottamananda dasa
Vishvadevi dasi
Giriraj Swami
Jagjivan dasa

 

Śrī Rūpa advises that one of the five most powerful practices is sajātiyāśaya-snigdha Śrī-bhagavat-saṅga. The first three words, sajātiya, āśaya and snidgha describe the tope of bhagavat-bhakta we should seek saṅga with. āśaya means “worthy of sheltering” – so in other words, they should be more advanced than us. That’s pretty common knowledge. The other two are less commonly understood. Sajātiya means “from the same mold” – in other words we should associate with more advanced devotees *who we actually have things in common with.* For example since I am a musician it is powerful for me to associate with advanced devotees who are also musicians, or since I am a brainy-type, it is powerful for me to associate with advanced devotees who are studious and scholarly in the same subjects I am into. Etc. The third word is “snigdha” which means “soft” and means that the advanced devotees we have stuff in common with should be soft towards us, in other words soft-hearted, affectionate, kind. When those three things are there, the association is very powerful and it quickly and powerfully inspires our divine inspiration towards Krishna-prema.

When Vidya was a brahmacarini they used to make butter during kirtan.

Filed under: Cows and Environment

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

If you desire to easily get vast wealth, a beautiful wife, good children, a palatial home and the other opulences that don’t come in this world without a struggle, and if you desire krishna-bhakti, which carries liberation in the palm of her hand, then simply reside in the spiritual realm named Vrindavana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-34 Translation ]

Please click here for more photos

 

 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 December 2013, Midrand, South Africa, Evening Lecture)

To be part of this movement means to become thoroughly honest, it is said. Thoroughly honest, it is not about not speaking a lie but it is more about being completely dedicated to speaking the absolute truth, Krsna, and not hiding it! Krsna, it’s about Krsna. Not ashamed (laughing)!

“What’s that there?”  (pointing at tilak)

“Oh that, oh, it’s nothing much”.

“No. What is it actually?”

“Uh…vaisnava tilak”.

“Oh, what is that?”

That is sacred clay, from a sacred place, Gopi-candana. It is placed there (on the forehead) and it is said that between the two lines, Lord Visnu resides, om kesavaya namaha! In this way, in twelve places, the Lord is installed on our bodies. In this way, our body becomes a temple, a sacred place which is to be respected. A sacred place which is meant for worship and nothing else!

During a recent visit to one of the Sanga’s held in London I was asked by one of those attending if it was possible to visit their terminal ill farther in many ways an continuation of the request made to me by my Guru Maharaja.

It was a busy visit with a maha-clean of Radharani’s bakery and also the opportunity to give the evening class, so we made an arrangement to visit in the evening before my return to Wales.
Arriving I could see the crumpled diseased body which was suffering the pangs of a deteriorating body; unable to communicate it’s hard not to be moved by the suffering the material body goes through.

It was so nice as we started a small kirtan and as some of you know I’m no expert indeed I’ve been nicknamed the Kirtan killer but it was nice that the elderly gentleman responded indeed you couldn’t help but be moved by the families sincerity, love for their farther but most of all their seeking of spiritual guidance (something I am immensely disqualified to do) in order to keep their farther connected to Sri Krishna.

Followed was a small Gita class I gave the follow on from the previous evening’s class I gave, then came the questions and their was a lot. It is hard to see a anyone suffer even more so if it’s a loved one; and we forget what a physical and emotional toll this takes especially if one has taken up the often thankless task of looking after their loved one.

I had two realisations:

1) The need to make sure that we have support and regular devotee visits to sick and terminal ill individuals

2) That we have and offer support to the families

It reminded me that the earliest recorded infirmary (hospital) was not the large institutions we see today, but were connected to the monasteries; at large people understood that the body would die and would make sure the soul was well cared for.
As devotee’s we need to make sure that the body does not have to take birth again filling the air with the transcendental sound vibration of the maha-mantra; as in a vast majority of cases the hearing is the last thing to go to hear the blissful names of Sri Krishna makes the greatest of difference.

I’ve in my nursing years seen many spirit souls leave their body, often you see the pain in the facial features or the hollow emptiness of the eyes; but when the mahamantra and words of Sri Krishna are present there is bliss and a brightness in the eyes uncharacteristic of most souls experience of death.

They explained his joy in offering Tulasi Arati but now looking at the disease riddled body it appeared useless; my advice continue Please continue, Sri Krishna will remind him of the joy he felt offering Arati to Tulasi Maharani he will I am convinced remember.

Leaving I promised that on my return to London I would visit again, as they dropped me off at The Manor we spoke for some time in the car park; of the painful discussions ahead; it was nice to hear such openness indeed we do need to be honest in speaking about our struggles in Krishna Consciousness.

And as we parted way’s they asked that no matter what happens would I still visit, indeed it reminded me that this is the key to Krishna Consciousness friendship’s, a listening ear, understanding without condemning and a willingness to just be their.

If we want to show that ISKCON Cares then in my humble realisation it starts with:

“I learn to CARE”

During my recent visit to Bhaktivadanta Manor I had the privilege of sitting in on one of the classes given by HH Sivarama Swami; an opportunity not to be missed, here is the recording:

“It is so simple that you will miss it!”, said Srila Prabhupada to Tribhuvanath Prabhu. I can still hear the words in my ear as if it was yesterday and still hear Tribhuvanath’s laugh as he told us the story.

He left the planet about 12 years ago, what I saw in that devotee was a kind person who took the words of His Divine Grace in a serious way. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be happy.

In the Juhu temple he stopped my wife Moksha Lakmi on the stairs “So you are chanting Hare Krishna?,” (yes Srila Prabhupada!)”are you happy,”(yes Srila Prabhupada).

Check out the smiling faces of the devotees and non devotees

Jai Srila Prabhupada.

The Bhagavad Gita being honoured at London’s Houses of Parliament
The appearance day of the Bhagavad Gita is to be celebrated every year from this time forth at the House of Commons.

Can you imagine just 100 years ago the topic would have been “how to turn India away from it’s primitive books”, and last year in Russia there was the concept of banning the Bhagavad Gita.

Tribhuvanath Prabhu’s Festival team and Food For All crew performed Kirtan for half an hour to a packed house.

Jai Srila Prabhupada,
your servant Parasuram Das