Websites from the ISKCON Universe
The devotees of Govardhan Eco village (two hours outside of Mumbai) have re-created the original Vrindavan with duplicates of the seven principal temples. Along with Krishna’s pastimes in the forest and Fields. They are currently constructing a full size 75 foot high duplicate of the Madan Mohan Temple. It is made of solid red sandstone just like the original. Each block weighing over a ton. They also have a large modern crane to help lift the blocks. The blocks were all carved in Rajasthan.
By Vaishnava Das On 20th Jan 2018, Gaur Gopal Das was awarded ‘Yuva Adhyatmik Guru Puraskar,’ Youth Spiritual GURU Award by Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad(Indian Student Parliament), for remarkable contributions in guiding the youth by helping them to awaken their inner potential through the path of spirituality, at MIT World Peace University, Pune. Thanks to Shri Vishwanathji Karad (@vishwanathdkarad) Founder and Executive President MIT WPU,MIT group of institutions, and Shri Rahulji Karad Founder and convener BCS, Executive President MIT WPU, for this honor. Continue reading "Gaur Gopal Das was awarded ‘Yuva Adhyatmik Guru Puraskar,’ Youth Spiritual GURU Award
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Sivarama Swami promotes religious and racial tolerance amongst children.
A school from Hertfordshire in the UK, which had been experiencing religious and racial intolerance amongst its students, made a very special visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor recently.
The school’s Religious Education teacher had been inspired by Sivarama Swami’s online video blogs and he arranged for the Swami to address the children.
Students were very respectful and listened to Sivarama Swami with rapt attention while he spoke about tolerance, unity and diversity.
Adi-lila 17.39-44
By Indradyumna Swami Yesterday was the first day of spring in Vrindavan. Traditionally the deities in all the temples are dressed in yellow. Many Vraja-vasis alsowear yellow. Throughout the day I took a small group of devotees to all the main temples for darshan. There was a wonderful festive atmosphere everywhere we went. At one point a blissful parade passed by us, winding it's way through Vrindavan's small streets and lanes. Because it was also the appearance day of Srila Raghunath das Goswami we visited his samadhi at Radha Kunda and prayed for the spiritual strength to continue our preaching when we return to the west after Gaura Purnima. Continue reading "The First Day Of Spring In Sri Vrindavan Dhama
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New Book release: ‘Bhaktivedanta Manor With Photography’
Sally Hedges Greenwood has visually captured the life and soul of Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK and those that worshipped, celebrated, worked and lived there in 2004. Thirteen years later, in 2017, a collaboration with Radha Mohan das adds a further dynamic to the previously unpublished photographs, which succeeds in being both intimate and informative.
Sally was a mature student from Amersham College and was assigned to the Manor for her end of year project. Sally was previously the Managing Director of an exhibition company, so taking photographs was natural to her.
“Photographing at Bhaktivedanta Manor was an extraordinary experience for me in many ways”, explained Sally. “There was always a lot going on and I was accepted by the community right from the very beginning. I considered myself an ideal person to capture their moments”.
“The book may also be regarded as a souvenir for guests as well as devotees of Bhaktivedanta Manor. Put together in one volume, the photographs become a private, spiritual and personal photograph album”.
Bhaktivedanta Manor is many things: a temple, a home and a farm; it is unusual and interesting but above all it is a community whose contribution to their own and the wider community is extensive and inclusive.
For more information, to ‘Look Inside’ or to buy either the paperback or the eBook please visit Amazon.co.uk https://tinyurl.com/ycmplhlh (Also Amazon.com and Amazon.eu).
Transcendental Diary Vol 1 now available in Spanish.
Hari-sauri das: Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,
Pamho. All glories to Sri...
Is Your Hut on Fire?
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for Krsna to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened –everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “Krsna, how could you do this to me?“ he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.
"How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers.
“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because Krsna is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of Krsna.
Bg 9.22 — But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
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Tamal Krishna Goswami sannyasa anniversary (video)
Dallas, USA
January 22, 2018
Watch it here: Read More...
Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
The post Gita 15.19 Bhakti is not non-intellectual or anti-intellectual – it is trans-intellectual appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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.
Congratulations to Team Toronto for a very successful Marathon 2017. Together, "WE DID IT". By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, and the blessings of our Sankirtan generals Vaisesika Prabhu and Bhaktimarga Swami, we smashed our goals! 
(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
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‘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
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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
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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 […]
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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)
Marking the one year anniversary of the disappearance of His Grace Bhajahari Prabhu. [Bhagavatam class at New Vedic Cultural Center, ISKCON, Pune]
Podcast
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