Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Glastonbury Festival: The Hare Krishnas will offer you a warm welcome, and some free food!
You’ve wasted all the money you brought with you on t-shirts, ciders, didgeridoos, and some dodgy vodka jellies somebody was selling in the crowd in the West Holts field, and now you can’t afford to eat?
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Sadbhuja Das: The Wonder Team is here After much awaiting, the team of the Manufacturing Company from Moscow arrived to Mayapur. A group of 6 engineers has come to our site to assemble the grand Kalashes. No time was wasted as they enthusiastically begun the work. We are very thrilled for the team's arrival and for the new relationships that are building this great offering! Jai! 
Indradyumna Swami: Over 1,000 devotees gathered for kirtan, classes and a beautiful Ratha Yatra in Depro, Ukraine over the weekend. It seemed the whole city was inundated in the nectar of the holy names! 
By Madhava Smullen From the very beginning, Tejomaya braved many austerities. He and Manonatha worked with Madhava Gosh in the garden, and would get badly suburnt after a whole day in the sun. By night, they would mix and carry cement used to build Prabhupada’s Palace. In October 1974, the two friends were initiated by Srila Prabhupada. Tejo was transferred full-time to the Palace construction crew, and became integral to the team of whom Prabhupada said, “These devotees are my jewels.” Continue reading "Appreciation Ceremony Honors 1,000 Collective Years of Service
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Today was nice. I didn’t realise that the Vyasa puja celebration (appearance day/birthday) of His Holiness Bhakti Vikas swami was being celebrated at the Sydney temple at noon. My plan was to finish my morning service, attend the bhagavatam class, have a full breakfast 
, finish my rounds and head home. As i had started my day at 2:30 AM, by the time i reach home at 2:30 PM, i would have covered 12 hrs already. But as i read the morning verse on the whiteboard, i noticed on the corner a message that there would be the observing of the Vyasa puja today at 1PM. Obviously, my plan changed – i would stay.
i love Vyasa pujas. Sitting with other devotees and hearing the glories of their chosen spiritual master, their personal realisations and engagement with him, often gets my throat choked. Many times, i have seen devotees cry and unable to speak. Having a spiritual master is the most wonderful thing that can happen in one’s life – infact it is a part of life’s perfection. A spiritual master is a representation of the Supreme Lord, who holds your hand and takes you closer to Lord Krishna, step by step, service by service, advice by advice. The relationship is completely spiritual and one that is eternal. When the student is sincere in his search for his relationship with the Lord, providence arranges for him to meet his spiritual master. As they say, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.
His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) or the Hare Krishna movement. Originally from England, he became an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada in 1975. You can read more about him on his website here – http://www.bvks.com/about/his_holiness/biography/
His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami (image from http://www.bvks.com)
I remember seeing him for the first time in Mayapur (West Bengal, India), on 11 April 2010, when he was giving initiations along with His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, HH Jayapataka Swami and HH Bhakti Vaibhava Swami. I had written an article about that visit to Mayapur then – here it is: article # 196. What stood out for me then was his fluency over the Bengali language. It had the local crowd enthralled! HH Bhakti Swami who was translating for him jokingly said to the crowd, “Swami has got an English body and a Bengali heart!” and that he himself was a Bengali speaking in English The next day when i was exiting my pilgrimage trip to Yogapith (birthplace of lord Chaitanya), he was entering the same compound. Someone told me that he was out on a parikrama. He looked very serious and determined on that walk, i remember.
Anyway, at the temple today, few young devotees and few visitors had gathered in front of his photo. We had kirtan, offered bhoga, chanted the prayers and did pushpanjali (offering of flowers) also.
His only disciple here i think, His Grace Prem Sagar prabhu managed to put this all together. He had only just come to Australia in Feb 2017 but his humble nature, ready smile, hard work at the kitchen has earned him a lot of friendships. The feast that he put for all of us was one of the best i have ever had!! There must have been atleast 20 preparations!
Prem Sagar Prabhu – a disciple and a cook!
He was telling me with great enthusiasm how he came under the care of his spiritual master, HH Bhakti Vikas Swami, some 10-11 years ago:
“I was working in Mumbai and staying with other friends. I have a nature where I cannot sleep more than 4-5 hours at a stretch and then I need to take a break from my sleep! One such night, i had woken up and decided to watch T.V. Casually, I tuned into ATMA TV where there was a program from ISKCON. It was a lecture given my a caucasian but speaking in fluent Hindi!! I was surprised because I had never met an English speaking citizen speak an Indian language like that. It was Bhakti Vikas Swami delivering the talk on TV. I listened with great delight and at the end, they had mentioned in the credits that he was at ISKCON Juhu (Mumbai). So, I tried to visit him a few times but always missed him. Later I went to the Dubai and decided to go the ISKCON program there and to my surprise, he was there! After a long wait, I managed to have a darshan (personal audience) with him and we connected right away! He asked where I was from originally in India and I said Bengal and I was surprised once again when he now spoke in Bengali!!! Then later on I had the opportunity to serve him via cooking as I am a Chef by profession. Then in 2006, he initiated me. When I came to Australia, I was thinking how I can honour the Vyasa puja of my spiritual master especially when I have no other God family. But Ghanashyam Brahmacari (a temple resident) helped me much in getting it all together and with all your mercy, I feel it was a success!”
We think so – below is what he had made for his spiritual master and for us, the hungry lot!
Pasta salad, Pasta in tomato sauce, biriyani, Bengali Jackfruit curry, roasted plantain dishes, raita, bean dishes, daal, sweet rice, cabbage curry, potato and cauliflower subji and so many others which i don’t know!
What always comes out in a Vyasa Puja is the love of the disciples towards their spiritual master. It was no different today. As we heard him speak and the effort he put into the feast preparation, we could easily gather that his soul was satisfied. Thank you dear Prem Sagar prabhu!
Below is a short video of the offering of the flowers to the photo of HH Bhakti Vikas Swami.
Prem Sagar prabhu ki jaya! His holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami ki jaya! His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami ki kaya! ISKCON ki Jaya!
Dear disciples, friends and well-wishers: Thank you all for your birthday greetings. Please always keep me in your prayers!
“One aged devotee of Krsna addressed Him in this way: ‘My dear Krsna, O killer of the demon Agha, my body is now invalid due to old age. I cannot speak very fluently, my voice is faltering, my mind is not strong, and I am often attacked by forgetfulness. But, my dear Lord, You are just like the moonlight, and my only real regret is that for want of any taste for Your pleasant shining I did not advance myself in Krsna consciousness.’ This statement is an instance of lamentation due to one’s being unable to achieve his desired goal.” [ Nectar Of Devotion, Chapter 29 ]
Дорогие ученики, друзья и доброжелатели, спасибо вам всем за поздравления ко дню рождения. Пожалуйста, всегда вспоминайте меня в своих молитвах!
«Один пожилой преданный Кришны обратился к Нему так: «О мой дорогой Кришна, убивший Агхасуру. Тело мое в старости стало ни на что не годно: речь моя медленна, голос дрожит, ум ослаб, на меня часто нападает забывчивость. Ты же, мой дорогой Господь, подобен свету луны, и единственное, о чем я жалею, что, не имея никакого вкуса к Твоему доставляющему радость сиянию, я ничуть не продвинулся в сознании Кришны». Это пример сокрушения из-за неспособности достичь желаемой цели». [ «Нектар преданности», глава 29 ]
[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Soho Street, London, UK]
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[Evening class at London, UK]
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We are instructed to “surrender”; and at the same time, Srila Prabhupada encourages us to achieve apparently impossible tasks, like “Krishna-izing” the whole world, becoming pure devotees, and unalloyed, fully qualified spiritual masters in our own right. Are these ideas contradictory?
Today I read: “Reality. It u
sed to seem so simple—reality just was, like the weather. Why question it, let alone disagree about it? And then came the assault, a mind-bending stream of ‘fake news,’ ‘alternative facts,’ and lies disguised as truths that cast so many of us tumbling into a state of moral panic. How did we get here?”
That statement and question brought me to Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.24–25), where the pious king Pariksit says to Dharma in the form of a bull, “In the age of Satya [truthfulness] your four legs were established by the four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy, and truthfulness. But it appears that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of pride, lust for women, and intoxication. You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you are somehow or other hobbling along. But quarrel personified [Kali], flourishing by deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg.”
Now, is there any solution? In his purports, Srila Prabhupada says, “The preaching of the Bhagavatam principles will automatically render all men austere, clean both inside and outside, merciful to the suffering, and truthful in daily behavior. That is the way of correcting the flaws of human society, which are very prominently exhibited at the present moment. . . . The revival of bhagavata-dharma can save human civilization from falling prey to evils of all description.”
Hare Krishna.
Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami
A lone eagle soars high in the sky above the craggy foothills of the Himalayas, wheeling and gliding on the thermal currents. Her golden-brown wings, extending to a gloriously feathered span of five feet, catch every breeze.
We live amidst a culture of violence and indifference. Some people resort to violence at even the slightest provocation and others often just stand by, watching indifferently the victimization of another living human being.. This prevailing culture of violence and indifference can make us apathetic, unless we ourselves are targeted.
A calf just saved from being dehorned and branded is in the trailer entering the International Society for Cow Protection (also known as ISCOWP) Florida farm. Her name is Draupadi Amba. Another calf saved from the same fate and from the same breeder is already at the ISCOWP farm. Her name is Sri Vasanti and Draupadi is about to be reunited with her. A video by Chaya Devi of ISCOWP.
A Russian blogger has been convicted of inciting religious hatred for playing “Pokemon Go” in a church, and given a suspended sentence.
Transcendental book distribution for going back to Godhead by Shastrakrit Das 
Shastrakrit Das: Amazing Kirtan by Govinda Swami &Madhava Naidoo Prabhu from New Vraja Dham. Can’t stop listening. Maharaj blew the roof off. So much Bhakti and spontaneity. Madhava Prabhu sings one of my all-time favorite tune.
Listen to it here: https://goo.gl/K1OWsZ
Dartford Festival in UK - 18th May 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If you think of Krsna twenty-four hours, then you’ll become fully Krsna conscious, and your life is successful. Don’t allow anything. This requires little practice, abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina [Bg. 8.8]. I should not allow my mind to go, to think of any other subject than Krsna. Now we have got so many books. So whenever you find time… You must find time. There is so much time. So read all these books or chant. But when you are hungry, you take prasadam. When you are sleepy, take a snap. Not very much, just to refresh. And go on, either chanting the beads or reading the books or talking about Krsna. In this way, always remain in Krsna consciousness. Smartavyah satatam visnuh. Krsna consciousness means to remember Visnu always, twenty-four hours. Some way or other. Type for Krsna, write for Krsna, go outside for Krsna, sankirtana party, sell book for Krsna, bring money for Krsna, spend for Krsna. Krsna. That’s all. Everything Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.14-15 – May 31, 1972, Los Angeles
Find them here: https://goo.gl/olyFtM
Rathayatra near the Dnieper river, Russia, May 2017 (Album with photos)
Pradyumna: “If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him in the Bhagavad-gita or in the Srimad Bhagavatam, certainly the holes of the ear will be filled up with some rubbish.”
Prabhupada: Yes. This is the secret. We have got the ears, and we have got the sound also. Just like we are reading this book. So if we don’t fill up our ears with this transcendental sound, then it will be filled up with some rubbish things. It cannot remain empty. Either you fill up with transcendental message, or you fill up with rubbish nonsense. Two ways. So if you take care that your earholes are always filled up with the transcendental message of Krsna, so there is no scope for rubbish things to enter into it. So, therefore, our attempt should be twenty-four hours hearing. Kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. Twenty-four hours. As soon as you get time, read books, discuss amongst yourself, [indistinct]. Don’t fill up the ears with rubbish things. Then advance will be choked up. June 17, 1972, Los Angeles
Find them here: https://goo.gl/F9Gbtc
The beauty of the lotus feet of the Lord is compared to the petals of a lotus flower which grows in the autumn season. By nature’s law, in autumn the dirty or muddy waters of rivers and lakes become very clean. At that time the lotus flowers growing in the lakes appear very bright and beautiful. The lotus flower itself is compared to the lotus feet of the Lord, and the petals are compared to the nails of the feet of the Lord. 
By Swami B. A. Ashram For those of us who love Agnideva prabhu and his kirtana, it has been far too long since his last CD. Of course, tracks from his most recent CDs, as well as from his older cassette albums and temple kirtanas from Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, etc., and, more recently, from kirtana festivals around the world, have circulated so widely and for so long that generations of devotees seem to have tunes we identify with him as part of our DNA. We hear the evidence of this in the cheering as Agnideva segues to another “classic Agni tune,” one of those tunes most second-generation devotees grew up with as their parents played them in the kitchen, in the car, and at bedtime, in a kirtana mela. And wherever Agnideva has gone the last few years, devotees have asked about his next CD. And Agni has responded by smilingly assuring them, “We’re working on it.” Continue reading "CD Review: Agnideva dasa’s Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna
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By Anand Caitanya das The conference was organized by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) on the occasion of 10th World Agri Tourism Day, with the main aim to promote Agri Tourism in Maharashtra. Ways to increase employment and investment opportunities in Agro Tourism sector were discussed at the conference. Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra and Pandurang Fundkar, Minister of Agriculture & Horticulture, Government of Maharashtra inaugurated the conference in the presence of Madan Yerawar, Minister of State for Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. On behalf of GEV, Mr. Neeraj Kapoor went and received the award at the hands of Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Tourism Continue reading "Govardhan Eco Village Wins The National Agri-tourism Award
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By Romapada Swami Refining our ways of presenting Krishna consciousness as a movement according to time, place and circumstances, without compromising our principles. Subjects discussed: Equality, women's position, ecology, interfaith discussion, prasadam distribution, protecting cows and children and more. Becoming efficient without loosing our purity. From a talk given in Boston's Iskcon temple. Continue reading "Vyasadeva and “bridge preaching”
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 September 2012, Cape Town, South Africa, Lecture)
Every day we remind ourselves of Krsna’s eternal activities because we know that it will capture our mind. At the same time, we try to conquer our mind and we say YES to devotional service, although the mind sometimes wants to say no. This is the nature of the conditioned mind. Whenever there is an opportunity for devotional service the mind is thinking, “How can I get out of it! How can I avoid this? How can I somehow or other find an excuse?”
So we have to conquer the mind and just make it a principle to say YES to devotional service and to just volunteer to do things even when the mind says no. And with all our hearing and chanting, gradually the mind will say, “It’s nice quite actually, this devotional service…”
So little-by-little we become captured and breakthrough in spiritual life. But it is not going to be so easy; it is not going to come automatically and certainly, it will not be that one day in the midst of all our resistance and reluctance, we will just wake up one morning full of taste and say, “Oh I really want to serve Krsna!”
No, it’s a matter of hearing about Krsna, chanting the holy name, serving Krsna & the devotees, conquering the mind and then gradually, service will take over until the emphasis will shift and the priority becomes Krsna!
[Congregation program at London, UK]
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Soho Street, London, UK]
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[Congregation program at London, UK]
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