Planet ISKCON

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My dear Godbrother, Giriraj Swami, Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In regard to yourself, Maharaja, I do not hesitate to use exalted terms like “the dust of your lotus feet” because, to me, you represent the epitome of what I aspire to become one day: a fully surrendered disciple of our illustrious spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. In every way, you embody his perfect representative, and thus, in my eyes, you are also a flawless representative of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This may seem like a profound statement for a Godbrother, but it is nonetheless true, as confirmed in Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.31: “He, [ Prahlada Maharaja ] was completely cultured as a qualified brahmana, possessed exemplary character, and was resolute in his quest to understand the Absolute Truth… He served venerable personalities as a humble servant, acted as a father to the needy, displayed brotherly affection towards his peers, and regarded his teachers, spiritual mentors, and senior Godbrothers as no less than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Therefore, you are worthy of my worship. In fact, not to honor you as an exalted godbrother would be foolish! The Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, cited in the purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.17.37, explicitly states: “Those who worship Lord Govinda but do not worship His devotees should not be known as devotees. They should be known only as pretenders.” In my view, you are the most accomplished speaker on Srimad Bhagavatam among the living. Your lectures are marked by authority, with every word rooted in the teachings of guru, sastra, and sadhu. Listening to your discourses feels like hearing the Bhagavatam’s verses come to life. Sarasvati, the goddess of learning herself, has graced you with the unique ability to embellish your lectures with captivating anecdotes and experiences from your time with Srila Prabhupada. These memories endure the test of time due to your profound love for His Divine Grace.

My heart holds a deep affection for Srila Prabhupada and his mission in this world. Therefore, I seek shelter at your lotus feet, as per Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur’s final instructions: “All of you, please preach fervently about Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha. Our ultimate desire is to become particles of dust at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Goswami’s followers.” You, Maharaja, are one such follower, and I follow in your footsteps. By adhering to this principle, I am assured of success. I am confident in this, for in a letter to me from 1971, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Please continue to follow all the rules and regulations, chant 16 rounds of the maha-mantra daily, and always follow in the footsteps of advanced devotees. Then, in time, I will accept you as my duly initiated disciple.” I diligently followed Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and was subsequently initiated. I continue to uphold these instructions to attain the purpose of my initiation: pure, unwavering love for Radha and Krishna. As you play a pivotal role in my journey toward this goal, I proudly declare myself a follower of my dear friend and well-wisher, Giriraj Swami. I believe your disciples will rejoice to hear this, and thus, I seek their blessings as well. sakala vaisnava pade mora namaskaraithe kichu aparadha nahuka amarahoiyachen hoiben prabhur jato bhakta vrndavandana 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 ] Maharaja, although our meetings are infrequent these days, you remain close to my heart, for our hearts beat in unison in our commitment to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s mission in this world. And what is that mission? Srila Prabhupada’s guru maharaja made it unequivocal in his commentary on Sri Caitanya Siksamrita. Therein, he wrote: “In the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu, there are only two principal instructions: develop a taste for chanting the holy names and show compassion to fallen souls.” I am truly amazed that, despite your advanced age, your preaching continues to expand in diverse ways. Each day, when I open my computer, the first thing I do is eagerly seek out your delightful announcements, which invariably begin with: “I have scheduled the following programs, to which you are all welcome to join, on Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook. Most programs will run for an hour to an hour and a half. The starting times are Pacific time.” And your literary contributions! When do you find the time? You are so busy diligently chanting your 16 rounds every morning (and I love how you smile as you glance at the camera to greet those who join you in these sessions). You are engrossed in your scheduled programs, frequently hosting guests at your ashram. And surely, many devotees write seeking guidance from you. My realization is that the many books you have authored are a testament to your unwavering adherence to our beloved spiritual master’s instructions. In a letter to your dear friend, Satsvarupa Maharaja, on February 28, 1972, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “You ask a question about the nature of books I want you to write as my disciples. In Krsna Consciousness, there are no limitations. Great personalities like the Gosvamis wrote numerous books, Visvanatha Cakravarti and all the acaryas authored books, and I too am writing books. Similarly, my disciples will also write.”

Please do remember me from time to time, Maharaja. You received Srila Prabhupada’s mercy at an early stage of your spiritual journey. It is a blessed fact that when reflecting on your presence as a guest at a program in Boston during the early days of our movement, Srila Prabhupada actually prayed to Krsna, “May this young man become your devotee.”  The blessings of a pure devotee never go in vain when the recipient is sincere. You are living proof of this, and we all thank you for your unwavering dedication to Srila Prabhupada and his mission in this world. May Srila Prabhupada continue to shower his blessings upon you until you attain perfection. That moment is surely not far away… param gopyam api snigdhe sisye vacyam iti srutih tac chruyatam maha bhaga goloka mahi-madhuna “The Vedas say that to a loyal disciple one may speak the confidential secret. Therefore, O most fortunate one, now please hear the glories of Goloka.” [ Brhad Bhagavatamrta, Part 2, Chapter 1, text 6 ] Your friend, servant, and admirer, Indradyumna Swami

Seattle is a large city so could have a lot of ISKCON temples in different areas. To accommodate a growing devotee community a property was bought in the Bellevue district, which is an important business area just outside downtown Seattle.

It has taken a number of years to renovate the new building and bring it up to the proper city standard for a place of worship. I’ve visited every year and was very inspired to see how close it was to opening. It is twice the size of our Sammamish temple with plenty of room for many activities.

Hare Krishna! 

Please accept our humble obeisances! 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! 

Radhastami- the glorious appearance day of Srimati Radharani will be celebrated across the world on 22nd September 2021(Friday). 

We at ISKCON Scarborough will be celebrating Radhastami coming Sunday - 24th September 2023 - from 10:30am pm to 1:00 pm. 

Devotees are welcome to bring gifts for Srimati Radharani, suggestions are on the poster.

ISKCON Scarborough

3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,

Scarborough, Ontario,

Canada,M1V4C7

Email Address:

scarboroughiskcon@gmail.com

website:

www.iskconscarborough.org

Today in Sri Mayapur Dham Tungavidya Sakhi was adorned with nice garlands and ornaments to celebrate her divine appearance day. Lalita, Visakha, Citra, Campakalata, Tungavidya, Indulekha, Rangadevi and Sudevi are the parama-prestha-sakhis. These eight gopis are chief amongst all the gopis. The exalted qualities of Tungavidya are described in Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Ganoddesa Dipika, and […]

By Samapriya Dasi The Harvest When the seeds of devotion have all been sown, And everything planted has already grown, When there’s not much left for which to atone, To the ways of the world you are not much prone, It is time for the harvest from Mother Earth’s womb, for the fruits and flowers
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The glories of Sridhama Mayapur are unlimited and inconceivable, as it is the abode of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates wherein “the concluding portions of the pastimes of Gokula exist eternally as the pastimes of Navadvipa.” (Brahma-samhita 5.5). In this divine realm the Lord tastes love of Godhead Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani, as further explained in the same Brahma-samhita purport by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarawati:

“Goloka as Svetadvipa is eternally manifest because the pleasures of enjoyment of the rasa could not be had in its entirety in the pastimes of Krishna in Vraja. He accepts the emotion and effulgence of His predominated moiety, Sri Radhika, and makes an eternal pastime for the enjoyment of Krishna-rasa there. Sri Krishnachandra coveting to taste the following pleasures, viz., to realize (1) the nature of the greatness of love of Sri Radha; (2) the nature of the wonderful sweetness of His love of which Sri Radha has got the taste; (3) the nature of the exquisite joy that accrues to Sri Radha by Her realization of the sweetness of His love, took His birth, like the moon, in the ocean of the womb of Sri Saci-devi.”

One might well ask, what is Srimati Radharani’s direct part in these ‘concluding pastimes of Gokula’? What is Navadvipa’s relationship to her? We can find the answer by diving deeper into the esoteric nature of the Lord and His loving exchanges with His hladini sakti, pleasure potency, Sri Radha, in this narration by Lord Siva to Parvati in the Ananta-samhita, presented by HH Bhakti Purushottama Swami in his book, The Glories and Pastimes of Srimati Radharani.

The Wonderful Glories of Sridham Mayapur

Sri Mayapur-dhama, however, was Srimati Radharani’s own creation, to lure Krishna away from another lover. In the Ananta-samhita, Siva explains to Parvati why Srimati Radharani created merciful Sri Mayapur-dhama.

Lord Siva told Parvati, “As a bee plays in a lotus, Krishna was enjoying with Viraja in the pleasant forest groves of Vrndavana. Moon-faced, doe-eyed Radhika heard this news from one sakhi and hastily ran to find Krishna. Seeing that Radha was coming, Krishna suddenly disappeared and Viraja became a river. When Srimati Radharani arrived there, She could not find them. Absorbed in thoughts of Krishna, Radha began to think of how to attract Him away from Viraja. She gathered her sakhis together between the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers.

“She created a beautiful place, decorated with creepers and trees and filled with male and female bumblebees. Deer and bucks were happy enjoying as they wandered about, and the whole area was filled with the fragrance of jasmine, mallika, and malati flowers. That transcendental abode was adorned with tulasi forests and decorated with various groves. On Radha’s order, the Ganga and Yamuna, with their pleasant water and banks, acted as a moat to protect the garden. Cupid himself, along with springtime, eternally resides there, and the birds constantly sing the auspicious name of Krishna.

“Radha, dressed in colorful cloth, then began to play a beautiful melody on a flute in order to attract Krishna. Attracted by that melody, Krishna appeared in that enchanting place. Radha, the attractor of Krishna’s mind, seeing that Krishna had come, held His hand and experienced ecstatic delight. Then Krishna, understanding Radha’s mood, spoke in a voice choked with love.

‘O lovely-faced Radha, You are My very life. There is no one more dear to Me than You. Therefore, I will never leave You. Just for Me You have created this wonderful place. Staying with You, I will transform this place, filling it with new sakhis and groves. The devotees will glorify this place as New (nava) Vrndavana. As this place is like an island (dvipa), the wise will call it Navadvipa. By My order, all the holy places will reside here.

‘Because You have created this place for My pleasure, I will live here eternally. Those people who come here and worship us will eternally attain our eternal service in the mood of the sakhis. O dear Radha, like Vrndavana, this place is extremely pure. If anyone comes here just once, he will obtain the results of going to all sacred places. He will quickly attain devotional service, which satisfies us.’

“O Parvati,“ Lord Siva continued, “I have described to you the reason for the appearance of Navadvipa. When heard by mankind, this narration removes all sins and bestows devotional service. Whoever rises early in the morning and with devotion to Gaura recites or hears this story of Navadvipa’s creation will certainly attain Gauranga.”

The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) rising in Sridham Mayapur is a further manifestation and expansion of the glories of this most sacred abode. As Sri Krishna said to Radhika in the above narration, “Staying with You, I will transform this place, filling it with new sakhis and groves.” This indicates the Lord’s appearance as His most munificent and merciful incarnation of Sri Caitanya:

“The Lord’s desire to appear was born from two reasons: He wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all.”

(CC Adi-lila 5.15-16)

The TOVP will be instrumental in “filling it (Navadvipa) with new sakhis and groves”. New sakhis means from the conditioned souls here in the material world. And for the next 10,000 years the Hare Krishna movement will help the Lord fulfill His promise. And we can receive the benefit of assisting in this transcendental pastime by building the TOVP which will bring hundreds and thousands of people to Krishna consciousness.

At the 2024 Gaura Purnima festival in Mayapur, from February 29 – March 2, we will be opening the completed Nrsimhadeva Wing in the TOVP, the largest Nrsimha Temple in the world. You can help by sponsoring a Nrsimha Brick with your name inscribed and placed under the Lord’s altar or one of many other options. Go to the Give To Nrsimha Campaign page on the TOVP website TODAY and take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

A Miracle in the Making ~ Home of Our Divine Protector

 

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TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQqFCRU5H1xJA5PV2hXKrA
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

🌼 Sri Radhastami Festival: A Celebration of Divine Love 🌼

Prepare to immerse yourself in the glorious festivities of Sri Radhastami, a festival cerebrating the appearance day of Srimati Radharani. Join us for this joyous occasion at the Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple on September 23rd, 2023, with the main evening function commencing at 4:00 PM.

📅 Date: Saturday, September 23rd, 2023
🕓 Main Evening Function: 4:00 PM

The celebrations won't stop there! On Sunday, September 24th, 2023, the festival will continue from 10:30 AM, allowing you to bask in the divine atmosphere for an extended day of devotion.

📅 Date: Sunday, September 24th, 2023
🕥 Continuation: 10:30 AM

Our temple will come alive with vibrant decorations, devotional kirtans, enlightening discourses, and an atmosphere filled with love and devotion.

We are delighted to announce that two special guests, His Holiness Devamrita Swami and His Holiness Bhakti Mukunda Swami, will grace us with their presence and share their profound wisdom during this auspicious festival.

Come, be a part of this spiritually uplifting event, and experience the profound teachings and grace that this festival offers. Mark your calendars, invite your loved ones, and join us for this soul-nourishing celebration.

For further details and updates, please see the poster below.

We look forward to sharing the joy of Sri Radhastami with you!

In this inspiring update about the Nrsimhadeva Wing construction, Braja Vilasa also announces that the dates of the Grand Opening of the Wing have been moved forward to Gaura Purnima time from February 29 – March 2, 2024. This 3-day celebration begins on the 150th Appearance Anniversary of Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada and includes many special ceremonies, yajnas, dramas and other transcendental activities.

All devotees are invited to attend this historic occasion when Lord Nrsimhadeva’s new home and the largest Nrsimha temple of its kind in the world is completed and opened for all to see.

With the above news in mind, we are also extending the Give To Nrsimha Campaign until February 29 giving devotees further opportunity to help finance Lord Nrsimhadeva’s new home in the TOVP. This will be your last opportunity to sponsor a Nrsimhadeva Brick to be inscribed with your name and placed under the Lord’s altar.

Please go to the Give To Nrsimha 2024 Campaign page on the TOVP website and make your offering today!

 

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TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LQqFCRU5H1xJA5PV2hXKrA
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

It was good to be back at Sri Sri Radha Nila Madhava temple, Seattle. Many years ago there were so few devotees here that the leadership was thinking to move the deities to a temple where They could be worshiped properly.

However, this did not come to pass and the devotees headed by Hari Vilasa das and a dedicated team built the community up to where it is now consisting of many thousands.

The devotees told me that for the last Krsna Janmastami around twenty thousand visitors came to have darshan of Their Lordships and a lot stayed on for the midnight aroti.

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Amidst the rich revelations of spiritual literature, some works possess a transcendental charm that captivates both the heart and mind, leaving an indelible mark on those who encounter them. The Mahabharata is one such text, and Sankirtana Das (Andy Fraenkel), an ardent seeker, storyteller, and devoted disciple of Srila Prabhupada has distilled the essence of […]

The post Award-winning Author Celebrates 10th Anniversary of His Mahabharata Masterpiece appeared first on ISKCON News.

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