Planet ISKCON – Page 632 – Websites from the ISKCON Universe

KC presentation in BRICS Alliance Business Forum (Album with…
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KC presentation in BRICS Alliance Business Forum (Album with photos)
Gaur Gopal Das delivered a keynote speech at first ever B...

“The Essence of Cooperation”
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“The Essence of Cooperation” A lecture by HH Kesava Bharati Goswami (video)

Preaching program in Kazan Russia (Album with photos) Bhakti…
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Preaching program in Kazan Russia (Album with photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: We are now in Kazan in Russia. The devotees have...

Seeing through the eyes of the Bhagavatam
→ SivaramaSwami.com

Ratha Yatra in Parramatta, Australia 2018 (Album with…
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Ratha Yatra in Parramatta, Australia 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Preach as much as possible, by sankirtana, big sankirtana. Big sankirtana is book distribution, and small sankirtana is with mrdanga. Big sankirtana is going on all over the world; small sankirtana locally. Overflood the demons’ godless civilization. Our declaration of war against this godless civilization. - December 31, 1976, Bombay
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qwHPPs

Path of surrender
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By Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami

A path of surrender means attentive chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. Path of surrender means attentive study of scriptures. Path of surrender means describing the glories of Krishna to other people. Path of surrender means to live in cooperation with the vaisnavas. Because all of these different activities will help to change the consciousness, change our attitude. Continue reading "Path of surrender
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The boundaries of movie watching
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 May 2018, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.19.25-32)

We have to be very careful when it comes to sense enjoyment. Even though it is allowed, it must be within the realm of devotional service. For example, many people go watch movies and there are some scenes in those movies that are a little bit inappropriate. They can be sinful. One may say, “Oh, I am not affected by this. I see these things but they do not do anything to me. Nothing at all! They just bounce straight off. It’s just some man and woman doing some things.”

When speaking about illicit sex, it is said: smaranam kirtanam kelih preksanam guhyam asanam sankalpo adhyavasaya. Remembering, hearing, speaking, performing, joking and playing around, looking and so on, all form part of illicit sex and therefore contribute to illicit sexual activity. So even preksanam (looking) comes into play, because when we are watching movies with illicit sex in them, it classifies as engaging in illicit sex. Therefore, one has to be careful. There are boundaries to watching movies. I also sometimes watch movies; however, they are Krsna conscious ones.

Just looking is basically santa rasa (neutrality). You notice that people who watch television or movies all the time eventually become totally passive. These people cannot do anything anymore. Therefore, this whole movie culture is just turning us into passive santa rasa vegetables. So instead, we must be active; actively do service. We have to use our own creativity and determine how we can serve Krsna and ask ourselves, “What can I do for Krsna?”

The article " The boundaries of movie watching " was published on KKSBlog.

Sastra-sanga at the Bhaktivedanta College
→ SivaramaSwami.com

The Secret for a Happy Family is this…
→ Dandavats

The Secret for a Happy Family is this…(3 min video)
Sivarama Swami: Teach your children well!

Shan-henda from the Sultanate of Oman … This bright and…
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Shan-henda from the Sultanate of Oman … This bright and inquisitive student at the University of California Riverside seemed fascinated to see these books translated into her native Arabic. She eagerly bought both the Arabic Gita and “Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers” from Prema Sankirtan Prabhu.
“Queen of queens” was the translation she gave for her unique Arabian name. If she keeps reading her new transcendental books with an open and sincere heart, she may just one day find herself fortunate enough to be serving the Supreme Queen of Queens in the eternal land of Sri Vrndavan dhama. Such is the inconceivable mercy pouring forth from Srila Prabhupada’s books…!

Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Viprahita Das Prabhu has left…
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Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Viprahita Das Prabhu has left this world.
Lalita Sakhi: Hare Krsna!
Dear beloved devotees and friends…
Dandavat Pranams! All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!
I’m sorry to have to announce that Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Viprahita Das Prabhu has left this world at 5:10am yesterday morning.
There will be a funeral service this afternoon. We’re sorry for the short notice. The details are below as well as a short biography of Viprahita Prabhu’s life!
Jaya Nitai Gauranga!
Viprahita Prabhu was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1974 in the Henry Street, Brooklyn Temple. He was born and raised in the Dominic Republic and his family came to New York in the 60’s. Viprahita was a yoga teacher in New York before joining ISKCON. He did book distribution and preaching in New York, Hong Kong. Later he went to Los Angeles to serve in the Spanish BBT as a translator.
He spent some time in Miami doing preaching and deity worship.
He went to Puerto Rico in 1984 to assist in running a preaching center.
He married his wife, Ananga Manjari there, and they moved to Alachua in 2013. He met the devotees of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja in Alachua and became attracted to serving Sri Sri Radha Govinda. He would daily do the morning puja and bathing until he became too sick to continue.
Viprahita Prabhu was a joyful and humble devotee who loved to dance in Kirtan. He was loved by all and he will be remembered for his oceanic smile and ecstatic dancing, especially on HariNama Sankirtan!
Viprahita Prabhu is survived by his wife and daughter, Anne Jeanette (Anasuya dd) who lives in Orlando.

ISKCON New Vrindaban Continues its Jubilee-Year Celebrations
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By Anuradha Imseng

On Thursday, 17 May 2018, a second VIP event was held at ISKCON New Vrindaban to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary with dignitaries, supporters, friends, and local and worldwide devotees. It was an opportunity to thank the guests for their unrelenting support during New Vrindaban’s fifty-year journey. The pre-event began with a tour of Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, the breathtaking memorial shrine (Smriti Samadhi) of Srila Prabhupada, while the lady guests were treated to henna tattoo art and saris to wear to the occasion. Continue reading "ISKCON New Vrindaban Continues its Jubilee-Year Celebrations
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Should we critically evaluate bhakti or just believe and practice it?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast

The post Should we critically evaluate bhakti or just believe and practice it? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Visitors from Isreal
Giriraj Swami

My disciple Rohini-nandana Dasa, from Israel, who has helped tremendously with my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, and his devoted wife, Vrinda Devi Dasi, a wonderful disciple of Bhurijana Prabhu (she took the picture), have come to spend eight days with us in Carpinteria. We are truly relishing their association, and look forward to more of it whenever time and circumstances—and Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy—allow. They and other devotees are rendering invaluable service to Sri Guru and Gauranga in Israel.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

The untainted classical literature
→ Servant of the Servant

In the Old Testament, there is the tale of Moses meeting God and God speaks through the burning bush etc. There are other stories of God speaking to Abraham or Jesus meeting God on a hill etc. However, neither the Bible nor the Koran describes the God of Abraham. We are only left with our own imagination.

In the middle ages, great painters especially Michelangelo paints God as an old man with a white beard implying God is ravaged by time yet God by definition cannot possibly be under time but above it. The same is true for Moses or Jesus or Mohammed. There is no description of how they look. When we are left with a faceless God, we are bound to speculate and invariably our speculation will result in an impersonal entity because it is impossible to imagine a God who has form and yet omnipotent. Whatever form we may think of, it will look human and thus not omnipotent. Besides it does not help if the first and second commandments of the Abrahamic religions denounces worshiping form or image. As a result of all of this, the Abrahamic tradition of religion is very human centric (anthropocentric) putting human survival and values above all with salvation as the pinnacle of human existence. They go one step more and argue that only their way is the way heralding the modern age of struggle of religious superiority.

The battle for religious superiority and bigotry has seen many wars in the crusades, internal schisms, and institutional abuse. Therefore, we have to question all this and ask if this is worth it? Unless there is a tangible and verifiable description of God and His pastimes, it is not possible to not fight on the grounds of moral self-righteousness. The ego is that powerful. Hence right in the beginning the Srimad Bhagavatam sets the standard -anyone with a trace of envy cannot and will not appreciate this great literature for this book is for the purest of souls.

In it we find such descriptive explanations about God, the concept of Godhead, His devotees, and ultimately salvation for the human spirit - pure love. Certainly no book east or west can compare to the supreme descriptions in the Bhagavatam. It is like the shining sun in the sky, any doubt about the position of God, His creation and the purpose of life that may arise in our heart at once can be quelled in the pages of the Bhagavatam. If one truly desires freedom from all suffering, one has to give up all material religions and take up to the study of the amalam puranam (the untainted classical literature).

kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha
kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa
purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ

This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.

- SB 1.3.43

Hare Krishna

What is Krishna Consciousness? (13 min video)
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What is Krishna Consciousness? (13 min video)
Krishna Demystified interviews Kaliyaphani on his experience being involved in t...

In The Lap Of Krishna (5 min video) Krishna says there is a…
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In The Lap Of Krishna (5 min video)
Krishna says there is a spiritual world which is beyond this world. One can only attain that world when we live a life which is free from duplicity, pride, hypocrisy. When we actually try to lead a pure life free from greed, pride, lust, envy and anger. And we actually focus our attention and mind in how to serve the Supreme Lord and His desire. Let us appreciate that all of us, have our own small and big struggles. We should be convinced that we are not alone in our struggles, whether we are able to see or not, whether we are able to experience or not, we are ultimately all struggling in the lap of Krishna’s desire. And if we turn our attention to actually accept His desire favorably, we will be in his loving embrace.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/g9oERs