The expansion of Sankarshan who sleeps on the ocean of milk, Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, has become Viracandra, who is not different from Chaitanya himself. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 67)
Yadunandanas wife Lakshmi was extremely chaste and devoted to her husband. Two daughters were born to her, Shrimati and Narayani, both of whom were startlingly beautiful. At Jahnavas behest, the fortunate Brahmin gave both of his daughters in marriage to Virabhadra. (Bhakti-ratnakara 13.251-3)
Sri Narahari Chakravarti Thakur has written the following about Virabhadra in his Bhakti-ratnakara: Nityananda Prabhu had a single son, Virabhadra, who was an ocean of virtue and capable of purifying the world. Who can sufficiently glorify him, for their is no limit to his glories? He is famed as the branch of the Nityananda Prabhu. He is the root of all joy, is sometimes known as Virabhadra and sometimes as Viracandra. If anyone sees him even once he will give up everything and make his lotus feet his all-in-all in life. (Bhakti-ratnakara 9.413-4, 420-1)
Govinda’s restaurant in Nuuanu, Hawaii.
Denby Fawcett: Stress Eating In the Time Of Trump.
In this period of increasing political unrest in Hawaii and daily rants from a panicked U.S. president facing impeachment, it is calming to know there are places of refuge in Honolulu to regroup.
In preparation for the Grand Opening of the Pujari Floor of the TOVP on February 13, 2020, TOVP Chairman Ambarisa prabhu recently visited Sridham Mayapur.
He was very pleased with the overall progress and management by Cushman and Wakefield, the Project Management Consultancy overseeing the general construction finishing work. The following is a photo collection of the tour on October 10.
An official announcement regarding the Grand Opening of the Pujari Floor will follow shortly and we invite all devotees to attend.
The Hare Krishna Temple warmly invites one and all to join us for a reflective evening as we observe Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day on Thursday, October 31st, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. On this day, we reflect on the remarkable life of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on the anniversary of his passing (known as the Disappearance Day).
ISKCON is now a worldwide movement and is comprised of more than 350 centres, 60 rural communities, 50 schools and 60 restaurants around the globe. This day will provide a great chance to meditate on what Srila Prabhupada means to us.
Please join us for the festivities that will start at 6:00pm with arati and will continue until approximately 8:30pm. Please join us as we glorify Srila Prabhupada on this very important day.
Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.
Olivia reported some highlights from the Happy Cow Festival, held March 29, 2019:
100-150 guests, many of which were locals
Demonstrations, including incense making
Devananda played live music
Some of the cows were decorated for the event
Nityodita and Anandavidya told stories about the cows
Kids’ activities
This was a positive first experience in planning and hosting this festival which the organizers can build on in future years.
Here’s a link to a Wheeling Intelligencer new article about the festival.
2. Ranaka’s Monthly Report:
Lalita Gopi (Temple Barn):
There are eight cows being milked: Subhadra, Surabhi, Cintamani, Parijata, Sita, Vamsika, Jaya Radhe, and Usha
22 gal of milk are produced daily.
20 gal of yogurt and 30 lb of butter are produced weekly.
There are five calves: Prahlada, Satyabhama, Puspavati, Narada, and Dhruva.
Lakshmi was dried off and moved to the Valley Barn to be bred by Dharma.
Anjali was dried off, retired, and moved to Bahulaban.
Joshua Rama is helping with the milking
Ray (General Farm Hand):
Hauled four dump trailer loads of aged manure from Nandagram to the Valley high tunnel site for a total of eight loads.
Cut, baled, and stacked 243 bales in the barns. He was assisted by Joshua Rama, Daniel, and Caitanya Bhagavat. Total hay baled and stored in the Valley and Nandagram Barns is now 681 800-lb round bales.
Brush-hogged various pastures.
Removed and piled a build-up of manure from outside the Temple Barn into a staging area to be moved to a composting area at a later date.
Made repairs to tractor and hay wagon tires along with repair work on the hay baler stringing system.
Caitanya Bhagavat (Cow Care):
Daily cow care at Nandagram and Bahulaban, included:
monitored the herd numbers
health checks
arranged and facilitated veterinarian visits
checked and maintained fence lines
mowed and weed-whacked at Nandagram and the Valley Barn
Put up a new, high tensile fence at the milking barn pasture with assistance from Daniel.
Cleared the vegetation circling the electric fence around the Nandagram bullpen.
Suchandra (Gardens): Community Garden:
cleared area for next planting of green beans
trimmed tomatoes and sprayed with organic disease repellent
harvested tomatoes, green beans, green/hot peppers, cucumbers, zinnias and marigolds.
secured fencing to keep the deer out
mowed and weed-whacked with help from others
Teaching Garden:
Mowed and weeded every week.
Planted last crop of marigolds.
Laid the last of the mulch in rows and beds.
Deadheaded marigolds and lilies
Harvested green beans, tomatoes, gladiolas, and small marigolds.
Harvested blueberries at Bahulaban for the second time. 5 lb were sold at Ratha Yatra.
Harvested and delivered to the temple during July 2019:
Zinnias – 52
Lilies – 200
Small marigolds – 1,700
Large marigold – 828
Gladiolas – 70
Green pepper – 2
Tomato – 20
Hot pepper – 16
Green beans – 66 lb
Vidya (Vidya’s Garden):
Angie worked on the high tunnel
300-500 flowers were picked, three days per week
Tomatoes were picked daily.
Kale was used from the garden for smoothies at the promotion in Pittsburgh
Vidya’s Garden harvest totals for July 2019:
Large marigolds – 525
Small marigold – 7182
Gladiolas – 95
Lillies – 1291
Kale – 107 bunches
Lettuce – 8 heads
Green beans – 73.5 pounds
Red cabbage – 2 Heads
Roma tomatoes – 102 pounds
Big tomatoes – 236 pounds
Cherry tomatoes – 37 pounds
Peppers – 18 pounds
Bitter melon – 38 pounds
Lila (Nandagram Garden):
Harvested and delivered to the temple kitchen (all quantities reported in pounds):
Zucchini – 147.5
Summer squash-4.75
Sweet peas – 9
Beets – 8.75
Green beans – 46.75
Cherry tomatoes – 13.5
Cucumber – 30.25
Hot pepper – 1.75
Roma tomatoes – 9
Large tomatoes – 40.5
Carrots – 2.5
Ranaka (General Manager):
worked with Gintras and John Blackmore in regard to bringing water and electric to the two high tunnels in the Valley and the one at Vidya’s. All three high tunnels now have water and electric, and the automatic side curtains are set up and working properly.
With no changes, the herd count remains at 66.
3. Next ECO-V Board & Staff Meeting
The next ECO-V board/staff meeting will be on September 27 at 10:00 AM.
Harinama in Mexico’s country-side (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We should not forget the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra under any circumstances. It will help us in the greatest danger, as we find in the life of Gajendra. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 8.3.1 Purport)
HH Sacinandana Swami: As I’m sitting here in Vrindavan, as the minutes, hours and days go by, I am more and more interested in the close God, not so much the distant God. I’m less interested in the God, Who is only thought about, but not experienced, Who is philosophized about, but not seen. As I chant, I think deeply about how to establish real contact with the Lord.
MotelGita: San Diego MotelGita team distributing the timeless wisdom of Gita to moteliers nearby (Album of photos)
What is Transcendental Knowledge?
It is the spiritual knowledge of soul, of God & of their relationship which is both purifying and liberating.
Below is the excerpt from class on Radha Kund appearance by HH Jayapataka Swami, given on 21-10-2019, Sridham Mayapur. Today is the appearance of Radha Kunda “So I will first speak a few words about the appearance of Radha Kunda. One demon was sent by king Kamsa to kill Krsna and Balarama and he took […]
PLEASE NOTE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED, CONTEST DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Date of the contest: Satrurday, December 7th, 2019
Venue: ISKCON Hare Krishna temple,
243 Avenue Road, Toronto.
The schedule for the day is as follows:
1:15 - 1:45 p.m.: Registrations
1:50 - 1:55 p.m.: Welcome address and guidelines
2:00 - 4:30 p.m.: Gita contest
4:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Ekadasi Snack Prasadam
The award ceremony for the prize winners will be held on Sunday, December 8th 2019 between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm at the ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple, Toronto.
Krishna's Funskool at ISKCON Toronto is pleased to announce the Gita Contest 2019 – Bhagavad Gita competitions for children.
Event Date: Saturday, December 7th, 2019 Venue: The Hare Krishna Temple, 243 Avenue Road, Toronto Category 1: Age 3-5 years - Recitation and Translation
Category 2: Age: 6-8 years - Recitation and Translation
Category 3: Age: 9-12 years - Recitation, Translation and application
Category 4: Age: 13-17 years - Chapter study - MCQ and a short presentation
Please register by filling the Registration form here.
Last date for registrations is Sunday, 1st December, 2019 midnight.
Please note: The selected verses will be sent by email to the participants on completion of registration
Assured prizes and Certificates of Participation for all contestants
For Gita verses and translations, please refer only to 'Bhagavad-gita As it is' by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Registration fee is $20 per child (can be paid online at torontokrishna.com, by Cheque, EMT, or at the registration desk at the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple on Sundays between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m.)
For details about content for Bhagavad Gita contest, registration and other information, contact us at 416-830-6850 or email us at kids@torontokrishna.com.
Javat, Ter Kadamba, Vrinda Kund (20 Oct, 2019) (Album of photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: This was our favorite Parikrama, going to Javat and then walking the dusty path to Ter Kadamba. In Javat we begged 150 rotis! Then we went to Vrinda Kunda for delicious lunch.
Arjun Bhattacharyya: Our Karttika parikrama went to Javat and then walked to Ter Kadamba on one of the last dusty trails left in Braja! Javat is the place of Radharani’s so-called husband Abhimanyu, and mother-in-law Jatila and sister-in-law Kutila. Ter Kadamba is the favorite cow-herding place of Krishna and the cowherd boys. At both places many delightful pastimes of the Lord were recounted very vividly by HG Deena Bandhu Prabhu. Then we all went to Vrinda Kunda for delicious lunch. Vrinda Kunda is a lovely natural place where Vrinda Devi, the goddess of Vrindavan, resides.
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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19.
“Krishna is always fully independent; when He becomes subordinate to His devotees, this is a display of ananda-cinmaya-rasa, the humor of transcendental qualities that increases His transcendental pleasure. Everyone worships Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He sometimes desires to be controlled by someone else. Such a controller can be no one else but a pure devotee.” Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19 purport.
About ninety people took a barge across the lake for the Govindadvipa Mellows event, held on Sunday October 13th. They included devotees from counties all over Ireland; as well as some from India, Mauritius, England and Eastern Europe. Some devotees brought newcomers with them who were making their first trip to the temple.
ISKCON Mayapur Damodar Astakam & Deepdan October 21, 2019 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 20.21)
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican sends their cordial greetings and sincere good wishes as Hindus celebrate Deepavali on 27 October this year.
A world record for “Largest Addiction Awareness Festival” was awarded in the event by World Book of Records, London, to Gopal Krishna Goswami, ISKCON GBC, in presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Unioun Health Minister.
Rishabh Verma: The Bhakti tradition is quite different to other traditions of the world. While most other traditions long after peace and happiness, the Bhakti tradition strives after the satisfaction of our eternal master, Lord Krsna. Read More...
Lord Krishna can be served in any situation!
Srila Prabhupada: Hearing the vibration of Hare Krishna automatically reminds one of Krishna’s pastimes. Both of them arise simultaneously in the mind when one is sincerely chanting. You cannot make any distinction between listening to the sound and thinking of the pastimes. But the process is to hear, and then Krishna’s pastimes, form, qualities, etc. will automatically come to mind. That is very nice. Letter to Satsvarupa, April 10, 1969
Love is Greater than God!
“I’m the God of love, I only want my devotees to love me. I don’t want service that is not offered out of love.”
HH Sacinandana Swami: Have you ever thought about the significance of the Damodara-lila?
27th September to 3rd of October the Conference was carried out in West Siberia, near the city with an almost Vedic name – Omsk. This city has a temple of Sri Sri Radha Govinda – the only temple in Russia with Radha Govinda Deities. The Conference proper was carried out in two venues, 30 km away from Omsk – the “Five Truths” family house and the “Planet of Cows” eco-farm. Continue reading "First Russian ISKCON Farm Conference → Dandavats"
Visit to Vrinda-kund (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday our parikrama party visited Vrinda-kund. There we had darshan of Vrinda Devi’s Deity form and the sacred lake in which she bathes. Bada Haridas prabhu gave a beautiful class and bhajan. Devotees were very happy in the spiritual atmosphere of that most sacred place, as can easily be seen on their faces here in the photos!
If you are not chanting 16 rounds, however..." and He stopped for a moment and opened His lotus eyes very wide, moving His hand back and forth in front of His face, and He continued... "then your whereabouts are unknown!"
Question: If our faith is attacked internally or externally, what should we do?
Answer: The approaches are different for both. Internal doubts can be dealt by going to devotees who know that subject. We have to learn which kind of devotee can address which kind of doubts. If we are analytical then we need the association of someone who is analytical. If we are culturally oriented, then we need the association of someone culturally oriented. Basically, we need spiritual guides and mentors who understand our mind and then help us.
Understanding someone’s mind means to step into the shoes of the seeker and understand the problem from seeker’s perspective otherwise situation will not improve. Generic advises like – why you think so much, just chant Hare Krishna – may not resolve the issue the seeker is struggling with.
Srila Rupa Goswami also emphasized like-minded association, therefore we need devotees who will understand and not judge us for our doubts. Some doubts have to be kept in seclusion where we withhold our judgement. Sometimes we doubt our beliefs and believe our doubts, but it is also important that we doubt our doubts.
There are two kinds of doubts – (i) head doubts (ii) heart doubts. Head doubts are more intellectual. For example, Srimad Bhagavatam describes the length of the Meru mountain as beyond sensory perception. Historians may doubt how can something be so big. In the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, the path by which Lord Krishna came from Hastinapura to Dwarka is described. Srila Prabhupada says that some historians may try to retrace the path by which Krishna came but the surface of the Earth keeps changing and tracing Krishna’s path may be quite difficult. Therefore, devotees are simply satisfied that Krishna has returned to Dwarka to perform pastimes with his devotees. Srimad Bhagavatam is not a book of geography. It has some geographical knowledge but that it is not the specific purpose of the book. Such details are not to be given lot of emphasis. We study scriptures to pursue the purpose that was pursued by the original students of the scriptures. Head doubts are about facts and figures, which are important, but we study scriptures to remember Krishna and to increase our devotion for Krishna.
Heart doubts need to be addressed whereas head doubts can be kept in suspension. If people ask questions then we need to see what kind of people they are. If they are asking genuine questions, then we should answer them, but if people simply criticise everything out of habit it is better to keep a safe distance from them. One of the keys in having healthy relationships is – do not overvalue people who devalue you. If someone devalues our faith, then do not overvalue their ideas. We should rather value those who value us.
After years of dreaming of a better, more modern IPM website for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, today it finally manifested. I felt like crying out of joy! Kṛṣṇa helped me make this desire a reality by inspiring Svarbhanu prabhu to embrace this project as his service. I am so very grateful to him
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in a lecture at Radha-kunda on 16th October, 1932 said: “I have taken bath in Radha-kunda ,” “I took a dip in Radha-kunda ,” “I am a lump of flesh and blood,” “I am my wife’s maintainer,” “I am a sannyasi,” “I am a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, or sudra” – thinking in any of these ways disqualifies one to bathe in Radha-kunda . What to speak of such materialistic conceptions, if we are filled with the attitude of awe and reverence we also cannot bathe in Radha-kunda . We have to tread the path of Sri Radha’s maidservants without imitating them. Continue reading "Sharing Radha-kunda Secrets → Dandavats"
Don’t Buy the Big Tube!
HG Vaisesika prabhu: I met a pathologist recently who works with cancer patients. She explained to me that there is a certain kind of pancreatic cancer that is most deadly and that one who contracts it can survive only a few months, at the most.
Rishabh Verma: The Bhakti tradition is quite different to other traditions of the world. While most other traditions long after peace and happiness, the Bhakti tradition strives after the satisfaction of our eternal master, Lord Krsna.
By Bhaktin Anna
After years of dreaming of a better, more modern IPM website for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, today it finally manifested. I felt like crying out of joy! Kṛṣṇa helped me make this desire a reality by inspiring Svarbhanu prabhu to embrace this project as his service. I am so very grateful to him
By Srimati Dasi