Websites from the ISKCON Universe
On Sunday 26th November, ISKCON-London celebrated Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara’s 48th anniversary at Camden Centre, in Central London. Over 500 guests participated in the program.
Ratha Yatra festival in Santiago de Chile (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Krishna stresses the importance of remembering Him. One‘s memory of Krishna is revived by chanting the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna. By this practice of chanting and hearing the sound vibration of the Supreme Lord, one’s ear, tongue and mind are engaged. This mystic meditation is very easy to practice, and it helps one attain the Supreme Lord. (Bhagavad-Gita 8.8 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sn19ut
Srimad Bhagavatam class by H.H. Krishna Kshetra Swami on 5th Nov 2017 at ISKCON Juhu (video)
ISKCON Auckland NZ: 2017 (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: Today we celebrated Rathyatra and Gita Jayanti!!
By giving out the mercy on this beautiful summers day by being part of the Xmas parades which are full of transcendental fun and are so easy to arrange.
One just has to turn up and take part the people are already there, (that’s hundreds and thousands) who turn up for there annual Xmas parade.
But the difference is that by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada who wanted this Rathyatra festival in all the cities around the world they get the opportunity to see the wonderful devotees dancing in ecstasy hear the holy names receive transcendental literature take prasadam and become liberated just by seeing the beautiful forms of Lord Jagannath, lady Subhudra and Baladev riding through the streets on there beautiful Rath cart.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/dga59W
The Secret Of Chanting With Bhakti.
Sacinandana Swami: It’s almost a paradox - only when you stop wanting to enjoy chanting for yourself will the chanting produce unlimited nectar. To understand this mystery we must ask: “What is bhakti? What is devotional chanting?”
It means you chant, not for yourself, but for Krishna. “In what way?” Anukulyena! You do it with a favorable mood – that of wanting to give pleasure to Krishna. In this way a kirtana leader can think: “I want the devotees to chant nicely and for Krishna to relish their call.” Thus, activity for Krishna is not done mindlessly.
Krishna has many expansions; you can chant for Nrsimhadeva’s pleasure or for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara, etc.
In general, devotional service means that you must learn to absorb your consciousness in three things so that your activity becomes bhakti (bhakti yoga or devotional service in Krishna consciousness).
What are the secrets of bhakti?
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ�
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam�
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-�
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
(Brs. 1.1.11)
Devotional service or bhakti means:
i. Activity
ii. For Krishna
iii. In a favorable mood
This you have to learn.
This is called bhakti. Such activities are not jnana (to gain knowledge), nor for our liberation, and they are also not karma (for our sense enjoyment). They are for Krishna.
When you do this, then your practice becomes very sweet, full of taste and you will be able to give up material sense enjoyment even though you may be surrounded by cars, mobile phones and computers.
It is important to perform our devotional practice in this way, for as Srila Prabhupada said:
“Only by drinking the nectar of chanting and hearing the pastimes of the Lord can one forget the intoxication of material existence.” (SB 3.21.17 pp):
Aligarh Mandir Opening (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: On Gita Jayanti day for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, my dear...
All India Padayatra (Album with photos)
Acharya Dasa: On 25 and 26 All India Padayatra was at Udupi. There were 3 days Religious Convention. Padayatris were invited by the organizers for the convention.
So three days All India Padayatris attended the program. Lakhs of people attended the program. When we entered the pandal we were welcomed by the chief of Pejawar Matha. Each one of us was offered a garland. He also performed Arti of our Lordships. Every day we performed Mangal Arti in the pandal and each day we got the chance to be on stage and perform kirtan. It was a wonderful gathering. Many of them also bought books from us. We had arranged a wonderful bookstall there.
For the pleasure of Sri Sri Nitai Guarsundar, Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev we would like to announce the book distribution score of All India Padayatra on 25 and 26 Nov 2017.
Mahabig Books - 1380
Big Books - 27
Small Books - 143
Total Books - 1550
Sri Sri Nitai Gaursundar ki jai…
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai…
Find them here: https://goo.gl/EPVfjz
By Radhanath Swami The debate started with Ken Follet defining the word faith and sharing his thought on why faith had no place in our society. Radhanath Swami spoke in opposition first, arguing that giving up artificial faith makes us eligible to find genuine faith. As the debate proceeded, it swung to become a debate on religion versus science, but a member of the audience, Jonathan, who studied Philosophy and Religion at Cambridge University brought it back. He mentioned that we must have faith in something. We can have faith in empirical science, but that is still faith. Therefore, we can never lose our inherent faith by definition. The debate was closed by Ajhan Brahma for the motion and Asad Dhunna who was against the motion. Continue reading "“Has Society lost faith in faith? Does it have meaning in the modern world?”
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The Grand Installation Ceremony of the two remaining Chakras onto the domes of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Lord Nrsimhadeva is only 69 days away! This historic event will mark another milestone in the progress of the construction leading up to the Grand Opening in 2022.
In this recent interview His Grace Jananivas prabhu expresses the importance of the installation of the Chakras on par with the laying of the Ananta Sesa Deity during the cornerstone ceremony by Srila Prabhupada personally in 1972. It permanently establishes the temple and brings the blessings and protection of Sudarshana Chakra.
To make a donation and sponsor an abhisheka for Sri Sri Radha Madhava’s and/or Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Chakra during the installation ceremony on February 7th, please go here: https://tovp.org/donate/once-in-a-lifetime-chakra-abhisheka-seva-opportunity/
The post Jananivas Prabhu Speaks About the Chakra Installation appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Kirtan In A Shanty Town (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we went on samkirtan in a Shanty Town just outside of Durban, South Africa. People there live well below the poverty line and were extremely happy to receive prasadam. As our kirtan party wove its way through the small lanes of the township people spontaneously joined in and chanted and danced with us in great happiness. Such is the great mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
“The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle: chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra at every moment, as much as possible, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasāda. …. Simply by liberal distribution of prasāda and saṅkīrtana, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous.”
[ SB 4.12.10 purport ]
Find them here: https://goo.gl/2WMEfX
By Anand Caitanya das In the last 2 years, with the help of HG Rasamandala Prabhu, the committee has developed a Devotee Care Course. The course was officially launched in Pune in November, 2017 and will be conducted again in Pune in January, 2018. The Devotee Care Committee is a strategic planning team appointed by ISKCON GBC to embed the culture of care in ISKCON temple communities all over the world. The Devotee Care committee has been in action from past many years and comprises of devotees from all over the world. HG Revati Raman Prabhu is the Chairman and HG Gauranga Prabhu is the Divisional Director of the Devotee Care Committee. Continue reading "Launch of Devotee Care Course in ISKCON NVCC Pune
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Answer Podcast
The post Do we need only devotional principles to change our past’s influences – can other things help? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Saphala Ekadasi
Japathon-Congregational Mantra Meditation
Sunday School
Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
The Mentorship Program
Gift Shop
By Jaya Govinda dasa Vancouver, BC - One of Canada's fasting rising young opera stars, Dustin Hiles, first met the devotees seven years ago in Winnipeg, MB, while campaigning as a candidate for the provincial Liberal Party of Canada. After his staff put together a list of temples and mandirs for him to visit, he eventually made it to 108 Chestnut Street where the devotees invited him, and his team, to hear about Krishna and take prasadam. This meeting had a profound effect on Dustin who, after a few weeks of sadhu sanga, susspended his campaign and joined the devotees on a cross country road trip to the Vancouver Ratha Yatra. Almost a decade on Dustin is now an aspiring disciple of HH. Gopal Krisna Goswami.
Continue reading "Canadian Opera Singer and Trudeau Confidante to Make Pilgrimage to Sri Mayapur Dham
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Hema Malini ji visits Sri Krishna Arjuna Iskcon Temple (Album with photos)
Known artist & Hon'ble Member of Parliament from Mathura, U.P. Smt. Hema Malini ji visits Sri Krishna Arjuna Temple on 1st December 2017.
After her performance at International Gita Mahotsava, Kurukshetra she decided to take darshans of upcoming Grand Sri Krishna Arjuna Temple, Jyotisar, Kurukshetra for the second time as she visited in 2016 also.
She was very happy with the rapid progress of the ongoing construction & spoke very pleasant words for Srila Prabhupada & ISKCON.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sQSMrX
The post Daily Darshan: December 02, 2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Master, when will I see God?
Master: When you are as desperate with longing as a man who craves for water after he has been lying for ten days and nights in the desert near the pyramids.
Pine for Him in the same way, feeling that you can’t live for even one more second without Him.
Then only, when your intense eagerness for Him will drive away your lust for the senses, will He come to you.[1]
Student: I ask myself – do I have enough determination to pursue this path?
How To Cooperate When You Can’t
Mahatma Das: Learning to cooperate and develop good working relationships is a vital skill for the health and continued expansion of Iskcon.
We perform many austerities in Krsna consciousness: we rise early, we live simply, and we often serve despite difficult physical or external challenges. We may go out on Harinam in freezing weather, get harassed by unfavorable people when we preach or spend nights without sufficient rest in order to organize programs or festivals or travel to a new preaching venue. And we often end up with more service than we can handle or are given services that seem to be beyond our abilities - or both!
But I think the greatest austerity is to work well with devotees.
If the day comes when robots are used to perform tasks that only humans can do now, I believe people will prefer dealing with robots over humans. After all, people get upset; people get moody; people misunderstand you. Sometimes people can’t even carry out simple instructions, or they do stupid things. And some people just can’t seem to get along with anyone.
Then there are those who will gossip about you, talk behind your back and even try to pull you down. Others will make up stories about you. (I can’t wait to hire a robot!).
Our austerity is to come together with all different kinds of devotees - the ones we like and the ones we don’t - and work harmoniously and synergistically in Prabhupada’s service.
If we don’t cooperate well, thousands of innocent people who want and need Krsna consciousness won’t get it. When Prabhupada implored us to work well together he was really telling us to, “Work together even if you can’t.”
This is can be a huge challenge. But it is a simple truth that qualified people who can’t get along well only accomplish a fraction of what is possible for them. When we don’t work well together it is common to lose inspiration, become frustrated and or feel like giving up. The expansion of the movement thus suffers because of our inability to work well with others.
Prabhupada said, “The movement can only be stopped from within.” That is a scary thought. But even if we don’t stop it completely, we can certainly slow it down dramatically by our negative attitudes and unwillingness to work well together.
We all have a responsibility to become a supportive and encouraging force in Iskcon. But how can we do this when we are confronted with the mistakes and faults of others?
There is only one person who can help make Iskcon better, and that is each one of us. It is not about others changing and becoming better, it is about each and every one of us becoming better.
I believe improving yourself should be a top priority and a life-long process. And unless you live in a cave, you relate with people every day. Having good relationship and communication skills based on spiritual understanding is one of the most valuable assets you can have, both for your spiritual progress and for the success of Iskcon.
In any location, at any time of day, anywhere in the world, transcendental katha, kirtan, and darshan can be accessed through MayapurTV. This service makes it possible for anyone to attend ISKCON programs and festivals from all over the world virtually. MayapurTV began life as a congregational preaching resource in 2004, under the name of […]
The post Connecting You to ISKCON Worldwide- MayapurTV appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Krishna conscious presentation in Deere & Company (Album with photos)
On 11th November 2017, Gaur Gopal das addressed the marketing team of John Deere on the topic of leader’s role in change management, cross-functional team alignment for a bigger purpose, and talent development.
John Deere is the brand name of Deere & Company, an American corporation. Over the years John Deere has made significant progress in India by introducing various products and programme needed by the Indian farmers in various segment of the Ag value chain including, seeding, harvesting, and post-harvesting equipment.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/F6yrJR
In any location, at any time of day, anywhere in the world, transcendental katha, kirtan, and darshan can be accessed through MayapurTV. This service makes it possible for anyone to attend ISKCON programs and festivals from all over the world virtually. 
By Parvati devi dasi This November 30th, our Vrndavan Krishna Balarama Mandir celebrated its 18th Annual Recitation of the Sanskrit verses of the Gita Mahatmya and the entire Bhagavad Gita in the temple courtyard. It was a wonderful Community Event and we thank everyone for their participation, including the chanters and those who helped set things up. We began by 9:30 a.m. with a short aroti to the Bhagavad Gita, and finished the ecstatic recitation 12 noon, followed with Ekadasi Makana (lotus puff) Prasad, a big draw! At least 800 Bhagavad Gita's were distributed in the temple that day. As Rohini Suta prabhu led the 18th chapter's very last verse, the conch blew for Sri Sri Krishna Balarama's noon arotik (Watch it on the video below). It was such a stunning thing that he recited that last verse thrice to the blowing each of the 3 conches. Adbhut! Our hairs were already standing on end for this chanting. Thrilling at every moment! Continue reading "Gita Jayanti celebrations in Vrndavana
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By Gauranga Das 5000 years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the Supreme Lord delivered the most confidential and topmost knowledge of devotional service to His lotus feet in the form of the Bhagavad-gita to His dearmost devotee Arjuna, and to humanity at large, in order to help all devotees understand the purpose of life and the way to surrender to Him. This day is also called Mokshada Ekadashi. It generally comes in the month of December
Continue reading "Implication of Various Names of Lord Krishna and Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita
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By Giriraj Swami This is parampara. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami and all the Gosvamis wrote books for the enlightenment of the general populace, and that instruction and practice came down through parampara to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who wrote many books and instructed his disciples to write books. And Srila Prabhupada faithfully followed those instructions and also wrote many books. In fact, it is inconceivable that anyone could write so many books in such a short time. Srila Prabhupada came to America in 1965, and from the very beginning in New York City he was selling his books. Years later, when devotees were doing research about Prabhupada’s life, they went to some bookstores where he had sold his books, and the shopkeepers remembered, “Oh yes, a very nice Indian gentleman came, and he would always give us samosas.” He would give them samosas when he went to sell them his books. Continue reading "Prabhupada Marathon Message
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Answer Podcast
The post When we are frustrated, is it possible to think logically as explained in classes? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Sankirtan Festival - Prabhupada Marathon.
Beautiful and inspiring sankirtan messages from devotees around the world (brief audi...
It’s not every day that you can say you went to hear a vegan Hare Krishna bodybuilder speak, but that’s exactly what students at the University of Southern California got to experience on November 13th.
Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!
The Sri Mayapur International School, one of the educational institutes of ISKCON Mayapur, has been educating the children of Mayapur since it was founded in 1988. Students of many different countries study together here and receive a quality academic and spiritual education.
On November 11th the TOVP Tour Team brought Lord Nityananda’s Padukas and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Sitari to the original Capital City of Australia, Melbourne. Although Canberra is now the Capital, Melbourne is one of the largest cities in Australia and this showed by the incredible response of the devotees who pledged over $500,000 U.S. to the TOVP.
Since 2007, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s training center for new book distributors – Colegio Bhaktivedanta in Mexico – has been gradually strengthening book distribution culture in Latin America. Now, with visible results all over the continent and two new centers on the way, this innovative idea seems to be reaching its turning point.
Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar receives Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is by H.G. Govind Krsna Das on the behalf of ISKCON at the same Land where Lord Krishna Spoke the Bhagavad Gita (Kurukshetra, India) & on the same day when it was spoken (Gita Jayanti - The Advent of Bhagavad Gita)!
She had nice exchanges with the devotees and chanted the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
An altar that looks like the ToVP (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: One of our ToVP artist named Samir shared these photos with...
H.G.Srutakirti Prabhu’s recent talk in Vrindavana, about merciful Srila Prabhupada (video)
Srutakirti Prabhu joined in the early days of the Hare Krishna explosion. Soon he was secretary to Srila Prabhupada. He would travel with Srila Prabhupada to various countries. He noted the details of his travels and thus he is one of the greatest speakers on Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes. He has been widely preaching everywhere in the world fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s mission.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Xu7wuz
