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This article about the TOVP, written by Tiziano Fusella (Tulasi das), an Italian journalist, appeared in Italy’s most popular and prestigious weekly magazine, il venerdi di Repubblica, on May 29. It is translated below into English from the original Italian.

Casa Hare Krishna (House of Hare Krishna)

by Tiziano Fusella

For five centuries the Basilica of San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica) has been the largest religious building in the world. But this record is about to be challenged, at least on the surface, by the new temple of the Hare Krishna religion that stands in Mayapur, West Bengal, India on the banks of the Ganges river, three hours by car from Kolkatta. With eight times more traffic than the road to St. Peter’s Basilica, the only road that leads to Mayapur is among the most tortuous and dangerous on the subcontinent. Crossings without signs follow one another, from which animals and vehicles of all sizes and shapes suddenly appear.

In Rome it took 120 years and twenty Popes to complete the work of St. Peter. The brilliant minds of Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, and Bernini worked there, just to name a few. In Mayapur, India, the Hare Krishnas have built their World Headquarters’ Temple relatively quickly: from 2009 to 2022, the year in which the structure will be inaugurated.

The sacred Ganges river that flows less than a kilometer remains special. Its floods are periodic, sometimes devastating. “The road leading to Mayapur will be widened with the help of the Indian government” – assures Saul Porecki, spokesman for the new temple project . “We cannot do much about floods, but we have equipped ourselves with underground water systems to keep water away from foundations “.

The heart and engine of the project is Chairman Alfred Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford the inventor of the assembly line and car manufacturing magnate of the same name. Alfred, 70, married with two daughters, donated $30 million for the construction of the temple. Another $30 million was donated by members and followers of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), the organization name with which the Hare Krishna religion is registered. The remaining $40 million will be collected from other members around the globe. Who better than him, in fact, can boast of good contacts with wealthy industrialists and crowned heads. He lives in Florida, but spends several months a year in India where he monitors the work of a thousand architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and bricklayers dealing with reinforced concrete and Vietnamese marble.

His day begins at 4.30 am, as with any devoted practitioner. He always carries a rosary made of 108 wooden beads, recited in prayer for 16 laps a day, and is a strict vegetarian who avoids coffee, tea, and, least of all, cigarettes and alcohol. In 1975 his parents learned from a newspaper that he had joined an unspecified sect that would surely have stolen his $1.2 billion share of inheritance. A legacy of that size didn’t happen. Alfred never even shaved his head, as befits the classic Hare Krishna monk. “I have one foot in religion and the other out,” he said, but it is easy to meet him in his robes.

He was also initiated into spiritual life in 1975 by the master Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the one who first taught the monotheistic worship of the god Krishna outside India. Except for his sister, Alfred found in the family two excellent allies in term of oriental philosophies. His cousin, William Clay Ford Jr., CEO of the Ford Motor company, is a fervent Buddhist. And Ford Founder Henry Ford himself frequented Sufi mystics’ meetings. A Detroit, Michigan newspaper article in 1926 caused quite a stir, and some competitive businessmen branded him as extravagant and eccentric, perhaps in an attempt to steal his industrial jewel in case he had a disruptive mystical crisis. But Henry remained firmly in command of the company and continued to profess reincarnation, as his heirs Alfred and Bill did a century later.

Reincarnation will be one of the central themes of the Mayapur temple, called TOVP, an acronym for the English “Temple of the Vedic Planetarium”. According to Hinduism, on which the Hare Krishna religion is based, the universe is made up of multiple planetary systems each orbiting their respective stars. Life is potentially present on every planet. Incarnate souls can wander not only from one body to another, whether animal or human, but even from planet to planet. A Western mind immediately thinks of Giordano Bruno, but there is no trace that the Campania monk studied scriptures from ancient India.

From the ceiling of the central wing of the Mayapur planetarium, a rotating representation of the universe weighing 5,000 kilos will hang. At the top, past the material planets, there is the spiritual world where the god of Hinduism, Krishna, enjoys himself in the form of a child with herds of cows in green meadows, and stolen yogurt in hand. His fellow adventurers, the cowherd boys, are none other than his own devotees, so immersed in rural life that they become unaware of being in the presence of God. And so they treat him as a fellow “trouble-maker” like themselves.

The priest’s room, called the pujari room, was inaugurated in February, with 69 rooms for the services, including kitchens, worship paraphernalia storage, offices, and priests’ residences. The TOVP temple will be able to accommodate 10,000 faithful, about half of the basilica of San Pietro, on an area of 37,000 square meters. There will also be a 300-seat theater, gardens, squares, hotels, condominiums, land and a community for retirees, all on 242 hectares.

Elders are a central theme in the Hare Krishna religion. Despite being the most widespread Hindu cult beyond Asian borders with about ten million devotees in the world, for some years there has been a rapid aging of the ranks. In the 1960s, the leader Prabhupada managed to address an audience of young Americans and Europeans, mostly from the counterculture. Today the social milieu has definitely changed. “Leave the materialistic society, live in the temple”, “simple living, high thinking”, were the more or less implicit slogans that in the past decades favored the expansion of the community.

When Prabhupada died in 1977, there were more than a hundred temples. In the 1980’s the number of temples continued to grow, especially the farms that still teemed with young residents cohesive in their choice of monastic life. Today the generational change is much different. The “leave society” message no longer has the appeal it once had. Western devotees’ residential preferences are also changing. Preferable to large temples in the countryside are smaller, urban temples in easy to reach towns.

The average age of the practitioners, since there was little turnover between old and new members, has risen. So some have sought assistance in terms of retirement. An example is in the US, where 78-year-old devotee Roger Seigel (Guru das) created the Vedic Care Charitable Trust, a fund to help senior members who in their youth worked to expand the Hare Krishna movement while neglecting their own sustenance in view of old age.

In Mayapur, however, everything is focused on the flows of tourists that the TOVP should attract, from India and the rest of the world. Six million pilgrims a year visit the villages on the banks of the Ganges river, considered sacred for centuries. It is expected that after the opening of the TOVP they will double.

However, San Pietro with its 20,139 square meters, will not lose the primacy of height: the dome of Rome exceeds Mayapur 137 meters against 113 meters.

The post Casa Hare Krishna (House of Hare Krishna) appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Ganga Devi emanates from the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and she compassionately appeared in this material world pleased by the austerities of Maharaj Bhagiratha. As she flowed down from the heavenly planets, Lord Shiva took her in his matted hair. 

Then, from Kailash she followed Maharaj Bhagiratha through Haridwar to Mayapur. When she reached Mayapur, she stopped and told Bhagiratha that as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would appear soon, she wanted to stay there and take darshana of the beautiful Lord.

Then after Gaura Purnima she went all the way to the hellish planets to purify the ancestors of Bhagiratha.

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Today I heard Srila Prabhupada’s talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.34–35, September 28, 1976, Vrindavan, and in the wake of George Floyd’s recent death, caused by the police, and the subsequent riots, the following excerpt seemed especially relevant and poignant:

“Kshatriya . . . Kshat means injury. And trayate, to deliver. Kshatriya’s duty is to save the citizens from being injured by others. That is kshatriya. Even an animal. Just like Kali was trying to kill a cow. Maharaja Pariksit was on his tour, and he saw that a man was trying to kill a cow. So immediately he took his sword, ‘Who are you, rascal? You are trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?’ That is kshatriya’s duty. Kshatriya’s duty is to give protection from injury for the safety of the citizens. The citizens must feel safe, that ‘We have got such a nice king. There is no fear of anything.’ It is said in the Bhagavatam there was no anxiety even. The citizens should feel so much safe that ‘We have such a nice king that we have no danger at all: not being injured, not our property being stolen, nor injustice given.’ That is real government—when the citizens feel completely safe. That requires kshatriya. Not these chamars, bhangis, and sudras voted to become the president or minister. That will not be successful. That is not possible. There must be trained-up kshatriyas, then there will be good government. Trained. Trained means they should be advised by the brahmans.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

“Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (13.9) that the real sufferings of the material world are four—janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi (birth, death, old age and disease). In the history of the world, no one has been successful in conquering these miseries imposed by material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah. Nature (prakrti) is so strong that no one can overcome her stringent laws. So-called scientists, philosophers, religionists and politicians should therefore conclude that they cannot offer facilities to the people in general. They should make vigorous propaganda to awaken the populace and raise them to the platform of Krishna consciousness. Our humble attempt to propagate the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world is the only remedy that can bring about a peaceful and happy life.” —Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.19 purport.

Reading, Pennsylvania, Nama Hatta (Right click to download)

2015-07-25 Timisoara #evolution

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 1 May 2020, Festival of the Holy Name – Global Pandemic Kirtan)

Even when I am alone, I am always with Krsna.
Even in the middle of a crowd, I am alone with Krsna.
Whether swept up in waves of wild kirtan,
Whether quietly chanting in a contemplative way,
Each mantra brings us closer to Krsna and Krsna closer to us.

Watch the video below or visit Facebook

The article " Even When I am Alone… " was published on KKSBlog.

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The post The Monk’s Podcast 12 – Socialism, Capitalism and the Search for Identity Part 2 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

  We the living entities always have two options. One option is to take shelter of Krishna. And the other option is to take shelter of Krishna’s illusory energy i.e. maya. If we are not with Krishna, then by default we are with maya.  And when our master is maya then we are in a […]

The post Choose Your Master Carefully appeared first on ISKCON News.

We the living entities always have two options. One option is to take shelter of Krishna. And the other option is to take shelter of Krishna’s illusory energy i.e. maya. If we are not with Krishna, then by default we are with maya. 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2 December 2019, Canberra, Australia, Home Program Lecture)

Krsna is everywhere because He is all-pervading. Not only is the brahmajyoti (effulgence) of Krsna present everywhere, on which everything is resting, but Krsna Himself is present everywhere in different forms. Sometimes He is in the form of Nrsimhadeva, sometimes He is in the form of Varaha and other times He is in His sweet form playing His flute. So basically, Krsna’s mercy is constantly there.

The dust jacket of the First Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam is very special as Srila Prabhupada designed it himself. There, he drew a map of the entire spiritual world. This map shows Goloka Vrndavana, the abode of Krsna, in the shape of a lotus. In the inside of the petals of this lotus, we have Mathura. On the outside, we have Ayodhya. Then there is the effulgence, in which are the many Vaikuntha planets where different forms of Vishnu reside. Then, at the border of the Viraja river, which separates the material world and the spiritual world, we find Mahavishnu. Now, this is the outside of the dust jacket. Once you look at the inside, you can read the texts which are also very interesting. There, Srila Prabhupada writes that the spiritual sky is all-pervading and Krsna covers a portion of that spiritual sky with a cloud of illusory energy. So nobody knows about it and hence why we have forgotten about it.

In the beginning when chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra, we are perceiving the chanting through the three material levels – intellect, mind and the senses – and that is how we relate everything. So if we listen to the mahamantra through our senses, we go, “Ahhh, so nice to hear!” with the idea of obtaining immediate enjoyment. If we start perceiving it through our mind, we start dreaming about it in an intuitive way. If we are using intellect, we start asking questions about what the words of the mahamantra mean in an analytical way. So this is how we perceive the chanting of the Hare Krsna mahamantra in the beginning. Therefore, while chanting at this stage, we are actually not seeing Krsna. We are not perceiving Krsna.

But when the goswamis were chanting, they could not just see the form of Krsna but they could see His pastimes too. The pastimes of the spiritual sky actually came in front of them, simply by chanting. So that is the spiritual potency of chanting – the chanting descends into the material realm, where it lifts the veil of illusion. Through this ongoing process of chanting, we slowly begin to remember our original spiritual relationship of Krsna. This is the purpose of our activities of chanting the Holy Name; to revive our relationship with the Supreme Personality.

The article " Perceiving Krsna through chanting " was published on KKSBlog.

• Full Deity services continue through the dedicated efforts of our Pujari Department and cooks
• Virtual Sunday Feast Classes  and Festivals (Including the upcoming Sweet Rice Festival, click HERE for more information)
• Live Kirtan with resident devotees and Bhaktimarga Swami every Saturday at 6pm (click HERE for more information)
• Contactless book distribution (click HERE for more information)
• Virtual Children's Activities (click HERE for more information)
• Distribution of fruit prasadam to a local homeless shelter

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The post The Monk’s Podcast 11 – Capitalism, Communism and Spirituality – Part 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Vice Principal of TKG Academy is offering online bhakti courses for teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching them The Nectar of Instruction using Srila Prabhupada’s purports and Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

From her childhood Princess Sachi devi, the daughter of King Naresh Narayana of Bengal, showed unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna. She even refused to marry on account of her genuine attachment to Krishna. After her father’s demise she ruled the kingdom. But she soon renounced it to find a bona fide spiritual master.

Princess Sachi devi met Sri Haridasa Pandit, a leading guru in Vrndavana, and began performing devout bhajana to Govindaji. Although she became frail from undereating, she would always sleep on the Yamuna’s sandy bank, and rise before sunrise to clean Govindaji’s temple. Daily she would hear Bhagavata-katha, see Govindaji’s arotika, circumambulate Radha-Syamasundara’s lila sthanas (pastime places) such as Vamisivata, Seva Kunja, Nidhu vana, Rasa Sthali.

Receiving encouragement from Sri Haridasa Pandit, Sachi devi completely dropped her false ego, put on rags, and went house-to-house in Vraja begging alms. The Vrajavasis were astonished by her severe renunciation. Taking her guru’s sugges­tion, she went to Radha-kunda to associate with Sri Laksmipriya devi dasi, a dear disciple of Sri Haridasa.

Following Thakura Haridasa’s perfect example, Laksmipriya devi daily chanted 300,000 names (192 rounds) of Krishna. Everyday the two ladies would circumambulate Govardhana Hill and worship Krishna.

On her guru’s order, Sachi devi went to the home of Sarvab-hauma Bhattacarya in Jagannatha Puri. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and most of Lord Gauranga-sundara’s eternal associates had al­ready returned to Goloka Vrndavana. Sachi devi restored Sarvabhauma’s house, and established first-class worship of Sri Shyama Raya, a Deity given to her by a Jaipur brahmana. Everyday she lectured on Srimad Bhagavatam. Her classes became popular attracting eager listeners from miles around. Many people, including brahmanas and King Mukunda Deva, took in­itiation from Sachi devi.

On the day of Ganga Sagara Mela, Sachi devi, who was resid­ing in Jagannatha Puri, desired to bathe in the Ganges. That night the Ganges flowed from the lotus feet of Lord Jagannatha and came to Sachi’s ashrama. Entering Ganga Devi’s waters, Sachi floated to the lotus feet of Jagannatha Swami inside the temple.

After unlocking the doors the next morning the pujaris were surprised to find her inside the temple. Thinking she was a thief, they immeditately put Sachi devi in jail. Seeing this mistake, Lord Jagannatha appeared simultaneously in a dream to both the Puri King and the head pujari. The Lord ordered them to release Sachi devi dasi and take initiation from her. From then on she became famous as Gangamata Gosvamini.

Earth, humanity and nature are inextricably interconnected. To restore us all back to health, we need to “rewild” the world, says environmental activist Kristine Tompkins. Tracing her life from Patagonia CEO to passionate conservationist, she shares how she has helped to establish national parks across millions of acres of land (and sea) in South America […]

The post TED Talks: “Let’s Make The World Wild Again” appeared first on ISKCON News.

Earth, humanity and nature are inextricably interconnected. To restore us all back to health, we need to "rewild" the world, says environmental activist Kristine Tompkins.

A video by Ratika Dayaldasani.

  Many devotee parents are often wondering how to meaningfully engage their home-bound children in devotional activities, which is especially relevant during the weeks of school closures. A great remedy could be a book series by Aruddha Dasi, entitled as Srimad Bhagavatam: A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers. About the Author Aruddha dasi, a dedicated […]

The post Aid during School Closures: Srimad Bhagavatam for Young Readers appeared first on ISKCON News.

Many devotee parents are often wondering how to meaningfully engage their home-bound children in devotional activities, which is especially relevant during the weeks of school closures. A great remedy could be a book series by Aruddha Dasi, entitled as Srimad Bhagavatam: A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers.

What I remember most was how quickly I was able to accept what was happening. An eastward swing down Porter Street, a long residential mediary between two busy thoroughfares, offers an easy and enjoyable tree-lined descent to cyclists with a modicum of common sense.  But am I a sensible cyclist? Nope.  I was coasting down a curve after leaving […]

The post Uncertainty And Surrender appeared first on ISKCON News.

If we try to control the material energy in an attempt to enjoy material happiness and avoid material distress, one thing is certain: we will be defeated.

With architects working virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, new 3D renderings of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur have been released. The images of the temple – which is still expected to see its grand opening in 2022 – show Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana, the Grand Deity altar and temple room, and various walkways […]

The post TOVP Launches New Talk Show, Grand Opening Still Set for 2022 appeared first on ISKCON News.

While devotees in India and around the world cannot visit Mayapur, the TOVP has launched its own talk show, “TOVP Talks” to keep everyone inspired and connected to the project.

A  video by Bir Krishna Goswami.

A video by Kitchen Garden Magazine.