Kali Yuga: An Ocean of Faults
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhanu Swami

Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51in Mayapur on 17-02-2018. Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults but there is a great benediction given to the people of this age: the congregational chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. There is no way to overestimate the potency of this Sankirtana-Yajna! The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Bhagavan Himself descended on this planet as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to establish this Yuga Dharma which is available to all without limitation of sex, race, nationality, age, varna, asrama etc. Continue reading "Kali Yuga: An Ocean of Faults
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Gita 17.03 The relationship between our existence and our faith is causal, constitutional and consequential
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Touched by mercy
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 August 2017, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.4.5-6)

This Iskcon movement is a treasure box. It is sort of like a gift packet; a big gift packet full of all kinds of goodies! This movement is like that; it is just packed with mercy. None of us really have the capacity to understand Srila Prabhupada! I think that we cannot understand the mercy Prabhupada has given us. We can see some of it.

When I read the Lilamrta and I read the Prabhupada stories that the devotees tell, sometimes I think, “Yes that person describes how they perceived the transcendental nature of Prabhupada.” Then I was thinking,”All that they saw was the tip of the iceberg of Prabhupada’s mercy!” Most of an iceberg is under water. There is so much more mercy than we see. So even all the glorification of Prabhupada is only touching the tip of the iceberg. Prabhupada is so much greater; his mercy is so much greater than we can see.

Sometimes, we are thinking that we have the potential to understand. We are in a movement, and even if we have been here for like forty or fifty years it does not matter, still we cannot understand how much mercy there is. Surely we are being touched.

Gopi Gita: Yesterday a whole group of local community devotees…
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Gopi Gita: Yesterday a whole group of local community devotees volunteered at the Festival of Joy booth at the Chinese Festival at North Park Mall held by the Crow Museum. (Album of photos)
125 mandala crafts were made! 1200 Jagannath cards passed out individually to the festival and mall goers.
So many of my friends were there at different times. I came for the last two hours so I missed you all but I really wanted to express how cool it was knowing you were there and that I’m getting to share Krishna alongside you all.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/b1tNDk

2018 Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama- Day 1 (Album of photos) “By…
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2018 Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama- Day 1 (Album of photos)
“By performing Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama the whole world will be liberated” -Bhaktivinod Thakur Hare Krishna! Dear Guarabhaktas, today it was the first day if the most auspicious Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur started this parikrama in 1918, thus making this, the 100th Parikrama. Sri Navadvipa Dhama ki Jay! Today the international party chanted and danced in the land of Godrumadvipa. First place visited was Suvarna Vihar. There we had Guru Puja followed by a class given by HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja who very expertly added Russian words to his speech, for the pleasure of the Russian devotees. Mukti Datta Prabhu is a very sweet kirtaniya from Bengal who comes every year to the International party to bathe us in the nectar of the morning bhajans: “Udilo Aruna” and “Jiva Jago”, both composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Next stop was Nrisimpalli where we had class by HH Bhakti Dhira Damodara Maharaja followed by a spontaneous drama of Lord Nrisimhadeva played by HG Pancharatna Prabhu and his family. The last place was Hari Hara Kshetra where the devotees will spend the night. Many have come for the first time and they are loving it. Nitai Gaura Sitanath Premanande Hari Hari Bol!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/up9D5R

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Day1 ( Feb 18th)
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“By performing Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama the whole world will be liberated” -Bhaktivinod Thakur Hare Krishna! Dear Guarabhaktas , today it was the first day if the most auspicious Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. After a wonderful vaishnava gathering in the Kirtan Mela, we were ready to leave the temple room and spread Krsna’s sweet names […]

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Gita 17.02 See not just people’s ideological faith – see also their functional faith
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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The Chariot of the Mind – By the medieval poet, Govinda Das By…
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The Chariot of the Mind - By the medieval poet, Govinda Das
By drinking the nectarean honey of the lotus feet of Sri Gaura, by singing the glories of Sri Gaura’s deity, by listening to the instructions of Sri Gaura, and by associating with devotees who follow his instructions, so many fortunate individuals experienced the joyous waves of prema.
—-
O mind! Why do you keep burning repeatedly in the fire of worldliness? Simply keep chanting the mantra of your dear Lord.
Think carefully about the ultimate aim of your life and then climb on the chariot of the [purified] mind. Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer.
Engage your five life-airs (prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vayāna and samāna) as the five horses driving this chariot. Let āśā, the hope of attaining the Lord, be the strong rope controlling these horses so that the chariot may never break down.
Using this chariot, go quickly towards the shore of the unlimited ocean of the Lord’s loving pastimes. Having reached there, bathe thoroughly in the waves of this ocean of prema.
In this ocean, you will swim along with other servants of Hari who are delighting in the waves of bhakti-rasa. These servants of Hari will fetch you the rare jewel of prema from the depths of this ocean and will thus fulfill your most cherished desire.
In the middle of that ocean of bhakti-rasa is a house decorated with precious jewels in which brilliant complexioned Radha and dark complexioned Shyam reside.
The charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet, will help you meet these two, Radha and Shyam. It is for this reason that Govinda Das sings the glories of Gaura.

Radhadesh – January 2018
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Written by Naimisaranya dd

After attending the Sunday feast program in Gauradesh (Cologne) in Germany on 21 January, Kadamba Kanana Swami arrived in Radhadesh that same evening to a small group of devotees who welcomed him with a short kirtan. Maharaja spent some time with the devotees before taking rest for the night.

On Tuesday morning, Maharaja gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class. The chapter which provided the theme for the lectures that week was entitled “The Lord incarnates as Mohini-murti.” Maharaja quoted the Uddhava Gita which says that heroism means to overcome the natural tendency to enjoy material life. Maharaja discussed how to deal with the material energy and how follow this heroic path as outlined in the Nectar of Devotion – recordings to follow. 

On Thursday, Maharaja gave the morning Bhagavatam class again. Continuing the descriptions of how Lord Siva was bewildered by Mohini-murti, Maharaja explained the need for the varnasrama system for dealing with the material energy when there is the affliction of lust. Later that evening saw the official opening ceremony of the Radhadesh Mellows festival with short addresses by both Sacinandana Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami. Kadamba Kanana Maharaj spoke about how the special mercy of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and the entire Panca Tattva is unique to this Kali yuga. He explained how their special mercy in this age, helps one attain results very quickly. He also explained that the Mellows is more than just a nice festival, but rather a life-changing event which we should embrace.

On Friday, the first day of the festival arrived and saw the unveiling of the much anticipated artwork for the festival. Fitting with the theme for this year’s festival, Lord Nityananda served as the backdrop for the Mellows this year in the form of an acrylic mural titled “Eternal Bliss” by Kardami Kapila das from Bulgaria. The first of Kadamba Kanana Maharaja’s four one-hour kirtan slots for the festival was scheduled for that morning. Even though this festival is named the “Mellows” for its meditative kirtans, true to form, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja transformed the atmosphere and got the crowd on their feet within the first ten minutes of his slot! The festival was well-organized and it meant that a strict schedule was followed for the kirtan slots each of which ended on time in a bittersweet fashion. Other legendary kirtaniyas performing included Madhava, Jahnavi Jivana and Acyuta Gopi to name just a few.

Saturday’s Srimad Bhagavatam class emphasised the importance of a retreat such as the Mellows. Maharaja discussed how such a retreat serves to strengthen our commitment and bring new life to our everyday practices. He used the Sunday morning class on Caitanya Caritamrta to discuss the glories and mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda which amped everyone up further for Nityananda Trayodasi the next day

Finally, Lord Nityananda’s appearance day arrived. With a packed morning program scheduled, the day started off sweetly with Sacinandana Swami giving the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class. This was followed by a set of five entertaining short dramas directed by Syamananda Prabhu that was appreciated by all. A mesmerizing abhishek was then performed Gaura Nitai by the senior devotees present and the fun continued with pushpa-abhishek which brought out the enthusiasm in everyone. After the festivities, Kadamba Kanana Swami, Niranjana Swami and Sacinandana Swami took lunch together. Although most of the festival attendees had already begun their journeys back home, those who were still around were in for a treat with Kadamba Kanana Swami’s final kirtan offering for the festival.

All through the festival, Maharaja gave his time generously to the many festival attendees and disciples who travelled from far and wide, and who eagerly awaited his association. On Tuesday, even though the Radhadesh Mellows was over, and the remaining few were set to recover from the long weekend, Maharaja gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class which continued with descriptions of the Lord in the form of Mohini-murti. Maharaja gave his experiences with the “innerer schweinehund” (the pig within). His honest descriptions and confessions were refreshing. They were well-received by the audience and appreciated for its remarkable sincerity and authenticity in dealing with this topic of lust.

On Friday, Maharaja gave one last class for the French preaching program which was attended those who were staying at guesthouse for a retreat. He then departed Radhadesh early on Saturday (3 February) morning to Germany.

Visit Flickr to see more photos.

TOVP Tribute Song Official Release
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Hare KrishnaBy Sunanda Das

In the wake of the recent historic Chakra installation ceremony on February 7th, the TOVP is pleased to release this specialTribute song, Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to all devotees worldwide. Written and composed by Yamuna Jivana das from South Africa, over fifty devotee singers, musicians, recording engineers and artists from all over the world contributed their talents to help create this beautiful composition in glorification of the temple, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. The entire TOVP Team wishes to recognize and thank all the devotees who helped to make this song possible. Continue reading "TOVP Tribute Song Official Release
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TOVP TRIBUTE SONG OFFICIAL RELEASE
- TOVP.org

In the wake of the recent historic Chakra installation ceremony on February 7th, the TOVP is pleased to release this specialTribute song, Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to all devotees worldwide.

Written and composed by Yamuna Jivana das from South Africa, over fifty devotee singers, musicians, recording engineers and artists from all over the world contributed their talents to help create this beautiful composition in glorification of the temple, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. The entire TOVP Team wishes to recognize and thank all the devotees who helped to make this song possible.

Use the link below to download the song, the song cover art and credits page.

Please note there are several file options of the song available in this download: high quality (lossless) — flac (Windows, Linux and Android devices) and m4a (Mac and iPhone/iPad devices), and regular (lossy) — mp3/m4a. We recommend the flac and m4a files for the best quality sound, but if your playback device doesn’t work with the flac and m4a files, the mp3 file will always work. If you are unsure which file works best with your system/device, simply download the mp3 file which can be used on all playback devices.

Become a TOVP Ambassador and share this announcement with all your friends and relatives and spread the TOVP message through music..

DOWNLOAD ZIP

The post TOVP TRIBUTE SONG OFFICIAL RELEASE appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Iskcon Parvat Patia Center (Surat) Rathyatra And Book…
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Iskcon Parvat Patia Center (Surat) Rathyatra And Book Distribution Report (Album of photos)
“Our propaganda should be focused on spreading kirtana and distributing literature, books and magazines. The process experienced now is that after holding kirtana, they are selling magazines and books successfully.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Brahmananda, 30th January 1969

Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a Sustainable Future
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Hare KrishnaBy Vaishnava Das

Govardhan Ecovillage hosted a 4-day conference, Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a Sustainable Future, from 11th to 14th of December 2017. The conference was jointly organized by Yale University, Govardhan Eco Village, Bhaktivedanta Vidyapith, and Maharashtra Tourism, and brought together leading faculty from prominent American universities and Hindu leaders from around the world, who extensively explored Vedic solutions to the ecological crisis. Continue reading "Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a Sustainable Future
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NASN January 2018 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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Hare KrishnaBy Mayapur Sasi dasa

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of January 2018. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5 Continue reading "NASN January 2018 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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Gita 17.01 The Gita universalizes and contextualizes the analytical framework of the three modes
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 17.01 The Gita universalizes and contextualizes the analytical framework of the three modes appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

When we feel excessive fear, how can we correct the mind’s corrupted software?
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Answer Podcast

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Thursday, February 15th, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

In Bed and On Stage

What the other boys in our circle were suffering from, finally crept up on me.  Basically, it’s a cold but it did put me into the horizontal position.  It kept me away from meetings and walkings.  I sent an email to our chairperson, Bhakti Caru. “I’m sorry I can’t make it today,” exclaiming my illness and that I had to conserve energy for our final performance.

So, jumping ahead, we did perform.  We received a standing ovation once again.  “Many Mothers, Many Fathers,” on the life of Chitraketu, has received so much praise from all.  Some of our elders said the following:

“A good play,” said Hari Sauri.
“Brilliant!” said Suresvara.
“Wonderful!” remarked Sesa.
“World Class!” said Prthu.
“I loved it!” said Laksmimoni.
“Creative!” was author, Vishakha’s word.
“The best!” said Jayadvaita Swami.

After the performance, when the audience went to mingle with our actors, so much encouragement came our way.  The cast enjoyed an appreciation feast and then we went around asking everyone for their reflections.  The one main feature or theme that came out of these deliberations was the building of such awesome friendships.  Truly, we had become a family of bhakti yogis, loving, and learning so much from each other.

I believe that everyone’s spiritual propensity was enhanced by the hard work and the powerful product—a play that moved people.

May the Source be with you!

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Wednesday, February 14th, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Kill the Cold

On the 13th, Chaya got married.  It was also on the 13th that Anasuya from Mauritius was cremated in Jaipur, India.  Her son, Kirtan Das, just informed me about her situation.  It was cancer that took her life.  Here we see how janma (birth), mrtyuh (death), jara (old age) and vyadhi (disease) are in full swing in this mundane world.  We see it all around.

And as the yakshahad asked the sovereign Yudhisthira, “What is the most amazing wonder for you?”  His answer was, “Everywhere people are perishing but something within tells me I’m not going to die.”  That’s profound.

If anything, it’s the inner self, the soul, that insists on being constant.  We will die over again and again and the soul will persist.

With all the saintliness in the character of this gentle soul, Anasuya, I am certain she is on to a good journey.

Regarding vyadhi, illness, it is coming on, just a cold mind you, but it has taken me to bed for some extra time.  I was blessed to put effort into some writing about my walk in Israel but after some time desk-itis crept in.  I decided to put an hour into the final kirtan of the marathon.  The intent was to throw myself into the heat of it all.  A lot of dancing could put out the cold.  Sweat would do it.

We had a splendid time.  “A new way of dance,” remarked a couple of the participants.  Yes it was, and it did help.

Goodbye Stephen from London, Ontario.  Thanks for helping to introduce our play.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, February 13th, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Chaya Got Married

I was asked to deliver the morning bhakti class.  The talk was based on a verse from the book Bhagavatam, Canto 7, verse 40 from chapter 4.  I was given a choice as to where to speak from.  Since today was the celebration of the Adi Vas, invoking a celebration of a five day chanting marathon, I thought it appropriate to explore a verse which highlights the feelings (bhavana) from chanting.

Now I’m not a scholar but I attempted to put out the best I could.  I employed the technique of charades (or pantomime as friend Suresvara put it) to engage the crowd in the reading of the verse’s purport.

My day began as such, with an early class to accommodate the start of the marathon.  My breakfast became a meeting.  That was actually pleasant.  Then a stretch of meetings of a more formal nature took me to three o’clock, followed by a drama practice.

One of our Canadian girls, Chaya, received her wedding blessings and tied the knot (equated to receiving a ring in a Western context) with Abhay, a fine young chap of Latina heritage.

The wedding and vows were held on a rooftop and I had to cut short my visit to attend to our drama.  A special feature of tonight’s occasion was the one hundred plus Chinese pilgrims who grouped together for a stage delight.  And delighted they were.

May the Source be with you!
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