Planet ISKCON

Ljubljana Christmas harinam 2017 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah, gopala govinda rama sri-mudhusudana. This is another way of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The meaning is as follows: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. He is the descendant of the Yadu family. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Gopala, Govinda, Rama and Sri Madhusudana.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 25.64 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/73exyA

We are very glad to announce admissions for the Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha (BVVP) batch starting in June 2018.

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The post Bhagavatam study 69 1.13.46-50 When we can’t protect ourselves from kala, karma and guna, how can we protect others? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Christmas is celebrated by millions all over the world. Thousands of the ISKCON congregation, although not Christians, visit our temples on Christmas day. Carparks are full and temple rooms packed out.

Srila Prabhupada commented on Jesus Christ many times:

“Jesus Christ was such a great personality–the son of God, the representative of God. He had no fault. Still, he was crucified. He wanted to deliver God consciousness, but in return they crucified him–they were so thankless. They could not appreciate his preaching.

But we appreciate him and give him all honour as the representative of God.

Of course, the message that Christ preached was just according to his particular time, place, and country, and just suited for a particular group of people.

Certainly he is the representative of God. Therefore we adore Lord Jesus Christ and offer our obeisances to him.”

Got this in my inbox, interesting!












Hare Krishna

https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/media_set?set=a.10210832247545203.1073742780.1321748113&type=3

We spent Christmas in Jaipur visiting various temples of the Lord. It seemed a fitting way to respect such a day which is so dear to our Christian brothers and sisters. We were particularly touched to see the mood of devotion in the eyes of of the residents of Jaipur as they took darshan of Radha Govinda in the main temple of the city.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 4.7.

“Devotees who are merciful and compassionate by nature take risks to preach the message of Godhead and deliver the fallen souls for the pleasure of their spiritual maters and Krishna.”

Bhagavad-gita 4.7, Dallas

In this short video clip Nimai Delgado, professional vegan bodybuilder, speaks at USC.

From Martin Scorsese's documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Distant are the days of Annie Hall, when Woody Allen resigned himself to a plate of alfalfa sprouts and mashed yeast. Over the years, vegan eating has gone from tasteless to trendy to making inroads into the mainstream.

“Now these Christmas holidays have begun in your country. Throughout the whole month of December you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God consciousness. Now we may have lost it. But people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named differently—‘Krishna consciousness’—but that means God consciousness. That is the necessity. We want to love somebody. Our love will be perfected when we love Krishna, or God. We are teaching that. Try to love God, and if you love God, if you love Krishna, then automatically you love everybody. That is the perfection of love.”

—Srila Prabhupada, December 2, 1968, Los Angeles (adapted)

Hare Krishna. 

In May 1971 ISKCON founder spiritual master, His Divine Grace (HDG) Srila Abhay Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada planted the seeds of devotion in Malaysia while on 5 days flash visit to 4 very important towns in Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Teluk Intan, Ipoh & Penang. Today every one of these towns has established preaching centers’, temples and hundreds of devotees. With Srila Prabhupada were his disciples and a few of them who had also come earlier to travel around the country, preach and prepare for Srila Prabhupada’s visit. It is only because of the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples that we are able to practice devotional service. His Holiness Janananda Goswami Maharaja wrote the Prabhupada In Malaysia book which has very good information of Srila Prabhupada’s Malaysian preaching tour.

Sacinandana Swami: When I was on pilgrimage in Vrndavana, India – one morning while I chanted my japa, a devotee visited and showed me a verse written in a special notebook. He was very happy as he read it aloud for me:
“O golden gopi! (Srimati Radharani) When it touches His splendid teeth, Krishna’s flute looks like a crystal. When it touches His red lotus palm it looks like a ruby, and when it touches His blue lotus cheek it looks like a sapphire. Look! In this way Krsna’s flute looks like three different jewels.” (Ujvala-nilamani 10.34)
Vishaka originally spoke this verse to Radharani, pointing out the effect of Krishna’s touch.
After my early morning visitor had left, I had time to think about the mysterious touch of the Lord which transforms everyone – not only His flute. Everything touched by the Lord changes to become spiritually vibrant.
How does this happen?
Let us first consider that the Lord is in the background of everything. Like a canvas which holds the colours of a painting, the Lord is the foundation of all existence. He is behind every particle of matter – every atom and sub-atom. The Lord is all spirit, and matter is but a covering of ignorance super-imposed over the Lord. To anyone with completely pure consciousness, matter is no longer perceived as a covering veil but a blissful energy of the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada writes, “Factually there is nothing like matter in spiritual enlightenment, and this spiritual enlightenment takes place at once by the contact of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛishṇa.”
It is described that when Lord Krishna visited the town of Dvaraka, He first sounded His transcendental conch-shell to announce His long-awaited arrival before all the devotees suffering the agony of separation from Him. At that time, the “white and fat-bowled conch-shell” which the Lord held in His lotus hand became reddened by the touch of His red lotus lips. (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.2)
A similar phenomenon takes place for everyone who comes in touch with the Lord.
How can we come in touch with the Lord?
By serving Him, thinking as much as possible of Him (we want to think of Him constantly!), by worshipping Him and by paying our respectful obeisances to Him, touching His lotus feet in our minds…
There are 64 traditional ways of coming in contact with the Lord and these are so comprehensive, they encompass all other processes, but of all of them, chanting the Lord’s Holy Names is most effective.
The immediate result for one who chants the Lord’s Holy Names purely is to lose all fears.
Srila Prabhupada writes, “We are always fearful due to our ignorance of the next problem. The whole material existence is full of problems, and thus the fear problem is always prominent. This is due to our association with the illusory energy of the Lord, known as maya or external energy, yet all fear is vanished as soon as there is the sound of the Lord, represented by His Holy Name, as it was sounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the following sixteen words:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
We can take advantage of these sounds and be free from all threatening problems of material existence.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.3 purport)
Simply by hearing about Kṛiṣhṇa’s pastimes, chanting His names and His glories, touching His lotus feet in the course of worshipping the Deity and offering all kinds of services, one is purified of material contamination. By coming in touch with the Lord, one’s body and mind will certainly become spiritualized so that in the end, one can assume his or her spiritual body and return back home, back to Godhead.
May we not only be touched by the Lord, but once we have been touched, may we stay in touch, always!

Harinama in the snow, Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The names of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. So Lord Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna to “Remember Me” and Lord Caitanya’s injunction to “always chant the names of Lord Krishna” are the same instruction. (Bhagavad-gita, Introduction)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RwpsVN

Life Of A Devotee - Bhaktin Chie (20 min video)
People have always shared their stories verbally, with those in their extended family, with their friends, with their tribe.
We don’t just want to tell a story, we want to inspire. So here is the story of “Bhaktin Chie” to inspire you in your struggle of Krishna Consciousness.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/5cPCDN

Krishna’s Flute Playing.
Dhirasanta Das Goswami: Ustad Bismillah Khan the Shahnai maestro had a personal encounter with Sri Krishna in spite of being a Muslim. The legendary Ustad had great respect for Sri Krishna; and that could have prompted the merciful Lord to appear to him in person.
Once Ustad Bismillah Khan was traveling by train from Jamdshedpur to Varanasi. It was a coal run passenger train and Ustad was traveling in the third class compartment. From an intermediate rural railway station, a young cowherd boy boarded the bogey in which Ustad was sitting. He was a dark and lean boy; and he was holding a flute in his hands. Slowly the boy started playing his flute. The supreme quality of his music surprised the maestro Ustad who didn’t even know the ‘raga’ the boy was playing. Ustad immediately recognized that the boy was none other than Sri Krishna, the Supreme God Himself . The nectar flowing out of Krishna’s flute filled Ustad’s heart with ecstasy; and tears of joy started pouring out of his eyes.
After the stunning performance, Ustad called the boy near and presented him with a coin requesting him to play the song again and Krishna obliged. This happened again and again until Bismillah Khan’s wallet became empty. Young Krishna got down at the next railway station and disappeared.
In fact, Ustad was en route to participate in a music concert at a Kumbha mela (a Hindu religious gathering of millions of devotees). At that concert, Ustad presented the new raga which he had learnt that day from Krishna. This melodious raga was greatly appreciated by the audience who begged Ustad to sing it many times. The music scholars around couldn’t make out the name of the raga and they asked Bismillah Khan about it. Ustad replied that the name of the raga is ‘Kanharira’.
The next day’s newspapers contained headlines about the melodious new ‘raga’ invented by Ustad Bismillah Khan. Having read it, Hariprasas Chaurasya, the legendary musician (flutist), asked about the ‘Kanharira Raga’s’ details from Bismillah Khan. Ustad revealed the truth and sang Kanharira; and Hariprakash Chaurasya, the topmost Flutist in the world, burst into tears of joy.
‘Kanharira’ is a divine gem in Indian music, as it originated from the lotus lips of Sri Krishna, the God of Gods !!!
Once, Lord Krishna asked his devotees what they would like to become in his hands. Some said the lotus, some the conch, some the chakra and so on, but no-one mentioned the flute.
Krishna advised them to become his flute. He said that in the human structure, as in the flute, there are 8 main spots: the five organs of perception, mind, intellect, and ego.
“If you get rid of your ego and become like a hollow reed flute, then I will come to you, pick you up and breathe through the hollowness of your heart and the captivating melody will emerge in the form of eternal joy. But if you continue your attitude of dislike, hatred and jealousy, I will distance Myself from you, as you will be useless for My purpose.”

Christmas in Jaipur (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: We spent Christmas in Jaipur visiting various temples of the Lord. I...

By Aradhya Bhagavan Das

Friday,15th of December 2017 was a memorial day for all ISKCON devotees in India, as it marked the release of the Hare Krishna! movie - a documentary on Srila Prabhupada's life - which released simultaneously across 700 screens in 50 different cities of India. The movie has received a resounding success all over India. However, special mention must be made of Kolkata, the birthplace of Srila Prabhupada. Here the movie had run for a week in all the PVR Cinemas across the city. The movie fever that started on Friday 15th at PVR Mani Square, where the show opened to a houseful, subsequently continued over the next 7 days. Mention must be made of the special screening held on Monday 18th of December, when the movie was presented on India's second largest screen at Mani Square PVR. "The largest screen, I have ever seen in India" was how the director HG Yadubara Prabhu (Mr. John Griesser) would describe the experience. The evening witnessed a congregation of over a 1000 devotee coming together to watch the marvelous rendition by HG Yadubara Prabhu (John Griesser) and his wife and co-director HG Visakha Mataji (Jean Griesser). Continue reading "“Hare Krishna!” the movie comes to Kolkata, where it all started!
→ Dandavats"

The post Daily Darshan: December 25,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Harinama in Honolulu, Hawaii (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: People should not misunderstand that we are a band of musica...

Sunday Feast talk by Vaisesika Dasa Prabhu at ISKCON Denver, USA (video)
Watch it here: https:/...

[Talk to IIT Students at ISKCON, Mira Road, Mumbai, India]

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The post Technology, Spirituality and the Seach for a Meaningful life appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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The post Bhagavatam study 68 1.13.39-45 Know when to exercise control in the service of the supreme controller and when to release control appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

In the photos below you will see work being done on both the Main Dome and Nrsimha Dome Kalashes and Nrsimha Dome Chakra.

The Nrsimhadeva Dome Kalash is almost complete and the Main Dome Kalash is fast approaching completion. Between the Kalash mounting, painting and fastening the dome ribs and stars, assembling Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Chakra and working on the Chatris, all the transcendental sevaites are working around the clock to bring the marathon to its completion by February 7th for the Grand Installation Ceremony of the Chakras onto Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Domes.

To sponsor an abhisheka for one or both Chakras please go to:
https://tovp.org/donate/once-in-a-lifetime-chakra-abhisheka-seva-opportunity/

The post Photo Review of Work Progress for Chakra Installation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Prasadam distribution in Hungary’s capital (Album with photos)
Today is the beginning of our mega Christmas meal, which is used in a growing number of needy people in Budapest. Besides the warm food distributed daily, everyone gets two bags of food packages and presents. It’s a yoga class. I mean, philosophy doesn’t mean much to a starving man.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/WsM5Eq

Gita Mela 2017 begins! (Album of photos)
The winter holidays from Christmas till the New Year attracts lakhs of people every year from across India to the ISKCON Chandradaya Temple, Mayapur, the spiritual headquarters of the institution. During this time all the guesthouses, lodges and hotels are stuffed and every road leading to Mayapur is seen bustling with tourists and revellers. To reach out to this huge bunch of people with an aim to inculcate spiritual values among people and thereby promote peace, harmony and well-being, the devotees of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is organising Gita Mela from 23rd December to 2nd January at its Mayapur campus informed Laxmi Govinda Das, in-charge of Gita preaching.
During this Mela, copies of ‘Bhagavad- Gita As It is’ published in more than 50 languages will be showcased. Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita will also be demonstrated by using slide shows, diorama, and videos. An online Gita Quiz is being planned to attract the youth. Further, a dedicated team of devotees will be holding interactive seminars, mock situations to practically exhibit that the teachings laid down in Bhagavad Gita by Sri Krishna more than 5000 years back are very much relevant in modern times and how they could be practiced in daily real life situations. A massive stage has been set up with lighting all around the temple campus so that every evening there will be congregational chanting, dancing and singing of melodious kirtans. This will be followed by cultural programmes presented by the foreign devotees depicting the pastimes (lila) of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Krishna. To give the Mela a carnival feel multiple stalls have been set up which will distribute varieties of mouth watering MahaPrasadam from South Indian dishes, traditional Bengali cuisines to authentic Italian delicacies and large variety of delicious bakery items.
Jivanatha Prabhu, co-ordinator of campus preaching, says that,'Our goal this year is to get as many of our guests who visit Sri Dham Mayapur to understand the importance of Bhagavad Gita As It Is . We want everyone to be convinced they NEED to have Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita along with the rest of his books. Gita Mela features a wide range of entertaining booths with a large stage for lectures and performances.’
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1uBq29

H.H. Dhirasanta Das Goswami - Wednesday Lecture - 12/20/2017 (video)
His Holiness Dhirasanta Das Goswami speaks about his early...

We Wish You a “Merry Krishna” :-)
by The Devotees of the Radha Krishna Temple, Soho, London.
1.We Wish You a Merry Krishna 02:46
2.Deck the Halls with Boughs of Hare 01:39
3.Ding Dong Merrily on Hare 03:17
4.Good King Krishna 02:20
5.Krishna Bells 04:03
A seasonal collaboration between Mr President and the devotees of the Radha Krishna Temple, Soho.
A big thanks go to Dayal Mora and Jai Natai for allowing us to make the idea a reality.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/jV6UFj

Book distribution marathon 2017, Hungary (Album of photos)
Sivarama Swami: An other book distributed, the wisdom of the Vedas i...

 

Kuresha being given first grain at Sri Jagannatha Mandir, KL	Strawberry Sweet Rice for teething kids. We don’t mind our shares as well.	Milk from protected cows are best.

 Hare Krishna.  Anna Prasana, a very important purificatory rite of the first grains ceremony by the father of the teething child is done on the 6th or 8th month for boys and 5th or 7th month for girls. Devotees like the Spiritual Master/Father to give the first grains feeding while Mantas and Hare Krishna is chanted.

 

The Supersoul Vaisvanara is invoked to accept the first sweet rice grains prasadam and preside over the digestion for the child for all the solid food intake for the rest of life. The child also becomes independent of mother’s milk but thereon feeds on the Miracle Milk of Mother Cow. Again, we see the importance of the Cow’s milk, ghee, urine and dung not only for Samskaras and Fire sacrifices but that Mother Cow’s milk continues as food and derivatives for the rest of our lives. One of the prayers chanted is “Among food ghee is happiness, beauty, strength and nobility”.

 

Samskara also mentions that the Parents should give daksina, feed devotees and living entities. Will be fantastic to do the ceremony at the cow farm itself, feed the devotees and cows. Lord Krishna’s name giving was done in his father’s cow shed. After grain feeding, scripture and money may be placed before the child to get an indication of his future tendencies.

 

This is what Srila Jayapataka Swami said about the importance of Samskaras:

"I want to take this opportunity to fully endorse the providing of SAMSKAR SERVICES for the congregation as a means of helping them advance in Krishna consciousness as well as making them feel a part of the Krishna consciousness family. It makes the temple relevant to their lives when temple authorised brahmanas perform the samskaras. It creates a community spirit as the samskara event also becomes a social event inviting families and friends to come and witness the specific ceremony and accept a feast, etc. Every temple should strive to provide these kind of Krishna conscious samskaras. ……It always impressed me that if one of the 6 Goswamis took the trouble of writing these samskaras then it is obvious that we should utilise them.

Parents should endeavour to do the best for the ceremony especially in the preparation of Sweet Rice.

1. Sweet rice should be offered to the Presiding Deities at the temple where the ceremony is being done. One time Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja chastised us since the Sweet Rice that was used for the ceremony was not offered to the Deities at the local temple. Another time he was even more unhappy that instead of sugar the cook had mistakenly added salt.
2. Best is to prepare Sweet Rice for the ceremony from the Ahimsa Milk of our own farm.
3. Use pure cane sugar instead of white sugar.

 

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita Chapter 15 Text 14

"I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of food." (Bg. 15.14) Lord Vaisvanara presides over digestion and in general bestows the capacity of mobility on animals, humans and demigods.

SWEET RICE RECIPE & PREPARATION – A RECIPE TAUGHT TO ME BY HH JANANANDA GOSWAMI MAHARAJA

• 25 Parts of Milk
• 1 Part Rice
• 1 Part Unrefined cane sugar
• 1 cup strawberry (finely chopped or roughly cut as you like it
• Cardamon or Cinnamon can be used for fragrance and flavour

 

Wash the rice and leave to drain in a sieve. In a large saucepan bring the milk to a boil and then add the rice. Keep over medium heat, stirring continuously. Simmer till the rice is soft and the milk is reduced to two-thirds its original volume. Add sugar as you stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. When cool, add the strawberries. Refrigerate. Serve chilled.

BECOME A COW CARE SUPPORTER NOW

Please click on the link below to submit YOUR COW CARE SUPPORTER FORM.

https://docs.google.com/…/17HvpYqtk7qCnRBxcqeuk2T3TFP2…/edit

Thank you so much,

Your servant,
Simheswara dasa
Regional Secretary, ISKCON MALAYSIA
P.S. I have also appended a link below to our INAUGURAL ONLINE FARM NEWSLETTER

https://www.yumpu.com/…/v…/59210663/ngd-farm-inaugural-issue

https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/media_set?set=a.10210819428184727.1073742779.1321748113&type=3

Today we went on parikrama to Kamyavan. Kamyavan is fourth among the twelve forests of Vraja-mandala. The word kamya means “extremely beautiful”, “well adorned” or “highly attractive”. Many pleasant lakes, wells, ponds, trees, creepers, flowers, fruits and species of birds contribute to the beauty of this place. Krishna performed many of His childhood pastimes in Kamyavan. According to the Visnu Purana, there are eighty-four sacred ponds, eighty-four temples and eighty-four pillars in Kamyavan. This holy place has countless kundas as well as a parikrama path of fourteen miles. Some of the prominent kundas are Vimala Kunda, Dharma Kunda and Kama Kunda. Dharma kunda is where Maharaja Yudhisthira successfully answered the 100 questions of Yamaraja.

The deity of Kameswar Mahadeva, who resides in Kamyavan, was personally installed by Vajranabh, Krishna’s great-grandson. A most beautiful deity of Vrinda devi resides in Kamyavan as well. Srila Rupa Goswami had installed this deity of Vrinda devi in his Radha Govinda Temple in the forest of Vrindavan 500 years ago. But later on, by Her sweet will, Vrinda devi moved to her temple in Kamyavan.

In the Puranas it is said that the forest of Kamyavan fulfills the innermost desires of the soul.

“In this Kamyavan Krishna performed enchanting pastimes. Here you will be able to take darsana of many Kundas and other holy places. I cannot even describe in writing all the sacred tirthas found at Kamyavan.”

[ Bhakti-ratnakara, Fifth Wave ]

 

namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca… His first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brahmanas. In fact, comfort for the brahmanas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern.” – Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.16, purport The ISKCON Mayapur Goshala is located in the south-east corner of the Mayapur campus, and […]

The post The Primary Citizens! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Touchstone Media has churned the ocean of nectar and come up with a marvellous masterpiece, ‘Sri Ksetra: Vaikuntha on Earth.’ Lord Jagannath is dear to every devotee. His Dham, Sri Ksetra is as glorious as Him.

The post Daily Darshan: December23,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Gita Mela 2017 From 23 December To 2 January

Srimad Bhagavatam 08.12.16 by H.H. Subhag Swami on 1st Dec 2017 at ISKCON Juhu