Gundica Clean Up – June 30, 2018
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Please join us on Saturday, June 30th for a very special clean up!

As you may already know, on July 14th we will be holding our 46th annual Festival of India (Ratha Yatra) and every year we clean the temple two weeks in advance. This is following the example set by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who held the first Gundica Clean Up some 500 years ago. This year we will be cleaning the temple on Snana Yatra, which is the day their Lordships Sri Jagannatha, Sri Baladeva and Sri Subhadra are bathed. After this bathing ceremony, all three fall ill and go into seclusion in order to get better. After two weeks, They will re-emerge for Ratha-Yatra. It is important that the temple is clean for when Lord Jagannatha makes His appearance after recuperating from being ill for two weeks.

So please join us for this amazing service. We promise it's going to be a fun day!

Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, June 30th, 2018
Time: 3:00 PM - 6:00PM
What to wear: Clothes that you are willing to get a little dirty.
What to bring: Just yourself! We'll provide everything else you'll need.

Snana-Yatra Festival – July 1, 2018
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A sure sign that the annual Ratha-Yatra (Festival of India) is just around the corner (July 13-15, 2018) is the annual Jagannatha Snana-Yatra festival!

Snana-Yatra is a wonderful festival, wherein Deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra will be bathed amidst amazing kirtan and chanting!

After the bathing ceremony (Snana-Yatra), Lord Jagannātha becomes "sick". He is therefore removed to His private quarters, where no one can see Him.

During the Ratha-Yatra Festival on July 14th, Lord Jagannātha will once again come before the public. Thus for thirteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannātha is not visible to any visitors! Don't miss out this last opportunity to see Lord Jagannatha before his grand Ratha-Yatra festival!

Hall of Fame
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Vrindavana is like a hall of fame. Everywhere you turn there are stories, landmarks and temples commemorating the saintly people who lived here. Ironically, they never wanted any fame.

Back to Godhead Magazine’s Quiet Hero Yamaraja Das Passes Away
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He was 69 years old, and was BTG’s longest-running servant, having worked with Srila Prabhupada’s beloved magazine for 42 years. Yamaraja spent his final days meeting with devotees, hearing how they came to Krishna consciousness and speaking about service to the Lord. He also shared his own heartfelt realizations about how Srila Prabhupada “gave us the real deal.”

Snana-Yatra Meditation – Understanding how God can fall sick – Hindi
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Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

Video:

The post Snana-Yatra Meditation – Understanding how God can fall sick – Hindi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

How to Achieve the Ultimate Goal of Chanting
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Hare KrishnaBy Niranjana Swami

“My devotee is so dear to Me. He is My devotee because He always takes Me into the core of his heart, and he is always praying to Me, "Please let me engage in Your service." My devotee doesn’t want anything else. He is always thinking how he can serve Me. So therefore, I approach My devotee and I say, "Please let Me give you something." But My devotee says, "I don’t want anything." And the Lord says, "I want to give you something. Anything!" Continue reading "How to Achieve the Ultimate Goal of Chanting
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Pure love binds Krishna, and nothing else
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Hare KrishnaBy Purushottam Nitai Das

Neither Krishna likes to be worshipped as God and nor his pure devotees want to worship him as the Supreme Lord. Krishna prefers an informal relationship with his very close devotees as friend, as son and as a paramour. He enjoys joking, laughing, playing and eating with his friends at the bank of Yamuna. He rejoices teasing and dancing with the girls of Gokula. And at home he is a naughty little child of Mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaj. In Vrindavan Krishna is the centre of attraction of all, he is their life and soul, Vrajbasis (residents of Vrindavan) just want to do what pleases Krishna and Krishna reciprocates with them. When Krishna is in front of them they relish each and every activity of him and when he is not in front of their eyes then they remember, sing and discuss Krishna’s various heart touching pastimes. Continue reading "Pure love binds Krishna, and nothing else
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Gita 18.08 Desire for bodily pleasure and fear of bodily trouble both keep us in the cage of bodily consciousness
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.08 Desire for bodily pleasure and fear of bodily trouble both keep us in the cage of bodily consciousness appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Millions in Puri for Lord Jagannath (video) Srila Prabhupada:…
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Millions in Puri for Lord Jagannath (video)
Srila Prabhupada: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.” (Kali-santarana Upanisad)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ncjM3f

Sunday, June 24th, 2018
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Madrid, Spain

Checking Out Miguel

Miguel de Cervantes is the famed author of the fictitious character “Don Quixote” and is memorialized just a few blocks from Hare Krishna Centro.  It was natural to take a stroll there.  Gathering Narottam, a student from Mayapura, India, and Bhakta Jyan, of Guadalajara, to take the lead, browsing about became our way of winding down the day.

The monument is impressive, situated by a pond of water, and just about every tourist who comes to Madrid, takes a walk around while taking a few snap shots. It’s amazing that Don Quixote has become so popular a character.  When I asked my companions, “Who was he?” the straight and simple answer is, “He was a dreamer.”  I know of a few people like that.  I guess his imagination was in the extreme.

Morning and evening engaged me in giving classes, the first was based on the monk, Chaitanya, and his magnanimous ways with prema pumartha maha.  Premais the love that is deeper than any other. It goes beyond the practice of dharma.  If people love the person Don Quixote then they may consider the nature of Krishna and so many avatars.

The second class, at 1:30 p.m., was a component of the Sunday Open House.  The quaint Hare Krishna Centro, just five minutes off San Bernardo, gets packed with people, mostly Spaniards, with the exception of some South Americans settled in the country for better socio-economic opportunities.  Here I spoke (with translation) from Chapter 18 of the Gita.  How glorious is that dialogue between the warrior and the Divine.  “It gives me a thrill,” if not a chill, up the spine, so says Sanjay.

May the Source be with you!
6 km

Saturday, June 23rd, 2018
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Madrid, Spain

How Does It Feel

At 3:45 a.m., just when the party mode was beginning to subside, a guitarist moved his strings, and with his vocals—outside our window—started to sing, “How does it feel to be on your own, like a rolling stone…”  This Bob Dylan classic threw me back to the sixties, but probably it was also a message that roommate, Yadunandan Swami, and I were to start activating our mission for the day and become rolling stones.

Julan Yatra from Tenerife was also to join us on an early attack on the trail, a branch of the famous Santiago Camino that runs through Madrid.  We convened and the air was good, and people were good (sort of); some were high or a bit tipsy from drinking.

Party goers chanted simply upon seeing the three of us, however, a trio of Friday night enthusiasts—two gals and a guy—took us more seriously.  They looked over our mantra card with serious interest.  We were on the first break, standing, and then sitting under an amber street light.

Incidentally, to follow the Camino’s route, you have to keep your eye on the gold-painted arrow.  It led us to a cemetery and the very precincts of the city.  That was good enough.  Thirteen kilometres accomplished.  We had to return to our temple for a scheduled talk on “Tales from Trails” to be held in a cave-like temple.  By the way, the restaurant here is well visited and increases in attendance in the winter.

May the Source be with you!
13 km

Simple living high thinking for the devotees of Iskcon Slovenia…
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Simple living high thinking for the devotees of Iskcon Slovenia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental mission is to distribute love of Godhead to everyone. Anyone who accepts God as the Supreme can take to the process of chanting Hare Krishna and become a lover of God. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 4.41 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/GCHFNF

Friday, June 22nd, 2018
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Alcala de Henares, Spain

Kirtan Where It Helps

Most of my stepping today was in the city above, done during our Hari Nama Sankirtan practice.  Approximately twenty-five of us danced or paced up and down through this trendy downtown, armed with mrdangadrum, kartals(cymbals) and our own good cheer.

It’s funny how people respond to our group.  It ranges from disdain, to indifference, to happiness.  Obviously, we come across as religious, and some store owners don’t see us as a draw to their merchandise.  There are a lot of people, clerks as well as tourists, who just break into a big smile, and that is always reassuring.

It was interesting to see storks flying overhead, and even more-so, landing on municipal towers where their full nesting arrangements have fewer predators at such heights.  There’s always an innate desire to see your species survive and prevail.

While we were chanting the streets under an endless awning, a protection from the sun, a group of protesters were shouting out slogans for justice.  Apparently Spain had one of those instances where a woman was mercilessly and publicly raped, and the guilty group of men have received a less-than-serious sentence.  Of course, people should be penalized to match the offence.  https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/spain-protests-wolfpack-rape-charges_us_5ae520bee4b04aa23f23a2af

What brings people to do such things?  Where do such ideas come from, ideas that get implanted in the brain?

May the Source be with you!
5 km


Thursday, June 21st, 2018
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Romanacos, Spain

At the Top

I am really fortunate because rains have been in abundance, more than usual. It has left everything very green.  Locals say, “It is usually dry at this time.”

The village of Romanacos is approximately seven kilometres from the farm, Vrajamandala. A kind person, Vishnu Dharma, drove us to the top of the hill, right to the site of the village.  There sits an old church from the 16thcentury. A tiny snake seemed to take refuge in the area.  He shared the road with us—Nir, Julan and Lyla.     https://instagram.com/p/BkT_r_igFJn/    The trail is this winding road that is ever so quiet.  It’s hard to believe we are so remote.  Luckily, spring fountains of drinking water are found here and there.  Overall, I find it is a very pleasant place for self-reflection and God-contemplation.

Yadunandan Swami asked that I give classes twice today—once on the story of young prince Dhruva after he met Vishnu, and another on “Whatever you wish to speak about.” For the second one—which was at 6:00 p.m.—I wasn’t sure where I was going to go with it.  It was a nice surprise to see how it terminated.  Each person was left with their own chosen, personal sutra(code) which he/she felt was their direct message from our guru, Srila Prabhupada.

“In a nutshell, what is he asking you to do?”

In truth, I came to Spain primarily to meet with Yadunandan Swami, and two Cuban devotees, Janardan of Madrid, the temple president, and Julan Yatra, vice president of Tenerife.  We discussed, at length, strategy for sharing Krishna Consciousness there. Vrajamandala is a great place to meet.

May the Source be with you!
6 km