‘Let No One Go Hungry’ – Food Distribution in Mayapur
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Srila Prabhupada continually stressed the importance of prasadam distribution in ISKCON Mayapur, and he instructed that no one within a ten mile radius of Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir should go hungry.  Following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, Food for Life Mayapur has been endeavoring for many years to fulfill this goal.  Hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims are fed prasadam by Food for Life Mayapur, as well as villagers in the surrounding areas.  This video showcases the endeavors of ISKCON Mayapur’s Food for Life program, and demonstrates how they perform this wonderful service.

Gopasthami. (This lecture was given by H. G. Visvadhika Dasi,…
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Gopasthami.
(This lecture was given by H. G. Visvadhika Dasi, disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, on Gopasthami 2016 at Mayapur Goshala).
Today is Gopasthami. Gopasthami is the coming of age party for Krsna and Balarama. Nanda and the other elder cowherd men, after consulting with famous astrologers, chose Krsna’s graduation ceremony to be on the 8th day of the bright fortnight of Karttika. What was the nature of this “graduation”? Before this day they were vatsa palas (calf herders). On Gopasthami day they became old enough to become Gopalas. They both had just entered their Pauganda age. Srila Jiva Gosvami writes this was a 3-day festival…. I am sure Dayal Mukunda Prabhu is very pleased that he did no have to organize a 3-day festival this year…Maybe next year.
On this day :
· Krsna and Balarama dressed in new clothes, cowherd clothes
· Brahmanas blessed the boys
· Cows were worshipped with foot wash and arghya, fed sweet chick peas
· Krsna and Balarama offered obeisances to the cows and circumambulated them
· Offered obeisances to the priests and brahmanas
Then
· Nanda offered Krsna jeweled cowherd boy stick
· Mother Yashoda put Tilaka on Krsna’s forehead…. And instructed Balarama and cowherd boys to protect Krsna
Every day, when Krsna and Balarama left with all the cows for the forest and pastures, the residents of Vraja were merged in feelings of deep separation being bereft of the sight of the 2 transcendental brothers. This wonderful exchange would take place every morning.
Krsna das Kaviraja tells us: Nanda and Yasoda wanted Krsna to wear shoes and carry an umbrella when they left for the pasture. Gopala would refuse: “How can I wear shoes if the cows have no shoes…Mata I will wear shoes if you make shoes for all my cows” So if you quickly do the math that means: 900,000 cows x 4 = 3,600, 000 shoes. Even for Mother Yasoda that was too many shoes to make so she said to her Son: “AT least you must take an umbrella…” Same reply! But cows can’t hold umbrellas so it would take 900,000 cowherd men to hold umbrellas over their heads.
Knowing that Krsna would not wear shoes because they had none the cows reciprocated by resolving to trample the pebbles and stones to dust for Their soft feet. Such is the love between Krsna and his cows.

We think of Krsna, we think of cows.
· Govinda
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhir abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaḿ govindam ādi- puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.
Sri Brahma Samhita 5.29
· Gopis and Gopalas
· Goloka Vrndavana
So in Goloka Vrndavana, there may or may not be computer analysts needed, or rickshaw drivers, secretaries to the Temple president, guest reception personnel…. But there will openings for these positions…Gopalas and Gopis.
So it is good we are all here today to begin our training…
And what are we in training to do?
To become Gopalas and Gopis who give protection to the cows.
Yes, even our respected GBC and sannyasis must be so trained, and temple presidents, and the bhaktas who clean the Prasadam room, and mothers who change diapers and worry about their children. We are all destined to eventually be Gopalas or Gopis, or serving Gopalas and Gopis, or the servants of the servants of Gopalas and Gopis…because ultimately Our final destination is Goloka Vrndavana, the Loka of Cows.


Srila Prabhupada tells us in SB 10.8.16 in the purport
“His pastimes in Gokula are always favorable to the brahmanas and the cows. HIS FIRST BUSINESS is to give all protection to the cows and the brahmanas. In fact, COMFORTS FOR THE BRAHMANAS ARE SECONDARY and comfort of the cows is His first concern.”
For this Gopasthami celebration, Dayal Mukunda Prabhu was telling me of special arrangements for the comfort of the disciples of Srila Prabhupada…. But his real business is to every day make special arrangements for the comfort of Krsna’s cows.
If cows keep healthy and happy, men and women shall also keep disease free and prosperous. May the cow eat green grass and pure water. May they not be killed and bring prosperity to us.
That must be the priority of our whole Mayapur community, to make special arrangements for Krsna’s cows. Not just because we want to go to Goloka and enjoy with Krsna and his cows. That is our enjoying propensity rearing its ugly head again. Protection of Krsna’s cows must be our priority because:
1. Srila Prabhupada has told us to make it a priority….along with all the other priorities. On the Spiritual platform one priority does not exclude another. They complement each other.
2. Every morning we chant “Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami” We worship the Supreme Lord who tends cows.
3. This is an important part of our preaching mission for a world that is drowning in the confusion of not knowing what is to be done what is not to be done. Srila Prabhupada knows what is going on in this crazy world we live in and he knows what needs to be done to “make it right again.”
“Unfortunately because people in the Kali Yuga are mandah-all bad, and sumanda-matayah, misled by false conceptions of life, they are killing the cows in the thousands. Therefore, they are unfortunate in spiritual consciousness, and nature disturbs them in so many ways, especially through incurable diseases like cancer and through frequent war among the nations. As long as human society continues to allow cows to be killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace and prosperity.” Srimad Bhagavatam Purport 8.8.11
Protecting the cows and making them comfortable is part of our preaching mission. How wonderful is that! We can bring peace and prosperity to our community and to the whole world just by taking care of our cows at Mayapur Goshala.
It is indeed a basic religious principle of Varnasrama Dharma to care for Krsna’s cows. Again Srimad Bhagavatam and Srila Prabhupada’s purport
Although the cow is beneficial because one can draw religious principles from her, she was now rendered poor and calf less. Her legs were being beaten by a sudra. There were tears in her eyes, and she was distressed and weak. She was hankering after some grass in the field.
Purport: The next symptom of the age of kali is the distressed condition of the cow. For a sanathanist (follower of Vedic principles) it is the duty of every householder to have cows and bulls and other household paraphernalia, not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles. The calf is not only beautiful to look at, but she also gives satisfaction to the cow, and she delivers as much milk as possible. But in the Kali yuga, the calves are separated from the cow as early as possible. The cow stands with tears in her eyes, The sudra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk then the cow is sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all troubles in present society.
In this purport Srila Prabhupada again points us to our duty,
It is the duty of every householder to have cows and bulls and other household paraphernalia, not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles.
We are very fortunate in Mayapur, along with our “other household paraphernalia” …. Sometimes we have too much!….. We have Mayapur Goshala. We have cows and bulls, over 310 of them. Never too many cows and bulls. Each one cared for with affection brings auspiciousness to our whole community.
Mayapur Goshala is not a just a department of ISKCON Mayapur, it is our Community Goshala. These are our cows:
Nirmala, Sridama, Kausalya, Tundi, Visnu priya, Vidura, Radhe Syam, Sudama, Purnamasi, Gopal, Jagannath priya, Champakalata, Visakha, Jatila, Savitri, Kamadhenu, Visvapujita, Sarasvati, Vamsi priya, Gaura, Nrsnga, Narayani, Krishna, Gopali, Bhima, Kanai, Amrta keli, Patita pavana, Banumati, Kalindi, Jalangi, Natharaja, Varsana, Govardhana, Sita Thakurani, Gauri priya, Ganesh
And our new born calves: Mallika, Vamanadeva, Narayana, Dvaraka pati
Our small or big contribution to Mayapur Goshala makes us eligible to share in the “auspiciousness” of Cow Protection. One person can contribute 3,000 rupees a month, another more. Another devotee may be struggling and only able to contribute 100 to 300 rupees a month. I saw one little 3-year-old gopi a few months ago contributing her share by dragging bundles of grass bigger than herself to eager cows and bulls. The quantity of the giving does not matter. What matters is that together as a community we provide and care for Krsna’s cows
If cows keep healthy and happy, men and women shall also keep disease free and prosperous. May the cow eat green grass and pure water. May they not be killed and bring prosperity to us.

TOVP Cornice Placement

New external finishing work has begun on the TOVP with the installation of the first cornice moldings on the East Wing of the temple.

These beautiful, decorative pieces are made in-house from GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) and will be positioned all around the temple, embellishing and enhancing the remarkable features of the temple.

Remember to contribute now towards sponsoring a Chakra installation abhisheka on February 4th for Radha Madhava’s and Lord Nrsimhadeva’s dome Chakras.

Read more here: https://tovp.org/donate/once-in-a-lifetime-chakra-abhisheka-seva-opportunity/

The post TOVP Cornice Placement appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Gopastami
Giriraj Swami

Today is Gopastami, the day on which Krishna and Balarama and other boys Their age, who previously had tended the calves, were given charge of the cows. This event is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.15.1):  

tatas ca pauganda-vayah-sritau vraje
babhuvatus tau pasu-pala-sammatau
gas carayantau sakhibhih samam padair
vrndavanam punyam ativa cakratuh

“When Lord Rama and Lord Krsna attained the age of pauganda [six to ten] while living in Vrndavana, the cowherd men allowed Them to take up the task of tending the cows. Engaging thus in the company of Their friends, the two boys rendered the land of Vrndavana most auspicious by imprinting upon it the marks of Their lotus feet.”

As stated in the purport: “Since Lord Krsna’s spiritual body had apparently grown slightly in age and strength, the senior men of Vrndavana, headed by Nanda Maharaja, decided to promote Krsna from the task of herding calves to the status of a regular cowherd boy. He would now take care of the full-grown cows, bulls, and oxen. Out of great affection, Nanda Maharaja had previously considered Krsna too small and immature to take care of full-grown cows and bulls. It is stated in the Karttika-mahatmya section of the Padma Purana:

suklastami karttike tu
smrta gopastami budhaih
tad-dinad vasudevo ’bhud
gopah purvam tu vatsapah

‘The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Karttika is known by authorities as Gopastami. From that day, Lord Vasudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves.’

“The word padaih indicates that Lord Krsna blessed the earth by walking on her surface with His lotus feet. The Lord wore no shoes or other footgear but walked barefoot in the forest, giving great anxiety to the girls of Vrndavana, who feared that His soft lotus feet would be injured.”

On this occasion, in temples in Vrindavan and elsewhere, Srimati Radharani is dressed as a cowherd boy.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Thwart the desires that titillate initially but torment eventually
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[Reflection at Phoenix, USA]

Podcast

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Gita 15.07 Even when the mind is directed by the senses, it still directs the senses
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Inner healing through forgiveness
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[Talk at Intel, Phoenix, USA]

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Love is the ultimate reality that unifies all reality
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[Talk for Intel employees at Phoenix, USA]

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Govardhan Puja Carnival 2017

TKG Academy students put up an exciting carnival on Sunday, October 22nd for the Govardhan Puja Festival to raise funds for the TKG Academy’s expansion project. It was amazing fact that kids came up with the idea for each booth and also represented the booth. Everyone who attend it had a lot of fun.

Following Games and Booths were presented. Take a look at the pictures!

1. “Aniyora!”: A Govardhana Hill beanbag toss
2. “Target Ravana’s Head”: Dart throwing game with balloons
3. “Pin the Flute”: like pin the tail, but with Krsna’s flute and peacock feather
4. “Govardhana’s Wheel of Fortune”: Govardhana Puja Quiz
5. “Can You Lift a Hill?”: Lifting challenge
6. “Indra’s Thunderbolt Dodge”: similar to a dodgeball game
In a designated area near their tent.
7. “Ox Cart Race”: similar to ‘wheelbarrow’ race, with ‘offerings’ on the back, racing around a small “Govardhana Hill”.
8. “Govardhana Puja Puppet Show”
9. Facepainting and Baloons
10. Makerspace

Sun Love Feast – October 29th, 2017 – Prabhupada Disappearance-Extended Program & Vedic discourse by His Grace Mahabhagavat prabhu
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His Grace Mahabhagavat Das: His Grace Mahabhagavat Das, is a disciple of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari. Mahabhagavat Das along with his spouse are very senior well respected devotees in Toronto and are often associated along with the names of Vaisesika Prabhu for expanding the Sankirtan initiative across the GTA and South Western Ontario. Together as a family they have made preaching their life mission and will go beyond their limits to ensure that Srila Prabhupada’s books are being distributed.





Special Extended Program
10.45  -  11.00   Tulsi Puja                                          
11.00  -  11.30   Guru Puja  Pushpanjali To Srila Prabhupada  
11:30  -  11:55   Aarti & Kirtan                                      
11.55  -  12.00   Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers                
12.00  -  1:00   Vedic discourse
 1:00  -  1:40   Damodarashtakam/Closing Kirtan
 1.40  -  2.00   Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast


 
 COMING UP AHEAD

Utthana  Ekadasi
Fasting.....................on Tue Oct 31,2017
Breakfast................  on  Wed Nov 1st ,2017 b/w 7.42am-8.26am


Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds through regular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.
 
English audio glorification of all Ekadasis is available here 
 

 
ONGOING PROGRAMS

 
Japathon-Congregational Mantra Meditation

Next date is to be announced shortly!

The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His Energy to give protection to the conditioned soul.japa, when performed with focus and attention, can subdue the agitating effects of one’s mind and senses. The senses, of which the mind is also one, are constantly being stimulated by the external world  - by gross and subtle matter.
If you have not chanted before, and would like to participate in this program, we will be very happy to show how you can do this.
All welcome. We’ll loan you a set of Beads!


Sunday School
To register,contact us
Email:sundayschool108@gmail.com
Call:647.893.9363

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. School
The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).

Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)
Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishna consciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and make Srila Prabhupada happy.

Please contact:
Dharma Dasa- dharandev58@gmail.com-647.892.0739(Mississauga and Brampton regions)

The Mentorship Program

Please note that registration in the Mentorship System is now a mandatory requirement for all initiation requests at ISKCON Brampton.It

1.Facilitates  and nurtures devotees aspiring for first and second Initiation.    
2.One-on-One personal follow up on a regular basis.
3.Systematic training to devotees in matters of Philosophy, Sadhna, Vaishnava behavior, etiquette, Lifestyle and attitudes.

To find details please click here

Gift Shop

Are you looking for some amazing gift items which are less expensive and more beautiful for your loved ones for festivals or many other occasions??
Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your visit. It offers textiles, jewellery, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.



Famous Model Joins the Hare Krishnas in Paris (4 min…

Famous Model Joins the Hare Krishnas in Paris (4 min video)
That’s Shrimati Satarupa devi. She was a Vogue cover girl, known as Anne Schaufuss of Denmark. She graced magazine covers all over Europe. She was also a skilled ballerina.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/r7oKhG

Ear: The Gateway to Liberation
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Hare KrishnaBy Pran Gopinath Das

We may not realize how our aural organs play a vital role in determining our spiritual destination. The human body is equipped with five senses through which one is connected to the external world. These five knowledge-acquiring organs, known in the Vedas as jnanendriyas (jnana, “knowledge”; indriya, “senses”), are the ears, eyes, tongue, nose, and skin. Through them we receive information about the external world, and based on that information we act and react. Among these senses, the ears are more active than the other four. Srila Prabhupada explained the superior status of the ears: Suppose you are sleeping. Then all your senses are also sleeping. But the ear does not sleep. When a man is sleeping and somebody is coming to kill him, so what do you say? You cry, “Mr. such and such, wake up! Wake up! There is danger.” Otherwise, all the senses are there, but only the ear will help you. The eyes are there, hands are there, legs are there, everything is there—none of these limbs, these parts of your body, will help you. Simply your ear will help you when you are in danger. (Lecture, San Francisco, July 21, 1975) Continue reading "Ear: The Gateway to Liberation
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Krishna, the Supreme Cowherd Boy
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Hare KrishnaBy MCO staff

Many important pastimes take place on Gopastami. One pastime takes place on this day a few years after Krishna first started tending the cows. On this day, Jatila once forbade Srimati Radhika to perform her customary puja at the distant Surya Kunda, concerned that her daughter-in-law was spending too much time outside home. Being restricted to the confinement of her in-laws’ house, Sri Radha felt dejected and began to cry an ocean of tears– of what use was Her life if it was devoid of Her Prananath, Krishna? Continue reading "Krishna, the Supreme Cowherd Boy
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News from Badrinatha (Album with photos) Bhakti Caitanya Swami:…
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News from Badrinatha (Album with photos)
Bhakti Caitanya Swami: We arrived in Badrinatha around midday on the 25th, and moved into our hotels. Badrinatha is famous as previously having been a place of Lord Siva and Parvati, but Lord Visnu, seeing how beautiful it was, is said to have tricked them into letting him have it. He appeared as a small child, apparently abandoned by his mother in this remote place. When Parvati saw Him she immediately felt great compassion, although Siva was suspicious. What was a young child like this doing in a place like this, so totally remote from any civilization? But Parvati was determined to help the child, and took Him to their small dwelling. She and Siva went out again, but when they returned they found the doors and windows locked from the inside.
The child was smiling at them through a window, but when they asked Him to open the door or a window He refused, telling them it was now His house. It was late, and Siva and Parvati had to go somewhere quickly to spend the night, so they move to Kedaranatha, leaving Badrinatha to Lord Visnu.
The first evening we went up to the temple and had some katha behind it while we waited for darsana. The pujaris were very nice, and invited me into the altar area for a while. On the altar here are, from our left, the face of Kuvera, Garuda, Badrinatha, Narada Muni, Uddhava (directly behind Narada) and Nara Narayana, with blackish faces. Unfortunately they don’t allow photography in the temple, so I can’t show you what they look like.
Badrinatha is a Salagrama sila from the Badrinatha area. He is sitting in a padmasana position.
We returned and sang Damodarastakam, and then gathered on the 26th morning for a morning programme in a hall at one of the hotels. At 8am we went to have darsana of Badrinatha again, and the main pujari invited me by the altar. He was a nice man, whose son is an initiated brahmacari in the Kåñëa Balaräma temple in Våndävana.
After that we had a big group photo in front of the temple, and then returned for breakfast. Following that we drove about 3 or 4 kms to a village named Mana, which is meant to be the last village before the border with China.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7teSyK

Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2017 (Album with photos) “I…
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Kartik Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2017 (Album with photos)
“I bow down and offer my respects to they who know that within or without the material world there is nothing as sweet as Lord Gauranga’s forest.“ – Sri Navadvipa Sataka Every day of parikrama seems to be sweeter than the last, and the fourth day of parikrama was no exception. The morning began with an early morning visit to the house of Nandan Acharya, followed by a boat ride across the Ganga to Navadvipa town where we performed harinam through the streets and visited Parama Tala, the temple of Dhameshvara Mahaprabhu, and the bhajan kutir and samadhi of Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji. We then took darshan of Radha kunda and Shyama kunda, and visited Champahati and Ratu pur. All glories to Sri Navadvipa Dham!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9R1wAc

Humanity needs to be educated in Bhagavatam Dharma…

Humanity needs to be educated in Bhagavatam Dharma (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H.H.Devamrita Swami in ISKCON Vrindavan, …

Gita 15.06 The spiritual world is self-luminous and its luminosity is malleable to Krishna’s will
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Stung by the tongue
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[Talk to University of Cincinnati students, USA]

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Overcoming negative emotions 5 – Self-doubt
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[Talk at North Florida University, Jacksonville, USA]

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