[Bhagavatam class on 1.4.24 at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]
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Websites from the ISKCON Universe
[Bhagavatam class on 1.4.24 at Krishna House, Gainesville, USA]
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If you are one of the lucky ones then you are in Vrindavan right now, ready to embark on the 2017 parikrama’s with Kadamba Kanana Swami! But for those who are not in Vrindavan they can emerge themselves in the stories, recordings, and, when technology is on our side, live streaming of the parikrama’s!!!
You read that correctly! We are going to live stream most if not all the tours around Vrindavan. So brace yourselves and get ready for a week of dust, dancing and devotion
All live streams will be available on the KKSBlog facebook channel starting from Tue 25 Oct, 9:00 am Local indian time (UTC +5:30). Timing will differ for each parikrama.
Please find the parikrama schedule below but as always, dates are subject to change.
KKSBlog will be offline from Fri 27 Oct – Tue 31 Oct. Please read this article for more info.
Big festival in New Vrajadhama, Hungary, with the offering of thousands of preparations and the participation of many happy cows (Al...
The post Daily Darshan: October24,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
The GBC Executive Committee joins the devotees of ISKCON Fiji in honoring the life of His Grace Vasudeva Prabhu, a pioneer in establishing Krsna consciousness in Fiji. From the moment Vasudeva Prabhu first saw the devotees from the window of a Sydney office building, his immediate desire was to know Srila Prabhupada. He asked, "Who has tranformed these people?" He finally met Srila Prabhupada while His Divine Grace's flight from Australia to the United States stopped in Fiji for just two hours. At that very moment, Vasudeva Prabhu immediately offered his life, his family, and his abilities at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace. In their first meeting, Srila Prabhupada instructed Vasuadeva Prabhu, then Deoji Punja, to construct a magnificent temple in Fiji. As one of the country's most successful businessmen, he used all of his resources to find the perfect land upon which to manifest Srila Prabhupada's desire that Kaliya-Krsna be worshipped grandly in Fiji. Continue reading "In Memory of His Grace Vasudeva Prabhu
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Hare Krishna Film in Brisbane, Australia - 24 October 2017 (Album with photos)
A crowd of 220 plus audience packed the house a...
A 5 and a half hours video recording of the memories and narrations of many older devotees, disciples of His Divine Grace, during the big celebrations that took place in Iskcon's Krishna Balaram Mandir in Raman Reti, Vrindavana for the 40th Disappearance Day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. An infinite ocean of nectar from the heartfelt glorifications of these fortunate souls who got the direct association of Srila Prabhupada. Continue reading "40th Disappearance Day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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Presenting Bhagavad Gita to Governor of Sindh, Pakistan. And 3 other Ministers in ISKCON Diwali Function. (Album with photos)
2...
The Festival In Prabhupada’s Samadhi Temple in Mayapur (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pC9k17
Disappearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in Sri Vrindavan Dham. (Album with photos)
Find them here: Read More...
The Rich Spiritual Atmosphere (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Ter Kadamba is the sacred place where Krsna’s father, Nanda Maharaja, had a gosala of 900,000 cows. It is also where Srila Rupa Goswami wrote Upadesamrta - The Nectar Of Instruction. Our parikrama party spent a number of hours at Ter Kadamba hearing about Krsna’s pastimes, chanting the holy names, dancing in great happiness and basking in the rich spiritual atmosphere.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/joij8o
NYC Prasadam Distribution (video)
Preparation and serve out of “prasadam” (sanctified food - offered to Krishna) in Tompkin Square Park that happens 3 times a week 52 weeks a year for the last 13 years in Manhattan.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2GWnF3
Answer Podcast
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Govardhana Puja is celebrated in the month of Kartika (October – November) to commemorate the pastime of Lord Sri Krishna lifting the Govardhana Hill to protect the residents of Vrindavana from the wrath of Indra.
When the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna saw the residents of Vrindavana preparing for Indra-yajna, He suggested that they should forgo the worship of Indra and instead worship the Govardhana Hill.
On coming to know of this, Indra became angry and sent a devastating rainfall over Vrindavana. Krishna picked up the Govardhana Hill with His little finger and it gave shelter to all the inhabitants of Vrindavana. Indra became conscious of his offense and begged for forgiveness from Krishna.
Devotees also worship the cows on the day of Govardhana Puja. Both these festivals were nicely observed at ISKCON’s New Gokula farm.
The post Daily Darshan: October23,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Дорогой Шрила Прабхупада, пожалуйста, примите мои смиренные поклоны.
Вся слава вам!
Как всегда, у меня сегодня день смешанных чувств. С одной стороны, боль разлуки. Хотя вы ушли из поля нашего материального видения 40 лет тому назад, у меня ощущение, будто это случилось вчера. В мирских отношениях скорбь из-за ухода любимого человека из этого мира с течением времени зачатую стихает. Но в трансцендентных отношениях боль в сердце с каждым днем все растет. Один известный автор, Джордж Элиот, написал:
«Только в страданиях разлуки мы постигаем глубину любви».
Но будучи днем печали, это еще и день празднования – мы знаем, что вы с вашим возлюбленным Господом, далеко от невзгод этого мира рождений и смертей.
Или..? Зная ваше глубочайшее сострадание и любовь к падшим обусловленным душам, я иногда удивляюсь. В 1975 в Париже мой духовный брат Ади Шекхара даса невинно спросил у вас: «Шрила Прабхупада, а куда вы пойдете после смерти?»
Прикрыв глаза на мгновение, вы мягко ответили: «Я планирую отправиться на адские планеты, продолжать проповедовать послание Шри Чайтаньи Махапрабху».
Произнесли вы это с такой исключительной убежденностью, что стали для меня олицетворением стиха:
нарайана-парах сарве
на куташчана бибхйати
сваргапаварга-наракешв
апи тулйартха-даршинах
«Преданные, целиком посвятившие себя служению Верховной Личности Бога, Нарайане, не чувствуют страха, где бы они ни оказались. Для них нет разницы – рай, освобождение или ад – ибо таких преданных интересует только служение Господу».
[ ШБ 6.17.28 ]
Шрила Прабхупада, если Кришна исполнил ваше желание проповедовать падшим душам в адских мирах, пожалуйста, знайте: я в любое время готов присоединиться к вам. Единственное величайшее счастье моей жизни – это помогать вам в вашей проповеднической миссии в этом мире.
Иногда люди спрашивают меня: «Свами, где вы живете? Где ваш дом?»
Я всегда отвечаю: «Где я проповедую в каждый дарованный мне день, там и мой дом. Ведь дом там, где сердце, а мое сердце едино с желанием моего учителя повсюду распространять святые имена».
Шрила Прабхупада, жизнь моя клонится к закату, так что мое желание присоединиться к вам может исполниться в любой момент. Меня тешит эта надежда, и я бы без сожаления оставил этот мир.
Однако в сердце моем остается одно беспокойство – о благополучии более молодых поколений преданных, которые остаются нести вашу миссию.
Я видел много искренних душ и среди мужчин, и среди женщин, укрывшихся у ваших лотосных стоп – либо от рождения, либо по своей удаче. Пожалуйста, благословите их вашей милостью, чтобы они могли продолжить нести факел знания, освещавший путь чистого преданного служения моему поколению. Пожалуйста, даруйте им вкус к воспеванию святых имен, вкус, который благополучно перенес многих моих духовных братьев и сестер через океан материального существования – к тому месту, откуда не возвращаются. Пожалуйста, одарите их состраданием ко всем обусловленным душам, страдающим в этом океане материального существования. Даруйте им мудрость, чтобы они избежали ошибок моего поколения, и мужество противостоять той жесткой оппозиции, которая, несомненно, придет с продвижением этого века Кали. И, пожалуйста, даруйте им ту же верность вашему движению, которой были отмечены многие великие души моего поколения, как выдающиеся, так и просто тихо посвятившие свои жизни сознанию Кришны.
Предлагаю почтение всем им и всем вайшнавам, кто по природе своей – истинные благожелатели всего человечества.
шакала вайшнава-паде мора намашкара
итхе кичу апарадха нахука амара
хоийачен хойбен прабхур джато бхакта вринда
вандана кори‘ шабара чаранаравинда
«Предлагая почтительные поклоны лотосным стопам всех вайшнавов, молюсь, чтобы мне не насовершать оскорблений в своих попытках послужить им. Всем тем вайшнавам, что только были, есть сейчас и всем, кто только будут – всем им мои поклоны у их лотосных стоп».
[ Девакинандана даса, поэт ]
Вся слава вам, Шрила Прабхупада, мой вечный благожелатель!
Ваш слуга и на небесах и в аду,
Индрадьюмна Свами
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[Seminar at Fort Lauderdale, USA]
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[Seminar at Fort Lauderdale, USA]
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[Seminar at Fort Lauderdale, USA]
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[Seminar at Fort Lauderdale, USA]
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DISAPPEARANCE DAY OF SHRILA PRABHUPADA (adapted from my book, "Give to Live," which also appears many years ago in my blog here ) :
The disappearance or appearance (birth) day of great souls are equally honored. The pure devotees live for Krishna or God, and die for him. The famous prayer by Saint Francis, states that by dying we are born into eternal life. Although we lament that we will not have the physically manifest presence of our guru or a certain saint in this lifetime, we also feel happy that they are with Krishna. Prabhupada “left his body” (as we refer to death) in perfect Krishna consciousness and lived his life like that as well. We have no uncertainty about his auspicious destination, and we pray to for that same perfection by following his example!
"He reasons ill who says that Vaishnavas die,
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaishnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around."
[Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur]
Today is Shrila Prabhupada's disappearance day from this mortal world and his return to the nitya-lila (Krishna's eternal pastimes). It is the fortieth anniversary. Wow—that is over half my life! How things have changed for me, for so many devotees present then, and for the movement.
On that day, forty years ago, I was a young man of twenty-seven years old. I became a devotee when I was nearly twenty, so really I had seven years of his presence. During those years, most of us never considered that he could leave us at any time, though he did remind us of the possibility. Somehow we just expected him to always be present with us. If only I would have known!
Photos from Govardhan Puja 2017 at ISKCON-London.
Please find below photos from Govardhan Puja 2017 at the ISKCON-London Radha-...
Srila Prabhupada’s Procession to Goswami Temples 23/10/2017 (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Every year on the day before Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day, we take Srila Prabhupada on Sankirtan Procession to the Saptadevalaya, Seven Goswami Mandirs. Join us thru the pics of Vittalrukmini Das!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/STkxfG
Special Bhoga Offering to Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day 2017 at ISKCON Juhu, Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari Temple, Mumbai (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/NyAqrg
Indradyumna Swami: Disappearance Day Offering - 2017 .
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!
As always, this is a day of mixed emotions for me. On the one hand, there is the pain of separation. Although you departed from our material vision 40 years ago, it seems to me as if it was only yesterday. In material relationships, the grief one feels when a loved one leaves this world is often mitigated with the passing of time. But in transcendental relationships, the pain in one’s heart only increases with each day. The famous author George Eliot, wrote:
“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.”
But as well as being a day of sadness, this day is also one of celebration because we know that you are with your beloved Lord, far from the miseries of this world of birth and death.
Or, are you? Knowing your deep compassion and love for the fallen conditioned souls I sometimes wonder. In 1975 in Paris, my godbrother Adi Shekar dasa asked you in an innocent way, “Srila Prabhupada, where will you go after you die?”
You closed your eyes for a moment and then replied softly, “I plan to go to the hellish planets to continue preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
You spoke with such unparalleled conviction that for me you became the personification of the following verse:
narayaea-parau sarve
na kutaccana bibhyati
svargapavarga-narakenv
api tulyartha-darcinau
“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.”
[ SB. 6.17.28 ]
Srila Prabhupada, if Krsna fulfilled your desire to preach to the fallen souls of the hellish worlds, then please know that I am ready to join you at any time. My greatest and only pleasure in life is assisting you in your preaching mission in this world.
Sometimes people ask me, “Swami, where do you live? Where is your home?”
I always reply, “My home is wherever I am preaching on any given day, for home is where the heart is, and my heart is one with my master’s desire to spread the holy names far and wide.”
Srila Prabhupada, I am in the twilight of my life and thus my desire to rejoin you may come at any time. I am peaceful with this prospect and will leave this world with no regrets. Nevertheless, there remains a concern within my heart, and that is for the welfare of the younger generations of devotees that will be left behind to carry on your mission.
I have seen many a sincere soul in the ranks of the men and women who have taken shelter of your lotus feet either by birth or good fortune. Please bless them with your mercy so that they can continue to carry the torch of knowledge that illuminated the path of pure devotional service for my generation. Please give them a taste for the chanting of the holy names, the taste that carried many of my godbrothers and godsisters safely over the ocean of material existence to that place from which one never returns. Please grant them a sense of compassion for all the conditioned souls suffering in the ocean of material existence. May you grant them the wisdom to avoid the errors of my generation and the courage to face the fierce opposition that will most certainly come with the advancement of this age of Kali. And please give them the sense of loyalty to your movement which was the hallmark of many of the great souls of my generation, both those who were prominent within the movement and those who quietly dedicated their lives to Krsna consciousness.
I offer my respects to all of them and to all vaisnavas who are by nature the true well-wishers of all humanity.
sakala vaisnava-pade mora namaskara
ithe kichu aparadha nahuka amara
hoiyachen hoiben prabhur jato bhakta vrnda
vandana kori’ sabara charanaravinda
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of all vaisnavas, praying I will not commit offences in my attempts to please them. To all vaisnavas who have ever been, and to all vaisnavas who will ever be, I offer my obeisances to their lotus feet”
[The poet Devakinandana dasa].
All glories to you Srila Prabhupada, my eternal well wisher!
Your servant in heaven or hell,
Indradyumna Swami
Over the past few months I’ve been looking at UK legislation in regards to health care provisions and one of the acts is the Equality Act 2010 an interesting piece of legislation I had to write about on how to implement.
As I sat writing their was one thing that kept on entering into my head and that was how without even knowing the legislation His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivadanta swami Prabhupada covered it perfectly and so I wanted to write how his example is the one all should follow.
It is interesting to note that the legislation requires everyone to be treated equally whilst taking into account the individual’s personal needs and abilities.
Srila Prabhupada understood one vital fact each and every person is spirit soul trapped in a certain type of material body and that this material body impacted on what we could or couldn’t do. So for some he pushed whilst others just associated and did what they could do, however each was encouraged to make a success of their Krishna consciousness and with the simple instruction that it is our duty this life time to go home back back to godhead. Each one was almost given an individual plan of activity from Harinam, book distribution, translation and printing to running the centre’s their was so many ways in which one could serve the mission and on the whole as I speak to the disciples who speak of how they were simply happy and enjoyed what they were doing and so it was easy to follow the rules Srila Prabhupada put in place.
Srila Prabhupada knew we would be forced by material nature to act in a particular way and to have certain types of desire weaknesses and strengths and in the movement he created each person had their place, felt needed and appreciated. From the academic who loved the deep study and able to teach to those who were great artists who created beautiful pictures, great sankirtan devotees to those who create great prasadam and not forgetting those who took up pujari seva. So much and so many opportunities you could simply learn to serve the mission and advance; this is the greatest equality one no piece of legislation can understand or replicate.
So we need to learn this great art of engaging each person in our mentorship system learning how best to engage them in a way that they make first class progress following the greatest example given to us by Srila Prabhupada. This wisdom was used when I came into devotee association when one simply wanted to assist the devotees and indeed one was simply happy and by association making great spiritual progress.
Simply return to basics
Each is spirit soul entrapped in a body and learning how best to use this human form of life to advance in Krishna Consciousness is the greatest gift; and we have in His Divine Grace the greatest example to follow.
Hare Krishna.
You fortunate persons around the world, Just hear the words of Srila Prabhupada! His vibrations have the power to deliver you from all fears. Just take, just try! Sri Krsna Caitanya desired to moisten the dried-up souls. To achieve it, He not only comes Himself, but Nitai-Balarama empowered Srila Prabhupada, To bountiful conceive it. Continue reading "Disappearance of Srila Prabhupada
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At the second annual Rathayatra in Wheeling, West Virginia – New Vrindaban’s neighboring city – on July 8th, over two-and-a-half thousand locals delighted in Lord Jagannath’s parade. When interviewed they said they loved the energy, prasadam, trying out japa meditation, and the family-friendly activities. Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliot spoke at the event, saying he was honored New Vrindaban had chosen Wheeling for the Festival and praising the diversity it brought to the community; Congresswoman Erikka Storch thanked devotees for sharing their culture and tradition. Meanwhile two local TV stations previewed and covered the event along with four local newspapers, including a glowing front page article. Continue reading "ISKCON New Vrindaban Takes Steps to Rebuild Local Relationships
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Prior to the kirtan procession leaving I realized that I could not go with Srila Prabhupada. I was the cook. I needed to prepare a feast for his samadhi ceremony. I called upon my dear friend Narottama prabhu and asked him to assist as he was, and probably still is, one of the most excellent cooks in ISKCON. He immediately agreed. I also went to our now-departed god-brother Rksaraja prabhu, who was as good a cook as he was kirtaneer. When I requested him to assist he very sorrowfully replied, "No, I'm going with Prabhupada." As I was roughly four times bigger than Rksaraja I immediately replied that if he did not stay to do this service for His Divine Grace I would break both of his legs and he would go nowhere. For some reason ... he agreed to stay. Continue reading "“Kachori-mukha”
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