Planet ISKCON

By Chandan Yatra Das

Simha means “lion” and chalam means “hill”. So this is lion’s hill, the hill of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The Deity here, Sri Varaha Laxmi Nrsimha Swamy, is popularly known in Sanskrit as Simhadrinatha or in local Telugu language as Simhadri Appanna (“the Lord of the Lion Hill”). The Sthala Purana of Simhachalam recounts the history of the great devotee Prahlada Maharaja and his demonic father, Hiranyakasipu Continue reading "Sri Varaha Nrsimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam
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Documentary about a revolutionary spiritual master!
Avant Premiére, April 3, 2018
Buenos Aires, Village Recoleta
Have you ever encountered a man you thought was supernatural? Were you ever encouraged that perhaps the world had a promise of a spiritual future? Those who attended the incredible gala last night of the movie, “Hare Krishna. The Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami Who Started it All” left feeling inspired and hopeful.“ This film by John Griesser portrays the arrival of Srila Prabhupada, a saintly sage, in America. This spiritual personality, despite so many obstacles, revolutionized the hearts of millions of people and developed the Hare Krishna movement in these latitudes.
Participants filled the room: authorities of different faiths, government members, journalists and devotees. We all received superb attention from the organizers including vegetarian snacks, music, kirtan, and the chanting of mantras. There was time for questions and answers after the film while savoring traditional Indian dishes. Free distribution of a biography of this revolutionary saint, the subject of the documentary, was available for those interested in further understanding.. Every detail of the gala was involved in the message and atmosphere that Srila Prabhupada infused into the movement: humility, tolerance, joy, and vocation of service … These were two hours of a time without time, or even better, of a sacred time!

By Sri Nandanandana dasa

In the following material, we will look at the evidence that seems to indicate that there was first the Avatara Buddha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared near 1800 BCE, and then there was another person who became known as Gautama called Buddha, born around 560 BCE Continue reading "Were There Two Buddhas?
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TOVP Fundraising Event Radhadesh (Album of photos)
A very nice fundraising event was organized for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Radhadesh on the 11th of April in the presence of Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Sitari (helmet) from the Mayapur Chandradoya Mandir, accompanied by His Grace Jananivas prabhu and His Grace Vraja Vilas prabhu representing the TOVP.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Z3oaHq

Sadbhuja Das: Another mesmerizing event took place recently - Lifting of the flagpole and new flag!
Previously because of the c...

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Morning Class SB 4.8.62-63 - HH Janananda Swami - 8 April 2018 in Iskcon Melbourne (video)

[Class at Raleigh, USA]

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[Talk at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA]

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Preaching in the Siberian tundra (13 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Our travels in the service of the Lord recently took us to t...

By Mayapur-shashi Dasa

The subject of Lord Buddha and how we as Vaishnavas should consider him is a deep, highly complex subject, and the very complexity and depth of Buddhist teaching makes it impossible to discuss in detail in an article of this length. Suffice to say that Lord Buddha, as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, played a major part in the reformation of religious thought in India 2,500 years ago, and thereafter across the world. When we view him in the light of his being an incarnation of Krishna, working in mysterious and complex ways to restore the Vedic teaching while seeming to refute it, we can only be left in wonder and awe at the Lord’s incredibly wondrous ways. Continue reading "Lord Buddha: Making the Faithless Faithful
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A visit to the ISKCON center, Dvaraka, in Kaunas (Album with photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: Yesterday afternoon and this morning we spent at our Dvaraka project in Kaunas, Lithuania. It’s a very nice center, with about 21 resident devotees, run very enthusiastically and effectively by Anantara prabhu.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/MMrp11

Summary of the morning class in Budapest

• The Lord is present in many forms in the ocean churning pastime
• The Lord is equally disposed but is partial to His devotees
• The main instruction is not to get distracted
• Go for the nectar of immortality
• We are churning our hearts and should say no to what is offered as a by-product: wealth, followers etc.

International Vaisnavi Retreat at Govardhan 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Arjuna says that “I’ll not fight. I’ll not fight with my relatives and brothers for the sake of achieving some kingdom. No, no, no.” Now, for the ordinary man it appears to be: “Oh, Arjuna is very nice man, nonviolent. He’s giving up everything for the sake of his relatives. Oh, what a nice man he is.” This is ordinary calculation. But what Krsna says? “You are fool, damn fool number one.” You see? And that we have already discussed. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: [Bg. 2.11] “My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned man, but you are number fool one.” Yes. This is the, I mean to say, reward given. “You are, you are declining to fight? This is your nonsensical.” Now, just see. The things which are estimated in the public eyes very nice, very good, that is condemned by God. Condemned by God. We have got so many examples and experiences life that what is eulogized by some of our friends, it is condemned by others. So whole thing, our perfection of any act, that should be certified by the Supreme Lord. Dharmah svanusthitah pumsam… [SB 1.2.8]. Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]. Hari-tosanam. We have to see it, “Whether the Supreme Consciousness is pleased with my, this action.” So Arjuna’s action was not approved, not approved by Lord Krsna. But the same Arjuna, he fought at the last. After hearing the instruction of Bhagavad-gita, he engaged himself in the fight. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.55-58 – New York, April 15, 1966
Find them here: https://goo.gl/buFV87

Chandra: I used to write an inmate in the Louisiana prison system. I forget her former name but she was initiated Sarva Laksmi dasi. On a Hari-nama in New Orleans, she approached a visiting sadhu and said, “I am the happiest woman on earth and I’ll tell you why…In the 60’s I committed a horrible crime and was sentenced to 90 years in jail…but several years ago devotees started a bhakti yoga program in the federal penitentiary where I was incarcerated. I began attending the programs and soon took up Krsna consciousness in earnest. I was trying hard to become a good devotee, so I also became a model prisoner. Two years later, after my spiritual master initiated me inside the prison, I was suddenly granted a full pardon and released. No official reason was ever given why they released me. Now I try to share my good fortune with those who are prisoners in the jailhouse of material existence.

WHAT IF??
[March 1972: JUHU BOMBAY, INDIA – Cornerstone laying ceremony at “Hare Krishna Land”] Atreya Rsi: In the same house, Prabhupada gave me a conch, left-handed conch, and he said, “Karttikeya has been such a great host to us and is well-wisher and so generous to us, and he has given me this conch, which is supposed to bring a lot of wealth, and I want to give it to you.”
So he gave me the conch and he said, “I never expected to be able to do all this. I thought maybe we could just have some chanting, we could have a few devotees, but I never…” and he referred to all the temples, all that.
Because Prabhupada, when he was saying that “I never expected it,” he was kind of laughing at himself.
He was saying, “Hey, I went after a little fish and I caught such a huge fish, I don’t know what happened.”
So I said, “Do you remember, Prabhupada, the story of Mullah Nasiruddin where Mullah Nasiruddin is sitting by a lake and putting some yogurt in the lake.

And people say, ‘What are you doing?’

He says, ‘I am trying to see if the whole lake will catch to become yogurt.’

They say, ‘How could that be possible?’

He said, ‘Yes, it’s not possible, but what if?’”

And we both laughed and laughed, “What if? What if?”

I said, “Yours was the same thing. You just ‘what if’ and it caught on,” and he says, “Yeah,” and we just laughed around that. It was a very joyous time.

—Atreya Rsi

By Balaram Nityananda Das

Chandramauli Swami: Krishna Katha and Krishna Kirtan must go together side by side like husband and wife, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur tells us, each one supports the other. - After a year of asking Maharaj to speak something about Kirtan, He finally agreed to speak about the importance of Krishna Kirtan along with Krishna Katha. It's such an important topic for the success of our spiritual lives! Continue reading "The Importance of Reading
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Mantra Caitanya das: This evening devotees from Canterbury, England, attended a lecture by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is the most senior cleric of the Church of England and the head of the Anglican Communion (an organization with 85 million members worldwide).

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[E-address to Commonwealth Games participants]

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Srimad Bhagavatam in Mayapur, 8.14.5, Class Speaker: HG Rajendranandan Das on 10.04.2018 (video)

Hare Krishna Movie (7 min video)
Shirdika chats to the Director John Griesser and writer Jean Griesser about their movie: Hare ...

Mayapur Dham Harinama, 11 April 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: …so far these senses are concerned, that should be under my control. I should not be servant of my senses. And that is possible when I am situated in the spiritual platform of consciousness. Otherwise it is not possible. I cannot control my senses if I am on the material plane. It is impossible. But I can control my senses… But this is possible. This is possible. It is not impossible fact. This “swami”… We are known as swami. What is the meaning of “swami”? Swami means who is the master of the senses. That is the swami. Swami means master. One who has attained the perfectional stage of controlling the senses, he is called swami or goswami, master of the senses. So this can be done by practice, by knowledge. This is not impossible. I was also young man. I also, I was also married, and I have got my wife still living, and my family is still living, but some way or other, by practicing or by some knowledge, I have come out of the clutches. So everyone can have that. Not… This dress is not the swami. Actually you can also be swami, even in your, the present dress. The dress is immaterial. The actual fact is that one should, by spiritual development of consciousness, they should come to the stage of becoming the master of the senses. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.55-58 – New York, April 15, 1966
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The Siberian devotees in Irkutsk (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The Siberian devotees in Irkutsk push on our movement despite all odds - one being extremely harsh weather. Their reward is the great joy they experience in chanting the holy names in each other’s association.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Ds9QS5

Harinam Sankirtan: The greatest gift to this world
Harinam Sankirtan is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s gift to this world in this particular Kali-yuga and it’s very rare.
There are 1000 Kali-yuga’s in one-half day (day-time only) of Lord Brahmas time.
It takes 4 billion 320 million human years to travel through 1000 Maha-yugas (A cycle of Satya, Treta, Dvāpara and Kali-yuga’s) which happens in 12 hours of Lord Brahma’s day-time period from sunrise to sunset.
Then add the same duration of time (4 billion 320 million earth or human years) for Brahma’s inactive 12 hour night from sunset to sunrise to eventually see that Lord Caitanya appearance in just one Kali-yuga, the same Kali-yuga we are in now, is very, very rare.
Lord Caitanya does not appear in the other 999 Kali-yugas that all occurs during Brahma’s day from sunrise to sunset.
A 24 hour day-night period of Brahma happens over a period of 8 billion 640 million human years

There are no yugas during Brahma’s 12 hour night time period while he sleeps. Also the time between Brahma’s sunset and sunrise is when this material universe experiences a partial annihilation which happens over a period of 4 billion 320 million human years.

So one day-night 24 hour period of Brahma equals 8 billion 640 million human years as already explained.

Lord Caitanya therefore comes “once” in a day-night time of Lord Brahma and so does Krishna in His original Form at the end of a Dvāpara-yuga.

Your aspiring servant Gauragopala dasa ACBSP

[Talk at Charlotte, USA]

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Hash Bash ‘Bash Crash’ 2018 (Album with photos)
Deva Madhava das: Some time ago Grace started introducing herself as Gray because she felt Grace was too much to live up to. When she was younger she felt the world was an opportunity to connect with others, there was good inside all people, and that her purpose was to help everyone feel loved and cared for. Lately though, feelings of anger were coming up inside her, seemingly out of nowhere. She was regularly feeling scared and isolated from both strangers and familiar relationships and didn’t know why. But it occurred to her that maybe part of the problem was with herself, that she’d wrongly given up on living for goodness always just because it became a little tough after childhood. So just recently she started introducing herself again as Grace.. like she’d done with me, and had written a series of Philosophical essays on her own theory of the best lifestyle.. Radical Gentleness. She’d gotten a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is a few years ago and appreciated it as profound book; though she couldn’t relate how to apply it in her own life. She was relieved and grateful, after an hour of dancing in the Harinama, to get a bottle of water and a Science of Self Realization.. which is “topically organized and easier to relate to than the Gita.”

Grace is the best kind of person we could hope to meet at a Hash Bash in 2018. Far from the energized rally it used to be.. with Marijuana practically legal now and the party scene thats developed over the years.. the event, like most modern efforts, has traded in its nobler aspects for the typically crass, indulgent fluffiness of today’s social justice scene. Most thoughtful people in the Detroit area keep Hash Bash on their calendar only to remind themselves to avoid Ann Arbor that day. But we look forward to the opportunity each year. As HG Madhavanada Prabhu, who got our consciousness primed for maximum impact all week with his wonderful katha, shared after his blazing kirtan.. “Some devotees were cautioning me 'maybe its not so good this Hash Bash program.. we don’t want folks to affiliate us with this kind of crowd.’ But I can see they’re wrong, we have to be here.. look at all these people.”

Its not 1973 anymore, and that’s a good thing. Krishna Consciousness is for more, and has much more to offer, than merely what burnouts and hapless hippies can generally appreciate and accept. But that doesn’t mean those people shouldn’t get their chance.. That doesn’t mean a classic Hare Krishna street corner carnival doesn’t have its place in 2018. 6 Hours of Harinama, 2,000 servings of halva, 100+ big books and the thousands of people who heard the Holy Name last Saturday are proof “Old is Gold” as Madhavananda Prabhu puts it. Gauranga!

Deva Madhava das

Photography Courtesy: Arjun Bhattacharyya
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Murari Kirtan Valley - Vrndavan Villages (13 min video)
ISKCON Murari Sevaka is a farm community in Mulberry, Tennessee, USA based on Srila Prabhupada’s desire to create Vrindavan villages. It was established in 1976 by Srila Prabhupada who named the presiding deities, Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra. The temple throughout the years has gone through many ups and down. However, in the recent years, it has picked up a notable momentum in the trail to fulfil Prabhupada’s desire to create Vrindavan Villages. One may ask, what exactly is a Vrindavan Village? Is it that we replicate Vrindavan Dham from India? Is it that we create farm communities to grow our own food, make cloth, etc.? is it a retreat location? Not exactly. Vrindavan is where Krishna is the life and soul of the entire village. Every breath taken is heavy with the thoughts of Syam. Every step taken is in the hope to come closer to Govinda. Rather than replicating Vrindavan Dham, far more important, Our Acharya suggest, is to imbibe the moods of the Vrajbhasis. Our Dear Srila Prabhupada at the end of his manifested life on this earthly planet emphasized the importance of establishing Vrindavan Village where Radha and Krishna are the central focus of any act. Whether we are milking the cows, making garden beds, planting trees, or cooking - everything is centered around Radha and Krishna. Life in the village is very simple which leaves more time to cultivate your internal Bhajan to Syamsundar. We have first-hand witnessed this at Murari Sevaka. There is more much to say about Murari Sevaka. However, we will reserve that for another time.

Below is a video to introduce you to the residents of Murari Sevaka. We put together this video to explain, in a concise manner, the importance of Vrindavan Villages. We ask everyone to come and bless us with your association. Come, stay for as long you like, and see for yourself if this is something that sparks a fire in your heart.

We ask that you may be merciful on us and bless us in the pursuit of fulfilling Prabhupada’s desire to create Vrindavan Villages.

Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
Vrindavan Village ki Jai!
Gaudiya Guru Varga ki Jai!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/32TzPb

And Darvas Csaba asks, if God is one why can’t religions get together.