Planet ISKCON

The power of habit is terrible – and terrific (Based on Gita 02.62)
Habit can be terribly powerful. When people get caught in some bad habits such as smoking or drinking, they find quitting those habits almost impossible – it appears that habits have a power bigger than theirs.
The key in dealing with habits is understanding that even if habits can’t be rejected, they can be replaced. Whatever habits we have, they serve some need. To the extent we cultivate a positive habit that fulfills the need fulfilled by a negative habit, to that extent freeing ourselves from the negative habit becomes easier.

Hari-Nama-Cintamani, chapter 3 - Namabhasa-bicara
“Considerations regarding Namabhasa”
Extending His lotus hand, merciful Lord Caitanya picked up Haridasa. He said, “Haridasa, by your words I wish to understand namabhasa very clearly. One who understands nämäbhäsa can attain çuddha-näma, pure chanting of the holy name. By the mercy of the pure holy name that soul can easily cross over the ocean of birth and death.”
Read more: https://goo.gl/UpvfYK

Harinama in Cologne, Germany (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is very, very encouraging that you are holding kirtanas in public places and some way or other people are becoming interested. These outdoor kirtanas should be rigidly followed at least one hour daily. That will make our movement popular there. We have good experience here in every city, especially Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and here in Columbus. This is making our movement very popular more and more, So in any circumstances, you all go together outdoors for kirtana at least for one hour daily.
From Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Krsna Dasa – Columbus, Ohio, May 17th 1969
Find them here: https://goo.gl/h6nKju

Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HH Devamrita Swami - 20 May 2018 at the Hare Krishna Temple Melbourne (video)

Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra - Cheeka, Haryana, India (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The books are being written specifically for my students and I am so glad to learn that you read them so carefully. The words are ambrosial because they are not my personal words, they are instructions of my predecessors and I am just trying to administer them to my best knowledge. That is the way of Parampara system. We have nothing to manufacture, but simply carry the message as a faithful peon. That will be effective. One should be very sincere to his Spiritual Master and Krsna simultaneously. Then everything comes out successful. That is the verdict of the Vedas and Lord Caitanya. (From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jayapataka – Los Angeles 17 April, 1970)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/i7HQpc

All Things Must Pass.
Dhirasanta Das Goswami: Once a king called upon all his wise men and asked, “Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and at every time, something which can help me when none of you are available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?”
All the wise men were puzzled by the king’s question. One answer for all questions, something that works everywhere, in every situation, In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought.

Stepping Into Ukraine (10 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: After Russia, we continued our preaching tour in Ukraine. The Ukraine Yatra is one of the most successful in ISKCON with over 15,000 devotees. We first visited Kharkiv where we participated in an amazing Ratha Yatra and then went on to Kiev, the capital, where we had darshan of Radha Madhava in our movement’s biggest temple in the country. There we had several days of kirtan and lectures in an ocean of blissful devotees!

You are probably aware or must have heard about the coming GDPR regulations that will go in effect on May 25th 2018. From this date the new EU law governs the use of your personal private data that we collect and store on KKSBlog. Although there are currently already regulations applicable, the GDPR extends these rules and the rights that people have over their personal data. Please read on how KKSBlog is affected and what we did to comply to the new law.

Your Private Data

When you use KKSBlog, have an account or use our services (like our shop) we collect and store personal information. When you are subscribed to our newsletter(s) then you agreed to receive regular (email) news and we store your email address and other data. Collecting and storing your data is required to offer you these services. With the GDPR you have the right to request to view / delete this personal data. For a complete overview how we collect, store and process your data and your rights please read our new Privacy Policy.

Daily & Weekly Newsletters

We need your permission to store your email address (and first & last name) and send newsletters. Everyone who is subscribed to our newsletter will soon receive a request for consent. Make sure you reply and give us your consent otherwise you will not receive our newsletters anymore.

What is the GDPR exactly?

The GDPR consists of a long list of regulations for the handling of consumer data. Here is a good video about it. (warning, may induce sleep or drowsiness).

 

The article " GDPR – The EU Privacy regulations " was published on KKSBlog.

If you haven’t listened to Part 1 about Private Victory… You can listen to that here. In the second part of our interview with Damodara Prabhu we discuss… How to speak the truth in the most beneficial way The tension between the rugged individual and cooperation What public victory has to do with japa Why […]

The post 18-Public Victory-Seven Habits Part 2-Damodara Prabhu appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

If you haven’t listened to Part 1 about Private Victory… You can listen to that here. In the second part of our interview with Damodara Prabhu we discuss… How to speak the truth in the most beneficial way The tension between the rugged individual and cooperation What public victory has to do with japa Why […]

The post 18-Public Victory-Seven Habits Part 2-Damodara Prabhu appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

Answer Podcast

The post When Kripa participated in the murder of the Pandavas son, why did they still accept him as their priest? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

*All India Padayatra NEWS.*
By Acarya Dasa.
On May 19 and 20, 2018, All India Padayatra traveled from Hubali city to Navgaon via Keshavpur in Karnataka.
For the pleasure of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara, Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev we would like to announce the book distribution score of All India Padayatra on 19th and 20th May, 2018.
Maha-big Books - 112
Big Books - 12
Small Books - 239
Total Books - 363.
Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara ki jai…
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai…
More photos: https://goo.gl/aTZyiF

Museum of Sacred Art (Album of photos)
MOSA is happy to present this amazing show called Divine Portraiture consisting of 4 a...

A Video message by Dr. Harsh Vardhan Honorable Minister of Science and Earth Technology Government of India, New Delhi.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami’s seminar on Vaisnava Etiquette at New Talavana, April 21st, 2018 (video)

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)
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

Born to be a kirtaniya (1 min video)
Amazing little bhajan of a 2-3 years old baby, probably imitating the ecstasy and passion...

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

Answer Podcast

The post Can we pray to Krishna for removing obstacles in our material life? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Daily Darshan: May 19,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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 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!”

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

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

HH BB Govinda Swami’s Seminar on Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Australia, May 11, 2018 (video)

Food For Life - Nepal (Album of photos)
Thank you Rojina Pradhan and family for the generous contribution of NRs. 1,08,000/- ...

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