Gita 13.20 Matter is eternal, but material forms are temporary
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Gita verse-by-verse Podcast


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The role of faith in devotional service
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The role of faith in devotional service.
Faith is the unflinching confidence that upon attaining one thing — Krsna-bhakti — one is provided with all other desirable achievements. Absolute faith, unflinching faith, rests in Krsna-bhakti only. Faith in any other result or any other process will be unavoidably transient and ultimately disappointing. Attaining this faith rests upon guru-kripa, which includes very careful guidance and training. Similarly, one cannot move forward on this path while holding tightly to a bodily or a material conception of life — and thus of guru, the process of bhakti, the goal of bhakti, the rewards of bhakti, the subjective experience of bhakti, etc. These misconceptions will result in offenses, which will obfuscate one’s vision and seriously inhibit progress on the path. Faith brings intelligence and realization, which fix the mind in undeviating determination. The medium of cultivation of faith is service – humble and devoted service. This is KC'ness!


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Friday June 9, 2017
→ The Walking Monk

Rustic, Colorado
It Starts With The Moon

The moon, in almost complete fullness, was right before me on high; its image tucked between two mountain peaks. Rainbow colours circled around it.
Marshall, who was with me, also marvelled at the splendour of it, and remarked, “My dad used to say that those circles around the moon indicate there will be a storm.”
As the hours wore on, we did not encounter a weather storm, but the rage of the Cache la Poudre River, aka the Poudre (pronounced poo-der) River. I personally love the roar of a river in my ears, as opposed to the roar of trucks. It is real mercy (fortune) that very few trucks visit this road, Hwy 14. I am astounded that cars and recreational vehicles don’t tumble down into the river with this meandering road at its side. There are no barriers to keep traffic in. I am also surprised that the towering rocks, seemingly ready to give way, do not roll down to crush the traffic. This is a tight valley.
I do think of people, acquaintances, I know while walking. I think about and pray for those who struggle with cancer, alcohol and multiple other challenges. I knew them in a period of their life when they were vibrant and youthful. It’s changed now. Age is creeping up for all.
People are important to me. One fellow, in his middle-age, was working in his front yard. I asked, “How far is the town of Rustic?”
He told me, “Two miles.”
I told him of my walk and moved on. Later, he drove up to reach me and gave me a bag filled with half of his personal groceries, all veg-oriented, of course.
Now that’s kindness. He shone like the moon with rings of colour around him. He shone. Thank you!
May the Source be with you!
20 miles
Editor’s Note: 
Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk, will be interviewed livestream on Facebook on Saturday June 10, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Don't miss this opportunity to hear some “Tales from Trails!” and the main topic, Learning to Attain Freedom in the Modern World.
Should be very interesting! Please join us!

Here’s the link. https://www.facebook.com/events/303598276758783/?ti=icl



Thursday June 8, 2017
→ The Walking Monk

Cache la Poudre River, Colorado
New Sphere

We entered a new sphere—the mountains.
Behind us are the farmers, frackers and oilers on those bustling roads. More quietly crawling along at our side are the vacationers on picnics, fishing, and white-water rafting. Some motorists have their mansions tucked into the Cache la Poudre River valley; they are the few and far between, with the exception of one enclave of home huts. A fun sign was posted in this one neighbourhood at the entrance.
It reads:                                                           
WARNING
You are entering a RED NECK AREA
You may encounter
American Flags,
Armed Citizens,
The Lord’s Prayer,
And Country Music.

According to Hayagriva, who is of French Canadian descent, Cache la Poudre translates as hidden powder. “Hidden treasure” is what we liked to call it, because in this very barren section of the Rockies, we enjoy the rushing, winding waters that nourish bush and trees by their side. If we weren’t walking, then we were eating cantaloupe as a refresher, studying the books of Srila Prabhupada and even looking at Chapter One, Verse One, of the great book of wisdom, the Bhagavad-Gita. Our new team-member, Aaron, is making strides at learning Vedic culture and tradition.
Is walking a component of Vedic Culture? Most definitely. Swamis, sages and even retired kings roamed about to enlighten and to be enlightened.
I’m grateful to the people who stopped today to offer water and help in other ways. Our team of Hayagriva, Marshall, Aaron and myself, did put some good mileage under our feet in the beauty of the valley.
http://www.pinebluffspost.com/story/2017/06/08/news/new-york-to-san-francisco-by-foot/5770.html
May the Source be with you!
19 miles



Earning or “L”earning? (5 min video) Is Earning Money…
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Earning or “L"earning? (5 min video)
Is Earning Money better than Learning? - Gaur Gopal Das - Motivational Video.
“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.”
“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/MpxPNI

Shri Jagannath Ratha Yatra “Festival of the chariots” parade in…
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Shri Jagannath Ratha Yatra “Festival of the chariots” parade in New York City on Saturday June 10th 2017. If you’re in the New York City area please join this wonderful event. Hare Krishna!
Starts: June 10 2017 @ 11:30am
Ends: June 10 2017 @ 7:00pm
Location: Fifth Avenue to Washingon Square Park
Starting at 5th Ave. & 45th St. Manhattan, New York City.
Please assemble by 11:30am, The parade proceeds down Fifth Ave to Washington Square Park at the Campus of New York University. The colorful Festival of India will be celebrated at Washington Square Park from 2pm – 7pm.
Festivities
Saturday June 3th – Snana yatra
Friday June 9th – Rath Yatra preparations: If you’d like to volunteer to help for this festival,
please contact 347-849-2485. Tasks includes cutting vegetables/general kitchen preparations,
cleaning various parts of the temple and stringing flower garlands. Your service is heavily appreciated! Time: 11AM-8PM @ 305 Scermerhorn St
Saturday June 10th – Rath Yatra 45th street and 5th Ave start time 11:30 am
Sunday June 11th – Maha Sunday feast and Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Lord Jagannath in a flower dress. Maha kirtan and bhajans will progress throughout the evening.

We are for Krsna
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 April 2013, Korsnas, Stockholm, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.17.1)

In one of the early Back to Godhead magazines, there was a cover with a butcher slaughtering an animal and Prabhupada asked, “Why did you put this? Why did you put this?”

The editor said, “Well, aren’t we against meat-eating?”

Prabhupada said, “We are not against anything. We are for Krsna!”

So our business is to be for Krsna, not just against this or against that. For Krsna, means to do what is pleasing to Krsna. In one lecture, Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, Krsna said patraḿ puṣpaḿ phalaḿ toyaḿ, yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (Bhagavad-gita 9.26). Krsna said just offer me a flower, a fruit, a leaf, some water. But if Krsna would have said offer me the flesh of animals then we would have killed ALL the animals!”

And I think at that moment, all the animals felt a little shiver or something because for a moment, Prabhupada was like, “Yes! We will kill them all if Krsna so desired.” But Krsna said patraḿ puṣpaḿ phalaḿ toyaḿ; a fruit, a flower, a leaf, some water. So in this way, Krsna’s desire is fulfilled.

Scripture is a torch to see the world a mirror to see the self and a window to see God
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[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students at Kharagpur, India]

Podcast

Podcast Summary

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World Religions – From Bhakti Universal to Bhakti Confidential
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[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students at Kharagpur, India]

Podcast

Podcast Summary

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Understanding who is the doer – Analyzing instincts, impulses and intelligence
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[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students at Kharagpur, India]

Podcast

Podcast Summary

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Once we slip down a slope, we can’t control how far we slip down Gita 03.36
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Podcast

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The mind can make a soldier into a deserter or even a betrayer Gita 05.22
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Podcast

The post The mind can make a soldier into a deserter or even a betrayer Gita 05.22 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Why do Hindus leave shoes outside their place of worship but Christians don’t?
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Answer Podcast

The post Why do Hindus leave shoes outside their place of worship but Christians don’t? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

New Preaching Center Inauguration in Negara, Bali
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Hare KrishnaBy Hari Narayana Das

The picturesque view of Negara results from a combination of the mountains, the sea with its black sands beaches lined with coconut trees and vast expanses of rice fields in between the two. The landscape is dotted with Balinese Hindu temples as well as mosques and people generally tend to carry a warm attitude. It was in 2011, during a visit to Negara, Srimat Subhag Swami expressed his feelings that a preaching centre there would be very beneficial for the devotees. Gadadhar pabhu and his family members, all initiated disciples of Srimat Subhag Swami, took it a bit seriously and immediately Mother Sureshwari came forward and offered her family land for the new ashram and dedicate it to Srila Prabhupada. Although in her late sixties and struggling with failing eyesight, Mother Sureshwari is more active than most of the younger devotees in Negara. She looks after melon farms which are spread out for hectares upon hectares and the harvested ripe melons gets transported to many parts of Indonesia. Then there are rice fields, banana plantations, tulasi and flower gardens which she looks after and above all she cooks the best prasadam for Gaura Nitai and of course, for the devotees. Almost two years back she completely lost her eyesight and doctors expressed her inability to cure her, she kept crying and when Gadadhar Prabhu went to console her, she revealed a nice prayer. She was praying to her family deities, Gaura Nitai, that … ‘my dear lord, my only means to render some service to the devotees is by cooking some prasadam for them and now that I am unable see I will no longer be able to serve your devotees anymore.’ Within a short time, to the utter amazement of the doctors, she could see again and ever since she hasn’t slowed down in her service for her deities and the devotees. Continue reading "New Preaching Center Inauguration in Negara, Bali
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When scripture says our parents are God, why do some young devotees renounce their parents?
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Answer Podcast

The post When scripture says our parents are God, why do some young devotees renounce their parents? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

“Wound-ology” syndrome? Take Practical Actions To Change!
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Hare KrishnaBy Karnamrita Das

Many people know what their problems are, but are unwilling, or don’t believe it is possible for them, to do the difficult work of change and transformation. Or there may be too much secondary gain for staying the same, regardless of their unhappiness or dissatisfaction. We may wear our past wounds like a badge of honor, hoping to get sympathy strokes from other, as in "woe, is me.” Some call this "wound-ology." Being creatures of habit the thought of change, even positive, beneficial change, is challenging for most people, even if they are currently miserable, and think they “should” change—maybe tomorrow, or that faraway place in the ocean, “Someday Isle.” Continue reading "“Wound-ology” syndrome? Take Practical Actions To Change!
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ISKCON Panihati serves Mahaprasadam to more than 17,000 pilgrims
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Hare KrishnaBy Radhapad Das

Wednesday, 7th June this year marked the 501th anniversary of this festival. The Panihati branch, next to ferryghat boasts to be one the rare ISKCON centers on the bank of Ganges with a well maintained bathing ghat. Strategically located next to Mahotsavatala on the one hand, Raghava Bhawan on the other, with deities of Sri Sri Gaur Nitai, Srila Prabhupada, Goddess Jagadhatri, and Lord Shiva in His two forms as Tarakeshwar and Gangadhar this center has a lot to promise. On this occasion the devotees of the ISKCON center Sri Sri Gaur Nitai Mandir at 37, Gauranga Ghat Road at Panihati were all fired up and distributed free Chida Dahi prasadam to 17,000 visiting pilgrims. Continue reading "ISKCON Panihati serves Mahaprasadam to more than 17,000 pilgrims
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Gita 13.19 Subtle spiritual truths are comprehended through devotion, not intellection
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Gita verse-by-verse Podcast


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Snana yatra and Hati Vesha
→ Ramai Swami

On this full-moon day, sixteen days before Ratha- yatra, Lord Jagannatha is bathed. He becomes sick and is confined to rest for fourteen days. He is then offered special care until He comes out for Ratha-yatra.

A special bath of Jagannatha takes place on the Purnima of Jyestha month to commemorate the appearance day of Lord Jagannatha.

According to Skanda Purana, when King Indradyumna installed the wooden deities he arranged this bathing ceremony. This day is considered to be the birth-day of Lord Jagannatha.
Hati Vesha:
It is said that a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesh and himself a profound scholar visited Puri during Snana Yatra. He was amply rewarded by the King of Orissa for his scholarship.
The King asked the scholar to accompany him to see Lord Jagannatha, which he refused under the pretext that he wouldn’t worship any “God” other than his Ishtha-devata, Ganesh.
Somehow he was persuaded and brought before the Snana vedi. To the utter surprise of all, Lord Jagannatha appeared with an elephantine form that resembled Ganesh.
Since then, during Snana Yatra when the sacred bath is performed, the Deities are dressed like elephants – resembling Ganesh.

Join us this Sunday for Love Feast – Vedic Discourse by His Grace Subhavilas Prabhuji
→ ISKCON Brampton

About His Grace Subhavilas Prabhuji: It has been over 40 years since he joined ISKCON. He saw devotees chanting on the streets in Toronto and was immediately attracted. He started going to the temple, which at that time in the late 60's was in a small house.He met Srila Prabhupada first time in Chicago.

Srila Prabhupada instructed him and Visvakarma Dasa to secure the current ISKCON Toronto temple and had the great fortune to assist Srila Prabhupada's mission in this manner.He used him as his instrument again to help secure the ISKCON Chicago temple where Sri Kishor Kishori reside today. There were many temple openings and festivals that he has been blessed to coordinate and be a part of in the early days of ISKCON.

After his brahminical initiation by Srila Prabhupada, he had the privilege to serve ISKCON in many ways including:
Vice President of ISKCON Toronto in the 70's;
 President of ISKCON Chicago in the early 80's;
 Zonal Secretary for USA mid-west in the 80's; and
 GBC(Governing Body Commission) appointed him as Global  Coordinator for Community Relations in the 90.

Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare And Be Happy!!

When?
Sunday,June 11,2017
Program starts at 11.00am

Where?
6 George Street South
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 1P3, Canada
Park underground(free) @ City Hall
Phone:416-648-3312

New! Listen
Click here to listen to previous class recordings on our blog
Make a Donation
Bhagavad Gita As It Is (18.66)
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
Translation
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.




11.00- 11.15      Tulsi Puja
11.15 - 11.30     Guru Puja                                        
11:30 –11:55     Aarti & Kirtan                                    
11.55 - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers               
12.00 -  1: 00   Vedic discourse
  1.00 -   1.30    Closing Kirtan
  1.30 -  2.00    Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast
COMING UP AHEAD

Yogini Ekadasi
Fasting.....................on Tue Jun 20,2017
Breakfast................. on Wed  Jun 21 ,2017 b/w 6.14am-9.44am

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 program TBC

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.

Don’t believe everything you think!
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Don’t believe everything you think!
Vaisesika das: During the summer months, thousands of people visit scenic Pacific Beach in San Diego, California, some of them staying for a week or longer in the pricey rental apartments that line the shoreline.
As I took my daily walk along Pacific Beach this morning, I observed how vacationers there were doing their best to relish the ocean-side environment. Some lay out in the morning sun on the sandy beach, others jogged or rode bikes, while others sat at trendy sidewalk cafes, picking at their breakfasts while talking to friends and family.

“Consumption” (6 min. video)
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“Consumption” Video for the day by His Grace Mahatma Prabhu (6 min video)
We can look at consumerism as an addiction, we can look at it as a disease and we can at least acknowledge that the disease is there, or the potential to be addicted or maybe acknowledge that we already are addicted that you know perhaps we waste money or we waste time in shopping so a good motto which I learned from my father when you want to shop is just ask yourself do I need it or do I just want it, and it’s maybe hard to admit that you really don’t get it like you really don’t need that upgrade but of course sometimes you get it for free so that’s ok but if you have to pay you know this has some new bells and whistles but you really don’t need them but you want them and so as devotees I think we should be more in within that culture of simplicity purchase based on needs rather than wants and anyway these are some ideas on consumerism I’ll leave it up to you to process it as you like but I like to start as I thought it was worthwhile to share these things.


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All India Padayatra In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, South India,…
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All India Padayatra In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, South India, June 9, 2017 (Album with photos)
By Acarya Dasa
Anantha: On April 14th we reached Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum. It is the capital and largest city in the state of Kerala. The city’s name comes from the presiding deity of the ‘Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple’, who is also known as ‘Anantha’ (one who reclines on the serpent, Anantha). It is said that the deity was originally 18 miles (28 kilometers) long and it would take devotees three days to do parikrama (holy walk) around the Lord. After hearing the prayers of His devotees, the Lord reduced His size to 18 feet (0.3 meters).

A friend from Gujarat

We took darsana of the Lord and the pujaris there helped us arrange our accommodation. We stayed there for a few days doing sankirtana at the beach. We even gave our Lordships, Sri Sri Nitai Guarsundar, a dip in the ocean. One day while doing sankirtan in some part of the city, a gentleman approached us. He was very happy to hear us singing the maha-mantra. I spoke to him and told him about our Lordships and how we started our padayatra from Dwaraka and coincidently he was from Gujarat. He was really surprised, “Wow! So you all are coming from my home town. Jai! And the Lord also came to give us darsana”, he said. He was so happy that he invited us to his home for sankirtana and prasadam. This gentleman had five brothers all of whom attended our sankirtana program the next day. One of them was named Rakesh, and he was blind. He told us he had once heard a recording of Srila Prabhupada singing the maha-mantra. He then started to sing in exactly that manner. We were so happy to see him singing for the pleasure of Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundar. The Lord showers his mercy on each and every one of us. The family gave us a donation of 7000 rupees and they also took a Bhagavatam set.

Book scores for Kerala

Since entering the district of Kerala on April 6th, we have distributed so many books. It was amazing, anyone who we tried giving a book to would wait, listen to us and then usually after seeing the book they would buy it. To date we have distributed:

5776 Maha Big Books

694 Big Books

4698 Small Books

Total books distributed: 11315

Anandi Gaura Dasa

Anandi Gaura Dasa joined our padayatra party in Nagpur last month. He is very enthusiastic. In South India we have a lot of challenges with language since the majority of people speak Tamil or English but not Hindi. Anandi Gaura Dasa was a great help; he translated from Hindi to English to everyone I spoke to. He also distributed a lot of books: 598 maha big books and 168 small books.

Matsya Avatar Dasa & Uttamnarahari Dasa

Other devotees who also distributed a lot of books were Matsya Avatar Dasa and Uttamnarahari Dasa. Matsya Avatar Dasa distributed 505 medium books and Uttamnarhari Prabhu 486 medium books.

All the padayatris did book distribution. Our book distribution was done to such a large scale that we had to constantly order new sets of books and as soon as I would order them they would get finished. This was all the mercy of the Lord, these were all chamatkars (miracles) and we, padayatris were nimitta-matram (just instruments). We spoke to Lokanath Swami about the book distribution. He was very happy, he said, “Keep going on, support each other and serve the Lord.”

We also attended a one-day Jaganath ratha-yatra (chariot festival) in Trivandrum where we distributed the following number of books:

230 Maha Big Books

60 Small Books
Find them here: https://goo.gl/T57ADV

The secret mantra
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 April 2017, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.68)

The sound of Krsna’s flute was heard by Lord Brahma and then, the sound of that flute came out of the mouth of Lord Brahma through the Gayatri Mantra. So through the Gayatri Mantra we can hear Krsna’s flute. This makes second initiation a little more exciting. It is not only about being a brahmana. It is not only about the mode of goodness but you also hear the Gayatri Mantra which was what came out of Brahma’s mouth after hearing Krsna’s flute. It is said that the Gayatri Mantra is like the sound of Krsna’s flute in mantra form. This is very interesting, this is why it is a secret mantra!