HG Devakinandan Prabhu will be visiting ISKCON Scarborough on Friday – Sep 20th 2013‏
→ ISKCON Scarborough







Hare Krishna!

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

We are extremely delighted to inform you that HG Devakinandan Prabhu will be visiting ISKCON Scarborough on Friday - Sep 20th 2013 to share his wonderful realizations with us.

Information about Devaki Nandan Prabhu, Congregation Leader of ISKCON Singapore

HG Devakinandan Das is a senior disciple of HH Mahavishnu Gosvami Maharaj. Prabhu took up Krishna Consciousness, through the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam, in Singapore in 1983, and met His Holiness in 1989, also in Singapore. Taking initiation from Maharaj in 1994, Prabhu has since been one of Maharaj's most confidential servants.

Prabhu is a lawyer by profession, running his own private practice in Singapore, and an exemplary Grihastha, married to HG Radhika Matajii, also an initiated disciple of Maharaj, and a school principal in Singapore. They have two children.

Despite his busy work schedule, Prabhu puts aside 4 to 5 months every year just to travel for Maharaj. In his travels, to countries such as India, USA, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and many parts of Middle East, Prabhu has and continues to inspire many persons in Krishna Consciousness. In India, Prabhu oversees the temple projects in ISKCON Dwaraka and ISKCON Rajkot. He is heavily involved in all aspects of the temple and guest house constructions at these places - from collecting Lakshmi to selecting materials, Prabhu continues to tirelessly assist his Spiritual Master fulfil his service to Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhu is also an expert preacher of Srimad Bhagavatam and a wonderful Kirtan leader. Many have taken to Krishna Consciousness just by hearing his Kirtans. On top of all these he is also leading the congregation of devotees in Singapore. He was instrumental in setting up an ISKCON centre there. Through Prabhu's efforts, university preaching has also grown phenomenally in Singapore. Many university students have enthusiastically taken up to Krishna consciousness.


In recent years Prabhu has also increased his involvement in the Strategic Planning Committee by engaging in various devotional projects such as the Affiliate Development and Devotee Care programmes. Despite all this Prabhu still remains grounded by making time to constantly engage in deity worship, cooking and cleaning Sevas at the temple in Singapore. Bhagavatam in one hand, duster in another.

GBC:

1. Member of Affiliates Committee, Strategic Planning
2. Assisting HH Kavicandra Swami, Devotee Care, Strategic Planning
3. Co-ordinate and oversee administration and development of Krsna Consciousness in Singapore with GBC, through HH Kavicandra Swami, GBC, Singapore

We are also happy to inform you that H.G. Jagannath Misra das will be giving a special Srimad Bhagavatam class on Saturday - Sep 21st 2013

We warmly invite you and your family to join us for the programs this weekend.

Our programs on Friday/Saturday starts at 6.30 pm and on Sunday the program starts at 10.30 am.

With best wishes from,

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

Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
website:
www.iskconscarborough.com

THE FOUR PRESCRIPTIONS
→ Gita Coaching


Arthur Gordon shares a wonderful, intimate story of his own spiritual renewal in a little story called “The Turn of the Tide.” It tells of a time in his life when he began to feel that everything was stale and flat. His enthusiasm waned; his writing efforts were fruitless. And the situation was growing worse day by day.
Finally, he determined to get help from a medical doctor. Observing nothing physically wrong, the doctor asked him if he would be able to follow his instructions for one day.

When Gordon replied that he could, the doctor told him to spend the following day in the place where he was happiest as a child. He could take food, but he was not to talk to anyone or to read or write or listen to the radio. He then wrote out four prescriptions and told him to open one at nine, twelve, three, and six o’clock.

“Are you serious?” Gordon asked him.

“You won’t think I’m joking when you get my bill!” was the reply.

So the next morning, Gordon went to the beach. As he opened the first prescription, he read “Listen carefully.” He thought the doctor was insane. How could he listen for three hours? But he had agreed to follow the doctor’s orders, so he listened.

He heard the usual sounds of the sea and the birds. After a while, he could hear the other sounds that weren’t so apparent at first. As he listened, he began to think of lessons the sea had taught him as a child—patience, respect, an awareness of the interdependence of things. He began to listen to the sounds—and the silence—and to feel a growing peace.

At noon, he opened the second slip of paper and read “Try reaching back.” “Reaching back to what?” he wondered. Perhaps to childhood, perhaps to memories of happy times. He thought about his past, about the many little moments of joy. He tried to remember them with exactness. And in remembering, he found a growing warmth inside.

At three o’clock, he opened the third piece of paper. Until now, the prescriptions had been easy to take. But this one was different; it said “Examine your motives.”

At first he was defensive. He thought about what he wanted—success, recognition, security, and he justified them all. But then the thought occurred to him that those motives weren’t good enough, and that perhaps therein was the answer to his stagnant situation.

He considered his motives deeply. He thought about past happiness. And at last, the answer came to him.

“In a flash of certainty,” he wrote, “I saw that if one’s motives are wrong, nothing can be right. It makes no difference whether you are a mailman, a hairdresser, an insurance salesman, a housewife—whatever. As long as you feel you are serving others, you do the job well. When you are concerned only with helping yourself, you do it less well—a law as inexorable as gravity.”

When six o’clock came, the final prescription didn’t take long to fill. “Write your worries on the sand,” it said. He knelt and wrote several words with a piece of broken shell; then he turned and walked away. He didn’t look back; he knew the tide would come in.

Why Do We Chant?
→ Japa Group



An important question and one which faces most of us in our daily struggle for good Japa. Do we chant Japa just because we know we should? Or is it just something we do each and that the mind has gotten used to....or do we chant because we feel the Lord's energy and attain pleasure from reciting the Holy names.

Hopefully it will be the last....and if it's not, then we need to change something and chant in a way that we feel the Lord and his spiritual energy.

Let's put mechanical chanting behind us, let us pronounce each word very carefully and let us hear the words very carefully - after all the Lord has descended as the sound vibration of the Hare Krsna mantra. Let us chant with devotion by following the basic instructions given to us by Srila Prabhupada.

Radhastami Abhishe
→ simple thoughts

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Hare Krishna dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obesiances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Please see below the video containing footage of the Radhastami abhishek at the manor.

The video angle improves as the video progresses.

Please also enjoy the video footage of the Bhaktivedanta Choir who performed at Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK this morning during this auspicious day of Radhastami.

Apologies, Its only a short clip next time I need to be more prepared…

your servant,
dipak
your servant,
dipak

10.08 – Krishna speaks his glories not to prove his position but to improve our disposition
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Some people ask: “Why does Krishna insist repeatedly in the Bhagavad-gita readers that he is God? Why does he need to prove his position?”

Because he wants to improve our disposition.

If we feel that Krishna is obsessed with his position, then the counter-evidence stares into our face each time we look at any standard picture of Krishna speaking the Gita. Krishna is situated in the menial position of a charioteer. That’s a position a status-obsessed person would find nightmarish and never choose voluntarily. Yet Krishna freely and joyfully accepts that position on the request of Arjuna because it enables him to serve and love his devotee.

Love is Krishna’s primary concern – that’s what he relishes in his own abode eternally, wherein his pastimes of love flood everyone with supreme ecstasy.

Krishna’s love is so great that it is not limited to those who love him, but also extends to those who do not love him – to all of us who are missing out an eternal life of love with him. To invite us to that life, he descends and demonstrates his pastimes. But due to our preconceptions, we mistake his pastimes to be ordinary, as just some stories for entertainment.

To free us from such misconceptions, he shares Gita wisdom so that we can see reality as it actually is. And that reality reveals Krishna as he actually is – God who conceals his godhood for the sake of love.

He speaks about his godhood so that we can appreciate the beauty of his concealing something that glorious for the sake of love. Appreciating his position as the Supreme who becomes the Supreme Lover improves our disposition; it inspires us to love Krishna wholeheartedly, as the Bhagavad-gita (10.08) states.

***

10.08 - I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

 

KRISHNA’S VARIOUS NAMES ,QUALITIES,FORM
→ simple thoughts

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VICARU DAS
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
ISKCON UK.

Krishna is the supreme God, param brahma

Krishna is the source of all that exists

Krishna is the beginning,middle, and the end

Krishna is unborn, ajam.

Krishna is the cause of all that is, that was, or that will ever be.

Krishna possesses all the six opulence in unlimited degree.

All wealth- All power- All beauty- All wisdom- All fame- All renunciation.

Krishna lives in Goloka Vrndavana, in the unlimited spiritual cosmos.

Krishna incarnates whenever and wherever there is decline in religious principles and predominanat rise in irreligion.

Krishna-Parthasarathi-Vasudeva-Devakinanadana-Nandanandana-Yashodananadana-Madhusudhana-Narayana- Govinda-Keshava-Madhava-Ranchor- Janardhana-Mukunda-Damodara-Acyuta-Hari-Yadunandana-Ajita-Yogeshwara are some of Krishna’s names.

Krishna never pollutes- Never dies- Never ages- Never laments- Never becomes hungry or thirsty- Never unlawful- All his actions are correct- Never changes- He is firm in is decisions.

Krishna taught the science of Bhagavat-gita to the sun god Vivasvan hundreds of millions of years ago,The sun-god taught it to Manu, The father of mankind two millions years ago, Manu taught it to Iksvaku, the emperor of earth, at that time, and to His friend Arjuna, 5100 years ago.

Krishna taught the science of the vedas to Brahma, during the time of creation, 151 trillion years ago,To Vyasadeva, 5000 years ago.

Krishna’s immediate expansion is Baladeva.

Krishna at one month old killed Putana.

Krishna at three months old ,He killed sakatasura.

Krishna at one year old ,He killed Trinavarta,

Krishna at two years old He killed Vatsasura.

Krishna at four years old He killed Bakasura.

Krishna at five years old ,He killed Aghasura.

Krishna at six years old, He killed Dhenukasura.

Krishna at seven years old He lifted Govardhana hill.

Krishna at eight years old He perform the rasa dance.

Krishna at 12 years old ,He killed Kamsa.

KRISHNA’S VARIOUS NAMES ,QUALITIES,FORMS
→ simple thoughts

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VICARU DAS
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
ISKCON UK.

Krishna is the supreme God, param brahma

Krishna is the source of all that exists

Krishna is the beginning,middle, and the end

Krishna is unborn, ajam.

Krishna is the cause of all that is, that was, or that will ever be.

Krishna possesses all the six opulence in unlimited degree.

All wealth- All power- All beauty- All wisdom- All fame- All renunciation.

Krishna lives in Goloka Vrndavana, in the unlimited spiritual cosmos.

Krishna incarnates whenever and wherever there is decline in religious principles and predominanat rise in irreligion.

Krishna-Parthasarathi-Vasudeva-Devakinanadana-Nandanandana-Yashodananadana-Madhusudhana-Narayana- Govinda-Keshava-Madhava-Ranchor- Janardhana-Mukunda-Damodara-Acyuta-Hari-Yadunandana-Ajita-Yogeshwara are some of Krishna’s names.

Krishna never pollutes- Never dies- Never ages- Never laments- Never becomes hungry or thirsty- Never unlawful- All his actions are correct- Never changes- He is firm in is decisions.

Krishna taught the science of Bhagavat-gita to the sun god Vivasvan hundreds of millions of years ago,The sun-god taught it to Manu, The father of mankind two millions years ago, Manu taught it to Iksvaku, the emperor of earth, at that time, and to His friend Arjuna, 5100 years ago.

Krishna taught the science of the vedas to Brahma, during the time of creation, 151 trillion years ago,To Vyasadeva, 5000 years ago.

Krishna’s immediate expansion is Baladeva.

Krishna at one month old killed Putana.

Krishna at three months old ,He killed sakatasura.

Krishna at one year old ,He killed Trinavarta,

Krishna at two years old He killed Vatsasura.

Krishna at four years old He killed Bakasura.

Krishna at five years old ,He killed Aghasura.

Krishna at six years old, He killed Dhenukasura.

Krishna at seven years old He lifted Govardhana hill.

Krishna at eight years old He perform the rasa dance.

Krishna at 12 years old ,He killed Kamsa.

Down By The Dead Sea
→ travelingmonk.com

Yom Kipper, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for Jewish people. Here is Israel all businesses are closed, there are no television or radio broadcasts and public transportation is shut down. Strict observance of the holy day includes not driving a car, playing music or eating food in public. [...]

Chantix VS Chanting–to quit smoking
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Before taking to chanting the Hare Krishna mantra daily my wife used to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes every day.  But with the help of this mantra she quickly and easily gave up smoking.

Chantix

The prescription drug Varenicline (Chantix) helps you quit smoking.  It has a standard pharmaceutical list of side effects and warnings.  Here is a few of them.

Allergic reaction.  Anxiety, confusion, depression, restlessness, or mood changes.  Blistering, peeling, or red skin rash.  Chest pain. Fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat. Lumps on your neck, armpit, or groin.  Numbness.  Red or black stools. 

 

Seeing or hearing things that are not really there. Seizures.  Thoughts of hurting yourself or others.  It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed.

So far it has only been linked to 98 suicides, no big deal.   Also it has been linked to murder/suicide cases as well.

vs

 

Chanting Hare Krishna

Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the most effective prescription to give up smoking.  It is proven to work and literally hundreds of thousands of patients have easily given up smoking with this medicine.  Many of whom did it cold turkey.  Here is a list of a few of the side effects and qualities.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way.

  • When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death.

  • It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present Age of Quarrel. Nothing else works nearly as well.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all illusions and misunderstandings.

  • By chanting Hare Krishna, you become free from all anxieties.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna brings you to self-realization—and shows you how to act as a self-realized soul.

  • It keeps you ever mindful of Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure.

  • There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. You can chant anywhere, any time, under any circumstances.

  • Krishna Himself is fully present in the transcendental sound of His name. And the more you chant, the more you realize it.

  • All other Vedic mantras are included in the chanting of Hare Krishna. So just by chanting this mantra, you get the benefit of all others.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna purifies not only you but every living entity around you. Whoever hears the chanting gets spiritual benefit.

  • A person who chants Hare Krishna develops all good qualities.

  • You can chant Hare Krishna softly for personal meditation or loudly with your family or friends. Both ways work.

  • Srila Prabhupada chanted Hare Krishna, and so did great souls in the past. So why not you?

  • It’s free. Chanting Hare Krishna never costs you money.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna brings the highest states of ecstasy.

  • There are no previous qualifications needed for chanting Hare Krishna. Young or old, anyone can chant—from any race, any religion, or any country of the world.

  • Even if you don’t understand the language of the mantra, it works anyway.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna brings relief from all miseries.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna is easy. When the best way is also the easiest, why make life hard for yourself?

  • Chanting Hare Krishna invokes spiritual peace—for you and for those around you.

  • When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna Himself becomes pleased.

  • When you chant Hare Krishna, Krishna dances on your tongue.

  • By chanting Hare Krishna you can return to Krishna’s world, the eternal abode of full happiness and knowledge.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna frees you from the reactions of all past karma. Chanting Krishna’s name even once, purely and sincerely, can free you from the reactions of more karma than you could possibly incur.

  • Chanting Hare Krishna counteracts the sinful atmosphere of Kali-yuga, the present Age of Hypocrisy and Quarrel.

  • By chanting Hare Krishna you can relish at every step the full nectar that’s the real thirst of the soul.

  • The more you chant Hare Krishna, the better it gets.

  • If you look through all the Vedic scriptures, you’ll find nothing higher than the chanting of Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

However chanting Hare Krishna is not without warning.  Do not chant this mantra if you would like to keep attachments to pride, lust, anger, and greed.  It will destroy these attachments. 

Parikrama and Abhisek in the Radhadesh Goshala (153 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

“Radhadesh” is a spiritual community based in a 19th century chateau in the Belgian Ardennes. There are presently around eighty people living in the community, which was founded about 1980. In the Château, which has been beautifully renovated by the present inhabitants, you can see a gorgeous temple-room which is unique in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yearly we have about 40.000 visitors. Radhadesh is the main center for ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) in the Benelux. Read more ›

Fabulous Amsterdam Rathayatra (187 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

You just know that when Janananda Maharaja, Parividha, Parasuram and Madhava prabhus are there it's going to be blissful. Lord Indra sent early morning rain to clean the streets but as soon as Lord Jagannatha, Balaram and Subhadra arrived before Their Chariot, the Sun greeted and stayed with Them the rest of the day. All glories to all of the devotees who worked so hard to make the Festival a sucess Read more ›

Thank You to Devotees from Jaya Krishna das
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Dear Brijabasis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the community members and temple devotees who made the Janmastami Festivals, Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance Day and Labor Day weekend a big success. Many pilgrims approached me to express their heartfelt thanks for the experience New Vrindaban offered them.

I will not name each individual devotee herein as I am unable to recall each and everybody who has served so nicely over the last week and do not wish to risk omitting anyone.

I would especially like to thank the Pujari Department for the exquisite dressing of Their Lordships on Janmastami morning – the darshan was mind blowing. Thanks also for the wonderful Flower Outfit at midnight. It was simply overwhelming.

Thank you to those who created the astonishing set up for Srila Prabhupada’s vyasasana on his Appearance Day.  At 2 am in the morning of Vyasa Puja, I was thinking that I am the last one wandering around the temple, only to be surprised a small crew of dedicated devotees who were hard at work decorating the vysasana.

Thank you for the hard work in the Kitchen over these days. Dear Community Members, please accept our sincere apologies that we were unable to cook a proper feast on Srila Prabhupada Appearance Day. As a result, we hear with pleasure that some of the extraordinary NV Maharathi Cook Elder’s (heroes) have agreed to take care of Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day feast.

Thank you to the CD department for their hard work in contacting so many donors for the Janmastami Festivals, for the incredible program on the festival days as well as the team spirit they have developed. A number of guests recognized and appreciated the nice cooperation.

Thank you to the Lodge crew and manager who handled all challenges very smoothly over the festivals and made our guests feel comfortable.

A round of applause to the Restaurant Crew who once more managed to properly serve a very large number of guests, keeping them satisfied.

The Palace of Gold crew has done a fantastic service by giving an incredible number of tours. I do not remember seeing so many cars parked around the Palace over the last three years.

The Rose Garden and the flowers around the Palace are currently in full bloom and touch many hearts. Thank you the glorious garden crew for this wonderful gift to Srila Prabhupada on his Appearance Day.

Last, but not least: the Goshalla Team of cow herds has shown their wonderful care by presenting our new baby bull, Pundarikaksa, with his mother Surabhi to our guests on different festival days.

Thanks to all of you for participating in the festivals. Many devotees and Prabhupada disciples (a new record over the last three years) participated in his Appearance Day celebrations in the morning at the temple as well as at his Palace of Gold later in the evening.

I am very grateful that more community members are participating in festival celebrations, contributing to a new team spirit that is slowly developing at the temple.

I request your blessings that I may continue as your servant,

Jaya Krsna das
Community President
ISKCON New Vrindaban

Radhastami Photos
→ Mayapur.com

Please view the following galleries: Abhishek Darshan As the glorious festival celebrating Srimati Radharani comes to a close we have lovely pictures of this years abhishek, and darshan for you. The festival was packed with devotees more than any previous year. We all celebrated with gift giving, drama, abhishek, kirtan-mela, and distribution of srimati radharani’s [...]

The post Radhastami Photos appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Historical Photos from Srila Prabhupada’s visit in Iskcon Atlanta, 1975 and his rooms in the temple (82 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Iskcon Atlanta: We sincerely invite you to join us in any of our programs, especially our Sunday program. If you have any questions, please call us at 404-377-8680. or email at info(at)atlantaharekrishnas.com. Please don't forget to register with us to receive email announcements about special events at our temple. Read more ›

The Man in the Machine
→ Dandavats.com

“A person is not considered a great sage unless he disagrees with another sage”. This adage suitably describes the career of La Mettrie, whose contentious writings during the eighteenth century were almost universally reviled by his contemporaries during the age of the Enlightenment. Read more ›

Surrender Of The Fewest
→ Dandavats.com

A conversation took place between a senior devotee and a young, active devotee youth member (initiated). The senior devotee said that previously, devotees were more surrendered to Iskcon, to which the younger devotee replied by saying that today’s congregation are just as surrendered, but in different circumstances. Can we compare and quantify such surrender? Read more ›

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

A Rooted Routine

East End, Saskatchewan

Daruka and I routinely sing a bhajan in honour of the guru while we’re on our route to the spot from where I left off the day before. We used no instruments. Of course, he can’t, he’s driving. We just rely on our voices to sing what is an integral part of our morning. We apply as much devotion as possible.

It’s also a good idea, particularly today, to start off on the best note, given what 9/11 means to a lot of people. Out here in the Prairie, for the people we meet, the anniversary of New York’s twin tours descent, appears rather irrelevant. Here we are far removed from an urban world.

I could clearly see what’s called Cypress Hills. They are beautiful smooth, rounded hills with coulees – a bit barren and looking like the badlands, but most interesting. Sage plants are all about “dry as a bone” would be an appropriate expression to describe some of the area. It’s great being away from billboards and retail strip fast food joints. Here it’s more or less raw nature, pastures and wheat fields, but a true sense of rawness.

A bus driver pulled over and offered words of thanks, “We appreciate the inspiration you are giving to humanity.” Then a newspaper delivery man came to walk his dog with me, also a woman by the name of Wendy came with a bag of apples from her backyard tree. A family also came to trek with me for a while in a very remote section of the highway. A farmer loading his hay for the winter’s feeding of his cows, stopped, and asked for prayers, “Rolin’s, the name. My wife is Susan. Please pray for us,” (of course I’ll oblige). Then Brenda Furerstein came to our inn for the evening. She assisted her late husband, George, in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita. She also gave me a copy. She will gather friends for mantra meditation with us for tomorrow.

And speaking of the Inn, Ed Sanford, owner/proprietor of Riverside Inn, so kindly let us stay for as long as we need. We invited Ed in for our kitcheri dinner, which we prepared in the kitchenette. This dish is great for travelling. Ed, also loved it. We consecrated it, in other words, made it prasadam. A mellow fellow, big hearted person, this Ed is. We will tag him on to our growing list of new friends.

Please remember, the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realists adjusts the sails.

31 KM