Sri Radhakund (Album of photos) Giridhari Swami: On the fourth…
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Sri Radhakund (Album of photos)
Giridhari Swami: On the fourth day of our Govardhana Parikrama, we journeyed to Radhakund. In his Upadesamrta, Srila Rupa Goswami describes the sanctity of this holy place thus: “The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura-puri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavana because of Krsna’s rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Sri Krsna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Sri Radha-kunda stands supreme, for it is overflooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krsna. Where, then, is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve this divine Radha-kunda, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?” (NoI: verse 9)

Our party arrived just at dawn. We offered our obeisances, took achaman (many members of our party took full bath) and sat down to chant japa for over an hour. We then moved the group to a courtyard, where the samadhis of Ragunatha Bhatta Goswami, Ragunatha Das Goswami and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami are situated. We held a long and meditative kirtan, followed by talks given by Asita Krishna Maharaja, Krishna Baladeva Prabhu and yours truly. In many ways, visiting Radhakund was the most gratifying part of our whole retreat. May Sri Radha’s ambrosial waters drown us all in pure love for the Divine Couple and Their foremost servant Srila Prabhupada!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jmfKiR

Bhagavatam study 70 1.13.51-60 Determination directed towards renunciation brings spiritual elevation
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Should we correct others when we don’t have the authority to do so and others aren’t receptive?
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Answer Podcast

The post Should we correct others when we don’t have the authority to do so and others aren’t receptive? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Ljubljana Christmas harinam 2017 (Album of photos) Srila…
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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

Bhagavatam study 69 1.13.46-50 When we can’t protect ourselves from kala, karma and guna, how can we protect others?
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Christmas, Prabhupada and Jesus
→ Ramai Swami

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.”

Christmas In Jaipur
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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.

The Spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of Love
Giriraj Swami

“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)

ISKCON Malaysian In The 80’s
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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.

After Srila Prabhupada’s visit nothing much happened in Malaysia till about 1978. Another batch of Srila Prabhupada disciples including some Malaysians who had become devotees in London in the early 70’s came to Malaysia in 1978. This batch of preachers came intentionally to establish ISKCON in Malaysia and within a short time, HG Prabhavisnu Prabhu, HH Srila Bhakti Vrajendranandana Swami Maharaja, HG Ramsarana prabhu & his wife HG Janaki mataji and, a few others with the help of the early local devotees registered the Society for Krishna Consciousness, Malaysia on 4 October 1980 with its headquarters at Jalan Anak Gasing, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Now we have a total of 30 preaching centers’ around the country, a 20-acre dairy farm at Janda Baik, Pahang and a 400-acre cow protection and agriculture farm at Lanchang, Pahang. A magnificent custom-built temple stands on mainland Penang at Prai, Seberang Jaya. This temple named the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion & Understanding was built as a dedication to Srila Prabhupada. He had left a sketch of a temple looking like the Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrndavan, India with his disciples and instructed while pointing towards the sketch - “I Want A Temple Like This”

Sacinandana Swami: When I was on pilgrimage in Vrndavana, India…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.”

“Hare Krishna!” the movie comes to Kolkata, where it all started!
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Hare KrishnaBy 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!
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Technology, Spirituality and the Seach for a Meaningful life
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[Talk to IIT Students at ISKCON, Mira Road, Mumbai, India]

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Podcast Summary

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Bhagavatam study 68 1.13.39-45 Know when to exercise control in the service of the supreme controller and when to release control
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Thursday, December 21st, 2017
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Toronto, Ontario

Will Smith Getting It

It was the spring of 2003 and I was on my second trip across Canada, on foot of course.  I started on the east coast, Newfoundland, then Cape Breton.  Finally came Nova Scotia and a town, Monastery.  I had with me a support team of three.  There was Deva Datta, who originated from southern Ontario.  Also on board was Tattva Darshan, originally from Alberta.  Finally with us was Benjamin Barnes, a fellow from the U.K. who was the childhood friend of George Harrison’s son, Dani.

We got to talking about having a break by watching a video, a movie.  It wasn’t our practice to do so, but someone amongst us had the idea for our group to view the film, “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”  It is a modern take on the Bhagavad-gita.  Matt Damon played the role of an ex-golfer who had lost his sense of swing.  His name was R. Junuh.  Bagger Vance, meaning Bhagavan or Krishna, was played by Will Smith.

We enjoyed this film, both because routinely we weren’t seeing movies—not much relevant material out there—and we’re busy.  Will played a pretty good Krishna; very detached from the world and yet very helpful to R. Junuh.  He does a jig on the sea shore, with a smile, at the end of the movie.

Very recently he came to Mumbai, India, for a promotion of a new movie.  He tells a reporter, speaking about India, “I love the history.  I am 90% through the Bhagavad-gita.  To be reading that and to be here...my inner Arjuna is being channeled.”

Way to go Will.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Wednesday, December 20th, 2017
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Toronto, Ontario

Priorities

I started today’s afternoon trek by going through Ramsden Park which is situated across the street from our temple ashram.  I took a winter photo shot of the park, which is now newly renovated.  The barriers were recently removed and the neighbourhood can benefit from its valuable usage.  I missed the unveiling, if there was one.

What’s so good about it?

First of all, the children’s section was completed before anything else.  The badminton courts, ping pong tables, grassy chill-out zones with trees, and a sizeable dog play area came later.  Kids come first and so the priorities are right.

Secondly, the materials used were biodegradable.  Swings, climbing devices and a small fort are smartly done—plastic free.  Jaya!

Formerly the space was a brick-making factory.  The place has been transformed over time.  A triumph.  The park also sits at the edge of what’s called an ‘ancient trail’, where the Hurons roamed along what was then the shore of Lake Ontario.  http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/10/what_yorkville_looked_like_when_it_was_still_a_village/

Anyway, good stuff!

I proceeded to hit Yonge Street, another place of gradual transformation.  Huge condos are going up.  I also ventured into a shopping mall—the Eaton’s Centre—spanning from Dundas to Queen; the place goes on forever.  It’s busy.  95% young people.  It’s Christmas, it’s crazy.  Not Christ.

I turned back and reached the ashram in time for kirtan, chanting.  As I entered the building, I caught a whiff of the smell of bleach.  At least the floors are clean.

I sat on a large mat with others to partake in the kirtan.  Graham sat next to me.  He smelled like a barn.  I told him so.  It reminded me of my childhood.

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Photo Review of Work Progress for Chakra Installation
- TOVP.org

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…
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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