Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Most relishable! (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The 8th annual Sadhu Sanga Retreat in North Carolina has attracted over 2,000 devotees from all over America. The main focus is as always, kirtan. With some of ISKCON’s best chanters it is a most relishable experience.
These days with advanced technology in realm of printing, it is possible to deliver philosophical concepts quite attractively with posters, and displays. 
First Russian Farm Conference: Omsk, Siberia.
ISKCON’s farm in Omsk, creatively entitled “The Planet of Cows,” produces large quantities of cruelty-free milk as a result of careful cow protection and community development. They draw many visitors interested in agro-tourism, have partnered with the Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture, and presented their project at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga in Mayapur in 2018.
Now Omsk devotees are ready to launch the first Russian Farm Conference, which will take place from September 27th to 29th this year. Topics will include soil technologies that enhance farming, agro-tourism, and how to connect the urban and rural environments in Russia.
Check out their website and feel inspired!
http://en.planetakorov.ru/en
Srila Prabhupada’s Faith in the Holy Name, May 26, Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat, Boone, North Carolina.
HH Giriraj Swami: “Hearing of the holy name gradually promotes one to the stage of hearing about His form, His attributes, His pastimes, and so on, and thus the necessity of the chanting of His glories develops successively. This process is recommended not only for the successful execution of devotional service, but also even for those who are materially attached. According to Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, this way of attaining success is an established fact, concluded not only by him but also by all other previous acaryas. Therefore, there is no need of further evidence. The process is recommended not only for the progressive students in different departments of ideological success, but also for those who are already successful in their achievement as fruitive workers, as philosophers or as devotees of the Lord.
“Srila Jiva Gosvami instructs that chanting of the holy name of the Lord should be loudly done, and it should be performed offenselessly as well, as recommended in the Padma Purana. One can deliver himself from the effects of all sins by surrendering himself unto the Lord. One can deliver himself from all offenses at the feet of the Lord by taking shelter of His holy name. But one cannot protect himself if one commits an offense at the feet of the holy name of the Lord. Such offenses are mentioned in the Padma Purana as being ten in number.” SB 2.1.112 purport.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11
The Global Peace Initiative of Women welcomed two leaders in the field of spiritual ecology, Dr Vandana Shiva and Radhanath Swami to their offices in New York to discuss some of the ecological challenges facing our planet. Vandana Shiva’s NGO, Navdanya, focuses on promoting sustainable practices, like seed-saving, promoting more bio-diversity and is on the front lines in India and around the world battling the big chemical and GMO giants in order to protect the small farmer.
The festivals keep coming!
The Vyasa-puja festival was just a month ago and now we are already planning for Kartik; this time with a special surprise! Before we however get into that, we would like to invite you again to book your holidays this year to join the annual Vrindavana Parikrama.
Kadamba Kanana Swami will once again take us through the Krsna book and make it come alive by visiting all the holy places where the pastimes of Krsna and his friends & families took place. To get you in the spirit of Kartik, we encourage you to read the book “Under the Desire Trees” by Kadamba Kanana Swami (visit the shop).
In this book, Kadamba Kanana Swami guides us through the intimate pastimes that are taking place in the holy land of Vrindavana and Braja. The book was compiled from classes and stories recorded during the Vrindavana parikrama in 2018.
The dates for Vrindavana Parikrama 2019 are 1-12 Nov 2019!
Special Surprise – Jaipur
Each year, we visit the main temples in Vrindavana. And each year, we are told that several original deities were moved to Jaipur in Rajasthan during a muslim invasion. So this year, we are planning a special 3-day trip to Jaipur to see the deities of Govinda Dev, Radha Gopinatha, Radha Damodara, Madana Mohan and Vinodi Lal.
Since this is a 3-day trip, transport and accommodation (hotel) will be provided once registration takes place. We are still not ready with the planning, so changes may take place. Please note that the pricing for this special trip will be higher than usual as it will include transport and accommodation to Jaipur!
Once all the preparations and planning are finalized, the registration form will be made available here: kksblog.com/parikrama
* Schedule and programs are subject to change!
The article " Vrindavana Braja Parikrama 2019 " was published on KKSBlog.
“Hearing of the holy name gradually promotes one to the stage of hearing about His form, His attributes, His pastimes, and so on, and thus the necessity of the chanting of His glories develops successively. This process is recommended not only for the successful execution of devotional service, but also even for those who are materially attached. According to Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, this way of attaining success is an established fact, concluded not only by him but also by all other previous acaryas. Therefore, there is no need of further evidence. The process is recommended not only for the progressive students in different departments of ideological success, but also for those who are already successful in their achievement as fruitive workers, as philosophers or as devotees of the Lord.
Srila Jiva Gosvami instructs that chanting of the holy name of the Lord should be loudly done, and it should be performed offenselessly as well, as recommended in the Padma Purana. One can deliver himself from the effects of all sins by surrendering himself unto the Lord. One can deliver himself from all offenses at the feet of the Lord by taking shelter of His holy name. But one cannot protect himself if one commits an offense at the feet of the holy name of the Lord. Such offenses are mentioned in the Padma Purana as being ten in number.” SB 2.1.112 purport.
Podcast
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Her Grace Labangalatika Dasi ACBSP left her body.
Nirguna Dasi: Her Grace Labangalatika Dasi left her body today at 12 noon. I...
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 31 December 2018, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.21)
We have to conquer in relationships. We can never take them for granted and we can never think, “Now this person’s commitment is assured, so there is no need to put in effort.” When there is a marriage and the ring goes on the finger, it does not mean much; it is just a little piece of metal. Marriage actually means that one has to conquer. So we should not think that now that the ring is there, there is no need to conquer the other person.
This is the same in the relationship between a guru and his disciple. One may initiate someone, but it does not mean that they become the property of the guru (although technically speaking, they are a property of the guru, in accordance with the Caitanya Caritamrta). The disciples however do not always behave like the property of the guru because it does not always work so easily in this world – “Put a banana in the fire and now you are my property!” It is not so easy (laughter). So this is how we can see that there is an ongoing process of conquering when it comes to relationships.
So it is to be remembered that relationships are based on conquering one another and it is in that way that we are able to spread this movement of Krsna consciousness. We conquer people not through some technique or fixed process, but simply by making an effort and displaying great qualities.
The article " Conquering in relationships " was published on KKSBlog.
New York Ratha-Yatra, Saturday June 8th 
By Mina Sharma Around sixty devotees from across Europe and the US have gathered in New Vrajamandala in Spain, to participate in the European Communications Conference running from 27th - 30th May. Day one of the conference has focused upon ISKCON and the Environment, where there have been exciting presentations from a number of devotees. HG Shaunaka Rsi Dasa spoke about the Vedic Perspective on the Environment, where he discussed the Vedic concepts of Rta (cosmic order) and Rtu (cycles) and how these are innate in nature - we as material entities form a small part of the system, but our contribution is service not stewardship. He also described the importance of Mother Bhumi, Lord Visnu's wife, who when she approached Brahma for help, all came to her aid. Shaunaka Prabhu said: "We are not separate from nature - we cannot harm nature without harming ourselves." Continue reading "European Communications conference – Day 1
→ Dandavats"
Hare Krishna Festival in SINGAPORE (10 min. video)
Highlights MUSIC FESTIVAL RATH YATRA with Madhavas Rock Band.
Gaur Gopal Das’ youtube channel reaches 2 million subscribers!
Gaur Gopal Das is a devotee of Krishna and a personal coach, monk, lifestyle & motivational strategist, author.
Milestone: 2 MILLION subscribers on Youtube
Kaundinyapur is tiny village, 2 hours from Nagpur in Amravati, Maharashtra on the banks of river Wardha. This is birthplace of Rukmini Ji, the principal queen of Lord Krishna. This is also where famous Rukmini haran (kidnapping) pastime took place. Here there is famous Sri Vitthala Rukmini temple, the exact spot of Rukmini’s palace. 
Photos from Watford Ratha Yatra 2019.
Please find below photos from the Watford Ratha Yatra 2019.
Slideshow (sound on sup...
[Talk at Montreal, Canada]
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The post The story of Vishvamitra – part 2 – Overcoming anger and arrogance appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Podcast
The post Can Abhimanyu’s getting trapped in Chakravuha be compared to our getting trapped in samsara-cakra? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at ISKCON, Scarborough, Canada]
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The post TRUST acronym for strengthening relationships appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Cooking demonstration by Srila Prabhupada’s personal cooks (video)
Srutakirti das: Ten days in a row Srila Prabhupada asked me for this same preparation, it was that good!
It was my first time cooking for demonstration. I didn’t set up the kitchen but it went pretty well I think. Check it out and thank you.
Care for each other and our children 
On 1 June 2019, devotees from various temples in Australia will attend a one-day conference on New Govardhana farm, Murwillumbah, Northern New South Wales. Presenters at the conference will be devotees who are developing Vaishnava community welfare services including mentoring, counseling, mental health support, youth support, widows support, palliative care and caring for the sick, women’s support, social justice and more. 
Brisbane Festival of Chariots 2019 (6 min. video)
Brisbane’s annual Festival of Chariots held in May 2019. In the intro you will hear the voice of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami speaking, recorded in the 1970’s- addressing a crowd at a Ratha Yatra festival.
I tried repeatedly to reach chaplains from female institutions—to obtain their permission to place books in their chapel libraries—but unfortunately, chaplains are very hard to reach and my time is always very limited, so I never went far with this project. Over the years, at different times, three volunteers also attempted to reach these chaplains, with similar poor results. 
Rathayatra in Dnipro, Ukraine (15 min. video)
Indradyumna Swami: Dnipro is one of the main cities in Ukraine. We arrived just in time for the local temple’s celebration of Nrsimha Caturdasi and next day’s Ratha Yatra. A thousand devotees attended both programs. There are over 10,000 devotees in Ukraine. It is a paradise for those sharing Krsna consciousness. And those fortunate to join are well taken care of.
Podcast
The post Does spirituality cure depression or manage depression? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Montreal, Canada]
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The post How the laws of nature work and what role Krishna plays in them appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
The leaders of the Australian Yatra came to New Govardhana for the annual general meeting. This year it was held in the special seminar room above the new goshala so we had the benefit of having mother cow and bull underneath.
It was a beautiful atmosphere and our host, Ajita Prabhu, looked after everyone’s needs nicely. There were a lot of important topics discussed but for me the association was especially sweet. Of course, darshan of Their Lordships, kirtan and wonderful prasadam, cooked by Garuda, perfected the experience.
Day 2 - Sadhu Sanga 2019 (video)
The Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat is an offering by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami, one of the s...
When Kishori Dasi tried to “trick” Srila Prabhupada (10 min. video)
This is another hilarious story from yesterday’s reunion of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and cooks in Los Angeles.
Dr. Patel’s advice for rice deprivation didn’t work out well with Srila Prabhupada! (3 min. video)
This is a hilarious story from yesterday’s reunion of Srila Prabhupada’s cooks and disciples in Los Angeles.
Did Srila Prabhupada like pizza and pasta spaghetti? (3 min. video)
This is an excerpt from yesterday’s reunion of Srila Prabhupada’s cooks and disciples in Los Angeles.
Rathayatra in Nairobi, Kenya (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love o...
Blissful Rathayatra in Rome, Italy (Album of photos and videos)
Hundreds of devotees led the parade of Rathayatra yesterday in the center of Italy’s capital by ecstatic chanting and dancing.
Find them here: https://is.gd/8HECEQ
Up And Running (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The 8th annual Sadhu Sanga Retreat in Boon, North Carolina is up and running. We held the first session on Friday night, even as 2,400 registered devotees were arriving. By the end of the evening the kirtan hall was packed. Devotees stayed until 11 p.m. as BB Govinda Maharaja led a most amazing kirtan. Just a precursor for what’s ahead!
Prabhupada Festival 2019 in Los Angeles (Album of photos)
Big gathering of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples yesterday in New Dwarka about the “adventures” of cooking for him.
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[Talk at Montreal, Canada]
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The post The story of Vishvamitra – Obstacles on the spiritual path – Part 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Talk at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada]
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The post Our worst enemy is inside us – and so is our best friend – Analyze, Confront, Empower appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Adult Education At The Temple
