Sacinandana Swami’s 2014 New Years Message
→ Dandavats.com

Let me take the opportunity of the upcoming calendar year to first thank you for reading this New Year’s message. You and I are together here connecting through these words, and it’s my great honor to meet such sincere spiritual aspirants. I hope in the future we will have many more opportunities to meet and share realizations – and not only in cyberspace. -- Read more ›

CREATING THE CELESTIAL CITY JUST IN OVERNIGHT
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VICARU DAS
ISKCON UK

Upon Kamsa’s death, his two wives became widows. According to Vedic civilisation a women is never independent she has three stages of life: In childhood a women should live under the protection of her father, a youthful women should live under the protection of her young husband and in the event of the death of her husband she should live under the protection of her grown up sons or she must go back to her father and live as a widow under his protection.

Kamsa has no grown up sons therefore after his wives became widows they return to the shelter of their father, Kamsa had two queens, Asti and Prapti, and both happened to be the daughters of king Jarasandha,the Lord of the bihar province called Magadha,after reaching home he two queens explained their awkward position following Kamsa’s death

The King of Magadha, Jarasandha was motified on hearing the pitiable condition of their daughters. When informed of the death of Kamsa, Jarasandha decided on the spot that he would rid the world of all the members of the Yadu dynasty he decided that since Krsna had killed Kamsa the whole dynasty should be killed.

He began to make extensive arrangements to attack the kingdom of Mathura with his innumerable military phalanxes, consisting of many thousands of chariots, horses, elephants and infantry soldiers. Jarasandha prepared thirteen such military phalanxes to retaliate the death of Kamsa taking with him all his military strength he attacked the capital of the Yadu kings Mathura surrounding it from all directions, Sri Krsna who appeared like an ordinary human being saw the immense strength of Jarasandha which appeared like an ocean about to cover a beach at any moment.

He also perceived that the inhabitants of Mathura were overwhelmed with fear he began to think within Himself about his mission as an incarnation and how to tackle the present situation before him. He thought that since he was not going to conquer the kingdom of Magadha to kill the king of Magadha namely Jarasandha was useless his mission was to diminish the overburdening population of the whole world; Therefore He took the opportunity to face so many men, chariots, elephants and horses. The military strength of Jarasandha had appeared before Him and He decided to kill the entire force of Jarasandha so that he would go back and reorganise His military strength.

While Lord Krsna was thinking in that way two beautiful chariots, fully equipped with drivers, weapons, flags and other paraphernalia, arrived for Him from outer space. Krsna saw the two chariots present before Him and immediately addressed His elder brother Balarama who is also known as sankarsan: “My dear elder brother, best among the Aryans, you are the Lord of the universe and specifically you are the protector of the Yadu dynasty. The members of the yadu dynasty sense great danger before the soldiers of Jarasandha and they are very much aggrieved just to give them protection your chariot is also here, filled with weapons, I request you to sit on your chariot and kill all these soldiers the entire military strength of the enemy. Two of us have descended to this earth just to annihilate such unnecessary bellicose forces and give protection to the pious devotees so we have the opportunity to fulfilled our mission. Please let us execute it”; Thus Krsna and Balarama,the descendants of Dasarha,decided to annihilate the thirteen military companies of Jarasandha.

After equipping themselves with military dress, Krsna and Balarama mounted Their chariots, Krsna rode the chariots of which Daruka was the driver with the small army they came out of the city of Mathura, blowing Their respective conchshells. Curiously enough although the other party was equipped with greater military strength, when they heard the vibration of krsna’s conchshell their hearts were shaken. When Jarasandha saw Balarama and Krsna he was a little bit compassionate because They happened to be related to him as grandsons he specifically addressed as Purusadhama meaning the lowest among men (Actually Krsna is known in all vedic scriptures as Purusottama, the highest among men); Jarasandha had no intention of addressing krsna as purusottama but great scholars have determined the true meaning of the word purusadhama to be one who makes all other personalities go down. Actually no one can be equal to or greater than the supreme personality of godhead.

Jarasandha said it will be a great dishonour for me to fight with boys like Krsna and Balarama because Krsna had killed Kamsa, Jarasandha specifically addressed him as the killer of his own relatives. Kamsa had killed many of his own nephews yet Jarasandha did not take notice but because Krsna had killed his maternal uncle Kamsa, Jarasandha tried to criticise him that is the way of demoniac dealings. Demons do not try to find their own faults or those of their friends but try to find the faults of their enemies, Jarasandha also criticized Krsna for not even being a ksatriya because he was raised by Maharaja Nanda. Krsna was not a ksatriya but vaisya, Vaisyas are generally called guptas and the word gupta can also be used to mean ‘hidden’ So Krsna was both hidden and raised by Nanda Maharaj. Jarasandha accused Krsna of three faults:
1) That he killed his own maternal uncle
2) That he was not even a ksatriya
3) That He was hidden in His childhood
And therefore Jarasandha felt ashamed to fight with him,

Next he turn toward Balarama and addressed him: “You Balarama, if you like you can fight along with Him and if you have patience, then you can wait to be kill by my arrows. Thus you can be promoted to the heavens”.

After hearing Jarasandha speak in this way Krishna answered: “My dear, king Jarasandha; heroes do not talk much rather they show their prowess because you are talking a great deal it appears that you are assured of your death in this battle. We do not care to hear you any longer for it is useless to hear the words of a person who is going to die or of one who is very distressed”,to fight with Krsna.

Jarasandha surrounded him from all sides with great military strength as the sun appears covered by cloudy air and dust, krishna the supreme sun was covered by the military strength of Jarasandha. Krsna and Balarama’s chariot were marked with pictures of garuda and palm trees respectively, the women of Mathura all stood on the tops of the house, palaces and gates to see the wonderful fight but when Krsna’s chariot was surrounded by Jarasandha’s military force and was no longer visible to them, they were so frightened that some of them fainted. Krsna saw Himself overwhelmed by military strength of Jarasandha his small army soldiers was being harassed so He immediately took up his bow, named Sarnga.

He took his arrows from their quiver and one after another he sat them on the bowstring and shot them toward the enemy, they were so accurate that the elephants, horses and infantry soldiers of Jarasandha were quickly killed. The incessant arrows shot by Krsna appeared like a while wind of blazing fire killing all the military strength of Jarasandha. As Krsna release His arrows all the elephants gradually began to fall heads severed by the arrows; Similarly all the horses fell their necks severed and the chariots fell also along with their flags and the fighters and drivers on the chariot.

Almost all the infantry soldiers fell on the field of battle, their heads, hands and legs cut off. In this way many thousands of elephants, horses and men were killed and the blood flowed just like the waves of a river. In that river the severed arms of men appeared like snakes and their heads like tortoises the dead bodies of the elephant appeared like small Islands and the dead horses appeared like sharks.

By the arrangements of the supreme will there was a great river of blood filled with paraphernalia.

The hands and legs of the infantry soldiers floated just like different kinds of fish the hair of the soldiers floated like sea weeds and moss and the floating bows of the soldiers resembled waves of the river and all the jewellery from the bodies of the soldiers and commanders seemed like many pebbles flowing down the river of blood.

Krishnas pastimes are unlimited and cannot possibly described by human brain.

Hare krishna Hare Krishna…………………..

Upcoming Seminar: Finding Sanity in a Crazy World – Krishna Calmness
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

Most of us have to study, work, care for our families, commute, earn money, figure out how to save money,
take care of our health, manage so many social relationships and have many obligations to take care of.

Amidst all of this, we know that preserving and strengthening our connection to Krishna is our ticket to preserving our sanity amidst all the craziness around us. Still, making time for Krishna, giving our attention and energy to Krishna and His devotees is often the last thing we can get done in our busy lives and sometimes, this link to Krishna breaks or becomes weaker.

To learn how to remain sane in a crazy world, join us for a seminar by His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, a travelling teacher and mentor to thousands of busy professionals and active families in over 100 countries around the world. Also an initiating spiritual master within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, he is a direct disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and has been practicing and sharing Krishna consciousness in a crazy world for more than 43 years.

Details:

Location: Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre (ISKCON Toronto)
Date and Time: Saturday, January 11, 2014; 6:00PM - 9:00 PM
Prasadam (vegetarian meal) will be served after the seminar.

To register, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/sanitycrazyworld

We hope to see you all there!

BTG Article About ISKCON Toronto & Montreal from 1983!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

Another great find!  We found an online version of an article from the February/March 1983 issue of the Back to Godhead Magazine which featured Krsna consciousness in Eastern Canada.  It's a bit of a long read, but certainly worth it!  Check it out!


Eastern Canada’s Krsna Culture
The traditional chanting, dancing, and worship are all going strong, but there’s much more.
by Amogha Dasa

About a decade ago the Hare Krsna devotees in Canada bought two churches—one in Toronto and one in Montreal—and caused a bit of consternation. Their neighbors wondered just who they were and what they were going to do.

The Hare Krsna church-turned-temple stands proudly on Avenue Road, one of Toronto’s busiest thoroughfares.
Today these fears are gone. Krsna consciousness has become firmly established in eastern Canada—not just in Toronto and Montreal but also in the nation’s capital, Ottawa—and the large incandescent HARE KRISHNA sign on the high stone walls of the Toronto temple raises hardly an eyebrow among the people in some 25.000 cars that pass by each day.

Still, for many Canadians the questions remain: What do the Hare Krsnas do? And why?

Nandikesvara dasa, president of the center in Montreal, explained, “We live according to the Vedic scriptures, such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. These books were introduced here in the late sixties and early seventies by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual guide of the Hare Krsna movement. He translated them from the original Sanskrit and explained them in elaborate purports. To understand our activities here in eastern Canada, you have to understand something of the principles laid down in these scriptures.”,

The Deity forms of Lord Krsna and His consort Srimati Radharani (far left) stand on Their altar before a sylvan backdrop painted by Visnu dasa.  (The devotees know the Krsna Deity as Ksiracora-gopinatha, a name explained on page 12)
And what are those principles? “In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, ‘All that you do, all that you eat, and all austerities you may perform should be offerings to Me. In this way you will become free from karmic reactions and come back to Me in the spiritual world.’ Everything we do is guided by this principle of making it an offering to Lord Krsna. This is he basis of the whole culture of Krsna consciousness.”

For several weeks last summer I lived with the Canadian devotees and saw how they put these principles into practice.

As in all Hare Krsna temples, the devotees in Canada begin the day at 4:30 in the morning with a formal arati ceremony. Accompanying themselves on drums and hand cymbals, they sing prayers to the spiritual master, a pure representative of Krsna and the devotees’ spiritual guide and source of inspiration. Then they chant the Hare Krsna mantra in chorus.

Devotees follow the lead of temple president Visvakarma dasa (beating the blue drum) as they chant Hare Krsna in downtown Toronto
Arati is a ceremony for greeting the Lord, who dwells in the temple in His Deity form. (To the uninitiated. He looks like a stone statue.) Visvakarma dasa, president of the Toronto center, explained, “Krsna is eternally manifest in His spiritual form in the spiritual world, far beyond the material universes, and He is within the heart of every living being in another spiritual form, the Supersoul. But we can’t see His spiritual form with our material eyes. So for the benefit of us conditioned souls and aspiring devotees, Lord Krsna appears in His spiritual form within a form made of matter so that we can see and serve Him. A bona fide spiritual master installs the Deity in the temple and prays to the Lord to please appear there. And when we come before the Deity of the Lord and worship Him and chant His name, we feel Krsna’s personal presence.”

For an hour and a half after the arati softly on beads (see page 4 for more details). Then it’s time for a class in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Laksminatha dasa, president of the center in Ottawa, told us of its significance: “By hearing the Bhagavatam every morning, we feel tangible spiritual improvement. The Bhagavatam is the foremost of all Vedic literatures because it deals with nothing except the instructions and activities of Lord Krsna and His devotees. The Lord is within each of us, and, as the Bhagavatam itself explains, He purifies our heart and gives us transcendental knowledge when we regularly hear about Him. Ultimately He reveals Himself to us. So the morning Bhagavatam class is a vital part of every devotee’s practice of Krsna consciousness.”

Before initiating new disciples at a recent ceremony in the Toronto temple (above), Srila Gopala Krsna Goswami (on red velvet seat of honor) explains the relationship between guru and disciple in Krsna consciousness.
During the Bhagavatam class the temple cooks are busy at work in the kitchen, listening to class via loudspeakers. Krpa-sindhu dasa, a cook at the Montreal center, explained the philosophy behind cooking for Krsna: “As Krsna says in the Gita, ‘Everything you eat should be an offering to Me.’ So the food we cook in this kitchen is all for Krsna’s pleasure. That’s why we cook only vegetarian food—because that’s what Krsna asks for in the Gita. When the meal is ready, a priest will arrange it on special plates used only for Krsna. Then he’ll take the plates into the Deity room, place them before the Lord, and offer Sanskrit prayers asking Him to please accept the offering. Devotees eat only food that has first been offered to Krsna. Such food is called prasadam, ‘the Lord’s mercy.’ “

After the class, everyone rises to sing more prayers glorifying the spiritual master. Then it’s breakfast time, followed by the start of the day’s devotional activities.

Nandikesvara dasa, leader of the Montreal center, play a traditional Indian tamboura as he sings the glories of Lord Krsna.
Visvakarma told us how the devotees offer their work to Krsna thoroughout the day: “Some manage the temple accounts, some maintain the temple grounds and clean the temple itself. Some go out to distribute Krsna conscious literature—BACK TO GODHEAD magazine or books by Srila Prabhupada or his followers. Some go to high schools and universities to tell students and their teachers about our philosophy and way of life. In Ottawa and Montreal we have vegetarian restaurants that serve prasadam to hundreds daily, and many devotees work in them. Then there are our acting troupes, who put on Krsna conscious dramas. We also have artists and musicians and dancers who create or perform for Krsna. And, of course, we send out a group of devotees every day to chant Hare Krsna on the city streets so that everyone can hear and benefit.”

Visvakarma also told me about his large congregation of Indian life members. They’ve seen that the devotees are following the genuine Vedic culture, so they enthusiastically support the temple. Two members, Syama-Krsna dasa and his wife, Kunti-devi dasi, recently took spiritual initiation from Srila Gopala Krsna Go-swami, who oversees the movement’s affairs in Canada and initiates new disciples there.
At a shopping mall in downtown Ottawa, Gaura dasa interests some youngsters in the latest issue of BACK TO GODHEAD.
Kunti-devi explained how they decided to take the step of accepting formal initiation: “When we started reading BACK TO GODHEAD, we used to read about everyday people pursuing Krsna consciousness. And that made us think, ‘Well, what is there to stop us? If ordinary people like us can do it, why should we hesitate?’ Reading BACK TO GODHEAD was wonderful.”

Her husband added, “What inspired us was that we saw that we didn’t have to give up our regular life. We could carry on with that and yet advance spiritually and make Krsna the center of our life. We could do everything for Krsna and help spread Krsna consciousness.”

Mrs. Elizabeth Mohar, one of several thousand members of the Toronto temple’ s congregation, prays to Lord Krsna during an outdoor festival last summer.
To find out about the Krsna conscious drama being performed in Canada, I talked to Nanda-kisora dasa in Montreal, He’s been putting on plays about Krsna for ten years, and now he’s directing a production based on the Mahabharata, India’s great epic poem of 110,000 couplets. The Mahabharata relates a complex scries of political events that culminated fifty centuries ago in the Battle of Kuruksetra, a devastating war of royal succession in which Lord Krsna Himself took part. The Bhagavad-gita is part of the Mahabharata.

Newly initiated Syama -Krsna dasa and his wife, Kuntidevi dasi, throw grains into the fire during a ceremony held last summer in the Toronto temple.
“Dramatizing the Mahabharata is like sculpting,” said Nanda-kisora. “The entire story is like a large stone that must be cut and formed into a play that presents the essence of the work. Ideally the finished production should be so absorbing that the audience should forget they’re watching a play. They should be drawn into what’s happening onstage as if it were real life.” The production I saw did just that: the members of the audience were transfixed by the play, fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness.

I also learned that another troupe, in Toronto, puts on a play based on the Ramayana, the epic about Krsna’s incarnation Lord Ramacandra. And I heard that one devotee performs ballet and classical Indian dance to portray the Lord’s pastimes.

A drama unfolds onstage at the Montreal center. In a production of the Vedic classic Mahabharata, the wise Vidura played by Nanda-kisora dasa) warns King Dhrtarastra (played by Gopisvara dasa) of the dangers inherent in a rigged gambling match.
I knew my visit wouldn’t be complete without stopping at one of the prasadam restaurants. Nandikesvara showed me around Chez Govinda in Montreal. He suggested I try the Tofu Burger, a favorite among patrons.

Bhakta Luc pantomimes someone trying to control the earth.
I could hardly hold it in my hands, let alone fit it into my mouth, but somehow I chomped into it. Wonderful! Between light, homemade whole-wheat buns was a base layer of sour cream sauce, then lettuce, a slice of tomato, a half-inch-thick fried tofu patty, alfalfa sprouts, thick melted cheese, and then tomato sauce—all bulging out. It was exquisitely delicious!

Deep in creative concentration, Visnu dasa puts the finishing touches on the backdrop for the altar in the Toronto temple.
“That’s just for a start,” said Nandikesvara, laughing as I grappled with the expansive munchie. “Now this is the Cosmic Special.” It was an eight-inch-wide capati (a round, whole-wheat tortilla) decked with thick avacado puree, tomato slices, melted cheese, sunflower seeds, and fresh alfalfa sprouts.

“What do you think of that?” Nandikesvara asked.

“Fantastic!”

Mahavirya dasa sings of Krsna in Montreal.
Next I asked Punyakirti dasa, who manages Chez Govinda, about the restaurant’s interior.

“The devotees did it all themselves,” he told me.” Abhay Charan made the wrought-iron table legs and matching chairs, Dana-keli did the plumbing, wiring, and kitchen installations, and Visnu dasa hand-painted the wall mural.” This monumental piece of artwork consists of seventeen panels separated by hand-cast columns and arches.

A warm glow of bonhomie radiates from the entrance to Chez Govinda, the vegetarian restaurant run by devotees in Montreal. And not only arc there fine cooking and natural ingredients, but everything is offered to Krsna – which makes eating at Chez Govinda a spiritual experience.
“As the mural shows,” Punyakirti continued, “the kingdom of God is a place of beauty and peace, where everyone lives together without trouble—unlike the material world, where there is constant fear, strife, and exploitation. But when we make Krsna the center of our lives, even this world can be peaceful and harmonious. All up and down the street there are many restaurants, but they’re full of violence because they’re serving meat—dismembered carcasses. Here we serve only vegetarian foods offered to Krsna. So the mural isn’t just an expression of wishful thinking. This actually is a place of peace, and because all the food is cooked for Lord Krsna and offered to Him, all our patrons get incalculable spiritual benefit as well.”

Two patrons toast each other’s health with apple juice. The ornate columns and arches, as well as the mural depicting Krsna in the spiritual world, are all products of the devotees’ own artistry
Unfortunately, I never did get to visit the Back Home Buffet, the devotees’ restaurant in Ottawa, where I heard they serve a different national vegetarian food every day: Italian food one day, Indian the next, Mexican the next, then Oriental, then American. Maybe I could go back and do a special article just on the Ottawa restaurant. Of course, I’d have to sample all the national dishes . . .

Devotees dish out plate after plate of prasadam (sanctified food) to eager celebrants at a festival in Montreal
In any case, from what I saw of the Hare Krsna devotees in eastern Canada, far from bringing consternation to their neighbors, they’re winning congratulations. The temple programs, the restaurants, the art, music, drama, and dance, what to speak of the summer celebrations like The Festival of the Chariots and Lord Krsna’s Appearance Day, all add up to a multifaceted expression of Krsna culture that has something to please everyone.

I Kept Fixed On Just Hearing
→ Japa Group

My speed was under seven minutes per round. I made audible sounds of the mantras, but barely audible, in order to keep the speed and not overexert. My mind didn’t wander. It stayed fixed on whispering the syllables.
I kept fixed on just hearing and did not have many good japa thoughts. I was content to just occupy myself in the yajna of the sound vibration.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
From Bhajana Kutir #35

Texas library offers no books
→ View From a New Vrindaban Ridge

The all-digital facility is on pace to surpass 100,000 visitors in its first year.

Eric Gay / Associated Press

A computer screen displays books available at BiblioTech, a first of its kind digital public library Wednesday in San Antonio. BibiloTech is the nation’s only bookless public library.

SAN ANTONIO — Texas has seen the future of the public library, and it looks a lot like an Apple Store: Rows of glossy iMacs beckon. iPads mounted on a tangerine-colored bar invite readers. And hundreds of other tablets stand ready for checkout to anyone with a borrowing card.Even the librarians imitate Apple’s dress code, wearing matching shirts and that standard-bearer of geek-chic, the hoodie. But this $2.3 million library might be most notable for what it does not have — any actual books.

That makes Bexar County’s BiblioTech the nation’s only bookless public library, a distinction that has attracted scores of digital bookworms, plus emissaries from as far away as Hong Kong who want to learn about the idea and possibly take it home.”I told our people that you need to take a look at this. This is the future,” said Mary Graham, vice president of South Carolina’s Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. “If you’re going to be building new library facilities, this is what you need to be doing.”All-digital libraries have been on college campuses for years. But the county, which runs no other libraries, made history when it decided to open BiblioTech. It is the first bookless public library system in the country, according to information gathered by the American Library Association.Similar proposals in other communities have been met with doubts.

In California, the city of Newport Beach floated the concept of a bookless branch in 2011 until a backlash put stacks back in the plan. Nearly a decade earlier in Arizona, the Tucson-Pima library system opened an all-digital branch, but residents who said they wanted books ultimately got their way.Graham toured BiblioTech in the fall and is pushing Charleston leaders for a bond measure in 2014 to fund a similar concept, right down to the same hip aesthetic reminiscent of Apple.Except Apple Stores aren’t usually found in parts of town like this. BiblioTech is on the city’s economically depressed South Side and shares an old strip mall with a Bexar County government building.On a recent afternoon, one confused couple walked into the library looking for the justice of the peace.

San Antonio is the nation’s seventh-largest city but ranks 60th in literacy, according to census figures. Back in the early 2000s, community leaders in Bibliotech’s neighborhood of low-income apartments and thrift stores railed about not even having a nearby bookstore, said Laura Cole, BiblioTech’s project coordinator. A decade later, Cole said, most families in the area still don’t have Wi-Fi.”How do you advance literacy with so few resources available?” she said.Residents are taking advantage now. The library is on pace to surpass 100,000 visitors in its first year.

Finding an open iMac among the four dozen at BiblioTech is often difficult after the nearby high school lets out, and about half of the facility’s e-readers are checked out at any given time, each loaded with up to five books. One of BiblioTech’s regulars is a man teaching himself Mandarin.Head librarian Ashley Elkholf came from a traditional Wisconsin high school library and recalled the scourges of her old job: misshelved items hopelessly lost in the stacks, pages thoughtlessly ripped out of books and items that went unreturned by patrons who were unfazed by measly fines and lax enforcement.But in the nearly four months since BiblioTech opened, Elkholf has yet to lend out one of her pricey tablets and never see it again.

The space is also more economical than traditional libraries despite the technology: BiblioTech purchases its 10,000-title digital collection for the same price as physical copies, but the county saved millions on architecture because the building’s design didn’t need to accommodate printed books.”If you have bookshelves, you have to structure the building so it can hold all of that weight,” Elkholf said. “Books are heavy, if you’ve ever had one fall on your foot.”Up the road in Austin, for example, the city is building a downtown library to open in 2016 at a cost of $120 million. Even a smaller traditional public library that recently opened in nearby suburban Kyle cost that city about $1 million more than BiblioTech.

On her first visit, 19-year-old Abigail Reyes was only looking for a quiet space to study for an algebra exam. But she got a quick tutorial from a librarian on how to search for digital books and check out tablets before plopping down on a row of sleek couches.”I kind of miss the books,” Reyes said. “I don’t like being on the tablets and stuff like that. It hurts my eyes.”Across the room, Rosemary Caballeo tried shopping for health insurance on a set of computers reserved for enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. Her restless 2-year-old ran around and pawed at a row of keyboards. The little girl shrieked loudly, shattering the main room’s quiet. She was soon whisked outside by her father.After all, it’s still a library.


Filed under: News, Ramblings or Whatever

Dreamstime.com Carries Photos of Toronto’s Festival of India!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

How's this for proof that Toronto's Hare Krishna community is visually beautiful?  A quick search on Dreamstime (www.dreamstime.com) shows that pictures from our most recent Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) have been placed on their website for use for graphic designers!

Dreamstime is one of the world leaders in stock photography and a reliable supplier of high quality digital images. Online since 2000 as a Royalty-Free stock photography website, Dreamstime has evolved into a powerful and active community-based site. Their database is renewed with thousands of fresh images and titles on a daily basis.

Check out the images that show up by clicking here!

New Vrindavan daily Darsan @ January 6, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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Please click here for all photos

What is the use of the highest royal pleasures? What is the use of perfecting the yoga-system and travelling to the upper planets? What is the use of the great variety of material endeavors to attain useless ends? These things are insignificant in comparison to residence in Vrindavana. Simply by living in Vrndavana I will one day hear the sweet sound of Krishna’s flute, which brings the ultimate bliss.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-28 Translation ]

Taking over everything
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 March 2012, New York, USA, Lecture)

Maha-mantra

Everything is bound by time but the maha-mantra is eternal. So many things change in our life – it’s just amazing what can change – but somehow or other, this chanting never changes. It is constant because the name is Krsna himself who descends from the spiritual world and is not bound by time; therefore this is the one constant thing in our life, the one thing that stays!

Everything else may crumble with time but this does not crumble. Rather, every time we chant the mantra, it will never be lost. Each time we chant the mantra, it piles on top of each other and just builds up. So in this way, our chanting will just gain in strength, in depth, and gradually it will take over everything. At that stage one becomes transcendental.

 

Adelaide Temple
→ Ramai Swami

DSC_0139DSC_0117

The Adelaide temple management organised programs every night at the temple for my last visit there. It was nice to see so many devotees attend even though the temperature outside was over 40 degrees that week. Luckily, there is air-conditioning in the temple so we danced in kirtan without feeling too hot.

Satananda Krsna also took me to the South Australian Arts Gallery where for the last two months there has been an exhibition on Hindu, Jain and Islamic cultures in India. The Art Gallery asked the devotees to help with the Hindu exhibition and we had paintings of Radha and Krishna, books and other paraphernalia displayed.
One of the highlights was a beautiful wooden murti of Lord Krishna that was donated for the exhibition by a local couple from Adelaide.
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ISKCON Scarborough – His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari will be giving a special class coming Friday
→ ISKCON Scarborough

Hare Krishna!

Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

We are delighted to inform you that H.G Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari and Her Grace Visnupriya Mataji will be back at ISKCON Scarborough coming Friday - 10th Jan 2014.

Prabhu will be giving a special class on the topic "Stop Worrying, Start Living".

Prabhu has previously conducted two wonderful seminars at ISKCON Scarborough in 2012 and in 2013:

- "Uttama Bhakti" in March 2012

- "Modern day Paramahamsa - How to be in Krsna Consciousness in Household life" in Jan 2013

The full you tube video presentations can be seen in www.youtube.com or through www.iskconscarborough.com

The program schedule on Friday at ISKCON Scarborough - Jan 10th 2013:

6.45 pm to 7 pm - Tulasi arti
7 pm to 8 pm - class on the topic - "Stop Worrying, Start Living"
8 pm to 8.30 pm - Arti
8.30 pm to 8.45 pm - 1 round group chanting of Hare Krsna maha Mantra
8.45 pm - Grand free vegetarian feast

We welcome you, your family and friends to ISKCON Scarborough for the wonderful weekend programs:
  • Association with HG Sankarshan Das Adhikari on Friday (Jan 10th 2014)
  • To take part in the glorious 8 hour Kirtan on Saturday night from 10 pm to 6 am 
About HG Sankarshan das Adhikari prabhu:

His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari appeared in this world in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on 7 November 1947, the tenth day (Dasami) of the most holy month of Kartik according to the Vaisnava calendar. He first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in 1971 and was initiated by him on 12 August of the same year. Srila Prabhupada personally told this new young disciple that he was pleased with his sincerity and enthusiasm for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement. Sankarshan Das fully dedicated his life for serving the order of his spiritual master to become a guru and deliver the world. For the last 40 years he has uninterruptedly served his spiritual master’s movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in various capacities.

In the year 2000, in recognition for his full dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) gave him their blessings to initiate disciples. Since that time he has been regularly traveling and lecturing extensively all over the world for reviving the dormant Krishna consciousness in the hearts of all living beings. Well known for his Internet based training program, the Ultimate Self Realization Course, he has attracted over 12,000 subscribers from over 100 different countries who receive a daily inspirational message and personal answers to their questions regarding how to become perfect in Krishna consciousness. Those who are interested can join his course at: www.backtohome.com

With best wishes from,

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7

Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

website:
www.iskconscarborough.com

How Vedanta makes the transcendental accessible
→ The Spiritual Scientist

 Though Vedanta deals with ordinary language quite dovetailing the views of ordinary intelligentsia to gradually heave them up to the super-sensuous regions where senses cannot work by their present implements or cannot help them by the words of their credulous friends, still the transcendental topics are imparted slowly through the linguistic and rationalistic attainments to differentiate the plane of transcendence and the undesirable transformable plane of enjoyments. As it is helping the journey of understanding we need not stick to a stagnant view in order to gratify our senses at the cost of rationality and harmonious language exactly fitting our whims. So the method of studying this particular philosophy should never be confined to the same process of confusing the transcendence with our present plane of thought.

- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, The Vedanta – Its Morphology and Ontology

 

 

Makara Sankranti
→ New Vrindaban

On the 14th of January the Sun planet moves into Capricorn marking Uttarayana. This day is considered very auspicious by all spiritualists as this was the day chosen by Bhishma to go back to the spiritual world. On this day a big “Ganga Sagar mela” is held in Bengal where all the ancestors are given “tarpana” for their spiritual development. According to the Puranas, on this day Surya (Sun) visits the house of his son Shani (Saturn), who is the lord of the Makara rashi (Capricorn). Though the father and son duo did not get along well, the Surya made it a point to meet his son on this day. He, in fact, comes to his son's house for a month. This day thus symbolises the importance of the special relationship between father and son. Hence it is all the more auspicious.

Glories of Makara Sankranti in Scriptures:

It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terror of the asuras (demons) by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandara Parvata. So this occasion also represents the end of 'negativities' and beginning of an era of righteous living.

Maharaja Bhagiratha, performed great penance to bring Ganga down to the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaja Sagara, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashramam, near the present day Ganga Sagara. It was on this day that Bhagiratha finally did tarpanawith the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Pataala (underworld) for the redemption of the curse of Bhagiratha's ancestors the Ganges finally merged into the sea. A very big Ganga Sagara Mela is organised every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Thousands of Hindus take a dip in the water and perform tarpanA for their ancestors

"Celebration in New Vrindaban on 14th Jan:

In New Vrindaban we have decided to hold a special “Mahayajna” for our devotees and we invite you to be a part of it. We are performing this yajna for the spiritual development of your whole family and for your ancestors. You can sponsor a yajna in the name of your family for $151. We will pray for your family. Please provide us with the names of your family members nakshatra and gotra and your beloved elders whose name you would like to add as well. You will get Narasimha Kavacha and prasada.

Cow feeding :

This day is auspicious to feed the cow with Til and Jaggery. It is said all your sins will be eradicated by feeding the cow on this day. We will do it on your behalf and we will do a  cow puja as well for $108.

Brahmana Bhojana :

Brahmana Bhojana is also very important to serve the Brahmanas. Krishna eats through the brahmanas, so by sponsoring a brahamana feast on this day you will get the special blessings of all the brahmanas and  they will be elevated to higher lokas. Brahmana bhojana is $501.

On the donation form there is a place to put family member names. Please put your family member names there there.


Makara Sankranti




Miss You
→ travelingmonk.com

My good friend Shyamlal das, who was born in Navadwip and served most of his life in South Africa, has passed away. Srila Prabhupada personally encouraged Shyamlal a number of times in his preaching activities and gave him several small gifts in appreciation for his services. Shyamal and I started the Durban Ratha Yatra way [...]

A Winter Ratha-Yatra? Help Us Source this Photo!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

We happened to come upon this incredible picture of what seems to be a "winter" Ratha-Yatra celebration.  With the traditional chariot procession taking place, what makes this parade clearly so unique is the surroundings!  With the ground covered in snow, devotees in their winter coats and even the Deities on the chariot dressed nice and warm, this certainly strikes us one of the more unique Ratha-Yatras we've ever seen.

Have you seen this photo before?  Care to take an educated guess where this is from?  We're curious to know if any of our readers might be able to help us source this photo.  Leave a comment with your thoughts or guesses!