Planet ISKCON

Srila Prabhupada katha by HG Suresvara Prabhu - 1 November 2019 in Iskcon Melbourne (video)

By Gauranga Darshan Das

What kind of offerings please God? Gorgeous, expensive, elaborate…? Not necessarily! If one can afford, one may make magnificent offerings to God, but what the Supreme Lord is looking for behind any offering is love and devotion. In a nutshell, attitude behind an offering is greater than the magnitude of the offering. Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita, “patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati,” If one offers to Krsna, with sincerity and devotion, either a leaf, or a flower, or fruit, or a little water—Krsna is fully satisfied. Thus, even the poorest man can serve the Supreme Lord Krsna as completely as the richest. Worshiping and pleasing Lord Krsna is that simple for simple-hearted devotees. Continue reading "Tulasi: The Dearest to The Divine
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[Bhagavatam class on 1.2.4 at ISKCON, Alachua, USA]

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The post How the Bhagavatam is the means of conquest in material existence – Meditation on narayanam namaskrtya verse appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

On the occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s physical departure, many of his disciples gathered today in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms in Vrindavana, at 19:10 tonight, the 31st October. (Album of photos)

A video by ToVP.org

Krishna took on giant form and ate all the offerings – and called for more. Feeling a little anxious, the farmers brought whatever else they could. More, he called. More! And once we have given everything, and God asks for yet more, then what happens? Are we left broken and alone, with nothing?

“Shyamero” – KIRTANIYAS Released through Sriyam Records.

Diwali is a festival of joy and prosperity, and a celebration of the victory of good over evil. This is the story of Rama and Ravana. A story related to this festival. An animated video by MokomiKids.

Some photos from Govardhana Puja in Durban, South Africa.
Today we honor the 42nd anniversary since His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, passed away from this world. Affectionately known as Srila Prabhupada to his followers, he was the first spiritual teacher in the Krishna tradition to step outside of Indian soil and successfully spread the teachings of Bhakti-Yoga around the world and created a historic revolution in spiritual living. ⠀
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mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim yat-krpa tam aham vande sri-gurum dina-taranam “By the mercy of the guru, even a dumb man can become the greatest orator, and even a lame man can cross mountains.” – Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya Lila, chapter 17 text 80 At Srila Prabhupada’s birth, it was predicted that when he […]

The post Srila Prabhupada – The Commander of the Sankirtana Movement appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Invitation to Golden Anniversary Week (online presentation)
A magnificent once in a lifetime Gala celebrating 50 years of Hare Krishna culture in the UK.
The Hare Krishnas have been making a mark on the UK scene for 50 years: from connecting with the Beatles and other pop icons, to visibly dancing on the streets of London, to feeding those in need, to providing a place of worship for spiritual seekers and Krishna worshipping settlers. They have done all of this while actively reaching out to share joy, peace, love and happiness through personal connections and meaningful projects grounded in deep and timeless wisdom. But most will know and remember the Hare Krishnas for music, dance and great food.

LIVE from Sri Mayapur - Disappearance Day Program of Srila Prabhupada (video)

The Most Sacred Lake (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: A few days ago our parikrama party visited Radha Kunda, the most sacred place in the universe. We approached Srimati Radharani’s kunda with all the humility we could muster and bathed in the sacred waters. We also listened to a discourse on Radha Kunda’s glories and relished kirtan and prasadam afterwards.

I am very grateful to Srila Prabhupada for having brought me into your association. You are his sincere followers, and many of you have been serving him for decades, from when you read or heard about him or met him in person.

Once, on his guru maharaja’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada said, “On the absolute platform, there is no difference between the appearance and the disappearance of the spiritual master. Both are beautiful, just like the sunrise and the sunset.” So although we feel separation, within that separation our remembrance of Srila Prabhupada is heightened, and thus we experience the beauty of his presence—in separation.

To straightaway speak about Srila Prabhupada’s departure feels abrupt to me, because it is a painful topic, but remembering Srila Prabhupada’s words that the disappearance is also beautiful, I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned from his departure.

A few days before he was to leave us, Srila Prabhupada expressed a desire to travel by bullock cart to different holy places in India. His Holiness Lokanath Swami had been traveling by bullock cart to different places of pilgrimage, and Srila Prabhupada was very enlivened when Lokanath Swami reported to him in Vrindavan. And Prabhupada said that he too would like to go on pilgrimage on a bullock cart. He asked Lokanath Swami to arrange it, and Lokanath Swami was enthusiastic, having been encouraged by Prabhupada in such a direct way. He immediately went to organize the cart and make all the arrangements. Govardhana-puja was to take place in a couple of days, and Prabhupada said that he would begin his pilgrimage by traveling on a bullock cart to Govardhana Hill to celebrate Govardhana-puja with the Vraja-vasis.

At that time, Srila Prabhupada was bedridden and, one could say, emaciated. He was unable to eat, and he was able only to sip a little liquid. So he was very gaunt and weak, with almost no energy. He would just lie on his bed, and sometimes, with great difficulty, he would speak softly, often so faintly that only those very close to him could hear his words.

There were many devotees in the room when Srila Prabhupada had his exchange with Lokanath Swami. And immediately after the discussion ended and devotees went outside, they began to express two strong, heartfelt opinions about what Srila Prabhupada should do—and, more than that, how we as disciples should relate to Srila Prabhupada and serve him.

One group, which included Lokanath Swami and other esteemed, senior disciples, such as Hamsaduta Prabhu and Baradraj Prabhu, felt that we should do just what the spiritual master orders. We shouldn’t question his order; we should just execute it. And some of the other disciples, many of whom had been attending to Prabhupada’s personal care, felt that Prabhupada’s health would not sustain his travels on a bullock cart and that, because he was so emaciated (he had practically no flesh on his bones), it would be very painful for him to go. Even if they padded the cart with a mattress, it would still be a basic bullock cart, and the roads in Vraja were very rough, so the movement of the cart would jostle Prabhupada—and he would feel pain. Some devotees feared that he might even give up his body on the way. So, they did not want him to be subjected to what they foresaw as certain pain—and perhaps the dire consequence of his death.

But this second position was very difficult to maintain under the circumstances, because Srila Prabhupada was so emphatic. “Let me travel to all the tirtha-sthanas,” he had said—to all the holy places. And whatever objections devotees had raised against the proposal, he had countered. “One-day experiment,” he had pleaded. “Rest assured. I will not die in one day.” When even Prabhupada’s kaviraja had predicted that with all the jostling on the bullock cart, Prabhupada would not survive more than two hours, Prabhupada had replied, “But I think I shall be cured.” Still, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, Bhavananda Maharaja, and others felt strongly that this “experiment” would have dire consequences. But how to convince Prabhupada?

So, the controversy continued. When Prabhupada said, “I think I shall be cured,” Hamsaduta and others took it that he was supporting their position. But the other side took it differently: “What does it mean that he is going to be cured? It means that he is going to leave his body and get a spiritual body. That’s how he is going to get cured.” Each party was seeing things in a particular way that supported its particular point of view.

Finally, things came to the stage where the bullock cart was waiting outside the gates of the Krishna-Balaram Mandir. Everything was being readied. And for the devotees who were in the mood that Srila Prabhupada should stay, it must have been like when the residents of Vrindavan saw Akrura getting the chariot ready to take Krishna to Mathura.

The evening before his planned departure, Srila Prabhupada was lying on his bed (many of you have seen his bed in his house in Vrindavan). Bhakti Charu Swami was in the room, and Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother Akincana Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja came to visit. Babaji Maharaja was a very advanced devotee; Srila Prabhupada had said that he was a paramahamsa. He was always engaged in hari-nama—absorbed in hari-nama—and he was always blissful. And he and Prabhupada had an extraordinarily affectionate relationship. So, Bhakti Charu Swami thought, “Let me appeal to Babaji Maharaja. If he asks Prabhupada not to go, then Prabhupada may listen.” So, he was speaking with Babaji Maharaja.

In the meantime, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Bhavananda Maharaja were upstairs in what had been Prabhupada’s bedroom before his bed had been moved down some months earlier. And while Babaji Maharaja was sitting at Prabhupada’s bedside, they came down—in a very emotional state. Prabhupada was aware of what they were thinking, and he asked, “So, you request me not to go?” And Tamal Krishna Goswami responded, “Srila Prabhupada, we were getting so upset. Two devotees told me this road is so bad that if you go on this road you’re going to be jolted back and forth. The road is terrible. I just can’t understand, Srila Prabhupada, why it has to be tomorrow that we have to go. If anybody wants you to travel, I do. But why do we have to go when you’re in this condition? I can’t understand it.”

“All right,” said Srila Prabhupada. “I will not go.”

“Thank you, Srila Prabhupada,” said Bhavananda. “I was in too much anxiety.”

“No, no, I cannot put you in anxiety. I shall do what you like. My left hand and my right hand—I cannot refuse.”

Then Tamal Krishna said, “Actually, Srila Prabhupada, we’re so attached to you that you practically drive us to madness sometimes. Tonight we were becoming mad.” Prabhupada said, “No, I shall not do that.” And to Babaji Maharaja he said, “Just see how much they love me.” Then Tamal Krishna said, “Srila Prabhupada, the way you deal with us simply deepens our attachment every moment.” And Prabhupada replied, “It is my duty.”

For the devotees in the room, it was a jubilant occasion that Prabhupada had agreed to wait. As Tamal Krishna Goswami had said, “We will take you on tirtha-yatra, to all the places. Just get a little stronger.” But when the news reached the other group, they were upset: “This is not our duty as disciples, to try to prevail upon our spiritual master. Our duty is to execute his will. He said that he wants to go by bullock cart to Govardhana, and our duty is to arrange for what he wants. Our duty is not to advise him or prevail upon him according to our perception.” The controversy continued until the end—the anniversary of which is today.

Prabhupada spent his last three days with his disciples at the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, and the last day he didn’t speak. His only words were in the morning, when the kaviraja asked him to drink some juice and he replied, “Meri kuch iccha nahin”: “I have no desire.” After that, Prabhupada didn’t speak. He was in a completely internal state of consciousness, and the devotees surrounded him with kirtan. For the last few hours, in the afternoon, the leaders opened up the doors to everyone. Young, old, children, men, women—all were allowed to be in the room with Srila Prabhupada and to reciprocate love with him. Then, at about 7:26 p.m., his tongue and mouth moved—Hare Krishna—and he left.

As for the controversy, it continued; the feelings still ran strong on both sides, even after Prabhupada left. And I still couldn’t determine who was right. There were devotees senior to me on both sides, devotees whom I respected and had served. Personally, I may have been closer to some of the ones engaged in Srila Prabhupada’s personal service, but still I wasn’t sure who was right. I just wasn’t sure, and it was on my mind.

It was my habit, or practice, to chant japa in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms (of course, not when he was there), and after he departed, I did that. I was in his room chanting japa, and behind his bed was an area with his bookshelves. Somehow, I found a little corner there and was chanting japa, when my eyes fell upon the new volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam that had just arrived—the Tenth Canto, Volume Two. It had been delivered into Srila Prabhupada’s hands in his last days. When the devotees had presented the book to Srila Prabhupada and he was looking at the pictures, everyone could see the love in his eyes. Tamal Krishna Goswami had remarked, “How much love for Krishna Prabhupada has,” as evident from the way Prabhupada had been looking at the pictures of Krishna. So, I saw the book. It had gold embossing, especially made for Srila Prabhupada. I opened it up, and it happened to open to Chapter Nine: “Mother Yasoda Binds Krsna.” I read a few verses and purports, and then I came to a verse that, to me, answered the question:

TEXT 19

evam sandarsita hy anga
harina bhrtya-vasyata
sva-vasenapi krsnena
yasyedam sesvaram vase

TRANSLATION

O Maharaja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krsna in this pastime.

COMMENT

The pastime is encapsulated in the previous verse:

TEXT 18

sva-matuh svinna-gatraya
visrasta-kabara-srajah
drstva parisramam krsnah
krpayasit sva-bandhane

TRANSLATION

Because of Mother Yasoda’s hard labor, her whole body became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When child Krsna saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and agreed to be bound.

COMMENT

When I read these verses, I thought, “This is what happened.” The spiritual master is the transparent medium through which Krishna manifests Himself. Of course, in vraja-bhakti the relationship with Krishna is different. In Vraja, Krishna exhibits nara-lila, humanlike pastimes, in which there is complete intimacy and freedom between the devotees and the Lord. In the relationship between the disciples and spiritual master, there is always an element of awe and reverence—and duty. Still, duty is meant to lead to love. And Srila Prabhupada did say to Babaji Maharaja, “Just see how much they love me.”

One month earlier, there had been another incident. Srila Prabhupada had stopped drinking. Previously, he had said that when his father had wanted to leave his body, he had stopped drinking, and that this was a bona fide way to give up one’s body when the time came. Prabhupada didn’t make any announcement or anything. He just stopped drinking.

Prabhupada had a servant, Upendra dasa, a very sweet devotee, and very innocently Upendra said to Prabhupada, “Prabhupada, you have to drink. If you don’t drink, you will become dehydrated. And Prabhupada said, “Oh, you want me to drink? Call the GBC.” That decision—whether Prabhupada should drink or not—was no small matter.

So, Abhirama informed the GBC, and the GBC and senior devotees came into the room. Prabhupada said, “If I want to survive, of course I’ll have to take something. But my survival means so many inconveniences. Therefore I have decided to die peacefully.”

“Everything is in the hands of Krishna,” said Tamal Krishna. And that had been the mood, coming from Srila Prabhupada: everything depends on Krishna. Many times Prabhupada had said that he would accept whatever Krishna desired. If Krishna allowed him to stay, he would stay. And if Krishna wanted him to go, he would go. Previously, a disciple had asked Srila Prabhupada, “You said that your guru maharaja left early because he was disgusted. Is that the case with you?” And Srila Prabhupada had replied, “No. If Krishna allows me to stay in your association, I will be most happy to stay in your association.”

Now, however, Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes and said, “Krishna wants me to do as I like. The choice is mine. He has given me full freedom.” This was a different mood—a completely different answer. And it gave—and gives—us a glimpse into the intimate reciprocation between Krishna and Prabhupada.

We all went out into the anteroom and discussed. Kirtanananda Swami’s point was most clear and lucid and intelligent. “If Krishna has given Prabhupada the choice,” he said, “and if Prabhupada is giving us the choice, then we should ask Prabhupada to stay.” Everyone agreed: “Yes, we should ask him to stay.” Then a devotee said, “But all the GBC men aren’t here.” And Brahmananda retorted, “Come on. What GBC is going to say that they don’t want Prabhupada to stay?” So, it was decided, unanimously. We would go back into Prabhupada’s room and tell him that we wanted him to stay; Kirtanananda Swami would be the spokesman.

When we went back in the room, Prabhupada was lying quietly on his bed. As soon as we finished offering obeisances, Kirtanananda broke down and started sobbing. He couldn’t speak. Brahmananda, sitting behind him, rubbed his back to soothe him. Then Kirtanananda managed, “If Krishna has given you the choice, then don’t go! We need you!” Srila Prabhupada asked, “Is this your joint opinion? Have you discussed?” “Yes, we have all met together. We want you to remain and lead the movement and finish the Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

Prabhupada was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then he yawned and said, “All right.” Just like that. He agreed to stay in such a nonchalant way. All the devotees were jubilant. Within ourselves, we were rejoicing: “Prabhupada is going to stay! Prabhupada’s going to stay! He is not going to leave us. He is going to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam. He is going to lead the movement.”

And Prabhupada said, “This is real affection.”

So, when I read this verse from the Tenth Canto, I thought of these two incidents and put them together. In both cases, when the disciples had expressed themselves—“We want you to stay,” “We want you to get healthy”—Prabhupada had said, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.” So, I think that all the disciples in this controversy were acting on the basis of their realization of their devotion for Srila Prabhupada, but I believe that what Prabhupada really was doing was drawing out our loving sentiments—beyond us just following the order. Following the order is a given; there is no question. We have to follow the order of the spiritual master. To disobey the order of the spiritual master is an offense against the holy name. It is a basic principle of spiritual life. So we are not talking about disobeying the order of the spiritual master; we are talking about developing loving feelings for the spiritual master and expressing them to him. When Srila Prabhupada brought us to that stage in those two incidents, he commented, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.”

Relating the verse from the Tenth Canto to what Srila Prabhupada did with us, there’s also a parallel between the damodara-lila and that principle of spontaneous love. Every night during the month of Damodara, we recite the Damodarastaka, including verse three:

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

“By such pastimes He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy and revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His devotee’s pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.”

The damodara-lila shows pure, spontaneous love’s special power to conquer the Lord. The Lord comes under the control of such pure love. In the same way, Srila Prabhupada—not exactly that he came under the control of our love, but I would say that he brought that love out from deep within the recesses of our hearts, and then he reciprocated with us by coming under our control, or agreeing to our requests.

So, this is a very deep pastime of Srila Prabhupada’s. Among the disciples who were around him at the end, it was understood that he was the perfect acharya—he had taught us by his own example how to live in Krishna consciousness, and now he was teaching us how to die in Krishna consciousness. That was the general idea in those months and weeks, that he was showing us how to retire to a holy place and how to be absorbed in hearing the holy names of the Lord, and how up until the end, even in his delicate condition, he was trying to push forward the mission and was translating and dictating purports to Srimad-Bhagavatam—up until the very end. In that way he was showing us how to die in Krishna consciousness. But within that final lesson he also brought us to this more intimate level of exchange where we could express to him our heart’s deepest desires even in spite of the barriers that I would say he deliberately put up. He deliberately put up the barriers, but then he inspired us to break through them to reach out to him and express our love for him and ask him to stay with us.

Even though Srila Prabhupada has now left that body, we still have that choice. We always have that choice: Do we want him to stay with us or not? And I remember that at that time, although we had been going along in the mood that whatever Krishna wanted was all right, when we understood what really should have been in our hearts—that we wanted him to stay—we thought, “Maybe we want to be the controllers, to be the enjoyers.” So there is always that question: Do we want the kingdom of God without God, without God’s representative, or do we want the kingdom of God with God, with His representative, as their humble servants? And so I pray to Srila Prabhupada that I will always remember this lesson and always pray and act in such a way that he will be pleased to stay with each of us individually and all of us collectively, and bind us to his lotus feet eternally.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 14, 2007, Mayapur]

[Bhagavatam class at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]

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The post The complex relationship between appearance and substance in spiritual life appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Talk at University of Cincinnati, USA]

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The post Gita insights for managing the mind – Chapter Ten Analysis appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Damodarashtakam – Hindi (2) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Talk at Cincinnati, USA]

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The post Damodarashtakam Texts 5-8 – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Talk at Cincinnati, USA]

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The post Damodarashtakam Texts 1-4 – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.7.32.

“Children play with an umbrella generally known as a frog’s umbrella, and Lord Krishna, when He was only seven years old, could snatch the great hill known as the Govardhana Parvata at Vrndavan and hold it for seven days continuously with one hand, just to protect the animals and the inhabitants of Vrndavan from the wrath of Indra, the heavenly King, who had been denied sacrificial offerings by the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi.”—Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.7.32

Govardhana-puja, Evening Program (Right click to download)

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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila chapter 14

hantayam adrir abala hari-dasa-varyo
yad rama-krishna-carana-sparasa-pramodah
manam tanoti saha-go-ganayos tayor yat
paniya-suyavasa-kandara-kanda-mulaih

Translation
“[Lord Caitanya said:] ‘Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Krishna and Balarama, as well as Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respect to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Krishna and Balarama, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.’”—CC Antya 14.86

Govardhana-puja Morning Class (Right click to download)

By Rupanuga dasa

The GBC College for Leadership Development finally opened its doors in North America on 24th October 2019 after having started Zonal Supervisor training around the world since 2015—five cohorts of leaders in India, one in Russia, one in Latin America, and one in Central Asia. Continue reading "GBC College Launches Zonal Supervisor Training in North America
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Srila Prabhupad’s Sankirtan Procession in Vrindavan (30 Oct 2019) (Album of photos)
Every year the day before Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, we take his divine murti form on a Sankirtan Procession to the Saptadevalaya, seven Goswami temples, of Vrndavan. We take him in the very same palanquin that he was taken in 42 years ago! A huge number of devotees joined us this year in this amazing sankirtan procession.

The Forest Of Monkeys (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our parikrama party visited Chamelivan, the forest of jasmine flowers, where Radha and Krsna meet often for Their pastimes. One time Mother Yasoda came there searching for Krsna. Hearing she was coming Krsna jumped into a lake and came out looking like Hanuman. When Mother Yasoda saw “Hanuman” she offered obeisances and left. A playful pastime! A unique feature of the forest is the many thousands of monkeys that live there.

Back to School Night at TKG Academy’s High School, September 2019  When you are in your teens, having your parents tell stories about the time […]

By Vijaya das

New York Harinama has now moved up to the second position in the USA, with 10,568 book points in September. New York harinam and book distribution have become an ever-increasing ocean of transcendental bliss in the Big Apple. How pleased is Srila Prabhupada with this sankirtan team in New York City? Unlimitedly pleased. Continue reading "WSN September 2019 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
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In this short update video Braja Vilasa prabhu, TOVP Director of Development, focuses on the forthcoming historic Grand Opening of the completed Pujari Floor on February 13 and Rooms of Worship sponsorship campaign, as well as a few other aspects of the current temple progress.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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The post TOVP Update – October, 2019 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Govardhana puja celebration at ISKCON Dnipro Ukraine (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If we simply place ourselves at the lotus feet of Krishna by taking to Krishna consciousness and keeping always in touch with Him by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we need not take much trouble in arranging to return to the spiritual world. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.53 Purport)

Ecstatic Govardhan Puja celebration in ISKCON Vrindavan (2019) (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If with the arrow of chanting the holy name of the Lord one pierces Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet, by dint of performing this heroic activity of devotional service on receives the benefit of returning home, back to Godhead. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.42 Purport)

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.18-19.

“Krishna is served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. Nonetheless, He steals butter like one who is poverty-stricken. Yamaraja, the controller of all living entities, fears the order of Krishna, yet Krishna is afraid of His mother’s stick. These contradictions cannot be understood by one who is not a devotee, but a devotee can understand how powerful is unalloyed devotional service to Krishna; it is so powerful that Krishna can be controlled by an unalloyed devotee. This bhrtya-vasyata does not mean that He is under the control of the servant; rather, He is under the control of the servant’s pure love.” —Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19 purport.

Dipavali Evening Houston (Right click to download)

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In Iskcon, we celebrate Diwali, which commemorates the return of Lord Rama, with his wife Sita and brother Laksmana from Ayodhya, after a 14 year exile. He had just battled and killed the demon Ravana.

It is believed that the people of Ayodhya lit ghee lamps along the way to light Their path in the darkness. Since Lord Rama traveled from South India to his kingdom in North India, he passed through the south earlier. This is the reason why the festival is celebrated a day earlier in South India.

Devotees around the world visit the temple and offer candles and ghee lamps to the deities on this day.

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Thousands of vaishnavas gather in Vrindavana for Kartik (1 min. video)
This is the group of devotees that HH Radhanath Swami brings together yearly for the collective glorification of Lord Krishna in His holy land of Vrindavana during the sacred period of Kartik. They perform parikramas, kirtans, hear Krishna katha and relish sadhu-sanga, associating with other saintly vaishnavas performing Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan.
It is a very large group. watching them they look like a sea of transcendental bliss!

Avery old deity of Lord Caitanya donated to Iskcon (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Today our parikrama party celebrated Govardhana Puja with an abhiseka of a large Govardhan-sila, as well as a very old deity of Lord Caitanya that was recently given to us by a family in Bengal. The atmosphere was electric with kirtan as devotees chanted and danced in great ecstasy.

By ISKCON Sannyasa Minister

"We Vaisnava sannyasis carry three danda, or three sticks, combined together. The one stick is the symbol of understanding oneness. The monists only accept cinmatra, there is only one spirit soul; they do not understand the varieties of the spiritual world. And so far our three sticks are concerned, we take it for granted that we have dedicated our life for Krishna's service in three ways, namely, in our body, in our mind and in our words. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has Continue reading "ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry Newsletter
→ Dandavats"