Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Unlike Radhanath Swami, Visakha was not on a search to find God, although she had no faith that the materialistic lifestyle of those surrounding her in her youth would satisfy her. 
Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Appearance day celebrated at ISKCON-Delhi, 06-01-2018(Album with 16 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: All gl...
Recently released a thought provoking song inspired by the Bhagavad Gita with transcendental lyrics set to reggae beats, and through it hopes to awaken the curiosity of many a sleeping soul throughout the world! 
Krishna katha kept everyone captivated for more than two hours (Album with photos)
On 11th Nov 2017, Gaur Gopal Das was invited to speak at Artha Forum on the topic of ‘Living in the VUCA world,’ at RELC International Hotel, Singapore.
Smart and well-informed group of entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, professionals, and students gathered to hear from him, seeking for new perspectives on dealing with the mayhem around us. Filled with deep wisdom and realizations, the talk and follow-up Q&A kept everyone captivated for more than two hours.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/6yy8op
By Visnu Murti das On January 2nd in a conference call, the Global BBT unanimously voted to *continue* the special augmented book points for Arabic and Farsi books! So it did not stop at the end of the year, and is still active right now and for the whole of 2018 (at least)! This is also nicely timed for the long awaited launch of the new Arabic Gita which will be awarding the book distributors with 6 (six) points for each sale instead of the normal 2 points for a Gita. So please feel free to get this good news out to all the sankirtan devotees of your area. Continue reading "Great news for Sankirtan devotees
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By MCO To this day, the ISKCON Mayapur Food for Life strives and, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, succeeds in fulfilling this instruction. Over the last eight years, the ISKCON Mayapur Food for Life program, under the Sri Mayapur Food Relief Trust, has distributed over three million, nine hundred and twenty-five thousand, seven hundred plates of prasadam (3,925,700 plates). By the end of this year, the number of plates will have reached four million. Continue reading "Our Secret Weapon
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By Sitalatma das Why is that thousands of these Orthodox monks can chant day and night non-stop but we can't? Now that many of our devotees are retired from active duties and call themselves vanaprasthas perhaps it's time for our society to start talking about increasing the number of our daily rounds. Not compulsory, of course, but for those who can it could be encouraged. Another important aspect is that in Orthodox Christianity following preceptors is the only way of spiritual progress. There's no democracy on Mt. Athos, you can't just show up and claim the right to be taught - one must be selected and accepted by a known teacher. Likewise, one can't practice on his own - guidance must always be there. One can't approach Jesus Christ on his own either - only through what we'd call a parampara. Continue reading "Monks of Mount Athos – is there something we should learn from them?
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The post Daily Darshan: January 06,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Giriraj Swami: In anticipation of the fortieth anniversary of of the Juhu temple, Rasa-sundari dasi wrote about serving there:
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay from 1990 to 1992 was sometimes a real challenge, because we had hardly any facilities.
In the beginning there were only three of us, not even initiated then: Bhakta Juan, Bhaktin Manju, and myself, Bhaktin Flor.
Cooking was done on the second floor in a small kitchen connected to the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Guru Maharaja always took his prasadam in his office, and as he liked hot chapattis, we were cooking them on the second floor and then running down the hall with them, one by one, to the office.
There were no mobile phones at that time, so lots of time was spent trying to find each other to get the messages through.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant to be able to go with him to visit all those wonderful devotees who were present during Srila Prabhupada’s time—Mrs. Nirmala Singhal, Dr. C. P. Patel, Mr. P. L. Sethi, Srimati Sumati Morariji. They all received Guru Maharaja like a long-lost son who finally had come home.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant witnessing how he gave himself fully to each and every person who wanted to see him, and everyone wanted to see him. He never showed any concern for himself, whether he had eaten, taken rest, or had some time for himself.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant being the lucky first three devotees that received initiation from him under the loving glance of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji, and we became Vrindavan das, Janaki devi dasi, and Rasa-sundari dasi.
After our initiation, Guru Maharaja allowed us to collect guru-daksina in front of the restaurant. At the end of the day, when Vrindavan das told Guru Maharaja that because of his service, he had not been able to collect anything and so he had nothing to give to him, Guru Maharaja looked at him and said, “You need not worry about that—you have already given me your life.”
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant being able to see him many mornings on the altar doing the mangala-arati for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant seeing him so expertly supervise the cleaning and maintenance of Srila Prabhupada’s quarters. He wanted us, the devotees, to do the cleaning and everything else there.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant watching him go almost every morning after mangala-arati to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters and chant his rounds there.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant meeting and serving so many of his wonderful godbrothers and godsisters who had served together with him during Prabhupada’s times, and seeing the love they all had for him.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant realizing that you are not this body, when after ten or twelve hours of intense service you fell on your bed, the body completely exhausted and the soul inside completely blissful, wanting to do more.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay was one of the happiest times in my life!
—Rasa-sundari dasi
In anticipation of the fortieth anniversary of the Juhu temple, Rasa-sundari dasi wrote about serving there:
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay from 1990 to 1992 was sometimes a real challenge, because we had hardly any facilities.
In the beginning there were only three of us, not even initiated then: Bhakta Juan, Bhaktin Manju, and myself, Bhaktin Flor.
Cooking was done on the second floor in a small kitchen connected to the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Guru Maharaja always took his prasadam in his office, and as he liked hot chapattis, we were cooking them on the second floor and then running down the hall with them, one by one, to the office.
There were no mobile phones at that time, so lots of time was spent trying to find each other to get the messages through.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant to be able to go with him to visit all those wonderful devotees who were present during Srila Prabhupada’s time—Mrs. Nirmala Singhal, Dr. C. P. Patel, Mr. P. L. Sethi, Srimati Sumati Morariji. They all received Guru Maharaja like a long-lost son who finally had come home.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant witnessing how he gave himself fully to each and every person who wanted to see him, and everyone wanted to see him. He never showed any concern for himself, whether he had eaten, taken rest, or had some time for himself.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant being the lucky first three devotees that received initiation from him under the loving glance of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji, and we became Vrindavan das, Janaki devi dasi, and Rasa-sundari dasi.
After our initiation, Guru Maharaja allowed us to collect guru-daksina in front of the restaurant. At the end of the day, when Vrindavan das told Guru Maharaja that because of his service, he had not been able to collect anything and so he had nothing to give to him, Guru Maharaja looked at him and said, “You need not worry about that—you have already given me your life.”
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant being able to see him many mornings on the altar doing the mangala-arati for Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihariji.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant seeing him so expertly supervise the cleaning and maintenance of Srila Prabhupada’s quarters. He wanted us, the devotees, to do the cleaning and everything else there.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant watching him go almost every morning after mangala-arati to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters and chant his rounds there.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant meeting and serving so many of his wonderful godbrothers and godsisters who had served together with him during Prabhupada’s times, and seeing the love they all had for him.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay meant realizing that you are not this body, when after ten or twelve hours of intense service you fell on your bed, the body completely exhausted and the soul inside completely blissful, wanting to do more.
Serving Guru Maharaja in Bombay was one of the happiest times in my life!
—Rasa-sundari dasi
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Movie Stuntman Finds Joy in Krishna Consciousness.
Devotees from ISKCON’s Soho St temple began visiting Jason and bringing him maha-prasadam and more books. “I read Chant and Be Happy, and the idea of self-realization through chanting really appealed to me,” he says.
“Next, I read Prabhupada’s biography, ‘Your Ever Well Wisher.’ I started to become very interested in the person of Srila Prabhupada. I read more and more about his mission, and the history of how he founded ISKCON in the United States. That’s when I became vegetarian. Step by step, my consciousness was changing.”
La Shard began to look for devotee association. He visited the Soho St. temple, and then took the three-month Veda course, an introductory program to Krishna consciousness, at Bhaktivedanta Manor. There, he studied the Gita chapter by chapter, and learned about Vedic culture, Vaishnava saints, the history of ISKCON and more.
In the summer, he joined Parasurama Das’s team of preachers, putting on Rathayatra festivals all over Scandinavia as well as Northern England and Scotland. Parasurama, delighted to make the acquaintance of the “biggest devotee in ISKCON,” warmly nicknamed La Shard “Bhima.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/DST2YD
Gopal’s Fun School - Goa.
Mission: Train Children of our society in the spiritual field with a view to awakening God consciousness in them so that over a period of time they become divine law-abiding citizens and consciously make the correct decisions in life to keep away from everything any caring parent would want them to avoid. Above all they are provided with a sense of responsibility towards themselves and society as a whole. Most importantly this all has to be done in a FUN way. 90% FUN + 10%.
GFS is a weekend FUN program for kids to create wonderful memories of their childhood and KRISHNA using a lively blend of art, stories, quiz, drama, games.
Read more: https://goo.gl/boRKA7
Kirtan by HH BB Govinda Swami, Dallas Kirtan50, 29.12.2017 (video)
Srila Prabhupada: We are not afraid of maya because Krishna is there. Krishna says, “My devotee will never be vanquished by maya.” Maya cannot do anything if we become strong. And what is that strength? Chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare loudly. (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, 3.6.10, Los Angeles 1968).
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/rrrQjz
Attending Jagruti 2018 (Album with photos)
ISKCON Goa: Two days of Annual Spiritual festival JAGRUTI ended today. While 1000 of participants got benefitted by two great topics given by Bhaktirasamrita Swami ji during the discourse time, lot of participants also tested their SQ (Spirituality Quotient) post-session. Among 100+ participants across 2 days, 8 were able to get 100% SQ score. As a promise to them, here are their pictures. Congratulations to winners. Please consider seriously in taking your spiritual journey to next level by going through “Journey of Self Discovery Course”.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Zmgkqp
Bhakti Center: 2017 Year in Review.
Looking back at the Bhakti Center’s growth in 2017, and looking forward a bit into 2018.
Click on the link below and blow up the window to full screen for a stunning magazine laid out by Rukmini Poddar!
https://issuu.com/bhakticenter/docs/2017_annualreview
The post Daily Darshan: Jan 05,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
By Chaitanya Charan das Love is our innermost longing. Gita wisdom declares that our longing for love is best fulfilled when we learn to love Krishna. Let's understand this central Gita teaching in five parts: Loving Krishna enables our love to break free from all limitations, Krishna is eminently lovable, Krishna loves all of us impartially, Krishna's love for us is unconditional and Krishna engages his omnipotence to help us when we choose to love him. Continue reading "Fulfilling our longing for love
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By Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi One year ago Nayati Hospital opened it doors to Brijasi of Vraj. So Community Service Centre went to connect the temple with Nayati. Today the heads of different departments of ISKCON Vrindavan sevites got an opportunity for qualified medical check-ups. There were 5 kinds of doctors: orthopedist, gynecologist, general physician, child specialist and pain relief therapist. The Nayati Hospital also provided the devotees with special silver id cards which give 10% discount for any hospital procedures, except medicine. The executive director of the hospital, P. Sagar Tuteja and the operations manager, Vivek Dave came to share their experience and get to know more about ISKCON Vrindavan. They are willing to take care of any devotee of our community and provide their best service. After the medical program delicious prasada was served to all the 18 doctors of the Nayati Hospital and our own volunteer doctors that serve in our Devotee Care Clinic. Anyone who would like to get more information about the medical facilities can contact the director of “Devotee’s Care”, Prem Prakash Das. The office of “Devotee’s Care” is situated nearby Balarama hall. Later, another medical camp will be organized for devotee who did not attend. It will be announced soon. Continue reading "Nayati Hospital Medical Camp at Krishna Balaram Temple
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By Pushti Devi Dasi Hari Sauri das: As you know the BRC has for the last nine years emerged as one of the most important projectsin ISKCON, and indeed in the Vaisnava community as a whole, by collecting and preserving important historical documents of our Gaudiya Vaisnava lineage. I have had the privilege of serving as the managing co-director along with our academic co-director Pranava Prabhu. Most of you will know that in recent years my health has gradually been seriously affected by Parkinson’s disease which is ongoing. It has now progressed to the point where I feel I can no longer function effectively enough to fulfil the requirements of the service. Continue reading "His Grace Hari Sauri Prabhu’s resignation from active duty at Bhaktivedanta Research Centre BRC
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Vrindavan’s Parade Of The Year (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we participated in one of the biggest parades Vrindavan has ever seen. Over 2,000 performers, devotees and local spiritual leaders wound their way through Vrindavan’s narrow lanes and streets with kirtaYn parties from Bengal, shehnai bands from South India, Punjabi bagpiper groups, local dance troupes … and our kirtan party representing ISKCON. It was all arranged by Pundrik Goswami in glorification of Radha Raman, on the auspicious occasion of the appearance of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami. People lined the streets to watch the 6-hour parade and greeted the participants with flowers, garlands and prasadam. It was simply amazing. Special thanks to Ananta Vrindavan for so expertly capturing the moment with his cameras!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/6FxQeL
Iskcon Zagreb: Srila Prabhupada Marathon 23.12. 2017 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: There is a constant struggle, and may...
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17.
“This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold.” SB 1.2.8 purport.
“This is a fact. Our life is made of time and when the time of death comes — even if a person is willing to spend any amount of money to purchase one minute, he cannot do so. That means that every minute, every moment, is of incalculable value because you can never buy it. You can never buy it back and you can never buy more that you are allotted. It is very serious. And therefore one of the qualities of an advanced devotee is that he utilizes every moment in Krishna Consciousness. He never wastes any time and it is very easy to waste time.”
Time Passing and The New Year (Right-click to download)
60 million people in India watch Krishna conscious festivities from Vrindavana (video)
Indradyumna Swami: We are participating in the morning program at the Radha Raman temple in Vrindavan. We have been asked to lead kirtan in 30 minutes. Great mercy. National TV will be filming as it’s a special day here. 60 million people will be watching the festivities. Jaya Radha Raman! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/y3CGat
1st Jagannath Rath Yatra of 2018! (Album of photos)
Karnal - Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra by Iskcon Kurukshetra.
Find them h...
Prabhupada Katha by Senior Devotees on 9th Dec 2017 at ISKCON Juhu (video)
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 October 2017, Canberra, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.27.27)
As ISKCON devotees, we are not meant to be fundamentalists! It takes great intelligence to apply the scriptures therefore whenever things are not clear then there needs to be a discussion amongst senior vaisnavas and we try to reach some conclusions. It is not all cut and dry. Every tradition has its fundamentalists and so does the Hare Krsna movement. We have plenty of them, like the Ritviks. They are trying to reduce things to where it is all black and white, and no shades of grey. It is either bonafide or it is off! Simple as that, nothing else. That is fundamentalism!
Back in the day, we had differences with some senior Gaudiya Math leaders. At that time, ISKCON leaders were much younger and the Gaudiya Math were very senior leaders who had great appeal. They were from India and everyone thought, “Whatever comes from India must be better.” That is not necessarily so with all due respect to India. There is also Kali-yuga in India.
At that time, there were differences and when there are differences then we have to decide what is bonafide and what is not. If something is not exactly the same as what Srila Prabhupada had said then we cannot immediately consider it ‘to be wrong’ – and it is as simple as that. No, it is not that simple because they (Gaudiya Math) are not Prabhupada’s disciples, they are coming from another lineage and they have a different emphasis. We may all agree that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead but how are we going to deal with raganuga-bhakti (devotional service executed with feelings of spontaneous love, NOD 15) which was one of the issues at the time.
Prabhupada made it clear to us that we should wait until we have the adhikara – the qualification. But persons in other lineages may be a lot more liberal about raganuga-bhakti. That is their prerogative and we, as followers of Prabhupada, are not meant to follow that. We are followers of Prabhupada and we are committed to following Prabhupada, even if some other Gaudiya vaisnavas have the right to have another approach, it is not for us.
That settles it and we do not have to make offences because if we go into a fundamentalist mode, “One is bonafide, the other one is off,” then we may just blaspheme senior vaisnavas and it is not our business. The real understanding is that we are committed to our lineage and that is it!
In this way, we are safe. We follow our acarya and we offer all respects to the other vaisnavas; we live our lives and co-exist. This is an example from our ISKCON history of how fundamentalism can create offences which are not beneficial and therefore fundamentalism should not be engaged in.
When we are dealing with Gaudiya vaisnavas, we must always remain respectful because they are in our life. There may be differences but still, we are in one family. We are respectful to all four Sampradayas (spiritual lineages) although we do not agree with them. Madhva Sampradaya does not accept that Krsna is the original Ādi–puruṣa. We accept Krsna as Ādi–puruṣa, not Ādi–puruṣa as Krsna. They will not accept; they accept Visnu as the origin and Krsna as the incarnation. Well you know, we could argue about that but this is not our main business to go around arguing with the other Sampradayas because by following their path, they can also attain Vaikuntha. So, we do not fight with these other Sampradayas. If there is any fighting propensities in us and we want to fight then go fight with the mayavadis (the impersonalists).
A disciple of Indradyumna Swami, previously a Soviet pilot, left his body.
Guru and student on different lines of the front :)
The post Daily Darshan:04 January,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
All Glories To Srila Prabhupada, who reaffirmed for us, and greatly expanded our understanding of, The Non-Dual Truth, long before it became provable, or fashionable. 
Jacksonville, FL, United States: We had an ecstatic Harinama Sankirtana party this morning! (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One should take shelter of Krishna-Balarama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose protective power is so great that it cannot be equaled in the material world. However powerful the reactions of one’s sins, they will immediately be vanquished if one chants the name of Hari, Krishna, Balarama, or Narayana. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.16 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/gtHze1
Iskcon New Govardhana: NYE Harinama at Surfers Paradise (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Authorities who are learned scholars and sages have carefully ascertained that one should atone for the heaviest sins by undergoing a heavy process of atonement and one should atone for lighter sins by undergoing lighter atonement. Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, however, vanquishes all the effects of sinful activities, regardless of whether heavy or light.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.16)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/LRjceL
By Giridhari Swami From Dec. 29-Jan. 1, Nitai Caran and I had the great fortune of attending Kirtan 50 in Dallas. The festival kicked off on Friday evening with Giriraj Swami Maharaja speaking to us about the importance of chanting the holy name offenselessly. Krishna's name is non-different from Him and therefore has full potency to purify the heart, provided we chant without offense. Niranjana Swami Mahara, Bada Haridas Prabhu and B.B. Govinda Swami Maharaja all led beautiful, soul-stirring kirtans that melted the hearts of all three hundred devotees that attended. Harinama sankirtana ki-jaya! Hare Krishna maha-mantra ki-jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki-jaya! Continue reading "Kirtan 50 in Dallas
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By Indradyumna Swami On the kind invitation of Pundrik Goswami, of the Radha Raman temple in Vrindavan, we have been invited to participate in his week long service to the famous deity of Radha Raman. Today we participated in a parade through town and many arotikas in the temple. We had the honor to lead kirtan in front of Radha Raman and take full prasadam from His plate. Participating in the seva this week is a unique opportunity, for in the early days of our movement Srila Prabhupada often encouraged his disciples to learn deity worship from the Radha Raman temple. One special mercy was that I had darshan ( from a distance ) of a Govardhan-sila worshipped by Gopal Bhatta Goswami. We thank our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, for gradually revealing to us the glories of this transcendental abode. Continue reading "Radha Raman Festival
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Sat-Tila Ekadasi
Inauguration Ceremony Of New Temple Place
Hare Krishna. Lord Jagannatha is coming to town again this year at Brickfilelds, Kuala Lumpur on 6 January at 5PM. So please you too come to town, a real reason to come to town and join the Lord, His brother Lord Balaram and His sister Lady Subadra who will be riding on Their chariot. It is special mercy we get when we get to see the Lord on His chariot. Call 03 7908 7355/60 for more information or read previous posting.