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Srila Prabhupada’s book gave me access to saints and sages, who at every step in my life ever since I’ve felt their presence and guidance through the instruction they’ve laid in these book for humanity.
Srila Prabhupada’s book gave me access to saints and sages, who at every step in my life ever since I’ve felt their presence and guidance through the instruction they’ve laid in these book for humanity.
This Mahamantra tune was inspired by the song ‘Vrikshavalli Amha’ by the medieval saint-poet Tukaram as popularly sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
The post Vrikshavalli Hare Krishna — Jahnavi Harrison — LIVE at The Shaw Theatre, London appeared first on ISKCON News.
This Mahamantra tune was inspired by the song 'Vrikshavalli Amha' by the medieval saint-poet Tukaram as popularly sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
This Mahamantra tune was inspired by the song 'Vrikshavalli Amha' by the medieval saint-poet Tukaram as popularly sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
A video by the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning Team.
The post Devotee Care Implementation – ISKCON Ukraine with Niranjana Swami appeared first on ISKCON News.
A video by the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning Team.
Sri Dham Mayapur is home to an international community. Some people come for a short time, some stay for decades. We asked Mayapur residents: “What is your reason nr.1, why you love to be in Mayapur?” A video by I love Mayapur.
The post Why They Love Mayapur? appeared first on ISKCON News.
Sri Dham Mayapur is home to an international community. Some people come for a short time, some stay for decades. We asked Mayapur residents: "What is your reason nr.1, why you love to be in Mayapur?" A video by I love Mayapur.
A video by Indradyumna Swami Official.
The post Indradyumna Swami: Floating On The Waves Of Prema appeared first on ISKCON News.
A video by Indradyumna Swami Official.
“There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.”–Amanda Gorman Personally, I was in awe hearing the 22 year old Amanda Gorman read her poem last week at the US Presidential Inauguration. A slight African American woman, the Youth Poet Laureate of […]
The post Rising Up and Sinking Down appeared first on ISKCON News.
Personally, I was in awe hearing the 22 year old Amanda Gorman read her poem last week at the US Presidential Inauguration. To me, and to so many others, it was a profound milestone to see someone like her rise up, and be uplifted by eminent others.
-HH Sridhara Maharaja — “This idea of creating a database and collecting contacts at all our festivals and in any situation where we come in contact with the public is very important. I tried for a number of years to teach this to devotees and I fully agree with Jayapataka Maharaa as to its importance. “We can follow up in so many creative ways when we have a list of people who we know are relatively favorable. There is a whole science to database marketing and every successful organization, including non-profit and religious organizations, uses it successfully.… “I would caution that you should be ready to follow up your collection of data soon after it is collected. Names, addresses, and the impressions of people become redundant quite quickly. “If nothing is done to follow up and also report the successes of follow up, those doing the collecting of names become despondent. Get some good software and start planning now.”
By Congregational Development MinistryNavina Nirada Prabhu, a successful book distributor and leadership trainer, shares a success story that emphasizes the importance of following up on those who are interested in Srila Prabhupada's books. From inspiring someone to explore the realm of spirituality to facilitate a probable life-changing visit to Mayapur, India, there are many probabilities that someone can benefit from, simply because a Sankirtan devotee gave a little "extra push" to the sincere seeker. Continue reading "Take People’s Contacts and Follow Up On Them
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By Congregational Development Ministry We are good at advertising... and planting seeds but... we are not so good at harvesting! We have become expert at showing people the beautiful world of Krishna consciousness; giving them a glimpse Into this dynamic wonderful culture with Innumerable books distributed, millions of plates of prasadam distributed, thousands of Harinamas performed, countless festivals, millions of hours of work Invested, a fantastic number of dollars spent, but... we are not so good at harvesting! Continue reading "Follow – Up Campaign
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By the blessings of Guru and Krishna, I and another devotee of Melbourne, Australia, have made this video on the glories of reciting 8 names of Tulasi Maharani from Padma Purana
Podcast:
Transcription
Question: If someone commits suicide, can that be caused by their karma?
Answer: In general, our past karma determines our situations, not our decisions. Now when I talk about situations, it doesn’t just refer to physical situations. We could talk about psychological situations also, so our dispositions also. But just because somebody has a particular disposition doesn’t mean that they necessarily have to make that decision. Yes, those thoughts may come more in some people, those thoughts may come less in some people, but we can’t really say that our past karma makes us do things as extreme as suicide. Yes, there are other factors also. Maybe if somebody does like that, yes, they may have suicidal thoughts, they may have done some things by which they have alienated themselves from people or whatever has happened, somebody is against them and that’s why they are feeling very lonely and persecuted.
Generally, our actions in this life are not forced upon us by our past actions. They’re prompted, but they’re not forced. That’s where the idea of free will comes in. We always have free will. Of course, how much free will we have, that will vary from person to person. That will be affected by one’s past karma, but free will is always there. It’s like, say even a person in a jail has free will, but they don’t have freedom. Freedom is the area over which free will is executed or exercised. So, they don’t have the freedom to go to this part of the city or that part of the country or that part of the world. They have to stay within that jail cell or in that jail premises, but even there they have free will. There they can quarrel with other people, they can fight, or they can maybe read and learn some useful skill and come out wiser. They have choices. Some prisoners might be in a far more restricted cell, they might be in solitary confinement, in a dungeon, and some might be allowed to go around as long as they’re within the prison walls. That will depend largely on what kind of crime they have committed, what kind of conduct they have had in the jail cell as well as before getting into jail.
Like that, we can say our past conduct determines how much freedom we have, but it doesn’t determine our free will. Free will is always something which is with us. If somebody comes to the point of committing suicide, then it is definitely a decision. It is a decision that they took. We can’t put it on past karma alone. Past karma may make them more vulnerable, but then it’s up to them. It’s their choice.
This also is seen to some extent in gender variation within suicides. What is found is that women attempt suicide more, men commit suicide more. What does that mean? Now again, I don’t want to perpetuate gender stereotypes, but broadly speaking, women are more emotional than men and that’s required for them because one of their primary functions is taking care of newborn babies. If somebody is too rational, why is this baby behaving like that? You won’t be able to do that duty of taking care of a child. So that makes them emotionally sensitive to others’ emotions also. But women are more emotional; so, under the pressure of emotion, they may feel, I want to commit suicide. They may attempt it also, but to follow through with it, not so much.
On the other hand, the male body is itself more disposed toward violence. Generally throughout history, if wars have happened, fighting has happened, it’s men who have fought. So, because the male body is disposed more toward violence and that violence can be toward others and it can be toward oneself also. So that’s why women attempt suicide more, men commit suicide more. Does that mean that men have to commit suicide or women have to commit suicide? No. The gender may determine certain psychological or physical orientations, but ultimately it’s an act which is consciously done.
End of transcription.
During the morning puja, or worship, the Deity or a salagrama is bathed in pure ghee. Srila Prabhupada once explained the festival this way: “Krishna was just a toy in the hands of the Gopis, so one day the Gopis decided that we shall decorate Him.
Pusyabhisheka means a ceremony to decorate the deity profusely with flowers, ornaments, cloths. After there should be lavish feasting and a procession through the streets, so that all the citizens should see how beautiful Krishna appears.
Sri Krishna Pusya abhiseka is usually the first major festival of the year in Sri Dhama Mayapur. Every year on this day, the deities are bathed in hundreds of kilos of colourful and fragrant flowers in a beautiful abhiseka.
The deities of Sri Sri Radha Madhava are also offered a stunning dress made out of multi-coloured flowers.
The community devotees gather the day before the festival to begin the preparations for the upcoming festival. Between two hundred and two hundred and fifty devotees participate in the preparation of the abhiseka.
For the abhiseka alone, the devotees make petals from:
Over thirty thousand Chrysanthemums or chandramallika flowers in different colours
Fifty kilos of dopati flower or impatiens balsa-mina in colours ranging from white and light pinks and oranges to dark pinks, purples and red
More than two hundred and forty marigold flower garlands in yellow and orang Over forty thousand roses
Around fifty to sixty devotees help in breaking flowers into petals, and it takes them approximately three hours at a steady pace to finish breaking all the flowers allocated for the abhiseka.
Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON was the light that I ventured into in my search for answers and unconditional love. I found ISKCON when I was 7 years old. For me it was a home where I played, danced, sang, and celebrated my childhood in the shelter of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.
Myself and Jo visit Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford, UK. The temple was donated by George Harrison from The Beatles. I was recommended to visit by my friend Amberish. Join me on my adventure of learning all about ISKCON commonly known as 'Hare Krishna'.
We started our Krishna Eco Farm project in 2012. It is a therapeutic gardening project based on a smallholding in Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire. We welcome people from all walks of life to experience a healing lifestyle away from the troubles of city life.
We are pleased to announce that the ‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’ initiative on behalf of the Scottish Government granted us almost £9,000 from the ‘Community Climate Asset Fund’. Their fortitude in ‘supporting the green recovery in Scotland’s communities’ is essential to help organisations like us to achieve our goals and to tackle climate change.
How to bring more people to Krishna? (7 min. video)
H.G Sarva-drik Prabhu, a senior dis...Read More...
Podcast:
Answer Podcast
In this video you can see the progress of detail work on the exterior of the Nrsimhadeva wing outside Dome. Much has been completed and there are only a few subtle things remaining. We hope you enjoy this short video and seeing the beautiful outcome of our efforts.
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Sounds of drilling machines, hammers, and marbles. Smells of wet concrete, and dust of cutting stones. Sights of scaffolding and busy helmets appear like the movement of ants amidst blue domes – all comes to an uncertain halt.
Organize… plan… and then execute. A job well planned is half the job done! The difference between an evolved thinker and a regular thinker is the ability to respond.
Leading the TOVP Architecture Team, we felt the responsibility to respond to this world catastrophe, as an individual, and as a team. The team in its full gusto has responded very successfully by using this time efficiently in detailed planning, drawings, details.
Click here to see the Report in your browser or download a copy to your desktop for offline reading.
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
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December is a month for all devotees to focus more on spreading books about Krishna Consciousness. This is a short video depicting an endeavor of devotees from our team.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 1 August 2020, Radhadesh, Belgium, Initiation Ceremony Lecture)
When I first encountered the Holy Name, it was in a musical situation. There was a workshop in Amsterdam, some jam session with a piano player named Burton Green. He still lives there, in Amsterdam. We somehow or other had a jam session. Burton said, “let’s try to do some ragas.” I had been to India, had gotten some sitar lessons so I learnt a few ragas and played guitar. So we were going to do some ragas. Next moment, he says, “let’s do some mantras.” I said, “Yes, why not.“ Ragas, mantras and all sorts of spiritual sounds from India. While we were practicing the mantras, he started to sing the mahamantra. So at that time, when I heard the mahamantra, I thought of the mantra as a spiritual sound. But, I had no knowledge beyond it. I did not identify the mantra with the Personality, Sri Krsna, because I did not have that information. That came later. Later, I found out many things. Later, I found out that the mantra was Krsna, and that He was a divine person who played on the flute, with a peacock feather, three-fold bent form, a darkish complexion, lotus eyes, lotus hands, lotus feet, lotus navel, all these things I found out.
As I found out all these things, the Holy Name came to life. I also found out something about Burton Green. I was reading Prabhupada’s Lilamrta and I found out that in 1966, at the Matchless Gift storefront, the devotees one day picked up an old string board from a piano. They brought back that string board from the piano to the temple and it was at the back of the temple. And it was one person named Burton Green who used to particularly hammer on the strings. So here I was, Burton Green, who brought me the kirtan from 1966 to the 1970s, to Amsterdam. Little did I know! But it somehow or other, the Holy Name reached me. Then, gradually by Prabhupada’s movement and his mercy by hearing about Krsna, I found out more about Krsna. By serving Krsna, I developed more attachment to Krsna. Then Krsna began to reveal Himself more and more in my life, as it happens for all. That is the nature of how the Holy Name works!
The article " My first encountering of the Holy Name " was published on KKSBlog.
Anuttama Dasa recalls: "Larry King struck me as a real gentleman when I was on his show. He was a well-known and powerful media personality. I was there representing the Hare Krishnas, whose reputation wasn't so great in those days, and who had just lost a Supreme Court case. And, at that time our presence in the airports wasn't appreciated by a lot of people. None-the-less, King was open-minded and fair. He gave me ample opportunity to tell our side of the story.
ISKCON Leadership Sanga, Sri Dham Mayapur. Gaurapurnima 2020, Day 3
By Bhakti Charu Swami ISKCON Leadership Sanga, Sri Dham Mayapur. Gaurapurnima 2020, Day 1. HH Bhakti Charu Swami seminar: "The Only Hope for this World" Continue reading "The Only Hope for this World (video)
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