Planet ISKCON

By Gargamuni Das

So I thought, “Boy, how am I going to show Prabhupada how to use this thing? He’s from the village. In Vrindavan, they don’t know what a Dictaphone is.” So I brought it up to Prabhupada’s room, and I showed it to him. I showed him the mike, and he looked at it. I said, “Prabhupada, there’s an instruction book here how to use it. I’ll go through it with you.” He said, “No, that’s OK, I know.” I was shocked. And sure enough, Prabhupada knew. He pressed the right buttons, he was testing it, and I was shocked. He never even looked at the book. Continue reading "Was Srila Prabhupada intimidated with electronics?
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Sri Prahlada is spending some time in the holy land of Vrindavan, India. Check out this amazing Kirtan from an home program at Indradyumna Swami’s house!   Posted by Kartik Parikrama with Indradyumna Swami on Friday, 22 December 2017

There was a wonderful event at Barefoot Yoga in Paddington, Sydney to close the year with a bang! Sri Prahlada gave an amazing talk on living a conscious life and led a wonderful Kirtan which had everyone dancing! Stay tuned for more events like this one early in the new year.

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Rathayatra Makes Devotees!
Hello, my name is Ian Somerville. I am a devoted young man in search of true enlightenment. Throughout the course of my life, I have personally studied and practiced many world religions. But the one that ignited that withered flame was Krishna consciousness.
During my spiritual journey, I have read many religious texts, but none can compare to the Bhagavad Gita. This book is not a Shakespearean playwright or a book of dreamy poetry, but a book in which Krishna, the supreme being, god of all gods, truly shows us how we can gain a life of spiritual perfection. Within the boundaries he has set in place for us He shows how to separate our material and spiritual worlds. Without a spiritual world, there can be no material world.
Let me give you a brief tour into a recent miraculous event that occurred for me. Recently, I had checked out a copy of Bhagavad Gita from the library. Following that I prayed ‘God, please give me a sign that this is the path I should pursue’. Two days later I happened to be walking down the Baltimore Inner Harbor and as I turned around I saw a sign that read, ‘Festival of India’. So I walked to the event, turned around, and before my two eyes I saw the sign, ‘Bhagavad Gita’! My prayers were answered almost immediately.
Everyone who has grown up has to find an identity, not only that but a personal faith. May Krishna bless all.
Don’t ever forget to chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Appreciative Love - Rukmini Devi Dasi | Gratitude | Christmas Special (22 min video)
Rukmini Devi Dasi joined the ISKCON society in San Francisco in 1968. She then traveled to Montreal to meet Srila Prabhupada with the six devotees who were on their way to open the temple in London. She was initiated in Montreal and later served in Boston as an artist and then pujari there and in New York City.

…that is the closest to Srila Prabhupada’s initial expectations?

Govardhana Abhishek in Lithuania (Album with photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: One evening in Lithuania we did an evening program...

Naama Ruchi Festival in Iskcon Phoenix, South Africa (2017) (Album of photos)
The first Naama Ruchi Festival was in New Jagann...

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

A Parade In Honor Of The Bhagavatam (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: On the invitation of Pundarik Goswami of the Radha Ra...

The post Daily Darshan: December 27,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Swami says people are living on the moon!

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Srimad Bhagavatam class by H.G. Smara Hari Prabhu at ISKCON Vrindavan (video)
Watch it here: ht...

Why can’t it be Satya-yuga all the time as it is easier to practice devotional service in that yuga.”

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)
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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...