Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Anniversary festival of the installation of Sri Sri Laksmi Nrsinga in Mazeikiai in Lithuania.
Saturday Sankirtan Program in St.Petersburg, Russia (Album of photos)
We were blessed to have an association of such wonderful guests(despite the fact that it was online, everyone was so inspired and felt that vaishnavas are really here):
HG Vaikuntha Murti Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada passed away.
The few days at her home was filled with many well-wishers and video chats with a couple of her very dear friends. So, she left knowing that she was loved and appreciated.
Although she suffered physically for many years her passing was quick and peaceful.
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Giridhari das: In July 1969 George Harrison produced the Radha Krishna Temple album with the first group of devotees in London. Fifty years later In December 2019 a group of devotees are back in the iconic Abbey Road Studios to record the Maha Mantra once again. The producer, known as Youth from the band "Killing Joke", is a highly accomplished award-winning musician and producer who shares spiritual interests and also has connections with Beatles members - working alongside Sir Paul McCartney to produce Paul's recent albums.
In July 1969, George Harrison produced the Radha Krishna Temple album with the first group of devotees in London.
Fifty years later, in December 2019, a group of devotees are back in the iconic Abbey Road Studios.
ISKCON devotees in Bolivia threw a Christmas party with a twist when they held Bhakti Yoga Fest on December 22nd.
This Christmas season, students from Alachua’s Bhaktivedanta Academy (BANA) participated in “Outreach Week” from December 16th to 20th, distributing books and prasadam cakes to local businesses.
Sundara Bala Dance by of Sri Mayapur Bhaktivedanta National School students
Jagannath Ratha Yatra, Batam, Indonesia 2019. This year marked the7th of annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Batam Island. Along with the annual event Batam International Culture Carnival 2019, Batam devotees organized the Batam Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival on Sunday, 8th December 2019. The festival was conducted in the central tourist area Nuvansa Bay - Nongsa Resort Batam.
By Ambarisa Das 2019 has been another wonderful year for the TOVP. And next year will mark another milestone on the march to the 2022 opening. On February 13, 2020, we will be inaugurating the Pujari Floor of the TOVP. It is the largest pujari space on the planet measuring over 100,000 square feet with over 20 specially designed rooms! We have been able to get to this occasion by the diligent support of all of you, as well as with the professional management expertise of our Project Management Consultancy, Cushman & Wakefield. Many ISKCON leaders have also put themselves out to help the TOVP in the final stretch. We are especially grateful for the gurus who gave access to their Vyas Pujas and disciples. Continue reading "Message from the TOVP Chairman – A 2019 Overview and Beyond
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By Gopal Bhatta das The ISKCON Leadership Sanga 2020 is almost here – only two months to away! Have you enrolled yet? Don’t worry there is still time to register for this wonderful event. ILS 2020 promises to be the largest gathering of ISKCON leaders to date. Five hundred devotees attended ILS in 2012 and the numbers have been steadily increasing. This will be our 5th ILS gathering, and we are anticipating 1,500 leading devotees from all over the world. Continue reading "ISKCON Leadership Sanga 2020 – REMINDER TO REGISTER
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On New Year's Day, Wednesday, January 1st, 2020, Toronto's Hare Krishna temple will be hosting our annual Srila Prabhupada Festival! Promising to be a great way to start the new year, the festival is usually one of the biggest of the year.
As we do every year, devotees gather at the temple on New Year's Eve and then head over to City Hall to join the tens of thousands of revelers, ushering in the new year. However, we come armed with our drums, karatalas (cymbals) and voices as well!
10:30pm (approx) - Bundle up and off to Rosedale station.Dear Devotees and Supporters of the TOVP,
Hare Krishna! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
2019 has been another wonderful year for the TOVP. And next year will mark another milestone on the march to the 2022 opening. On February 13, 2020, we will be inaugurating the Pujari Floor of the TOVP. It is the largest pujari space on the planet measuring over 100,000 square feet with over 20 specially designed rooms! We have been able to get to this occasion by the diligent support of all of you, as well as with the professional management expertise of our Project Management Consultancy, Cushman & Wakefield. Many ISKCON leaders have also put themselves out to help the TOVP in the final stretch. We are especially grateful for the gurus who gave access to their Vyas Pujas and disciples.
Sadbhuja prabhu and his entire crew have been working feverishly to add elements to the temples’ exterior which will beautify the temple for the upcoming public unveiling. Vilasini devi dasi and the Design Department have finalized the design and details of the temple, and Svaha devi dasi has finished the design for Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana. Locan prabhu has been finalizing the work for the new Srila Prabhupada murti, which is jaw-dropping in its beauty.
We are continuing to fundraise around the world and in India. Now is the optimum time for those who have pledged to fulfill their obligation. In 2021 we will present a custom-designed, gold-embroidered masterpiece book made by Madhusevita prabhu to Srila Prabhupada on his 125th Vyasa Puja, inscribed with the names of all the TOVP donors who have completed their pledges by Gaur Purnima 2021. Don’t miss this opportunity! Complete your pledge by 2021 to be included.
Also of importance is the release of our New and Improved TOVP App. The unique feature of the App is that donations and pledges can be made directly on the App for easy giving. And the new TOVP texting program gives us another layer of communication to stay in touch with donors worldwide and provide updates and news.
The TOVP is gaining a higher profile, even in the eyes outside of ISKCON. In 2018, the Chief Minister of West Bengal visited Sridham Mayapur. It was the first visit of a CM ever! She has promised to help make Mayapur a recognized tourist hub for India. The government is helping untangle some land issues, expanding road access, and will be doing major promotion to bring tourists to Mayapur. This is what Srila Prabhupada wanted, and as he told me once, ” better late than never.”
Lastly, in January, 2020 we will be rolling out the Steps of Surrender Campaign as part of our New Year’s Resolution promotion. Through this campaign the 108 steps leading to the main entrance of the TOVP will be made available for sponsorship. But more importantly, the New Year’s Resolution initiative is to remind all of us to keep our commitments to our pledges and to the fulfillment of Srila Prabhupada’s TOVP project to complete the long-awaited new home of our beloved world Deities Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Pancha Tattva and Sri Nrsimha, and the life-changing, historic Vedic planetarium by 2022.
I offer my humble dandavats to all of you and thank you sincerely for helping make the TOVP a reality. And I personally wish you a very Krishna conscious and blessed year ahead in the service of the Lord. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and the previous acharyas!
Your servant,
Ambarisa das
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The post Message from the TOVP Chairman – A 2019 Overview and Beyond appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
As 2019 comes to a close, we at the TOVP are becoming ever more conscious that in two years we will be opening the TOVP to the world. This is cause for great celebration and anticipation as the long-awaited new home of our world Deities at ISKCON’s World Headquarters in the most sacred place of Sridham Mayapur, on the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON Mayapur becomes a reality. And the great Vedic chandelier of the universe manifests to challenge the materialistic and unauthorized cosmic model of modern science.
At this time we humbly beg every donor and supporter of the TOVP make one or all of the following New Year’s Resolutions to ensure that we can fulfill this solemn responsibility to our acharyas, and further expand the mission of Lord Caitanya to every town and village:
Oh Radha Madhav, Asta-sakhis, Sri Mahaprabhu,
Oh Pancha-tattva, great acharyas! If it pleases You,
Build Your temple, born of Srila Prabhupada’s heart.
Oh Lord Nrsimhadev, please help me. Let me do my part.
As part of the New Year we are launching the new Steps of Surrender Campaign. 108 steps lead from the ground floor to the entrance of the TOVP and now you can sponsor one of those steps and serve the lotus feet of all who come to visit for thousands of years to come. For more information go here.
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/
The post TOVP New Year’s Resolutions 2020 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
By Sri Nandanandana dasa When we talk about the planet's earliest civilization, we are talking about the world's earliest sophisticated society after the last ice age. This means that according to the Vedic time tables, various forms of civilization have been existing for millions of years Continue reading "The Greatness of Ancient Vedic India’s Developments
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Answer Podcast
The post Is there one standard way to apply scripture at all times? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
In the West this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His son or His prophet or His representative, but they all come with the same message. They may speak in different languages according to the circumstances and the audience, but the essence of the message is the same: God is great; we are but small parts and parcels of God, meant to serve Him with love; we have come from God and are meant to return to Him.
One of Srila Prabhupada’s purports in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is contains a statement that relates to the holidays people in the West are about to celebrate:
“The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatara. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara.’ [Cc Madhya 20.263–264] There are various kinds of avatars, such as purusavataras, gunavataras, lilavataras, sakty-avesa avataras, manvantara-avataras, and yugavataras—all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Krsna is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avataras. Lord Sri Krsna descends for the specific purpose of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Vrndavana pastimes.” (Gita 4.8 purport)
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, said that Jesus Christ was a saktyavesa-avatara; he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to the earth from above. That is avatara. And saktyavesa means one who carries the power of the Lord. Thus, he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to earth with the power of the Lord to preach the message of Godhead. And Jesus Christ preached more or less the same message as Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sometimes people would ask Srila Prabhupada about Jesus, and Srila Prabhupada would reply, “In the Bible Jesus said that he was the son of God, and in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that He is the father of all living entities, so there is no contradiction.”
Jesus Christ filled the role of a spiritual master, or guru. The spiritual master teaches the science of Godhead, and when a disciple surrenders to a spiritual master, the spiritual master accepts the disciple’s sinful reactions. Jesus Christ performed the same functions in relation to his followers or disciples; he taught them about God, and he accepted their sinful reactions. Sometimes Christians quote Jesus as having said, “There is no way to the Father except through me.” This statement is a little controversial in learned circles—there is some question whether the attribution is authentic or not. But in any case, Srila Prabhupada took the truth in these words to be that one cannot approach the Lord directly; one can approach the Lord only through the Lord’s representative, the spiritual master.
As far as the idea that Jesus Christ accepted the sins, or sinful reactions, of his followers, Srila Prabhupada expressed one concern: The followers should refrain from sin. They should consider, Oh, if I sin, my spiritual master will have to suffer!” Christians in particular may consider, “Because I have sinned, my spiritual master had to suffer! So I should not commit sin any longer.” That should be the basic sense. They should not think, “Oh, poor Jesus suffered for me, but now I can go on sinning.”
So, we accept Jesus as a saktyavesa-avatara, as an incarnation of Krishna. Christmas should be a time when we remember the teachings of Jesus Christ, the mercy of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he made for us. And we should resolve to be better followers, better servants of God and God’s representatives, and of all humankind and all living beings.
Hanukkah, in the Jewish tradition, is also an important festival celebrated at this time of year. It is a winter festival, and winter is a dark season, when the sun sets early and rises late. Hanukkah is the festival of light. Historically, the ancient temple in Jerusalem was seized and desecrated, but eventually, with great courage and sacrifice, the Jewish heroes, the Maccabees, won it back. They wanted to clean and purify the temple to make it fit for worship of the Lord, and their worship included a flame that was sustained by sanctified oil, to be maintained at all times. But when the Maccabees regained the temple, they found only one flask of the priestly oil, enough to burn for only one day. Still, they lit the great temple lamp, the menorah, and, according to the story, the oil burned for eight days, until they could get more. So, the miracle of Hanukkah is that the purified oil, which was sufficient to last only one day, burned for eight days, time enough to obtain more.
Figuratively, the temple is the heart. Cleaning the temple means cleaning one’s heart of the many dirty things that accumulate there by material association. That dirt includes false identification with the body and material desires for the gratification of the body’s senses and mind independent of God’s sanction and God’s service. And figuratively, the light is transcendental knowledge, or consciousness of God, which illuminates the heart and dispels the darkness of ignorance.
Just as the year has its cycles, we also pass through phases. We wish we could always be fully God conscious, but practically we may find cycles in our spiritual life, periods of increased devotion to God interspersed with periods of increased preoccupation with other matters. And the Hanukkah festival, the lighting of the candle or burning of the lamp, means brightening our hearts with God consciousness, with Krishna consciousness—cleaning the temple of the heart and rekindling the light of God consciousness, devotion to God, within the heart.
But we require help with such devotional activities, because alone each of us is quite weak. In the face of the material world, in the face of maya, we are weak and feeble, and we need the support and help of other devotees. If one person alone had to clean the temple, he or she would have a very hard job. But when all the devotees clean the temple together, the job becomes much easier.
The most complete science of God consciousness is presented in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which nicely explains the process of cleansing the heart:
srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam
“Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (SB 1.2.17)
The Bhagavatam says that hearing topics of Krishna, of God—just as we are sitting here and listening to Krishna’s message—is itself a pious activity, a form of devotional service. We have only to open our ears to the message of Godhead and we become pious (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana kirtanah). Then, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani: the inauspicious things in the heart—we could say the dirty things in the heart, our evil thoughts and selfish desires—become cleansed. How? Vidhunoti suhrt satam: The Lord Himself helps the truthful devotee to clean the dirt, because the Lord Himself is already there in the heart. He is already there, but because the heart is covered by material contamination, we cannot perceive the Lord’s presence; we cannot hear His voice. However, when we show our eagerness to hear the Lord’s message through our ears, the Lord within reciprocates. He helps cleanse the dirty things from the heart so that we can hear Him there, guiding us. And when we surrender to the Lord and make sacrifices for Him, He supplies unlimited fuel for maintaining our heart’s flame of devotion.
Satam means “truthful devotee.” The truthful devotee is honest in his or her endeavors in Krishna consciousness. One who is dishonest will make a show of piety or religiousness, but behind the show he will have other interests. He will harbor other ambitions. But the truthful devotee actually wants to understand the science of God and to serve the Lord and all living beings. Though he may be weak, if he is honest in his endeavors to listen to the messages of Godhead and apply the principles in life, even if he is incapable of executing the orders perfectly, still he is considered satam, a truthful devotee. And the Lord within the heart, who acts as the well-wishing friend of the truthful devotee, will cleanse the heart of the dirty things that have accumulated there.
Again we see how important association is, because the process for cleansing the heart is hearing the messages of Godhead, and only in the association of devotees can we receive the messages properly. Through our hearing and then chanting and repeating what we have heard, the heart becomes cleansed by the grace of the Lord. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: By chanting the holy names of God and by hearing the transcendental glories of God, the heart becomes cleansed and the light of Krishna consciousness there burns more brightly. It spreads throughout the entire body and then emerges—through the skin, through the eyes, through all the different sense organs. Especially, it comes out through the mouth in the form of transcendental sound, which comes from the heart. The messages that one has received through the ears and that have entered the heart come out again through the mouth and spread light, enlightenment, throughout the world.
So, tonight we greatly appreciate the efforts of Mother Urvasi, for she works so hard to create a situation where we all can come together and speak about God, hear about God, and remember God. Holy days are special occasions when we can get together and remember the Lord’s appearance, or the appearance or disappearance of great devotees, or great events that have taken place in the service of the Lord. And when we get together and hear about the Lord and the great devotees of the Lord and the great service and miracles that have taken place in relation to the Lord, we become purified. And we become enlightened and engladdened.
Peace on earth and goodwill toward humanity actually can be achieved through God consciousness. The Bhagavad-gita explains how we can achieve peace: we must first make peace with God. If we reestablish our relationship with God and experience God’s peace and friendship, then we can have real peace and friendship amongst ourselves and help each other in our relationships with Him.
Srila Prabhupada said, “God consciousness is there. You have begun these Christmas holidays in your country. Throughout the whole month of December, you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God consciousness. Now we may have lost it. But people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named differently—‘Krishna consciousness’—but that means God consciousness. That is the necessity. We want to love somebody. Our love will be perfected when we love Krishna, or God. We are teaching that. Try to love God, and if you love God, if you love Krishna, then automatically you love everybody. That is the perfection of love.”
Are there any questions?
Guest: I want to ask how you feel about a belief I am entertaining, namely that Jesus was a spiritual master because he had attained a spiritual level of consciousness or ascendancy through releasing his ego attachments and becoming transparent to God, and that statements attributed to him such as “No one can come to the Father but through me” and “I am the way, the truth, and the light” could be referring to the way that he had attained his level of spiritual mastery. That is, such statements may be indicating that one cannot come to the Father in any other way but to release ego attachments and create this transparency to God. I realize that you were referring to the need for a spiritual master to assist one in achieving a level of spiritual ascendance, but could Jesus have been saying, “This is the way—the way I’ve done it”?
Giriraj Swami: What you say could be true. In fact, Srila Prabhupada used to describe the spiritual master as transparent. To be transparent, we have to purify ourselves of all material dross, and the subtlest level of material contamination is false ego. We cannot be transparent unless we become free from false ego. However, we do not accept the idea of the impersonalists that we give up our ego to merge and become one with God. Rather, we accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, of Jesus Christ and other theists, to give up the false ego, the misconception that “I am the body, I am the Lord, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, I am the enjoyer” in favor of the real ego, the true understanding that “I am the eternal servant of God.” Certainly the spiritual master is the eternal servant of God, or Krishna, so he can properly represent Him and direct others to Him. And certainly the process of giving up the false ego in favor of the real ego, the process of devotional service, is the only process that will bring us to God, that will enable us to fully realize we are eternal servants of God rather than illusory masters of the world.
Hare Krishna.
[Adapted from a talk by Giriraj Swami, December 17, 2000, Ojai, California]
A little Christmas thought…
Krsnanandini Dasi: Most people know that Lord Jesus Christ did not appear on December 25. Because intelligent, thoughtful people have researched and given historical evidence to that fact. Most people know there is no Santa Claus who comes down a chimney leaving much-desired toys, games, clothes and other gifts. Still, in spite of this knowledge, a lot of intelligent, thoughtful people participate in Christmas gift-giving. Why?
IS SANTA REAL? Carl Herzig (Kalachandji das ) HH Tamal Krishna Goswami’s younger brother, & Stella (Shradhanjali dd) his wife, shared this article. Carl is a professor of English literature and Stella is a librarian and they are parents to 3 adult children. They are initiated by HH Giriraja Swami and live in Davenport, Iowa, USA. They do not live anywhere near an ISKCON temple. Carl has helped edit many ISKCON books including Aindra Prabhu’s book and Miracle on 26 Second Avenue by HH Mukunda Goswami.
Disappearance day of Sri Uddharana Datta Thakur (Album of photos)
Today is the disappearance of Sri Uddharana Datta Thakur, who was an ancestor of our dear Srila Prabhupada. This is a photo of his Deities in Saptagram.
Adi Saptagram is one of the glorious places of Bengal. It is located in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. In ancient and medieval times, it was a major port and a chief city. The place has mentions in the scriptures where seven sages performed austerities. As ‘sapta’ refers to seven, it is comprised of seven villages. The place is very important for Gaudiya Vaishnavas as it is the Sripath of Sri Uddharana Datta Thakura, the eternal associated of Lord Nityananda and also one of the most prominent of the twelve cowherd boys (dwadas gopal). He is the ancestor of our beloved A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Sri Gaura Ganoddesha Dipika reveals that Sri Uddharana Datta Thakur was the incarnation of Subahu, the intimate friend of Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavan.
With only two years remaining until the Grand Opening of the TOVP in 2022, it is more important than ever to complete your pledge payments as soon as possible. Or if you haven’t started yet or stopped for some reason, this is the time to begin again. Also consider giving again according to your means from one of our 18 donation options.
There are several ways to make your pledge payments, depending on what part of the world you live. These are explained in detail on this TOVP website page.
However, for most devotees an online payment on the TOVP website is now easier than ever. Simply go to www.tovp.org, click on the red DONATE NOW tab at the top right of any page, then click on the blue PLEDGE PAYMENTS tab on the top right under the main banner to go to the donation page. On this page you can make a one-time payment whenever you are able or set up automatic recurring payments.
As part of our Live Your TOVP Pledge Campaign we encourage you again to help us complete the TOVP. We completely rely on your generous donations and support for this purpose, and without your help we would not have achieved what we have thus far accomplished.
We thank all our donors for their steadfast support and dedication and look forward to celebrating with you the Grand Opening of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in 2022.
Visit us at: www.tovp.org
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News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/
The post Live Your TOVP Pledge – Pledge Payments Made Easy appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
On Makara Sankranti day, miilion of pilgrims visit the holy palce of Ganga Sagar, take Makara Sankranti Snana ( bath at Ganga Sagar) and worship mother Ganga. To facilitate the pilgrims, ISKCON organises a massive Prasada distribution and give in charity blankets etc. Recognized by West Bengal State government, ISKCON Ganga Sagar’s welfare work is […]
The post Ganga Sagar Mela 2020 Invitation appeared first on Mayapur.com.
A Muslim from Algeria receives the mercy!
NYC Subway Sankirtan Book Distribution reaches new heights in swimming in the ecstatic Sankirtan Yajna Transcendental Book Distribution Marathon!
Radha Gopinath Temple – Bahar (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: The land at Bahar, Bali, was the first property that was bought in Indonesia. The BBT, Australia, gave a grant to purchase it nearly 40 years ago.
Visakha Priya Devi Dasi: Before I could think of anything, he had snapped the strap of my bead bag off my neck and was running away with the bag. I couldn't bear it. I had chanted on them since the time they appeared in front of me, floating on the sacred Ganga, on the Gaura Purnima day of the year 1996, just when I was entering the water to take a sacred bath at sunset.
By Iskcon Washington ISKCON Communications Director and Governing Body Chairman Anuttama dasa offered his thoughts on lessons Vaishnavas can gain from the Christmas season during a Sunday Feast lecture at the Washington DC Temple. Is there something to gain from contemplating the sacrifices of Lord Jesus Christ...and plastic reindeer? Continue reading "Unwrapping Christmas
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By Visakha Devi Dasi "Sharing that's the heart of Christmas!" chimes Better Homes and Gardens. "To celebrate, people share traditions from gift-giving to party-going with family, friends, and acquaintances too. And food plays a special part in these yuletide activities. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the aroma of the festive bird and baked goods wafting through the kitchen! … Once the sharing begins, and you've sampled our treats, you'll realize that fellowship and food go hand in hand in making your holidays memorable." Continue reading "Sharing the Spirit of Christmas
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Eight days before leaving this world, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati instructed in a weak halting voice the devotees assembled by his bedside. Those vital and immortal words were to become famous as his last address. Expressing the essence of his perennial message, and would be featured in innumerable publications. Sundarananda prabhu jotted them down.
“I have upset many persons minds. many would have considered me their enemy because I was obliged to speak the plain truth of service and devotion toward the absolute Godhead. I have given them all those troubles only so that they may turn their face toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without any desire for gain and with unalloyed devotion. Surely someday they will be able to understand that. All of you propagate the message of Rupa Ragunatha with supreme enthusiasm. Our ultimate desire is to become dust at the lotus feet of the Rupanugas. All should remain united in following the asraya vigraha for the sake of serving the advaya jnana…”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s Disappearance (Right click to download)
Answer Podcast
The post Why are women marginalized in Indian scriptures such as the Gita? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
The land at Bahar, Bali, was the first property that was bought in Indonesia. The BBT, Australia, gave a grant to purchase it nearly 40 years ago.
At that time, there was a small tin shed erected to have programs and we used to wade through a shallow creek to get to it.
These days, there is a beautiful temple with installed deities of Radha Gopinatha and Gaura Nitai. The devotees have bought homes in the area so they can regularly render service. I always visit here when I go to Bali.
Here is a short Art Progress Report video on what is almost completed, and some things that are currently being worked on here at the TOVP. Please have a look and you will find some of the things very interesting and inspiring, and quite impressive as well.
The post TOVP Art Progress Report – December, 2019 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Met Chance by Chance Today!
Danakeli Dasi: Krishna has blessed us with a good spot for our book table in downtown San Antonio, TX, for the days leading up to Christmas—right outside a three-story mall on a busy walkway. We had just 10 minutes remaining to our day when a nice young man happily approached our table, saying, “I was hoping I’d find you guys out here.” His name is Chance, & he has an interesting story.
Putrada Ekadasi
