ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 04/15/2018
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ECO-Vrindaban New Vrindaban ISKCON cows gardens Prabhupada

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 04/15/2018

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

Participating Directors: Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara, Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Bhima (partial attendance) and Kalakantha (partial attendance).

Participating Staff: Caitanya Bhagavat, Lalita Gopi, and Vidya.

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

Ananda Vidya and Lalita Gopi:

  • are currently milking seven cows: Jamuna, Surabhi, Laxmi, Sita, Anjali, Sriya, and Malati. Milk production is up to approximately 34 gal. per day.
  • There are four heifers residing at the Temple Barn: 16-month-old Vamsika, eight-month-old Lalita, four-month-old Gopi Katyayani, and six-week-old Gaurangi.
  • Parvati continues to reside with Dharma for breeding at the Valley Barn. Dr. Moore is scheduled to check her this week for pregnancy.
  • Jaya Radhe is still residing at the Nandagram Farm with Madhu for breeding.
  • Subhadra is due the end of May.
  • Ananda Vidya continues to produce approximately 15 lbs. of butter, 15 gal. of yogurt, and 1/2 gal. of ghee on a weekly basis, and delivers them to the temple. In addition he made two (8” diameter x 3.5” high) wheels of Colby cheese this month.
  • rented a machine for roughing up the smooth concrete in the calf pen/calving area of the Temple Barn. This was to prevent the cows from slipping on the slick concrete.

Ray:

  • has nearly completed the cleanup of the former Brose trailer site across from the ECO-V Valley Barn area. The scrap wood has been burnt, the trailer frame has been removed, and John King will scrap the remaining metal on site.
  • repaired a brake cylinder on the F-800 flatbed truck and hauled a 4,100 lb. load of scrap metal from the old brickyard area to the recycling center in Wheeling. There is at least one more load to be taken in.
  • picked up 1,800 lbs. of potato seed and will cut it into pieces for planting this month. We will be planting two different areas with potatoes this year: a bottom field along Wheeling Creek at the Valley Barn, and strips at the Community Garden.
  • completed the repair work on the Nandagram field house: two new sink faucets were installed, water lines to the tub were repaired, and the drywall on the ceiling below basement tub was replaced and painted.
  • continues moving hay from the Valley Barn to Nandagram.

Caitanya Bhagavat:

  • worked with Hari Chand in the ox program for one hour each morning, along with daily Nandagram herd care. He is researching a price quote on a single yoke and britchen for Hari Chand.
  • and Tripada on the skid steer, along with Ray with the tractor and grapple hook, worked together to give the Nandagram barn its spring cleaning, which gave us a large pile of manure to compost for the fields and gardens.

Suchandra:

  • tilled the beds at the Teaching Garden
  • laid ground cover where needed
  • checked the equipment for issues
  • started the tomato, marigold, carnation, lettuce, pepper, black-eyed Susan, and other seeds
  • planned out where to plant everything, and how many plants are needed.
  • ordered more groundcover, heating mats, hole burner, handheld transplanter, and seeds
  • started transplanting tomatoes, peppers and marigolds
  • watered plants at the greenhouse

Radhanath Das:

  • cleared the tree orchard area
  • worked on clearing and preparing Vidya’s gardens by clearing beds, tilling, and laying groundcover
  • started making tomato cages and preparing transplanting trays
  • planted tomatoes, peppers and marigolds
  • did some transplanting
  • watered plants at greenhouse

Mukunda & Lila:

  • prepared garden beds at Nandagram, weeded, and laid groundcover
  • started planting tomatoes and peppers

2. Internal Funding Request: $9K for a Truck

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to invest in equipment to support its ongoing farming-related projects.

RESOLVED: The Board authorizes a budget up to $9,000 for the purchase of a used truck for use by the garden crew.

3. 2018 Anniversaries

This year marks the 50th anniversary of New Vrindaban, and the 20th anniversary of ECO-Vrindaban. There was a discussion about different ways for ECO-V to commemorate the occasion. Some of the ideas included creating a community event of painting the Temple Barn, making a video (or a series of short videos) about what ECO-V does and what its accomplishments have been over the years, and hosting a small cow festival over the summer, in preparation for a bigger one in 2019.

4. ISKCON North American Farm Meetings

The North American ISKCON Farm Meetings have been moved to DeLand, Florida, and will take place June 25th and 26th. Jamuna Jivani and Lalita Gopi have volunteered to attend as representatives of ECO-V.

5. 50th Anniversary of Cow Protection in ISKCON

2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of cow protection within ISKCON, which originated in New Vrindaban (Spring 1969). To commemorate the occasion, there are plans for a feature article to be published in Back to Godhead magazine. Also, the 2019 biennial North American ISKCON Farm Conference will be held in New Vrindaban. The ECO-V members present put forth ideas for the conference, which included presentations by successful projects within ISKCON North America, and a list of some relevant personalities to invite.

Here’s a link to the ECO-Vrindaban website.

For regular updates, please visit, like and follow the ECO-V Facebook page.

Rathayatra in Rome, Italy (video)
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Rathayatra in Rome, Italy (video)
Srila Prabhupada: The mind is restless, always desiring something, desiring something. So the best policy to control the mind is to desire how to spread Krsna consciousness. This is the best. Kamah krsna-karmarpane. Narottama dasa Thakura has said that you cannot be free from desire. That is not possible. This is useless attempt. They say that “You become desireless.” No, that is not possible. How can I? If I become desireless, I become dead. So long I am living entity, I must desire. I cannot check it. Therefore kama means desire. So at the present moment, we are desiring how to become happy in this material world, how to acquire so much money, how to acquire this, how to acquire this, how to get this, how to get that. This is kama. So this brain taxation, if you engage in Krsna’s service – how to spread Krsna consciousness, how to convince people about Krsna, how to take them to the Krsna’s desire, sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66] – and in this way, if you go on making plan for spreading Krsna consciousness, then your mind is controlled. Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.27 – January 4, 1975, Bombay

On 17th May 2018, Vaisesika Dasa gave a talk on “Keys to…
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On 17th May 2018, Vaisesika Dasa gave a talk on “Keys to Inner Fulfillment” @ Intel HQ in Santa Clara, California. This talk was part of a series on Mindfulness & Conscious Living. More than 250 employees attended his talk (including both in-studio audience & global audience). Everyone deeply appreciated how he connected engineering minds employing their terms of reference, and shared practical ways to better handle work, stress and relationships, leading to a more productive & fulfilling life.
Find the photos of the event here:https://goo.gl/QBzWNV

Hon’ble Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, sends message to Iskcon Russia
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Hare KrishnaBy Sadhu-priya Das

On 20.05.1988, 30 years ago ISKCON Russia officially got registered in USSR . On a beautiful spring day in 1988, the Council for Religious Affairs officially registered the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness, concluding, or so it seemed, a longstanding feud between the devotees and the State. It was the first religious society registered in the Soviet Union since World War II. Honb’le Prime minister of India has sent his message on this occasion! Continue reading "Hon’ble Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, sends message to Iskcon Russia
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Hare Krishna! the movie in Liverpool
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Hare Krishna! the movie in Liverpool.
Krishna Kripa das: Jude brought two ladies who were friends of hers to see Hare Krishna!, and they were very impressed with the film. I said some people think Srila Prabhupada had some kind of charisma that attracted many followers, but the truth is Srila Prabhupada had something genuine to offer them spiritually and those who accepted it came to realize it and wanted to serve him and share his gift. The two friends both agreed that that was really clear in the film.

Meet Jemma, a real gem! Krsna Kripa das: In Sheffield, I chanted…
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Meet Jemma, a real gem!
Krsna Kripa das: In Sheffield, I chanted for an hour and a half by myself and another hour and a half with Sutapa Prabhu’s party. While I was chanting alone a young lady with a happy expression on her face looked in my direction, and I offered her an invitation to our festival. She said she already had the invitation, and she also had gotten a book on yoga which was one of her interests. I explained that Bhagavad-gita was the ultimate yoga book which explained the whole philosophy behind yoga, and which described four different kinds of yoga, and I tried to impress upon her that any serious spiritual aspirant should have a Bhagavad-gita, and this opportunity to get it should not be missed. She gave £5, and she took the Gita, and we continued our discussion about spiritual topics. She mentioned she liked to sing, and I asked her if she liked the Beatles. She said that her father was really into the Beatles, and so I explained to her about how Chant and Be Happy told of the conversation between George Harrison and John Lennon with our spiritual teacher, Srila Prabhupada, about chanting and meditation. She gave another £2 and took that book too.
I told her we were going to chant with a whole party of people at 3:00 p.m., and I invited her to join us. She did for five minutes or so. She said she had to work the night of our event, but that she would come for the last hour and a half. People as favorable as this Jemma who teaches dance in Sheffield are rare! In fact, when she told me her name was Jemma, I said, “That must be because you are a real gem!”

Thursday, May 17th, 2018
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Sussex, New Brunswick

Billy Graham Crusader

I took a head start walking toward our evening’s destination which was Sussex, over an hour’s drive from our place at the Norfolk Motel.  A Billy Graham Crusade follower pulled over and started talking.  He had hordes of questions, not curious ones, but the type that might lead you into a trap if you did not answer according to his take on Jesus.  I found it fun, though.  The point is, he saw me—the second day in a row—and felt I needed to convert, that I needed Jesus.  Personally, I’m happy with Krishna and Jesus together.  He could only have one and not the other.

“Maybe I can challenge you this…” he started, and I politely cut him off.

“You see, it’s not a question of your camp or my camp.  We are running parallel, truly as one camp.”

Then he offered to say, “Yes, there’s one camp.  THE camp.  A camp.”

Then I butt in saying, “A camp. ‘A’ stands for ABSOLUTE.  We are both going for the Absolute.  It is not black and white.  We say in Sanskrit, achintya-beda beda tattva,which means we are onein purpose with slightly different approaches.  I will take your brochure.  Here’s mine—a mantra card.  God bless you!”

That was that!  I met more people in town.  A fellow in a wheelchair said, “I'm 71.”

“Well you look 35.”

“I wish girls would say that about me,” he said in glee.

A woman approached me.  “Do you have some change?”

“No, but I have a bottle of water.”  She laughed and shrugged it off. 

Finally, the boys (monks) picked me up for the Sussex program at a fitness studio. Well, we got ‘fit’.  We danced and chanted in community spirit.

May the Source be with you!
7 km


Wednesday, May 16th, 2018
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Fredericton, New Brunswick

Getting to Know Bear

“The recent floods in New Brunswick did a lot of damage,” said one fine lady on her way to work.  She showed us some pics, on her camera-phone, of how the Saint John River rose to the level of the foot bridge.  We chatted with her.  She really wanted to know about we four monks walking the bridge under a strong sun but chilling breeze.

A film company at one end of the bridge was on a music video assignment.  A guy was rapping out a song and we happened to get in the frame.

Our trekking lasted over two hours, going over foot bridges, over sand-ridge trails, and also circumventing puddles of relatively large magnitude.

All this walking happened in Fredericton, but it was back to Saint John where we truly shared with the public, at Uptown, the chanting.  OMG!  The folks here are so easy to approach.  They loved our cultural output of chanting with djembes and harmonium.

One admirer, Bear, by name, is a Mi’kmaq with some Irish blood in him.  He acquired that name when he was in the Northwest Territories and was attacked by a grizzly.  He showed me his permanent scars on his arms.  Luckily, he survived, and is alive to be with us on the grass, learning how to chant.  He’s a strong, husky type of guy, and is very eager to know about the Bhagavad-gita.

He followed us to the Wellness Centre for Presentation #2.  Bear went home with a book, “The Gita,” as well as beads, and wants to learn more and more.  I told him to seek help from Nick, who lives in Saint John. He will be an ideal coach for Bear. 

May the Source be with you!
10 km




Tuesday, May 15th, 2018
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Saint John, New Brunswick

Something Wild and Delicious

At the Toronto Airport, I met a fellow from Saint John enroute to get back home.  He told me he was a driver.  I expressed my vocation—well, one of them.

“I’m a walker; did Canada four times.”

“How much do you walk in a day?”

“It used to be forty-two kilometres a day.  Now it’s twenty-four when I do the marathons.”

“You couldn’t catch me doing that.”

From our conversation, I felt I was already in the Maritimes—the east coast—where people come right up to you and convey their friendly side.

My hosts in Saint John are Nick and Sara.  They hold a weekly program of bhakti-yogaat the Saint John Wellness Centre.  Tonight, I was guest speaker, and all went well including the kirtanand dance at the end.  The group participation was phenomenal.  The space was great—that old-character type of house. Many of the downtown homes were built by fishermen and/or sailors.

There is one thing which we pulled off that is a standard practice for me and anyone who tags along with me when in New Brunswick.  The travelling monks of Canada and I did some fiddlehead foraging at Irving Nature Park.  Fiddleheads are the early stage of the fern plant before it unravels.  This wild vegetable is just delicious and nutritious. They make a good pizza topping, but what we ended up doing was tossing some of these greens into Sara’s kicharipreparation.

We had no regrets at supper time.

May the Source be with you!
2 km


Harinama Sankirtana in Auckland, New Zealand (Album with…
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Harinama Sankirtana in Auckland, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If you think of Krsna twenty-four hours, then you’ll become fully Krsna conscious, and your life is successful. Don’t allow anything. This requires little practice, abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina [Bg. 8.8]. I should not allow my mind to go, to think of any other subject than Krsna. Now we have got so many books. So whenever you find time… You must find time. There is so much time. So read all these books or chant. But when you are hungry, you take prasadam. When you are sleepy, take a snap. Not very much, just to refresh. And go on, either chanting the beads or reading the books or talking about Krsna. In this way, always remain in Krsna consciousness. Smartavyah satatam visnuh. Krsna consciousness means to remember Visnu always, twenty-four hours. Some way or other. Type for Krsna, write for Krsna, go outside for Krsna, sankirtana party, sell book for Krsna, bring money for Krsna, spend for Krsna. Krsna. That’s all. Everything Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness.Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.14-15 – May 31, 1972, Los Angeles
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Wz5W9m

Monday, May 14th, 2018
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Mascouche, Quebec

New Progressive Project

The Montreal Krishna community has been thinking about expansion of membership and facility for some time.  Their persistence, headed by someone of the name, Anubhava, has led to the purchase of a 78-acre farm in Mascouche, off of Hwy 25, just a 20-minute drive from the centre of downtown Montreal.

It has six lodging units, and includes barns, sheds, tractors and equipment, and also, one of the buildings shelters horses.  Plans are to continue renting out horse space, and cultivate the land, which is fertile, for growing veggies, fruits and flowers.  Greenhouses have potential.  There is also potential to develop this eco-friendly area into a village. Housing in the area is not expensive by Canadian standards.  A river, the Mascouche, runs to the edge of it.

Anubhava’s son, Radhanatha, who is one of the people to buy into the project, has his home at one end of the property, just steps from the river.

“You can canoe and kayak on the river,” he said.

Radhanatha also told me that the farm has potential as a petting farm.  Overall, it sounds very attractive, and adds a new dimension to the long-standing community efforts at Pie IX Boulevard.

The project is a 1 million dollar endeavour.  The purchase and direction is a combined work of devotional businessmen from the area.  It was the desire of the Krishna guru, Srila Prabhupada, to expand horizons and look to growing one’s own food, thus becoming productive people who offer a quality of life.

May the Source be with you!
4 km


Sunday, May 13th, 2018
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Montreal, Quebec

Montreal and Mothers

A good conscientious driver, friend, and devotee, by the name of Harry, drove Karuna and I to Montreal.  It was just a lovely land we went through, with that red spill against the sky, manifest from the east, and beckoning us to move forward.  Arrival time was 10:00 a.m., after the 5 ½ hour ride.

To the ISKCON temple we went, on Pie IX Boulevard.  In the spirit of Mother’s Day, everyone was cheery, and the irresistible urge in us to walk a stretch became our first business there.  As usual, we moved along Prince Arthur Street and then beyond.  The beyond is a grassy and tree-patched area before you get to the train tracks.  Then we practically slid down a steep slope to land on Notre Dame where traffic is serious.

I received a call.  “Can we talk about the summer and the talent-troupe that’s planned?” asked Prem.

“Yes, it’s a conference call right?”

Narasimha from Montreal got on the line with us, and we discussed who the actual talent will be for the month of July, travelling from this town, Montreal, all the way to Calgary, and stopping along the way to present a summer’s “Festival of India” which will include bhajan, magic and a dance/drama.  Some details were finalized.

What was missing?

The need for another woman on the stage.  Yes, another ‘mother’.  Currently, we only have two.  A third makes it better.

Fast forward.

“There are seven mothers in one’s life, according to the Vedas,” I said at talk-time, to the Pie IX ISKCON community.  “Let us always remember and respect the many mothers we have in our life.”

May the Source be with you!
4 km

Preaching program in Turkey By Sivarama Swami (Album with…
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Preaching program in Turkey By Sivarama Swami (Album with photos)
Pradyumna: “If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him in the Bhagavad-gita or in the Srimad Bhagavatam, certainly the holes of the ear will be filled up with some rubbish.”
Prabhupada: Yes. This is the secret. We have got the ears, and we have got the sound also. Just like we are reading this book. So if we don’t fill up our ears with this transcendental sound, then it will be filled up with some rubbish things. It cannot remain empty. Either you fill up with transcendental message, or you fill up with rubbish nonsense. Two ways. So if you take care that your earholes are always filled up with the transcendental message of Krsna, so there is no scope for rubbish things to enter into it. So therefore our attempt should be twenty-four hours hearing. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Twenty-four hours. As soon as you get time, read books, discuss amongst yourself, [indistinct]. Don’t fill up the ears with rubbish things. Then advance will be choked up.
June 17, 1972, Los Angeles
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Uwpwhd

Holy Name Retreat in New Vrindaban (Album of photos) We…
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Holy Name Retreat in New Vrindaban (Album of photos)
We attended the Holy Name Retreat by HH Sacinandana Swami in New Vrindaban this year with hundreds of other blissful devotees. We had several seminars and workshops and people from many parts of the country joined in this blissful experience and celebrated mother’s day by cutting a gigantic cake made by Lakshman Poddar. Please come with us to the beautiful New Vrindaban where the merciful Deity Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra resides.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/o4TdMH

New Raman Reti Community Survey Results
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Hare KrishnaBy NRR Community Development Team

(3.5 MB, 52 pages PDF document) From more than 1000 Devotees, 508 Total Responses, September 2017. The Community Development Initiative (CDI) is organized by a team of community members in conjunction with the New Raman Reti Board of Directors. Our vision: A loving and well connected family of Krishna devotees, spiritual aspirants, and friends fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s Mission. Our Mission: To empower and assist our congregation to live happily in New Raman Reti by giving devotees a voice and building a shared vision which will maximize the long term potential of our temple and community Continue reading "New Raman Reti Community Survey Results
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New Raman Reti’s Community Development Conference a big success!
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Hare KrishnaBy Mukhya devi dasi

The second Community Development Conference was a big success this past Saturday. There were over 100 devotees in attendance, and another 25 facilitators. The essence of the day was moving into specific focus groups of individual interest, and meeting together to see what is working, what is needed, and what being more involved would look like. The teams went through exercises together as a preview of what the actual committees (which will be identified based on a form everyone filled out called “My Offering” commitments) will be doing in conference 3. Continue reading "New Raman Reti’s Community Development Conference a big success!
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If some devotees do great kirtan, but don’t chant 16 rounds, should we appreciate them?
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Answer Podcast

The post If some devotees do great kirtan, but don’t chant 16 rounds, should we appreciate them? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sun Love Feast – May 20th, 2018 – Vedic discourse by His Grace Mahabhagwat Prabhu
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His Grace Mahabhagavat Das is a disciple of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari. Mahabhagavat Das along with his spouse are very senior well respected devotees in Toronto and are often associated along with the names of Vaisesika Prabhu for expanding the Sankirtan initiative across the GTA and South Western Ontario. Together as a family they have made preaching their life mission and will go beyond their limits to ensure that Srila Prabhupada’s books are being distributed.



Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare 

And Be Happy!!

ayur harati vai pumsam
udyann astam ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-ksano nita
uttama-sloka-vartaya

Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one
who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.
 ~ Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17




11.00 - 11.15      Tulsi Puja
11.15  - 11.30     Guru Puja                        
11:30 - 11:55     Aarti & Kirtan                      
11.55  - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers
12.00 - 1:00     Vedic discourse
  1.00 - 1.30      Closing Kirtan
  1.30 - 2.00     Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast
COMING UP AHEAD

Padmini Ekadasi
Fasting.....................on Fri May 25th,2018
Breakfast................  on Sat May 26th, 2018 b/w 5.42am – 8.12am

Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or
simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures
and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds through
regular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.
English audio glorification of all Ekadasis is available here 



ONGOING PROGRAMS

Adult Education At The Temple
ISKCON Brampton offers various courses and Seminars for adults. The courses take a personal approach to learning. It encourages the student not only to study thoroughly the contents of Srila Prabhupada’s books but also to clearly understand the philosophy and practically apply it. The course focuses on behaviour and character, nurturing students in appropriate Vaishnava values.
Professionally designed and presented, it draws on the principles of Krishna consciousness
and the best of progressive education. In this way, it is true to ISKCON’s heritage and at the
same time relevant to its mission in contemporary society.

For further information, please contact HG Prema Gaurangi Devi Dasi @ premagaurangi.jps@hotmail.com


Sunday School

To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates,
quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed
to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).


Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)
Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishna
consciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and make
Srila Prabhupada happy.

Please contact:
Dharma Dasa- dharandev58@gmail.com-647.892.0739(Mississauga and Brampton regions)


The Mentorship Program

Please note that registration in the Mentorship System is now a mandatory requirement for all initiation requests at ISKCON Brampton.It

1.Facilitates  and nurtures devotees aspiring for first and second Initiation.
2.One-on-One personal follow up on a regular basis.
3.Systematic training to devotees in matters of Philosophy, Sadhna, Vaishnava behavior, etiquette, Lifestyle and attitudes.

To find details please click here


Gift Shop

Are you looking for some amazing gift items which are less expensive and more beautiful for your
loved ones for festivals or many other occasions??
Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your
visit. It offers textiles, jewelry, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs
inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.

Free will and God’s will 1 – God is the cause of all causes, not all effects
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[Bhagavatam class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

The post Free will and God’s will 1 – God is the cause of all causes, not all effects appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Love for God’s sake
→ Servant of the Servant

Many times Srila Prabhupada says that in this world love is but lust. Below are a few examples;

Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Krishna consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. - BG 3.41 Purport

If we become attached to this narration, we will experience the bliss of spiritual love and thus reject the perverted reflection of that love, which is called lust. - SB 10.33.39

This material life is simply based on lust; we want to enjoy this world, and we love this material world because we want to gratify our senses. This lust is a perverted reflection of our love of God. - On the Way to Krishna, Ch. 5

Here we love -- a man loves a woman, or a woman loves a man -- but there is frustration. After some time they are divorced, because their love is a perverted reflection. There is no real love in this world. It is simply lust. - Journey of Self-Discovery, Ch. 4

On the surface, it sounds like we should not love anyone since it is lust anyways and that we should just try to love Krishna or if we see two people who say they are in love we discredit or discourage them or the idea of love in this world. We can, as devotees, also become cold and without feelings towards one another in the name of love vs lust and justify our cold-hardheartedness towards others' with these verses. If we do this then we are doing a disservice to Srila Prabhupada.

We hear so much about love and compassion and sometimes we can get into a frame of mental rigidity in the name of following guru and shastra and miss the point. So let us examine these verses little carefully.

Certainly, love in this world is lust if not properly applied. Love becomes lust 'primarily' if we love someone to satisfy me (my senses only). The key word is 'primarily'. However, if we love someone in such a way that it 'primarily' pleases Krishna and then that pleasing of Krishna pleases me, then that is not lust but a path towards pure love. In other words, to the degree we love someone to primarily please Krishna versus pleasing myself, then that love becomes pure.

Bhakti yoga or Krishna consciousness is actually all about loving God and loving all living beings so to say love in this world aka lust is predominant is correct but the solution is not "not to love" but purify our love from loving for my sake to loving others' for Krishna's sake.

When we see everyone as part and parcel of Krishna, and in that mood we love someone and serve that someone, then such love and service centered around Krishna will actually nourish us internally and help us traverse the path towards God quicker.

Hare Krishna

Spirituality & Wellness event in Mumbai (Album with…
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Spirituality & Wellness event in Mumbai (Album with photos)
Gaur Gopal Das shared dias with Indian Film Actress Manisha Koirala, at Global Exhibition on Services, India (GES) on 17th May 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.
GES is one of the biggest global events of the Services Sector organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Services Export Promotion Council(SEPC)-India and Maharashtra Government.
The session entitled ‘Celebrity Session,’ discussed Spirituality & Wellness and was moderated by Mr Mangalam Maloo from CNBC-TV18.

Ecstatic Harinam Sankirtan in Union Square park Thursday, May…
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Ecstatic Harinam Sankirtan in Union Square park Thursday, May 17th (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: What we are requesting you? “You think of Krsna. Chant Hare Krsna.” That’s all. Where is the difficulty? We don’t say, “You think of that, this of that, to this demigod, that demigod.” No. We don’t say. What is the use of other demigod? We show all respect to everyone, even to the ant, but that does not mean that any demigod, any damn, any rascal, should be worshiped as God? No. That is not possible. We can show respect even to the insignificant ant. Trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna [Cc. Adi 17.31, Siksastaka 3]. That may be another thing. But we cannot accept anyone as God. That is not possible. That is knowledge. That is knowledge. Be convinced firmly, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]: “Bhagavan means Krsna, nobody else.” Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah yajante anya-devatah [Bg. 7.20]. Anya-devatah, accept as God, they are accepted by the rascals, hrta-jnanah, those who have lost their knowledge. So don’t be lost of your knowledge. Stick to Krsna and accept His words as it is. -Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 16.1-3 – January 29, 1975, Honolulu
Find them here: https://goo.gl/YMRXZn

Free Spirit Festival this Sunday!
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Sunday’s menu is sounding divine!
Whose up for sweet chilli falafel wrap, Israeli tahini couscous salad, Tomato eggplant curd curry, fresh Mescaline salad, middle eastern lemonade topped off with Banana date almond and milk pudding with vegan cream custard. Geeeeezzz! This is all just for the $5 you will pay!

“Don’t forget we are servants”
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“Don’t forget we are servants”
BB Govinda Swami: We have always heard the statement that God works in mysterious ways. We’ve always heard the statement that we have our plans and Krishna has His plans. So I can only say that we should continue to endeavor sincerely and we should wait for Krishna to reveal His hand.