Lalita Sasti
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Today (27 Aug) is Lalita Sasti- appearance day of Lalita devi, the foremost of all sakhis. Just prior to the annual Gaura Purnima festival of 1986, Srimati Lalita devi, along with three other principle sakhis, was installed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir and joined Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar. She stands directly […]

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From Love Universal to Bhakti Confidential – Gaudiya Vaishnavism Glories 2 – How Karma and Jnana Culminate in Bhakti
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(Chaitanya Charitamrita class on Madhya 8.28 at ISKCON, Denver, USA)

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Reincarnation and the Search for Meaning – Evidence, Explanation & Evolution
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[Talk at Vital Yoga Institute, Denver, USA]

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Radhastami is coming
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2012, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture)

If we want some deeper understanding of the aim of life, it is possible by the mercy of Srimati Radharani, who is most compassionate. She is more compassionate than Krsna. We can easily attract that mercy by doing some service. This is the key! We should think about her service. She did everything for Krsna’s pleasure. What are we going to do today for Krsna’s pleasure? Radhastami is a day of soul searching, a day for us to realise, ‘I have to rise up. It’s time that I make a real sacrifice for Krsna’s pleasure.’ This is the inner meaning of Radhastami.

Harinama under the rain on the Independence Day of Ukraine…
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Harinama under the rain on the Independence Day of Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “My heart is always burning in the fire of material existence, and I have made no provisions for getting out of it. The only remedy is hari-nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, which is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka-Vrndavana. How unfortunate I am that I have no attraction for this. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.22 Purport)
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Vishaka Devi-Radhika’s Dearmost Friend
→ Mayapur.com

Just prior to the annual Gaura Purnima festival of 1986, Srimati Visakha Devi, along with three other principle sakhis, was installed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir and joined Sri Sri Radha Madhava on the altar. She stands directly next to Srimati Radharani. Her appearance day is celebrated on the same day as Srimati Radharani. […]

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Vegan Vegetable Korma Curry & Tamarind Rice – August Cooking Class
→ The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland

Another month, another amazing vegan cooking class. The class filled up very quickly, so here’s a little treat for those that missed out. The next class will be announced in a few weeks, so keep an eye on our newsletter and Facebook page for more info. You can sign up to the newsletter from the […]

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Balaram appearance day at the lotus feet of Lord Balarama
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Around the period of Balarama Jayanti, 2017, I went on a North India tour which was as much as a pilgrimage as it was an outreach tour.

Over the last few years, I have travelled more in America than in India. I wanted to correct this imbalance and, more importantly, to visit Vrindavan and seek the blessings of the dhama before embarking on my fourth tour of the US, which incidentally is the first youth-outreach focused tour.

Additionally, Rukmini Krishna Prabhu, the Temple President of Punjabi Bagh temple, had invited me there long ago. When he came to know I was coming, he competently coordinated with the various temples in Delhi for a weekend full of programs.

In a span of about forty hours, I spoke an evening class at the Dwarka temple (Appreciating Balarama’s two blessings – Bala and Rama), a youth meeting at the Punjabi Bagh temple (Understanding the mind through four animal metaphors 1 – Horse & Wolf – Hindi), the Sunday feast class at the East of Kailash temple (Increasing our willpower through restriction, redirection and reconstruction – Hindi), the Sunday feast class at the Gurgaon temple (Understanding the mind through four animal metaphors 2 – Dog & Sheep – Hindi) and the Balarama Appearance day class at the Punjabi Bagh temple (Appreciating Balarama’s position, pastime and blessing – Hindi).

In Delhi, the highlight for me was the opportunity to speak about Balaramji on his appearance day at a temple where his Deity is present – very few ISKCON temples have Balaram deities. I spoke on how Balarama serves as a link between Krishna and the Vrajavasis, acting as the Lord’s messenger to those feeling separation from him. Similarly, Balarama’s representatives, our spiritual masters, link us with Krishna, helping us make sense and find solace when life goes wrong. I also felt blessed to have the opportunity to do the Abhishek of Krishna-Balarama deities on the occasion of Balarama appearance day.

My overall Delhi-Vrindavan trip was coordinated by Radha-Damodara Prabhu who works at Sopra Steria and organized a program for his colleagues (Tap the power of thoughts, don’t be trapped by them – Hindi). He drove me to and fro from Vrindavan, and we had several good discussions on living with the distance between our principles and our practices, while also working to bridge that distance.

Over the years, I have been somewhat hesitant in speaking to Hindi audiences because I was told that my classes are too intellectual for them, and I struggle to find precise Hindi words for expressing myself. All my reading, writing and thinking of philosophy has been in English. So, whenever I speak in Hindi, I have to act as both a translator and a speaker.

Interestingly however, the feedback of devotees after my Hindi classes in Delhi revealed to me how seeming disadvantages can become advantages. Because I struggle for finding the right words in Hindi, I am forced to speak slowly, thus countering my tendency of speaking too fast that makes my English classes a strain to understand for some. Also, because I don’t know precise Hindi words, my language becomes simpler during my Hindi classes than in my English classes, thus making them more accessible to the audience.

Though exhausting, the engagements in Delhi were exhilarating, all the more so because I could see so many young devotees, both brahmacharis and congregation, hearing enthusiastically and serving vigorously, as was evident from the many temples coming up there. I felt inspired to see how Srila Prabhupada’s stress on focused outreach to youth is bearing rich fruit as many young leaders from the second generation are taking responsibilities in our movement as it prepares for its generational change of guard.

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HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja speaking about the “Hare…
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HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja speaking about the “Hare Krishna” movie on the famous Russian radio station “Moscow FM” (audio interview in English translated into Russian)
Cinema halls in Moscow were full and a lot of people had an opportunity to watch the movie and know more about Srila Prabhupada and the movement.
Listen to it here: https://goo.gl/HmKPNU

Kingston, UK, prepares to get colorful with the Hare Krishna…
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Kingston, UK, prepares to get colorful with the Hare Krishna festival.
Members of the Hare Krishna movement are teaming up to get the public in Kingston all spiritual for a different type of festival next month.
Well known all over the world for their shaven heads, bright saffron robes and their famous mantra the International Society for Krishna Consciousness are inviting residents to join in the Hare Krishna festivities, on September 7, at the Mayo Centre, Eden Street.A free day filled with meditative music, spiritual dance, a free vegetarian meal and an insight into the philosophy and culture associated with the movement.

Giridhari Das, a Hare Krishna monk who heads up the UK festival team, said: ““Probably best known from the Glastonbury Music Festival or for singing in the streets of central London, as the Hare Krishna Festival team we tend to appear all over the place.

“Whether local carnivals, theatres or town halls we like to be with the people.”

The Hare Krishna movement became popular in the 1960’s when its message was brought to western countries by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada – an Indian guru, aged 70, who left Vrindavan, India, and set sail for the United States in 1965 with just a few dollars in his pocket.

The movement follows ancient teachings of devotional yoga with roots in the Vedic culture of India, dating back over 5,000 years.

Within a year of the Indian’s arrival he set up ISKCON and today the movement has more than 700 temples and centres worldwide, including 60 farm communities, 50 schools and 90 restaurants.

Last year, the movement celebrated the 50th anniversary since its inauguration in New York by Srila Prabhupada in 1966.

Thanks to The Beatles and in particular George Harrison’s involvement, ‘Hare Krishna’ has become a household name.

Narada Das, who looks after PR & Communications at ISKCON Festivals, added:

“Our philosophy is very rich and attractive to many people.

“In a world that’s becoming increasingly competitive, and has people believing they’ll only be happy through material gain, we’re showing a deeply positive alternative.

The Krishna Consciousness message is for everyone - a universal, non-sectarian message of love, simple living, service and above all – connecting the self with the original spiritual source, Krishna.”
Source: https://goo.gl/zp12n2

A plot in the Community Garden. For less than One Euro a day,…
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A plot in the Community Garden. For less than One Euro a day, one can rent a plot and grow their own food. (Album with photos)
H. G. Lalitanath Prabhu and H. G. Tejas Krishna Prabhu lead a fantastic initiative at ISKCON Stockholm!!! They are setting a great example for urban temples. Distributing books, preaching, distributing prasadam and producing food. With two plots of 200m² in a community garden, the temple grows their organic vegetables and are able to offer the best to Krishna and His devotees. Check it out: https://goo.gl/1FWoyH

Cairns Rathayatra
→ Ramai Swami

Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra cart was brought up from the Gold Coast to Cairns to enter the Multicultural Parade that goes around the streets of the city.

On the way it stopped at Townsville where local devotees organised a Rathayatra in that city’s multicultural event.

The parade started around 5.30 pm and went for a couple of hours. Tens of thousands of people lined the footpaths to catch a glimpse of the floats and, of course, they were fortunate to have darshan of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra devi, riding majestically on Their Ratha cart.

 

Bhakti Shastra Group in Mayapur (Album with photos) Srila…
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Bhakti Shastra Group in Mayapur (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A girl is married to a husband. She’s hankering after a child. If she thinks, “Now I am married, I must have immediately a child.” Is it possible? Just have patience. Become a faithful wife, serve your husband and let your love grow up, and because you are husband and wife, it is sure you’ll have children. But don’t be impatient. Similarly, when you are in Krishna Consciousness, your perfection is guaranteed. But have patience, determination. “I must execute. I should not be impatient.” That impatience is due to loss of determination. And how that loss determination is there? Due to excessive sex life. Los Angeles, February 17, 1969
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How can we prevent the hurts from our past become our emotional baggage in a future life?
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What makes us complacent about applying the solution of bhakti to the problem of our known weaknesses?
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How can we understand Prabhupada’s statement that there is no love in this world?
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If we have fear or mistrust towards God, how does the process of bhakti work for us?
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Is our relationship with our guru a vertical relationship or a horizontal relationship?
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Kusum Sarovar meditation – Cherishing the culture rich with spiritual stimuli
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