Websites from the ISKCON Universe
This is a short tour of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) hosted by Amogha Lila das with Braja Vilasa das, TOVP Vice Chairman, produced by MayapurTV.com. It is spoken in both English and Hindi.
Yesterday morning, during Mangala arotika, the devotees in ISKCON Alachua were surprised to see an unexpected guest: a dog!
From the flat earth to the sun’s chariot — traditional spiritual texts seem wedded to outmoded cosmologies that show, at best, the scientific limitations of their authors.
The Bhagavata Purana, one of the classical scriptures of Hinduism, seems, at first glance, to be no exception. However, a closer examination of this text reveals unexpected depths of knowledge in ancient cosmology. Mysteries of the Sacred Universe shows that the cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana is a sophisticated system, with multiple levels of meaning that encode at least four different astronomical, geographical, and spiritual world models. By viewing the text in the light of modern astronomy, Richard Thompson shows how ancient scientists expressed exact knowledge in apparently mythological terms. Comparison with the ancient traditions of Egypt and the Near East shows early cultural connections between India and these regions — including a surprisingly advanced science.
Author: Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson)
Published: December 28, 2017
Book size: 374 pages
Formats: Kindle, Paperback
Residents of India will have to search for this book on www.amazon.in
This class on Srimad Bhagavatam 9.3.11 is given by Ravindra Svarupa Das (ACBSP) at Bhakti Center.
By Vijaya DasA little surprise coming out of India: Angul, a small city north of Jaganatha Puri, was the No. 1 temple worldwide in the Medium Category in February, with 3,065 book points. I had never heard of Angul. Another interesting thing was that all the top-ten temples in the Small Category each did more book points than all of the top-ten temples in the Medium Category. The small temples are more fired up than the medium temples. Continue reading "WSN February 2021 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
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By Vijaya DasA little surprise coming out of India: Angul, a small city north of Jaganatha Puri, was the No. 1 temple worldwide in the Medium Category in February, with 3,065 book points. I had never heard of Angul. Another interesting thing was that all the top-ten temples in the Small Category each did more book points than all of the top-ten temples in the Medium Category. The small temples are more fired up than the medium temples. Continue reading "WSN February 2021 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"
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This is a short tour of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) hosted by Amogha Lila das with Braja Vilasa das, TOVP Vice Chairman, produced by MayapurTV.com. It is spoken in both English and Hindi.
Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
By Bhaktivedanta Manor HG Srutidharma Das Memorial Program - Bhaktivedanta Manor celebrates the life and selfless service of His Grace Srutidharma Das. For forty years he was a major pillar in the activities and achievements of Bhaktivedanta Manor, a genuinely caring and affectionate devotee, a spiritual teacher to thousands, and a sadhu who united all in service to Krishna, the Lord of his life. Continue reading "HG Srutidharma Das Memorial Program: Bhaktivedanta Manor 2021 (video)
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Sacinandana Swami, a spiritual teacher and monk in the Bhakti tradition, is known for his significant contribution to the practice of meditation and kirtan. Dedicated to the process of inner transformation, he has spent fifty years in pursuit of genuine spiritual experiences.
In this vlog I share how to make Lord Krishna's garland ... or at least a snippet of it anyway!
Srimad Bhagavatam class by H.G. Daivi Shakti Mataji
By The Monk's Podcast I have found that it's impossible to put Srila Prabhupada in a box, he's like a multi-faceted jewel and everyone appreciates that jewel from a different side and their appreciation of Prabhupada is true, it's genuine, it's not actually possible it's like Krishna entering the assembly of the wrestling arena, each one sees Krishna in a different light in a different way, some as a beautiful little boy, some as a powerful king and ruler so people appreciate Srila Prabhupada in different ways and their appreciations are not wrong. Continue reading "Can scripture be understood in multiple ways? (video)
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By Syamanandini dasi In another epic scripture known as the Ramayana we find Sita devi, the devout wife of Lord Rama and the mother of Lava and Kusha. Sita devi’s many sublime qualities serve us with an exceptional example to follow. Although born and raised in royalty, she voluntarily accepted the austere life of living in the forest in order to serve her husband when he was exiled. Continue reading "Spiritually Empowered Mothers in Vedic Literature
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By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi Krishna is no ordinary ruler. Kings or presidents represent what is grand and powerful in this world. Yet even the finest and most awesome personality is only a small indication of the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His very body is constituted of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Though Krishna as Dvarakadhisha enjoys many sporting battles, He has no one to conquer and nothing to achieve, being always complete in Himself. He always knows exactly what to do in His regal duties in relationship to His citizens, ministers, and soldiers. His brows are never furrowed with the anxiety of diplomatic responsibilities. Though Krishna rules as an adult, He is in fact nava yauvanam, eternally youthful. According to Brihad-bhagavatamrita, by Sanatana Goswami, the king of Dvaraka has “all of the beauty of youth made even sweeter by traces of childlike innocence.” Continue reading "Krishna as King
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Hare Krsna.Dear devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. On the auspicious occasion of Gaura Purnima 2023, Sridham Mayapur is pleased to launch Mayapur Brochure based on ‘Srila Prabhupada’s Vision for Mayapur’. In the pages of this brochure, you will be invited to envision the future of Mayapur Dham with concept […]
The post ISKCON Mayapur Master Plan Brochure appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Dear Mayapur Community Devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! On behalf of the Mayapur Executive Board (MEB), I am very happy to share with you the good news that we have made adjustments in the Mayapur Management structure so as to realign it with the way it was originally set […]
The post Mayapur Management Co-Director Structure Re-established appeared first on Mayapur.com.
As Bhaktivedanta Mar near London continues to follow all the social distancing rules, last Sunday it held its Gaura Purnima festival online.
The Bhaktivedanta Players' drama performance of "Nimai born under a Tree" was filmed on the Temple's new Shree Krishna Haveli stage in advance, and premiered on the special day itself.
"I am not actually in My abode, Krsnaloka; neither I am in the heart of the yogis who are meditating. But I am present in there where My pure devotees are singing, singing." Yes, Krsna says that.
When the world was under lockdown because of covid pandemic and everybody was feeling like a rat in flooded water, Sriman Vardan prabhu suggested that Sriman Gour Gopal prabhu (a very active preacher, kirtaniya, counsellor and music composer) begin his kirtan services online. It was meant to be for a short time just for the lockdown that was declared for a fortnight.
Today we continue our celebration of the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna who descended in the age of Kali in the role of a devotee. He appeared on what we now call Gaura-purnima, in the evening of the full moon day in the month of Phalguna. At the time, […]
The post Sri Jagannath Mishra Festival 29 March 2021! appeared first on Mayapur.com.
An experience with thousands of sweet memories, leaving footprints behind that will forever be with us. Gaura Purnima festival is like the story of the gopis feeling of separation from Krishna when it finally came to an end, looking how it started seems like it won’t come to an end. Although, in Mayapur it is […]
The post Gaura Purnima Festival – The Rising Moon of Kali Yuga! appeared first on Mayapur.com.
By ISKCON Alachua Hare Krishna Temple For the pleasure of the devotees, on this Gaura Purnima day festival, we present the drama “Lord Chaitanya & Ramachandra Puri.” Let us all become immersed in the pastimes of the most munificent Sri Krishna Chaitanya and become eager for His mercy. Haribol! Cast (in order of appearance): Nanda dd – Madhavendra Puri/devotee Kirtaniya dd – Isvara Puri/Govinda/devotee Akuti dd – Ramachandra Puri Ragatmika dd – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Rucira dd – Paramananda Puri Madhumati dd – Jagadananda Puri Shyama Darshani dd – narrator/devotee Continue reading "Lord Chaitanya & Ramachandra Puri (17 min. video)
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Ramsden Park, Toronto
Valuing Distance
Our virtual Thursday afternoon Gita sessions have been very stimulating for me and if I gauge properly, others on the call are also having a great time. After a sweet time in the park, pulling in the sun’s Vitamin D and working on the next poem, I sat myself comfortably to share this week’s verses from The Gita, 9:12, 13 and 14. We took special note of the subject: mahatma (mentioned in the 13th verse), and what the qualities of a “great soul” are. The first point I discussed was that a mahatma is not deluded and is enveloped in divine energy. What does that mean practically?
It literally means to disassociate with mundane-ness, with negative people, and to keep dearly to your heart all things spiritually favourable.
In a conversation I had over the phone in the evening, with a person in Montreal, we came to the conclusion that the nasty world that we live in is fraught with a pejorative spirit; that it is imperative to extricate oneself from hate and contempt. In the name of “freedom of speech” people can say anything, which may actually be harmful to the spirit.
To give an example, these days people are encouraged to keep a distance from the virus. Even for myself, I’m having to self-isolate due to the fact that on my recent visit to the dentist I was close to a Covid-positive person. So as of this evening, I’m staying physically safe and hoping for the best.
May the Source be with you!
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Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI
Ramsden Park, Toronto
More at the Bench
When you frequent a place, people of that area get to know you. This is the case for me, at the park, as well as David, who resides with us. He spends more time than me, enough to see the things I miss. He spotted a fox, rare to see during the day. And he always comes back after his walk to say whom he met and just what’s going on. He’s making nice friends.
Now I use this green space to rehab or recoup my worn-out legs. So, I’m getting to be more present. It was two hours that I sat on a bench upon a mound with blue spruces nearby. I could swear that from the moment I parked on the bench to my leaving, more green had come through on the grass; the chlorophyll was activating before my very eyes. It was stunning. It was more amazing than seeing that falcon in-flight as I entered the space.
What about people? Well, two elderly women made the gradual climb up the mound to what I thought was a deliberate move to connect with me somehow. I was on the phone which sat next to my lap talking to another part of Canada about Vyasa puja, an annual publication which expresses gratitude to the guru (Prabhupada) when suddenly these two women said something I couldn’t decipher, but it was intended as polite.
It was time for me to get up and move around. A gentleman, also elderly, was trying to say something kind. He had a device attached to his throat. Impaired speaking. He was commenting with a smile and that’s all that mattered. I was walking by the tennis court and a middle-aged couple stopped their game for a minute to ask, “Is your restaurant open again (because of Covid)?”
“Yes! For takeout! Please come!”
May the Source be with you.
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Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI
Brampton, Ontario
Chaitanya’s Versus
With the coming birthday of Sri Chaitanya on Sunday, the 28th, I wanted to share this poem; a sort of rewrite of His eight verses known as sikshastakam.
Chaitanya’s Versus
Victory to the sacred sound that cleanses all around
There’s filth in the heart, piled up from the start
Many births of desires, have burst up like fires
Therefore, the kirtan charge, is for humanity at large
It’s a practice so cool, like the rays of the moon
It’s the fruit of wisdom, with joy that’s arisen
So sweet to the taste, we go there in haste
You who are Divine, this sound is sublime
With thousands of names, they all are the same
In them all energies are invested, the names are the same
Rules? Not hard and fast, it’s easy to pass
Out of sheer kindness the sound is sure to bind us
Attractive! Accessible! Approachable! Doable!
But what is most unfortunate… I can’t always appreciate it
To approach the sound, one must be humbly-bound
Like the straw in the street, one has to be meek
Like a tall, stout tree, tolerant as can be
I’m telling you brother, it’s the ego we have to smother
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.... respect is how it should be
With the right attitude, the constant sound has platitude
Oh, power behind the universe
I’m not looking to be fabulously rich
Not to be overwhelmed by the lustful itch
Nor entangled in the name/fame hitch
I’ll have my bhakti list, though birth persist
Oh, son of Nanda
I love you and I will assist you
But I’m in an ocean, drowning without devotion
Pick me up from this ocean of death, before my last breath
While those lotus feet are handsome, place me there like an atom
When will the time come, when tears of love will run
And flow so constantly, while chanting in ecstasy?
When will my voice choke up, in the course of shake-up?
When will hair stand on end, as we chant to transcend?
Govinda is your name, separation makes me insane
One moment lasts forever, like twelve years or whatever
Tears come like rain, your absence gives such pain
This vacancy in life, creates so much strife
But I know only you as my lover, there is no other
Even when it’s rough, I’ll never have enough
Of heart-felt embrace, or when we find no trace
Of you in your freedom to act, so I’ll state the fact
That I love you, I love you, I always will love you
May the Source be with you!
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Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI
Ramsden Park, Toronto
Went Again
I walked again, to the park, for the purpose to light a little spark. I’m not the only one. There are many who come to lay out a blanket and then lay themselves out on it. Tennis balls are flying from within the court fence. There are lineups. The playground is vibrant with kids and their guardians; parent or nanny. Young men hop, bounce and leap balls through the hoops. The dogs are frisky while owners look on with care.
Benches get occupied fast. As soon as one occupant leaves another slides in. The picnic tables see the same thing. There must be hundreds of buttocks’ that hit those seats every day — at least during sunshine hours.
I am one of those people that takes to the wooden seats as well. It’s fun to watch people. Like yesterday, I made a full circle of the park. Midway through I have to stop and rest the lower limbs. I’m moving slow these days but I’m moving and that’s what counts.
My walks before and after were stimulating as well. In the evening, while the monks in the ashram were centered around the book, Sri Isopanisad, I was Zoom-linked to read about Chaitanya’s great connection with his followers. Oh, how they enjoyed the feast together. One person was raised in affluence and was so much pinning to join Chaitanya’s mission. He wanted to be a monk. His name was Raghunath Das. He was so drawn to spirituality. Chaitanya was a magnet.
May the Source be with you!
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To protect the devotees and to show everyone the way of love of God, Lord Sri Krishna decided to come to this world. He came in the form of a devotee, as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
First He sent His eternal devotees to this world. They took birth in different places throughout Bengal, India. They would come together at the house of Sri Advaita Acharya.
Being a great devotee of the Lord, Sri Advaita became very sad to see the unhappiness of others and he thought to himself: “Only if the Lord Himself will appear, to spread love of God, will it be possible to free all human beings.”
Every day, with much love, he would pray to the Lord to descend, to come to this world. He would daily offer Ganges water and Tulasi leaves to the Lord . The Lord just couldn’t resist the sincere and loving prayer of His beloved devotee, Sri Advaita.
Shortly before the Lord appeared into this world many wonderful and mysterious things happened at the house of Jagannath Misra and his wife Sachi-Devi who became the parents of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Shortly before the Lord appeared into this world many wonderful and mysterious things happened at the house of Jagannath Misra and his wife Sachi-Devi who became the parents of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Jagannath Misra said to Sachi-Devi: “I see such wonderful things happening before me. Your whole body is glowing; it is as if the Goddess of Fortune herself is staying in my house. Wherever I go people greet me and show me respect and, without even asking anything, they give me things, like clothes and rice.”
Sachi-Mata said to her husband: “I too see wonderful things happening. Radiant beings appear in the sky and it is just as if they come here to pray.” Then Jagannath Misra told his wife about a dream he had had: “I saw how the brilliant world of the Lord entered into my heart and was then transferred from mine into yours.”
Full of joy they worshiped the Lord in His form as Salagram Sila together in their house.
In the year 1407 in the month of Phalguna, during an eclipse of the moon, Lord Sri Krishna in the form of Gaurahari, the Golden Lord, came into this world.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Sri Gaura-Purnima ki jaya!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219380754572536&set=a.3707173840886
“The Supreme Lord who assumed the form of half-man, half-lion in the Satya-yuga to cure a dreadful disease that had devastated the daityas, and who appearing as Rama conquered the ten-headed Ravana in Treta-yuga, and who removed the burden of the earth in the Dvapara-yuga and protected the cowherd men of Vraja-pura, will be the Lord by the name of Caitanya in Kali-yuga. He will have a golden form and will take pleasure in chanting His own sweet holy names.”
[ Nrsimha Purana ]
satye daitya-kuladhi-nasa-samaye
simhordhva-martyakrtis
tretayam dasa-kandharam
paribhavan rameti namakrtih
gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure
bharam haran dvapare
gaurangah priya-kirtanah
kali-yuge caitanya-nama-prabhuh
Video – Bhagavad Gita 4.9 – Gaura Purnima – Reasons Of Appearance Of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu 2021-03-27 Ljubljana
“We must read. Then our position as brahmana will be fulfilled.”
Srila Prabhupada lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.28.1 - Honolulu, 1 June
