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Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental mission is to distribute love of Godhead to everyone. Anyone who accepts God as the Supreme can take to the process of chanting Hare Krishna and become a lover of God. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 4.41 Purport)
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[Talk at Prabhupada Samadhi Mandir to Defense Forces Devotees Yatra]
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[Vyasa-puja offering to HH Tamal Krishna Maharaj, Mayapur, India]
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Gaur Gopal Das in Mauritius (2 min video)
TV coverage of Gaur Gopal Das’ visit and preaching in Mauritius 1 - 4 June 2017.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/TvPjbS
Why this Utah priest wants to host a spring Hindu festival all year long?
SALT LAKE CITY — Caru Das considers himself a guru of color festivals. So why limit his handiwork to one season?
He has spread his passion for Holi — the Hindu festival during which people welcome the arrival of spring by tossing colored powder — throughout the calendar year, only avoiding days when weather could stand in the way of the celebration.
“I try to avoid the summer. It’s too hot for a lot of dancing,” said Das, a temple priest for Utah’s Hare Krishna community.
Revelers throw colored corn starch into the air as they celebrate the 2015 Holi (Festival of Colors) at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah on Saturday, March 28, 2015. | Rick Bowmer, Associated Press
Das has captured national attention for hosting an annual, record-setting Holi festival in Spanish Fork, Utah, which takes place around the time when the holiday is being commemorated in Hindu temples across the globe. This year, more than 30,000 people gathered on the lawn of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple to chant along with an eclectic mix of musicians, dine on vegetarian foods and rub colored powder on friends and strangers.
As the event attracted more and more fans, so did Das and his team, who now lead or consult on dozens of color festivals each year. This weekend, they’ll hold their sixth annual Holi event in Salt Lake City. In August, they’ll be in Reno, Nevada, and then head to Sacramento in September.
Das believes the festivals have caught on because they speak to participants’ souls — awakening people’s spirits with chanting and empowering them to go out and make a difference in the world. He rejects the notion that he’s diluting ancient religious traditions by removing Holi from the spring, arguing that bringing more spirituality into the world is always a good thing.
“Some people come to party, but they are going to be hearing the name of God the entire time they’ll be here. That has a transformative effect,” he said.
Events like Das’ festivals can be a valuable way to raise the profile of the American Hindus, who represent less than 1 percent of the U.S. population. When hosted with education in mind, they can clear up confusion about a little-known faith, said Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation.
However, it’s common for event hosts to avoid explaining Hindu practices such as Holi and just have a good time.
Indian girls take selfie as they celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Mumbai, India, Monday, March 13, 2017. The festival also heralds the arrival of spring. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) | Rafiq Maqbool, Associated Press
“Hundreds of thousands of people are participating in Holi or yoga” and other aspects of Hinduism, she said. “Oftentimes, organizers are very quick and willing to undermine the religious and spiritual premise or foundation of these things in order to welcome everyone.”
Whether they take place in March or June or August, Holi celebrations should help participants understand Hinduism and the reasons for the festivities, Shukla added.
“I’m not going to be a party pooper. That’s not the point,” she said. “But if you’re going to do color play, why not be an ambassador for the tradition and educate people?”
Color play’s popularity
Holi is rooted in India, where it is both a religious and cultural celebration. It commemorates the triumph of good over evil, as well as the freshness and promise of spring, Shukla said.
“It’s not a set day, because the Hindu calendar is a lunar calendar. Generally speaking, Holi occurs in February or March,” she said.
Festival goers prepare for the final throwing of the colors on Saturday during the Holi Festival of Colors at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork on March 24, 2012. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
In India, neighbors mark the holiday by lighting bonfires, a tradition that comes from the story of Prahlad, a follower of Lord Vishnu who was saved from being burned because of his great devotion. On the second day of Holi, revelers throw colored powder at one another, replicating the behavior of followers of Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu.
Outside of India, Hindus celebrate Holi in different ways, participating in temple rituals on the actual holiday, but waiting for the weekend or better weather to have a public event with color play, Shukla said.
“When it’s 20 degrees below zero, it’s a little hard to play with colors,” she said.
As Das has learned, Holi events are popular among non-Hindus because they’re unique and make for great photos.
“Rarely do I get invited to a celebration at which I get to throw chalk at someone and not get in trouble for it,” said Habid Madrid, a 21-year-old business marketing major at Utah Valley University. He’s attended the Spanish Fork Holi festival three times.
Color play has mass appeal, especially in the age of Instagram and other photo-focused social media sites. It’s increasingly featured at nonreligious events, Shukla said.
FILE - Visitors of the Holi Festival of Colours throw special colored powders in the air in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 6, 2014. The festival is fashioned after the Hindu spring festival Holi, which is mainly celebrated in the north and east of India. | AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File
“The Color Run is a perfect example of focusing just on the fun aspect and losing the spiritual aspect,” she said. The Color Run hosts races across the country.
Hinduism isn’t the only religion where spiritual meaning has been obscured by commercialization. Businesses sell Catholic rosaries as fashion jewelry and promote mindfulness meditation without mentioning Buddhism.
But such mixing of religious symbols with secular products can create confusion and miss an opportunity to improve religious literacy. U.S. adults got an average of 16 questions correct out of 32 on Pew Research Center’s 2010 religious knowledge survey.
Religious misunderstanding leads to bullying and discrimination, and members of minority faith groups are more likely to be targeted than people who belong to better-known religions.
Visitors of the Holi Festival of Colors throw colored powders in the air in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2017. The festival is fashioned after the Hindu spring festival Holi, which is mainly celebrated in the north and east of India. | Manu Fernandez, Associated Press
Holi hosts can improve community relations by explaining the origins of color play and other Hindu traditions, Shukla said.
“That’s not to say that you have to convert in order to benefit (from these traditions.) It’s a matter of appreciating the contribution,” she added.
Educating others
Das acknowledges the value of educating others, but also worries about limiting the reach of his events by making them about religious differences, rather than shared spirituality.
He tries to strike a balance between increasing understanding and meeting people where they are by focusing on the themes of Holi, instead of particular religious practices. This approach also explains how he justifies hosting color festivals in the summer and fall.
Hindu devotees throw colored powder on each other inside Banke Bihari temple during Holi festival celebrations in Vrindavan, India, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. Holi, the festival of colors celebrates the arrival of spring among other things. | Manish Swarup, Associated Press
“Spring is a metaphor for renewal and change,” he said. “Putting aside feelings that are keeping you from moving forward in your life can and should be done at all times of the year.”
Das wants to honor Indian and Hindu tradition with his festivals, but he also explores ways to attract Western audiences. Rather than play traditional Indian music, he invites DJs and other performers to get people moving with hip hop, ska and reggae music.
The only requirement is that the DJs use a style called kirtan, which incorporates call-and-response into the performance, he said. In this way, Das integrates chanting into his events, a key form of worship for Hare Krishnas.
“My purpose above and beyond getting people to experience a different culture is to expose them to chanting the holy names of the Lord,” Das said.
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Our Good News Increases!
Vijaya Dasa: Recently, I spoke on the Bhagavad-gita in Oslo, Norway, at the Sunday program. One point I made is that there is so much bad news. But people like to hear it, and thus worldwide they read the latest news in the morning before or while going to work and in the evening when they return.
By Brahma Das I served on Radha-Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party for the next three years as a bus leader. Tamal Krishna Goswami was a hard taskmaster, but he was able to motivate me like no one had done before, and in turn, I was able to motivate others. He saw something of my potential for service, and I had faith and appreciation for him. As bus leader I had to call him from the field once a week, and those calls either left me tearful because I had let him down or elated because he was pleased. He had a powerful effect on my life that has been with me ever since. By 1979, the Radha-Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party buses were all broken down or dry-docked, and I was serving on the Indian library party out of Bombay. Tamal Krishna Goswami called me in Bombay and asked me to return to the United States to take a bus on the road again. I loved the bus party and was reunited again with many from my old party. Continue reading "Memories of Tamal Krishna Maharaja
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By Devananada Pandit Das When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pastimes of congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Sri Hari in Navadwip, Sri Vakreshwar Pandit was an important singer and dancer in that assembly. It was by His mercy that Devananda Pandit was delivered from the wrath of Mahaprabhu. He was also present during the Lord's journey to Ramakeli. Devananda Pandit was, at one time, known as the foremost lecturer on the Bhagavat. One day Srivas Pandit went to hear his discourse, and being moved in ecstatic love by hearing the Bhagavatam, he began to cry. A few of the ignorant students of Devananda Pandit, thinking that this was creating a disturbance,removed Srivas Pandit from the assembly and left him outside.Though this was done in front of Devananda he didn't restrain his students from this act of disregard to the devotee -Bhagavat. Continue reading "Disappearance Day of Sri Vakresvara Pandita
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By Keli-parayana das Lecture of Garuda Prabhu in Los Angeles. His Grace Garuda Prabhu is a disciple of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada and known as Dr. Graham M. Schweig, at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Christopher Newport University in Virginia. Garuda was one of the first ISKCON devotees to pursue a formal education. He saw a great opportunity to reach educated circles by inaugurating the field of Vaishnava studies. He earned his doctorate in Comparative Religion from Harvard University. Princeton University Press has published his thesis under the title "Dance of Divine Love- India's Classic Sacred Love Story: The Rasa Lila of Krishna." Continue reading "God is Love and Love is God
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“O Kesava! O Lord of the Universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Lord Balarama, the wielder of the plow! All glories to You! On Your brilliant white body, You wear garments the color of a fresh blue rain cloud. These garments are the color of the River Yamuna, who feels great fear due to the striking of Your plowshare.”
The Goshalla - Melbourne (14 min video)
The New Goshalla At Hare Krishna Valley, Melbourne, Australia. Made possible thanks to a generous donatio... Gita verse-by-verse Podcast
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Sri Vakresvara Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes in Navadvipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa. He also accompanied Him to Jagannatha Puri.
During the time of the Lord’s residence in Puri he continued to live with Him there as well. Sri Vakresvara Pandit took birth in the village of Guptipara near Triveni. He was an especially proficient dancer and kirtaniya and could dance continuously for 72 hours.
Vakresvara Pandit’s worshippable deity is Sri Sri Radha-kanta, whom he worshipped in Kasi Misra’s house, which was also the residence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Gambhira). These Deities are still being worshipped there to this day.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 March 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Bhagavad-gita 7.24)
In everything in our life, if we see the connection with the Supreme and we see, “I didn’t make this world. I appeared in this world. It was already there. It is not mine therefore, it actually was made by someone else – the Supreme Lord and it is his. I am meant to use it for his purpose and not for my purpose.”
Then, one becomes an agent; one becomes a via media; one becomes surcharged, electrified, mystified; one becomes potent with spiritual energy. At that time, we become spiritually empowered. This is the purpose of human existence and then, one develops saintly qualities!
If one is a servant, then the servant naturally develops the qualities of the master because whatever is important to the master is supposed to be important to the servant. So in this way, the servant gradually develops qualities like the master.
Therefore, the devotee develops qualities like Krsna and becomes more and more saintly, day-by-day, moment-by-moment. And that saintliness translates not only to like devotional prayers, with tears running from the cheeks and burning candles but also just down to earth, in all directions, in all dealings. Everything is a sacred space. Every interaction is meant to be a sacred space; like that every dealing is to be sanctified. That is our life! So it has to be transformed, in every aspect.
Adirasa das Prabhu about Kirtan
- What are the basics of behavior during kirtan?
- The main thing - is the unity. Without it, kirtan will fail. From the first minute it is difficult to combine the kirtan all the devotees. Usually, to form a unity among the faithful, and that they had a taste, it takes some time. Is 15 minutes’re kirtan, 20 minutes, 30 … And then begins something unusual. Sankirtana - chanting it. And if we do during sankirtana not feel each other - there is no full unity.
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The nature of the awakening.
Vaisesika Das: Wednesday morning, after clamoring aboard a United 747 Jet, I flew over the Pacific Ocean, crossed the international dateline, and landed in Tokyo, Japan at 2:30pm Thursday afternoon.
Ten minutes before our jet landed in Tokyo, our chief purser asked the passengers - who had been without sunlight for nearly eleven hours - to open their window shades.
By Ashwin Dubey The program consisted of worship of Bhagavatam along with deity laminations in the beginning with kirtan, then HG Radheshyam Prabhu would speak on the glories of bhagavatam for about 1 and half hour, then he would write his best wishes for the family, sign and handover the bhagavatam to the family. There were around 5 to 6 such installation programs daily in Pune and also in Hyderabad and Mysore for some days. Many times the programs were at long distance from one another and considerable time would go in travelling. Continue reading "Distributing 170 Srimad Bhagavatam sets in 1 month
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Initiation ceremony in ISKCON Dwarka New Delhi (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: For a devotee, liberation is no problem at all. The imperso... 
Sadbhuja Das: We may make a new bhakta out of one of the Russian engineers! (Album with photos)
He likes Mayapur and his devotional clothes so much.
Of course no working on top of the domes in a dhoti! Safety and security first, they must wear bhakta pants!
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Dubai April 10. Part 1
By Krishna das Chaitanya Charan is author of sixteen books on various spiritual subjects including science and spirituality, Bhagavad-gita and self-help. He is an associate-editor of Back to Godhead, ISKCON's global magazine, and a member of ISKCON's prominent intellectual body, the Shastric Advisory Council. He writes daily on the Bhagavad-gita at gitadaily.com where he has written over 2000 articles and answers questions at thespiritualscientist.com, where he has answered over 4500 questions. He is the author of twenty books. He has spoken at colleges, corporates and conferences all over the world from Australia to America and is especially appreciated for the logic, clarity and eloquence of his presentations. Continue reading "Krishna’s Six Opulences
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Kolkata, India]
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Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris.
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka by Krishna-kripa das.
In recent years, devotees only did harinamas in Paris on Thur... 
By Gautam Saha One day of Brahma equals 4 billion, 320 million years. Since Brahma’s night is of the same length, and he lives for 100 Brahma years, in earth time, his age is 310 trillion years. According to Vedic estimates, Brahma has lived about half of his life so far, and a similar period will elapse before he dies, Brahma also being under the control of kaal (time) and mahamaya (the Lord’s external creative potency). Both are insurmountable potencies of the Supreme Lord Visnu. Brahma’s present age is about 155 trillion earth years. Continue reading "The Vedic Space-Time Continuum
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