Planet ISKCON

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

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It’s always nice being invited to Nama Hatta programs when I come to Auckland. The devotees have them regularly every week at different homes around town.

One function I went to was with the family of Suryacandra Krishna das and Gitanjali devi dasi. They worship Sri Sri Gaura Nitai in a beautiful house overlooking the bay.

As usual, the evening starting with kirtan, then lecture and wonderful prasadam cooked and offered by Gitanjali devi dasi herself.

 

I was never optimistic of inter-faith conferences. To me, personally speaking, it does not yield any significant outcomes. Leaders from various faiths’ convene but we do not see anything tangible transpire from these meetings. No doubt, it is a good thing in that we can appreciate differences and have a conversation. However, mere tolerance and acknowledgement of differences will not solve serious systemic problems in the religious world. Religion today believed by many is the number one reason for sectarian violence. Certainly, the leaders of that religion have to take responsibility for such sectarianism. Despite, social media and globalization, we are divided than ever.

On the corporate front, technology has enabled us to put our differences aside and work together across different cultures and platforms. This is a big win at least from an external perspective. However, this is possible only if one is ready to work in a secular environment. Secularism,however, does not promote personal beliefs in the workplace. Therefore, in that sense we have not solved sectarianism but only created one more - a sect of people apathetic or introvertive to their personal beliefs. Sectarianism can be really solved only if we allow, express and embrace external differences but adhere to universal deeper spiritual values. If inter-faith conferences can help with that idea, then I think it is successful.

One such value is to accept that God (regardless of His name) is the Supreme creator and owner of all things, people and land. Therefore, every individual should give up their false sense of ownership and offer their resources/bounty/money to God. If the leaders of the respective religions can go back to their respective congregations and preach this one idea – to give up ownership and dedicate the ownership and results of work to God – I think there will certainly be progress in the form of global peace.

Real inter-faith begins and ends by putting God (regardless of name) in the center and giving God all credit and offering all fruits to God and in this way co-exist peacefully (without sectarianism) in God consciousness.

Hare Krishna

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 16 December 2013, Sandton, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.17.38)

Krsna is like the sun, maya is like darkness; wherever there is Krsna, maya’s influence cannot be there. So in this way, we do not have to fear. We do not have to think, “How will I conquer this illusory energy? I feel weak”. We should engage in more hearing and chanting, have more devotee association and take only Krsna-prasadam; no potato chips, nothing; just Krsna-prasadam.

You may say, “I offer my potato chips!”

Alright, but actually, they have already been offered to the factory workers. Actually to tell you the truth, if you’re cooking for Krsna and someone walks into the kitchen and just puts his hand straight into the pot and starts eating from it, will you still offer it to Krsna?

Well, there was a devotee, near Ermelo (in South Africa) who had a big chips factory and one time, they wanted me to go there to bless the factory. You know, “Swamiji, please come and bless our factory?” So, I went and blessed the factory and checked it out and I saw trucks of potatoes coming in and then being washed and chopped up by machines, and then the slices are dried and they go on the conveyor belt, and then there is a dip and they go through the hot oil and they come out brown and crispy. Then on the other side, as they come out, there is some machine that blows on hot spices onto the chips which stick on. The chips are still hot and spicy and there are the workers, “Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!” eating the chips! I was like, okay… so much for the chips! But if we take shelter of Krsna-prasadam, then everything is there, we are protected. There is no doubt of that…

Oxpower in Krishna Valley (4 min video)
Krishna Valley is the largest and most well organized ecological community in Hungary, and of Central-Europe. It has been established since 1993. In our farm communities like Krishna Valley we offer an alternative toward a more sustainable, carefree, happy and peaceful future.
Krishna Valley’s 110 acres, which used to be pasture land for sheep in the past, is home to a great variety of species. There are more than 950 different species of trees and bushes in its botanical garden, which enables us (besides education) to preserve the values of nature and to find and research new varieties of edible plants. Self-sufficiency has been our basic principle since the beginning with the help of community work, social development and traditional technologies.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/BHL872

By Carol Kuruvilla

Religion is often viewed as a force that sows divisions between people. But the world’s most prominent religious leaders have come together to present a different vision of how faith can work in the world. In a rare move, major religious leaders ? from Pope Francis to the Dalai Lama ? issued a joint appeal Wednesday asking people to follow a simple bit of advice: Make friends with people of other faiths. “Our advice is to make friends to followers of all religions,” Ayatollah Sayyid Fadhel Al-Milani, one of the U.K.’s most senior Shia Muslim clerics, said in a video recording. Continue reading "World’s Top Religious Leaders Issue Rare Joint Appeal
→ Dandavats"

‘Finding your purpose’ (Album of photos)
Yesterday evening Sivarama Swami spoke to 120 professionals at Ernst and Young, one of the top four accounting firms in the world, about ‘Finding your purpose’. Our thanks to Veda London for facilitating this wonderful event.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/KMeZaJ

Harinama Sankirtana in Union Square subway station Sunday, January 21st (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One should not wa...

Baltics Winter Festival 2018, in Lithuania (Album of photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: We just finished the Baltics Winter Festi...

jaya jaya sundara nanda-kumāra saurabha-sańkaṭa-vṛndāvana-vihita-vasanta-vihāra “O handsome son of Nanda, O Lord who enjoys springtime pastimes in the fragrant forest of Vrndavana, all glories to You! All glories to You!” – Srila Rupa Goswami   Vasanta Pancami usually takes place during the month of January or February, and marks the first official day of spring. The spring season signifies new life and joy, and […]

The post The King of Seasons : Vasant Panchami Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

By Mary Pratt

Byron Bay is hippie central through and through and so of course the Krishna Village Eco-Yoga Community would be based nearby. About an hour’s drive away, you’ll go from the breezy beaches or Byron to being nestled in rolling hills and lush greenery, with thick grass and fresh water creeks. This is Eungella, a town in New South Wales with a peaceful, back-to-nature vibe that’ll transform even the most plugged-in of urbanites, given enough time. Since one of my mantras is #lovelife, I thought, why not pay a visit to Krishna Village to get a taste of their joyous and mindful approach to life? Maybe they could help my brain stop whirring at top speed and get me to unplug and relax! Continue reading "Crushing Misconceptions At Krishna Village in Australia
→ Dandavats"

By Anuttama Das

Today's (22-1-2018) SB class in Mayapur. We should respect, honor and appreciate each other's service and never minimize or belittle anyone's contribution in our collective endeavor to glorify Krishna and bring others to His lotus feet. We don't compromise our principles but whatever works for some particular country and class of people should be accepted. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to come in Mayapur every year and cultivate unity in diversity. Continue reading "Unity in Diversity
→ Dandavats"

The post Daily Darshan: January 22,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached the streets of Krishnanagar during the recent Harinam Sankirtan Procession conducted by Mayapur Bhakti Vriksha on the month of December 2017. Decorated with different varieties of colorful flags, festoon, banner etc,  two different  sets of Harinam Sankirtan team went on Harinam  procession as  Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu’s soldiers, distributing […]

The post Krishnanagar Nagar Sankirtan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Rich in Vaisnava Culture - The Town of Bharatpur (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Today we visited the town of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, just on the outskirts of Vrindavan. There we toured the Lohagarh fort built in the 18th century. Inside the fort are many beautiful old sandstone temples of Radha and Krsna, Ganga devi, Laxman ( the brother of Lord Ramacandra ) and numerous other temples with many ancient deities. The Lohagarh fort was built by a staunch Vaisnava King named Suraj Mal in the early 18th century. It is one of the strongest forts ever built in Indian history. Protected by deep moats on all sides, the fort was built to endure the repetitive invasions of the Mughal and British forces in the mid-1700’s in the region.
King Suraj Mal was a powerful king who ruled over the whole of Vraja and a greater part of North India in the 18th century. He was respected and loved by his subjects and was greatly feared by the Mughals. He was undefeated in battle. Songs and ballads of his chivalry and nobility, as well as his devotion to Radha and Krsna, are sung in different villages in North India. It was he who constructed the beautiful palace at Kusum Sarovara at the foot of Govardhana Hill. His samadhi is there.

As we walked around the town exploring the different temples, palaces and museums we were warmly greeted by many pious Vaisnavas. Everywhere people would call out, “Jaya Sri Radhe!” just like in Vrindavan. The whole day was a great adventure. As we left, I was in awe of the town and wondering how it was that in all these years I have never visited Bharatpur, which is so rich in Vaisnava culture and so close to Sri Vrindavan Dhama. Next weekend I plan to go back and take a large harinam party through Bharatpur to reciprocate with the warm welcome the people of Bharatpur extended to us.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/iG5Agz

Bhaktivedanta Academy Alumni: Graduation of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Dāsa and Kṛṣṇa Candra Dāsa (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Go to Vrndavana and chant the Hare Krishna mantra constantly.” This is a solution to all sinful activities. Chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, be freed from all the complexities of life, and realize Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Engage in His devotional service and perfect your life so that you can return home, back to Godhead. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 25.198 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pUa9Nq

ISKCON Belgaum Ratha Yatra on 20th Jan 2018 (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/oP2X8U

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

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The Krishna Castle

London is not the oldest city but certainly the most important city in the world.

The Romans founded London about 50 AD. Its name is derived from the Celtic word Londinios, which means the place of the bold one.
So today we will attempt to be bold for Krishna. Over the last two weeks so may volunteers came together to build the Krishna Castle in the heart of London, Holborn.

One of the main builders was “Bhima the Giant” ( over seven foot seven tall, a famous movie actor) and nothing short of a castle would be good enough, for him and the Pancha Tatva Deities.

This castle is located in the heart of the student area, so we plan to distribute 2,500 free healthy meals daily to the student community, by having 4 cargo rickshaws full of Prasad going to SOAS, UCL, LSE and Kings University. Along with the Prasad , we are building a mobile preaching exhibition, with books, weekly Harinam, festivals and programs.

Other jivas supported include the homeless and poor school children ( 25% of children from lower income families go to school hungry.)
We plan to be up and running in two weeks time. We are short of funds for the equiptment which we have ordered from Turkey, not possible to buy big cookers in the UK. This is the 11th hour for us, so please get involved.

JUST GIVING fundrasing Food For All

Your servants
Parasuram das and the Food for All team

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 November 2017, Mayapur, India, Russian Morning Class, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.6.10)

The spirit of giving the mercy to others should be our focus and we can do it in so many ways. Think of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples. They are interesting because they have a life behind them and somehow or other, each one of them wound up doing a particular service.

I am thinking of Yadubara who first came to Prabhupada as a professional journalist on an assignment. As part of his job, he started filming Prabhupada and then he never stopped. He joined the movement and made it his life’s mission to film Prabhupada. That was a priceless service! He is very humble about it. His films are so important because we can actually see Prabhupada ourselves. We can hear about Prabhupada but it is not the same as seeing him as we can in films. 

So whatever service we do, we should make a sacrifice – a sacrifice for the welfare of the world. Otherwise, if we are too absorbed in living a comfortable, pleasant, nice spiritual life then we will advance slowly. We are here in the holy dhama, in one purport Srila Prabhupada writes that the neophytes can stay in the holy dhama. Those who are more advanced can go out and preach. But of course, we can also preach in the holy dhama.

Anyway, I am not trying to find fault in anyone, maybe some in myself; seeing that this tendency to find a comfortable place in this material world is very strong in me. I am a little bit afraid of this because this tendency could bind me to the material world. So I hope I become more inspired to do something for the welfare of all the people of this world and in that way develop the mentality of a resident of the spiritual world.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita Bg 8.16.

“Srila Prabhupada said to Tamal Krishna Maharaja that Krishna wants us all to go back to Godhead in this very lifetime. So, if a devotee needs more time Krishna may extend his duration of life so he may finish up what he needs to do to go back to Godhead in this lifetime. Krishna is the ultimate factor. Srila Prabhupada had one sister who was always worried about her health and another who was a devotee. The sister in bhakti yoga lived much longer. Srila Prabhupada said we take normal precautions. We don’t go into the jungle and put our head into the mouth of the tiger—becoming a devotee doesn’t mean challenge the laws of nature. Ultimately we have faith that Krishna is our final protector and everything depends on Him.”

Bhagavad-gita 8.16, Govardhan Urban Farm (Right-click to download)

“The Krishna consciousness movement therefore issues a supreme call to all kinds of religionists, asking them with great authority to join this movement, by which one can learn how to love God and thus surpass all formulas and formalities of scriptural injunction. A person who cannot overcome the jurisdiction of stereotyped religious principles is compared to an animal chained up by his master. The purpose of all religion is to understand God and develop one’s dormant love of Godhead. If one simply sticks to the religious formulas and formalities but does not become elevated to the position of love of God, he is considered to be a chained animal. In other words, if one is not in Krishna consciousness, he is not eligible for liberation from the contamination of material existence.

Srila Sridhara Swami has composed a nice verse in this regard: “Let others engage in severe austerities, let others fall to the land from the tops of hills and give up their lives, let others travel to many holy places of pilgrimage for salvation, or let them engage in deep study of philosophy and Vedic literature. Let the mystic yogis engage in their meditational service, and let the different sects engage in unnecessary arguing as to which is the best. But it is a fact that unless one is Krishna conscious, unless one is engaged in devotional service, and unless one has the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot cross over this material ocean.” An intelligent person, therefore, gives up all stereotyped ideas and joins the Krishna consciousness movement for factual liberation.” — Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krishna Book Reading (Right-click to download)

CHOOSE good friends and dare to talk with them of things you are usually silent about

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Marking the one year anniversary of the disappearance of His Grace Bhajahari Prabhu.

[Bhagavatam class at New Vedic Cultural Center, ISKCON, Pune]

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The post How our mind messes our relationships 2 – Focus on contribution, not expectation appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

ISKCON Dallas Kirtan50 culminated with Maha-Puspa Abhisekha held on Jan. 1st.

Vasanta Pancami usually takes place during the month of January or February, and marks the first official day of spring.

Fragrant Syrian Milk Pudding (Muhallabeya)
Every Middle Eastern community has its own traditional flavorings and presentation for the ubiquitous Middle Eastern rice flour pudding known as Muhallabeya, some flavoring it with orange blossom water, or rose water, and sprinkling it with chopped almonds or pistachios. The Turkish version uses vanilla or lemon zest, whereas the Iranians prefer cardamom.
Kurma’s recipe: https://goo.gl/Ka1ga3

The post Daily Darshan: January 21,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 15.17 Liberation is not just elevation out of illusion but also connection with the supreme reality appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post When India is the land of spirituality, why was it overrun by so many invaders – why does it still have a colonial mentality? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Youth Meeting at Vedic Cultural Center, ISKCON, Pune]

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The post Is Reincarnation for Real – Evaluating the Evidence appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.