Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Kirtana Mela Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In any condition, a man can live in a small cottage, plant a Tulasi tree, water it in the morning, offer it prayers, and continuously chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Thus one can make vigorous spiritual advancement. This is not at all difficult. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 24.261)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/bngnPc
Meet a 64-year-old walking monk.
Rick Sherman, Sun Advocate Reporter: He has occasionally been mistaken for an escaped prisoner because his saffron robe resembles the orange jump suit worn by many jail inmates. But Bhaktimarga Swami is not a fugitive. He is a Hare Krishna Monk, a Bhakti Yoga instructor and marathon walker. His contacts with law enforcement have generally been benign. “The police have been great by and large,” he mused. “Once they know what we’re up to, they’re impressed, so they’ve been very cooperative.”
Traveling on foot is a common practice in various spiritual traditions, and the Walking Monk believes that it’s an effective way to reach out and communicate the importance of morality and ethical priorities.
The 64-year-old has walked across his home country of Canada and has also traversed Ireland, Israel, Guyana, Trinidad and Mauritius. He is walking 3,500 miles across the United States to promote a healthier lifestyle and a simple meditative life and to celebrate the 50 years since the inception of Hare Krishna in North America.
During a brief sojourn in Carbon County last week, the Swami spoke to a group at the Southeastern Integrated Healing Arts Center in Price, and spent the night in Helper. “People have been very kind to me. I think there is a strong spiritual component to the people here in this state and I think that makes a big difference,” he related.
The Swami’s itinerary follows Highway 6 to Spanish Fork for a few days stay at the Hare Krishna temple, and then on Eureka, Delta, and Garrison, Utah. He said he was looking forward to walking across Nevada on historic U.S. Highway 50 & 6, which are part of the Lincoln Highway. Highway 50 has also been dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America” because towns along the route are few and far apart.
He began his walk across the U.S. in Boston and has divided up the pilgrimage into three “legs.” He walks an average of 20 miles during an eight-hour day, with the goal of arriving at San Francisco by Sept. 15.
There are a few areas where he has had no choice but to ride in his support vehicle on bridges and other areas where pedestrians are not allowed. And he has chosen to walk at night through some areas, such as “hot and sticky” Nebraska.
While Bhaktimarga Swami recognizes the need for personal transportation, he opined that modern society is so obsessed with the automobile, it has resulted in widespread obesity and a disconnect with nature. “Walking is both a physical exercise and it’s also a spiritual experience. There’s charm in the whole thing. You have so much time to ponder and think things over,” he stated.
He observed that Utahns are more fit than the residents of most other states and noted the walking trails in Price and Helper as a step in the right direction. “I would say if everybody gets to do an hour walk every day – like in the morning would be preferable before you get into the crazy world – what a nice difference it would make,” he suggested.
Source: https://goo.gl/PKjSy1
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TOVP: The first chakra permanently installed (Album with photos)
Parijata: Thursday 10th of August, was the auspicious installation of the Planetarium Wing Chakra.
The whole of Mayapur community came to the ToVP site to witness and visually see this monumental event.
The devotees in Mayapur haven’t seen the Chakra before in a close proximity. Everybody was blown out and Mayapur is still buzzing today with this wonderful transcendental activity.
Sadbhuja and the ToVP team were praying very hard that the monsoon rains would hold off while the Chakra and the Kalash were assembled in Mayapur.
The rain had stopped for more than 2 weeks and the weather was perfect! On the installation day, the weather was fabulous without even a cloud in the sky.
One hour after the Chakra went up, it started pouring with rain like we have never seen before for a solid 2 hrs.
Sadbhuja Prabhu feels and has full faith the demigods have come down to bless this Chakra.
The devotees are of the same opinion, the demigods have come down to bestow their blessing on us and this wonderful installation.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/QDn8X1
Interviews from the heart of Mayapur 
By Indradyumna Swami Krsna's Village of Peace at this year's Woodstock festival in Poland exceeded the expectations of everyone. With a steady stream of people passing through our site the lines for prasadam got longer and longer, large crowds spilled out of the Mantra Yoga Tent and all other activities were fully packed. From this one can appreciate that Lord Krsna is truly 'all-attractive.' Continue reading "Huge success for Krsna’s Village of Peace at this year’s Woodstock festival in Poland
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 August 2012, Musko Sredice, Balkans, Lecture)
In this world, there are churches, mosques, temples – there are so many different religious groups. Sometimes, in the airport, I see Jews with their black hats and curls on the side of their faces; I see Arabs in their full Middle-Eastern outfits; I see a Christian priest; a few nuns from Africa; some Buddhists from Thailand… and then, there is a Hare Krsna devotee walking in the middle of it all!
In the airports, there is just an exhibition of world religions. So many religions in the world and the reason is because God is invisible!
When an atheist walks past and says, “There is no God!”
Then someone else argues, “HE is the only way.”
There are so many opinions on religion because HE is invisible in this world… that is the issue. Everyone has some information – this group has one prophet and the other group has another. Nobody else has seen ‘it’ but the prophet has and he has written about it. People accept traditions and beliefs from their teachers. This is the reason why there are so many religions in the world and why one group looks at the other without trust and with suspicion.
The more people take to their traditions very seriously and to heart, the more they get realisations and then religion is not just an idea from a book which is taught in some institution… but it begins to manifest within the heart! And the more it manifests within the heart, the more we find the same common experience – that there are no differences in religion actually since these differences exist only externally. If you go deeper then you will see that people in different parts of the world, in different traditions, actually have the same deep experiences however, it may not always be understood in this way.
Beyond this world, there is a spiritual world where pure living beings can go and live eternally with the Supreme Lord. We have heard this in the descriptions of all traditions – some say heaven but we say spiritual world but it is the same thing. In the spiritual world, we should understand that the Supreme Lord is always visible and present, and He appears in His all attractive form. Therefore, He is the one who attracts the attention of everyone! In the spiritual world, everyone can recognise Krsna as being in the centre.
Whether we look at the Vedic tradition, Christianity or Islam, people are practising with the desire to get blessings for good health, beauty or other materialistic things. Ultimately, such things are the lower aspects of spirituality because these things are temporary… so what is the point in praying for something temporary!? This Hare Krsna movement is not interested in that since we should only be interested in the eternal benefit!
Eternal is not after this life, eternal is also right now, eternal is always. So eternal is after this life and it is also now. Therefore, blessings come after and also for the present and this is truly how Krsna Consciousness works since it brings blessings for the present and for the future!
The devotees are not asking for materialistic things because they ask the Supreme Lord Krsna for service, to be allowed to serve Him. And when we serve the Supreme Lord, then a change of heart takes place and then our whole life will become auspicious and very nice!
Janmastami is coming up… we celebrate the appearance of Lord Krsna in this world. Remember that this week is especially a week for serving Krsna, and the more we do so then the more Krsna will reveal Himself and we begin to see right here and now, and at the end of our life, we can go back the spiritual world!
Vaisesika Prabhu’s recent class in Los Angeles (video)
I’m actually meant to love and serve this Personality within the innermost chambers of the heart…
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/o2sVEk
During my travels, I also got the association of many senior devotees who very kindly gave several hours of their time to discuss our philosophy and its practice. One recurrent theme was the challenge of presenting the personal philosophy of bhakti from within what seems like a highly institutionalized religion. Another theme was the strategies for making our message relevant to a highly individualistic audience with post-modern intellectual orientations. Among the devotees whose association I found inspiring were Brahma Tirtha P, a pioneer of mediation in ISKCON; Garuda P, scholar-author on Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam and the Bhakti-sutras; Bhakti Marga Maharaj, celebrated as the walking monk for his walking for spiritual awareness across the entire of Canada from one coast to the other; Guru Prasad Maharaj whom I met for the first time in Trinidad; Krishna Dharma P, the author of acclaimed retellings of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana; Srutidharma P, the temple president of the Bhaktivedanta Manor, one of the most successful temples in the Western world; and Tukaram P, a brilliant intellectual and Laguna Beach Temple President.
Along with these illuminating associations, the two that stand out the most for me are of HH Giriraja Maharaja and HH Radhanatha Maharaja.
Endearing reciprocity – HH Giriraja Maharaj
H H Giriraja Maharaj has been very kind to me in generously giving several hours of his time during each of my US visits. This year too, we spend nearly an entire day together at his place in Carpentaria, California. As I have served him as an editor, we naturally talked about his upcoming book on the history of the Juhu project which Srila Prabupada had asked him to write. He told me that his writing has gained substantial momentum and he is more than half way through. We discussed the challenges of balancing historical accuracy (reporting the facts as they are), dramatic intensity (writing to attract and retain the attention of readers) and interpersonal sensitivity (portraying properly devotees who had some difficulties then but now are in good standing).
When I asked Maharaj about the cultural conflicts going on in our movement and the concomitant bitter criticism of Vaishnavas, he said that he had discussed this issue with Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had explained that such conflicts happen in every religion. And they happen because people are so emotionally invested in their beliefs and practices. They feel that if they get this thing right, their liberation is guaranteed; and if they get it wrong, their damnation is guaranteed. Because they feel that so much is at stake, they often deem as inviolable principles things that others see as adjustable details. Failing to appreciate others’ perspectives, they launch ad hominem attacks on those whom they perceive as threats to the tradition. I found this explanation the most intellectually illuminating and emotionally satisfying explanation I have heard till now.
Ishvara Gauranga P and Sriji Priya Mataji had driven me from Los Angeles to Carpenteria. After my meeting with Maharaj, Sriji Priya Mataji showed Maharaj her Gaur-Nitai Deities, Maharaj appreciated their beauty. Then with endearing reciprocity, he said to her, “As you have shown your Deities to me, I will show my Deities to you.” Although it was already 3 pm, way past Maharaj’s lunch time, he took us all to his Deity room which was filled with many Deities and then explained for more than half an hour the remarkable stories behind those Deities.
This article is part of a series of articles about the recent Western tour. Full article can be read here.
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Inner Voice Productions has announced a Moscow screening of the film "Hare Krishna!" next week, on August 16th, Srila Prabhupada's Appearance Day, and again on August 20th.
On Thursday August 10th, a golden Sudarshan Chakra, weighing 1,400 kilograms (3,086 lbs), was installed on the Planetarium Wing dome of ISKCON’s under-construction Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal.
You are drinking milk, you are taking so much butter, milk product, and as gratitude you are killing cows? You should be ashamed. Even if you hav... 
Being a male is a matter of birth being a man is a matter of age being a gentleman is a matter of choice (5 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo... 
Ambarisa Das: Auspicious Initial Chakra Installation, Mayapur 8/10/17 (Album with photos)
Blessed by the presence of Jayapataka Maharaj, Jananivas prabhu, Mayapur Mangement and Sadbhuja prabhu with the TOVP team. MC’d and organized by Braja Vilas prabhu. Immediately after the ceremony, heavy rain came after many days without. Most auspicious. Srila Prabhupada ki Jaya!!!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9vSTPw
Marriages which make the Kurukshetra war look tame :-)
Kadamba Kanana Swami: I had a disciple who was living in a small flat – just a one room studio with a bathroom and kitchenette. In the room, there was a sofa which could turn into a bed. There were chairs and every chair had stuff on it. When you would enter, you sort of have to dig through all the stuff to get a place to sit down. This is called a bachelor’s flat!
By Bhusaya dasa Lekhasravanti met with Prabhupada the next day and mentioned how her parents were both killed in a plane crash in 1970. Prabhupada immediately consoled her, quoting a Sanskrit verse that her parents were still alive somewhere, as the self (spirit soul) never dies. Srila Prabhupada then asked Lekhasravanti if she wanted to get married. Lekhasravanti tried to be philosophical and replied, "Oh Srila Prabhupada, whatever Krishna desires." Prabhupada chuckled, "Every girl wants to get married." Lekhasravanti explained her parent's had a life insurance policy from which she had inherited a half million dollars and wished to use what she had left in Krishna's service. At that time she wrote Srila Prabhupada a check for $50,000 which he happily accepted as Krishna's mercy, and used for printing Srimad Bhagavatams. Continue reading "A Little Known 1977 Srila Prabhupada Pastime
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‘Robin Roberts’, famous news anchor from (ABC) American Broadcasting Company’s 'Good Morning America’ gets a 'Perfection of Yoga’ book by the great transcendental author Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. (Album with photos)
Drumila Dasa: I was just about to call it a day when I looked down the sidewalk and saw 'Robin Roberts’ and her entourage coming down the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court building. I didn’t have time to be apprehensive or get the jitters. I just tried to be as natural as possible and was able to give her the book. And as a bonus, I was able to describe to her the wonderful movie about the author of her book, called 'Hare Krsna, The Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami who started it all.’ I gave her a bookmarker with all the pertinent info on it about the film(pictured). Then proceeded to tell her, how it won the Jury Prize at the prestigious 'Illuminate’ film festival in Sedona, Arizona. She was genuinely humble, and gracious, and thanked me for what I was doing. Robin Roberts is also a breast cancer survivor.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/aEZrXq
Balarama Purnima 2017 at ISKCON-London
(Album with photos)
Please find below photos from Balarama Purnima 2017 at the ISKCON-London
Radha-Krish... 
H.H.Gopal Krishna Goswami about Srila Prabhupada’s departure for the USA (video)
Srila Prabhupada: I planned to go to America. Generally, they go to London, but I was simply thinking how to go to New York.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ftv4Af
By Mayapur.tv The first Chakra of the TOVP to be installed upon the Kalash of the Planetarium Dome (Western Dome) by H.H. Jayapataka Swami. On the auspicious occasion of today's installation of the first chakra on the planetarium-wing dome, here is a message from Sriman Ambarish Prabhu Continue reading "TOVP Chakra Installation Ceremony
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The most cringe-inducing question I faced during my entire tour was in Washington DC where, after my Sunday feast class on Reincarnation, a Latino devotee asked, “As scientists keep people away from God, can scientists be considered reincarnations of demons?”
The question reflected a series of valid points linked together in a way that leads to a massive misunderstanding. I explained that we are not meant to judge people meant on what they may or may not have done in the past, but based on what they are now. And scientists are not intrinsically against God; they look for natural explanations for natural phenomena and so don’t bring God into their explanations as God is a supernatural reality. Newton believed in God, but for explaining the falling of the apple, he looked for a natural explanation and came up with the theory of gravity. Some scientists are against God, but their anti-theism comes from their own ideological orientation – it’s not intrinsic to science. And if we look at the kind of negative experiences with religion that some of these atheists had, we won’t demonize them – if we had similar experiences, we too would probably have become atheistic. So, rather than labelling scientists negatively, if we present the Gita’s message rationally, we will better do our part of making it accessible to everyone, including scientists.
This question-answer impressed upon me the urgency of addressing the much bigger issue of science-scripture difference in an intellectually responsible way. I have been pondering this issue for many years, especially with regard to the relationship between modern cosmology and Bhagavatam cosmology. Finally, after many years of study and prayer and discussion with many learned devotees, I have arrived at a five-point approach that I feel confident to present in any forum.
While I have spoken on this overall theme at various places, I spoke on these points succinctly in a Bhagavatam class at the Bhakti Center: 5 reflections for reconciling science and scripture.
The post Science and Spirituality – From confrontation to reconciliation appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 28 April 2017, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.50)
I had a disciple who was living in a small flat – just a one room studio with a bathroom and kitchenette. In the room, there was a sofa which could turn into a bed. There were chairs and every chair had stuff on it. When you would enter, you sort of have to dig through all the stuff to get a place to sit down. This is called a bachelor’s flat!
So I was in his bachelor’s flat and one day I said to him, “Why don’t you choose an ashram?” I said, “Either be a brahmacari and then you do not need this flat, get rid of it. Or get a better flat and keep the chairs clear and invite someone to come and sit there. Get married. But make a choice because bachelorhood is not an ashram.” Bachelorhood does not offer shelter. It is not taking shelter of the process of becoming purified whereas the ashrams are. So we take these ashrams in a spirit like that – in a spirit that we are dedicating ourselves to it and within it, we are following a certain etiquette and a certain standard.
It is very different from the old type of relationships of like, “Shall we get together?”
“Well, why not?” Giggle, giggle, giggle!
Then you know, move into the same apartment, “Well, let us see what is going to happen.” I know what is going to happen. It is always the same thing that happens. There is a big bed. Both want to be the enjoyer so it becomes a competition between who is the centre of attention – who is the enjoyer and who is the enjoyed; who is the servant and who is the master or mistress. These dynamics come and leads to so much tension and big fights. I mean, marriages make Kuruksetra and the Mahabharat look tame! (laughter) You read about all these heroes sending their astras. You get married and then, my God! The things that go on in marriages – it is inconceivable – you would have never thought you would have to go through.
But there is a positive side where two people support each other and have a certain confidentiality with each other of all the things that exist within marriage. So marriage is fine but we are not varnasrama first:
nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 13.80)
We are not anything of the four varnas or the four asramas – not sannyasis, not grhastas not brahmacaris. We are not these things. Not brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras. We are vaisnava. That is it! We are vaisnava and vaisnavis. This is our meditation. Then when we are in an ashram, we make something of the ashram. But vaisnava first, otherwise it is not going to work. If vaisnava is put first, even when problems arise, we will overcome them.
So this is really how it is. Vaisnava means, “I am the servant of the vaisnavas.” I am not a vaisnava. I wish I was a vaisnava, if only I was; I am the servant of the vaisnavas. In this way, I hope to become a vaisnava. In this way, we take shelter and in this way, the ashrams start working.
First, we have to take shelter of an ashram and then we have to remember that actually it is only external. Internally we are vaisnava, servant of the vaisnavas. Then everything starts to fall into place. Then it becomes possible, kamo ‘smi bharatarsabha (Bhagavad-gita 7.11), the ideal – sex life which is not contrary to religious principles. Then we can do it, then no more jantur dehopapattaye (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.1), no more embodiment.
On the auspicious appearance day festival of Sri Balarama, at Rajapur, we had abhisheka of Lord Baladeva. Sri Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra devi were offered gorgeous outfits and colorful flower decorations. The entire temple was decorated with blue & white balloons, flower hangings etc . A Maha abhisheka was offered at noon to small Baladeva […]
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Over 200 devotees and congregation packed excitedly into their new temple in Glastonbury, Connecticut on Sunday August 6th to celebrate its soft opening with the Balarama Jayanti festival.
“A soul in a Georgia State Prison”
Chandra Myers: A devotee walked up to me today before the swing ceremony for Radha Govinda and said, “I want to tell you something…I just ordered a book from Amazon of Prabhupada Memories and when I opened to the first page there was a letter which said, ‘To whoever gets this book….I am not a member of their faith but I have read this book and it has changed my life…’ and he went on for a few pages glorifying the life and character of Srila Prabhupada and how he had experienced a change of heart and made a connection with Prabhupada in his own way.
It was signed…. "A soul in a Georgia State Prison”
Ecstatic devotees in Kiev, Ukraine, receive the darshan of their newly installed Radha-Krishna Deities (Album with photos)
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ISKCON of Connecticut: First Day At New Temple (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: No one can be more pure than devotees. Anyone who once utte... The post Understanding the mind through four animal metaphors – Hindi (02) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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I can live for two months on a good compliment – Mark Twain
Life can be disheartening. Things go wrong, people do wrong, we ourselves do wrong. Our best laid-plans can be wrecked by one massive upheaval or thwarted by a million tiny bumps. Either way, we end up feeling like giving up. Amidst such discouragement that may come upon us from a hundred directions, a few words of encouragement can be a vital morale-booster.
There are many shortages in the world, and most of them are not immediately in our power to rectify. We can’t do much about Somalia’s food shortage, Siberia’s power shortage or the Sahara’s water shortage. But there’s one shortage we all can rectify: appreciation shortage.
Lack of appreciation can hurt as much as can lack of food. Absence of appreciation can kill people emotionally, making them feel as if they have nothing to live for. And without something worthwhile to live for, they may give up on the will to live. Indeed, people commit suicide not so much because many things go wrong in their life, but because prior to those things going wrong, they felt unloved, unvalued, unappreciated. And when negative events pile on top of their negative feelings, their will to live gets crushed out of their hearts. That’s why appreciation can be literally life-saving. Complimentary words can give those contemplating suicide a reason to live. And if they keep living, they will soon find many more reasons to live.
When someone passes away, at their memorial meeting, their acquaintances speak appreciatively about the deceased person, and often speak so movingly that it brings tears to the hearers’ eyes. And yet those acquaintances don’t speak even a fraction of those appreciative words when that person was alive. If they had appreciated earlier, that person would have felt so much more loved, affirmed, treasured. Why should we appreciate people only after they have passed on? Why not start appreciating right now?
Though compliments can do so much good, we are often miserly in complimenting. Why? We may fear that over-appreciation may breed complacency. If we are always appreciative, people may get too habituated to compliments, may become over-expectant and may take our words and by extension us cheaply. That’s a valid concern. Sociologists refer to the post-World War II generation in the West as the praised generation – these were pampered children who were always complimented, never corrected. They grew up to become arrogant and insecure: too proud to take criticism and too emotionally dependent on praise.
We can and should give others constructive feedback when necessary and appropriate. But why should correction be the only thing we offer? Why can’t we offer both corrections and compliments? Better still, why can’t we offer compliments generously and corrections cautiously?
If we interact with others only to correct them, then our relationship with them becomes unpleasant, and people start avoiding us. And whenever they can’t avoid us, they dread the inevitable interactions, and that dread blocks their capacity to function effectively. We can remove much of this negativity by infusing our interactions with the positive power of appreciation.
The Bhagavad-gita (17.15) recommends that we speak in a non-agitating way that is truthful, pleasing and beneficial. The recommendation that we speak both pleasingly and truthfully implies that we should appreciate, but not flatter. Flatterers usually aim to manipulate, to get the other person to do their bidding. In contrast, appreciators value people for what they are and inspire them to become better.
If we compare the human body to a vehicle, food is its fuel. If we extend the vehicular metaphor to the human heart, encouragement is the fuel for the heart. Whereas the body dies without food, the heart dries without encouragement, making life feel pointless, joyless, worthless. Just as a well-fed body can function energetically, a heart fueled by encouragement can function energetically, infusing life with purpose, verve and joy.
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