Planet ISKCON

Russian/English Conference.

Austerity, Knowledge and Bliss.
Inspirational sankirtan video featuring distribution
of Srila Prabhupada’s books on several continents.
If you like this video, please go out and distribute some books.
If you are already distributing, please make it your life and soul.
If you already did that, please start teaching your realizations to others.
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books, live by them, distribute them.
Leave everyone with a good impression, including yourself.
Get books, get mantra, get going. Go go go!
Wishing you a happy Srila Prabhupada marathon.
In gratitude
your servant
Navina Nirada Dasa
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/l6aVFi1TNIg

U.S. House of Representatives Library Purchases Srimad-Bhagavatam Set.
The U.S. House of Representatives Library in Washington D.C. recently purchased an entire set of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, during the House’s Diwali celebration on October 31st.
Meanwhile on December 14th, the Indian Embassy stocked their library with eight copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

Kirtan for ever! (2 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: A sweet remembrance from Kartika Parikrama 2016. Kirtan forever!
Watch i...

Vaishnavi flight attendants giving evacuation instructions for when your …life goes down in flames :-) (1 min video)
Fantastic flight attendants to Goloka!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ukooVe

New website iskconconnection.org hopes to get an accurate count of all ISKCON members for the first time ever, and to help them feel part of an international family by connecting them to all the inspirational activities in ISKCON around the world. The website is the face of ISKCON Connection, ISKCON’s global membership program, developed by the GBC and based at ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal. “We’re inviting all devotees, well-wishers and friends of Krishna to stand up and be counted as part of our spiritual family,” says team-leader Praharana Dasi. “This is important because we have no idea how many of us there are in the world – we just have guesses.” Continue reading "ISKCON Connection Hopes to Bring International Family Together
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Almost one and a half year ago, 3 devotees living in Villaggio Hare Krishna (near Milan) moved to Turin to open a new ISKCON center. Turin is the third most important Italian city and it is inhabited by about 1 million people. One year ago, the Food for Life project was also started, and the municipality asked the devotees to go in the dormitories once a week to bring there a special dinner. Indeed, they said that many homeless people often used to ask for some vegetarian food also instead of the meat which is always present in the canteens. Every Monday evening the devotees cook the prasadam and with the help of some volunteers they go to one of the four dormitories of Turin, they serve the prasadam and speak with those who are interested about the KC philosophy. Continue reading "The ex-capital city of Italy gets a new Hare Krishna temple
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“My Swamiji”

The post Daily Darshan: December 16, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 September, Phoenix, South Africa) 

So how sincere are we really!? We should not so easily accept that we are sincere but rather we should see that we fall short and that we need to deepen our sincerity, in other words, increase our commitment as sincerity is measured in the commitment that we make; the commitment that we make in sadhana and in service.

Our Krsna consciousness is measured in what sacrifices are we ready to make for Krsna. We must make some sacrifice, not in the mode of passion, but a sacrifice in the mode of goodness, which means a lasting sacrifice. Not that one day we get up at one o’ clock and the next day, we get up at nine o’ clock! Not that one day we chant 64 rounds and the next day, we chant 4 rounds! No, we must make a commitment. Krsna is asking for this, he wants us to chant a fixed number of rounds and not just as we feel.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that when we touch our beads, then we touch the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya! Isn’t that nice? I like that! By touching our beads, we touch the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya! So that is quite a deep statement. It is said that by touching the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, there is mercy obviously as he is the most magnanimous incarnation.

So we must understand how much benefit there really is in chanting the holy names, therefore we must do it. But the mind says, “Oh, it is so difficult! Oh, I have other interests… other things to do.” And when we are controlled by the mind then we are not so sincere. But we can strengthen ourselves by regular hearing, chanting and associating with devotees. That is really what we need to do.

Dr. Viveck Baluja, a neurologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, has begun a study on the effects of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra on the brain that has already yielded exciting findings and impressed hospital staff. Dr. Baluja (Vinaya Gauracandra Das), was inspired to embark on the project by his guru Jayapataka Swami. He is also working with his wife Padmaksi Sri Devi Dasi, as well as members of Jayapataka Swami’s medical team headed by Dr. Achyutananda Das.

A video by Anton Aleksandrov.

I want to acknowledge the boldness, heroism and humility exhibited by the US veterans, both men and women, and including Tulsi Gabbard -- a warrior and congresswoman. In solidarity, they joined the Native Americans and many others at Standing Rock. They are truly warriors and leaders.

The beautiful deity of Gopinath was discovered at Vamsivat in Vrindavan 500 years ago by Madhu Pandit and Paramananda Bhattacarya. Madhu Pandit served Gopinath with great love and devotion for many years. Centuries later Gopinath was moved to Jaipur where He has been worshipped along with Srimati Radharani ever since. The temple is popular with the people of Jaipur, who come together daily to chant Radha Gopinath’s glories. Indradyumna Swami's parikrama party eagerly visits the temple each Kartika. A video by Ananta Vrindavan.

ISKCON 50, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City in 1966, was celebrated in Houston over four consecutive days, beginning with a formal gala dinner on Thursday, December 8 at the society’s state-of-the art new temple on West 34th Street. The Houston festivities were part of another major “ISKCON 50” celebration held in the U.S. in 2016, following the highly successful Washington, D.C. gala in November.

The U.S. House of Representatives Library in Washington D.C. recently purchased an entire set of Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, during the House’s Diwali celebration on October 31^st. The books came from ISKCON Baltimore’s Jiva Daya Sankirtana Team, which is working hard during ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary to place Srila Prabhupada’s books at various prestigious locations such as government offices, libraries, and embassies in the Washington D.C. area. 

Motivational philosopher Jay (Ghanashyam) Shetty explains how failure may not build resumes, but builds character and helps us learn to adapt to change.

Comfort Zone (Audio) by Mahatma das.
A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. In this zone, a steady level of performance is possible.
Or a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results. “if you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve”
Listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/mahatma-das/comfort-zone?in=mahatma-das/sets/reality-check

RABBI: In the Torah, Moses describes to the people some of the requirements of a king. One of the requirements is, "When [the king] is established on his royal throne, he must write a copy of the Torah as a scroll edited by the Levitical priests. [This scroll] must always be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life. He will then learn to be in awe of God his Lord, and carefully keep every word of the Torah and these rules. He will then [also] not begin to feel superior to his brethren, and he will not stray from the mandate to the right or the left. He and his descendants will thus have a long reign in the midst of Israel." [Torah, Duet., Shoftim 17:18] Do the Vedas give any description of the qualities of a king similar to these? Continue reading "Rabbi and I: Equality Based on the Soul – Exploring The Jewish root in the Vedas
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Maktar the bhakta.
We were distributing in front of a church in New Town, Sydney. One African bodied man popped his head out of an African restaurant next door. He said “What you got?” So I showed him Bhagavata Gita. He said “I got no money but can I have the little book (Perfect Escape written by HH Devamrita Swami)?” Though I thought he had been a bit abrupt I gave it to him and continued my service.
The next time I went to New town he rolled up on his bike, he is a chef at the restaurant. He said “I want the big one!” So I gave him the Gita with my phone number and he gave a nice donation. I was very surprised because I thought he was probably a Muslim and he seemed a bit arrogant so I didn’t think he would have liked the small book I gave him. Anyway I invited him for dinner at Govindas but I didn’t think he would call.
1 or 2 weeks later I was in Parramata and he called. His name is Maktar and he was really eager to meet for dinner. I was in ecstasy! We arranged to meet at Govindas.
I didn’t know what to expect, maybe an argument, so I just prayed to Krsna. Before I went to meet him I was talking to my godbrother Shastra Krit prabhu. I asked him ‘How can we keep going on doing books everyday?“ Shastra Krit prabhu said that Lord Caitanya lets you taste the nectar of bringing someone closer to Krsna and you will become addicted to it. After an amazing dinner with Maktar the bhakta I understood what my godbrother was saying.
My first impression of Maktar was way off. He is a the sweetest young man from Senaga, west Africa. Very sincere seeker of the absolute truth. We spoke about God the hole time but there was no clashing. He told me of cheating spiritual leaders (maybe voodoo) in Africa and he told me of his being influenced by Christianity and Muslim teachings.
He is very busy working full time for his sponsor to Australia. He is also studying english so he can get his permanent residency. Whenever he has spare time he calls me to come and meet again. He even gets someone to cover for him for a few hours to come and visit.
We had met three times at Govindas, I thought it time to bring him even closer to Krsna so I invited him to my home for dinner. I cooked nice prasadam. While we were taking prasad he asked me "Can Krsna appear in a dream?” I told him yes, I’m reading in CC about the lord appearing in His devotee Madhavendra Puri’s dream. Also when I was a young boy on New Govardhan farm I would sometimes have nightmares of drowning or sometimes demons would attack the farm and Krsna would save us.“ I also told him that recently I was preaching to an old (non-devotee) friend of mine, telling her all about Krsna and the nature of the material world. One day she wrote to me telling about Krsna’s appearance in her dream! She was in a boat and Krsna was there with her. So I sent her some beads, books and a picture of Krsna and the Gopies in a boat. She was in ecstasy!
I told Maktar that because the Lord is absolute, if He appears in someone’s dream He is really there. Then Maktar said to me, "I think Krsna appeared in my dream.” I said, “Really!!!!” Maktar said “Yes three times. Once as the blue person on the cover of 'Perfect Escape.’ Then he appeared as a white lady kneeling with Her hands as if offering something?” He showed me how She was holding Her hands. Straight away the picture of Srimati Radhika kneeling in front of Krsna offering flowers to His lotus feat came into my mind. At this point my hairs raised up all over. Then Maktar said “The third time He appeared as a Lion?!!!”
Maktar didn’t quite know what to make of it all, especially because all he had was the Gita and Perfect Escape so he had never seen any other pictures of ours, but I was finding it hard to contain myself! We were eating at the time so I just told him I have some pictures to show him after prasadam.
After prasad I got the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th canto and the Krsna Book and showed him the picture of Radharani offering flowers to Krsna. He was satisfied when he saw Her. Then I carefully showed him a picture of Lord Nrsimhadeva after Prahlada Maharaja had pacified Him and I explained the whole pastime in a nut shell using all the pictures, showing him Ugra Nrsimha and explaining how the Lord protects his devotees. Maktar was very pleased with it all.
Bhakta Maktar has sincerely said to me that he knows spiritual life is more important than anything else and that he wants to spend more time with us and meet our Gurumaharaja. So please everybody pray to Krsna to remove all the obstacles for him.
Lord Caitanya really gave me a drop of the nectar. Srila Prabhupada’s books KI JAI!!
Your Servent
Uddhava Dasa

Humility, best Vaishnava quality?
Humble: “having or showing a modest or low estimation of one’s own importance.” (Apple Dictionary)
“Humility means that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others.” (Srila Prabhupada, Bg. 13.8, purport)
“The only humility that is really ours is not that which we try to show before God in prayer, but that which we carry with us in our daily conduct.” –Andrew Murray
“God descends to the humble as waters flow down from the hills into the valleys.” –Tikhon

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura made a blueprint for a marketplace of the holy name called the “Nama Hatta.” He designed a system through which people all over the world might not only take up the chanting of the holy names, but also learn the philosophy behind the chanting.

In drawing the plans for this sacred marketplace, Srila Bhaktivinoda listed various positions like, Chief Trader, Broker, and numerous kinds of salespeople.

He also gave himself a position: the sweeper of the marketplace.

Srila Bhaktivinoda’s illustrious son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said, “I am but one straw in the broom of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the sweeper.”

To chant the holy names with feeling, I must cultivate such humility, feeling myself to be lowly, bereft of qualification, and dependent on the mercy of Krsna and His devotees.

Lord Caitanya taught that a person who maintains a humble state mind could go on chanting the names of the Lord without stoppage.
Vaisesika Dasa

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 December 2016, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.41)

In this verse, we are reading about how the living entity in the embodied state is interacting with the material energy. Through the material senses, the living entity is experiencing material “rasa”. This is really the purpose of our material existence, to try and taste “rasa” because the soul by nature is meant to relish or taste varieties of “rasa”.

Now this tendency for “rasa” has become perverted and thus in the material world, we are interacting with the material energy trying to squeeze out a few drops of material pleasure. It is very difficult because this material energy is basically designed to frustrate us. The script is the same!

You can change the characters in script… you can change their names… you can change the names of places… you can go to valleys or to the top of mountains but the essence of the script is to squeeze out a few drops of enjoyment and the result is that one becomes frustrated! Whether on top of the mountain or in a valley… whether on this side of the ocean or the other, frustrated we will be in different ways. It is like that! Whether married or whether unmarried, still not fulfilled! Fulfillment cannot be found on the material plane.

Of course, once Krsna comes into the equation, everything changes. Srila Prabhupada was closely communicating with the son of Rupanuga, his name was Ekendra and Ekendra took a great liking to Srila Prabhupada and always stayed in touch with him on a personal level. So he wrote Prabhupada a letter about having to learn mathematics and then Prabhupada said, “5 + 5 is 10, 2 + 2 is 4, and everything plus Krsna is Vrindavan!”

Such a simple formula but an amazing one because that is the nature of the sankirtan movement and that is the nature of Krsna, that when Krsna is added everything becomes transcendental! Because ultimately the root of material existence is spiritual in the first place.

“Acharya” the mega movie about Srila Prabhupada, near completion.
Yadubara and Visakha’s film “Hare Krishna” (“Acharya” film renamed) will be previewed at Iskcon Alachua’s Govinda’s Restaurant on Thursday Dec. 22, 2016, starting at 6:00 pm.
RELEASE UPDATE: Production on Acharya is projected to continue into 2016 with the aim to complete post-production on the film by December 2016. Upon completion, the plan is to enter the film onto the film festivals’ circuit, aiming primarily for a North American premiere in 2017, before hopefully seeing it travel around the world.

After premiering, the film will then be open to theatrical distribution. We also have plans for a grassroots distribution campaign, where global communities will host screenings of the film in their locality. Towards the latter half of 2017/2018, the film will be available on DVD or as an online download. The film also has exciting broadcast opportunities on television, especially in India and Europe.

Our Facebook and You tube site traffic already denotes a captive audience for the film. To give an indication of just a fraction of those figures, our Facebook page has over 48,000 likes and our two preview trailers together have had over 55,000 views.
Read more: http://www.acharyathemovie.com

Beautiful Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrindavana (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the beginning, a conditioned soul is bereft of Krsna consciousness and is always morose in his material activities. Later, by associating with a pure devotee, one becomes inquisitive to know the Absolute Truth. In this way one begins to engage in the transcendental service of the Lord. Next, by the Lord’s grace all misconceptions are vanquished and the heart is cleansed of all material dirt. It is only then that the pleasure of transcendental bliss is awakened. By the Lord’s mercy one is completely convinced of the value of devotional service. When one can see the pastimes of the Lord everywhere, he is firmly situated in transcendental bliss. Such a devotee is relieved of all kinds of material desires, and he preaches the glories of the Lord all over the world. These Krsna conscious activities separate him from material activities and the desire for liberation, for at every step the devotee feels himself connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although such a devotee may sometimes be involved in household life, he is untouched by material existence due to his constant engagement in devotional service. Thus everyone is advised to take shelter of devotional service to become happy and liberated. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 10.119
Find them here: https://goo.gl/vn4grF

ISKCON Auckland NZ: Rathyatra festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: His [the Supreme Lord’s] existence can be realized by one who has the single qualification of submissiveness and who thereby becomes a surrendered soul. The development of submissiveness is the cause of proportionate spiritual realization, by which one can ultimately meet the Supreme Lord in person, as a man meets another man face to face. [Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.55 purport]
Find them here: https://goo.gl/NT5dxJ

Harinama in a freezing Moscow (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This is Vedic civilization, not to waste a single moment of life for useless attempt. That is Vedic civilization. Every moment should be utilized. Especially for the human being, it’s so valuable. And they are finding out sporting, swimming and surfing — simply all programs of wasting time, especially in the Western countries. How much they have invented, I see only and laugh. The elderly men of your age, of course, maybe my age also, they are swimming and surfing. (Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, November 11, 1975)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/vuhg39

Prabhupada never accepted anything for himself, nor did he ever enjoy the facilities offered to him by his disciples and followers. Those who had the good fortune to personally serve or spend time with Srila Prabhupada all attest to this fact. He was cent percent engaged in the service of Krishna 24 hours a day. It was his total surrender and dedication to the Lord's service which inspired so much love and adoration in the hearts of his followers. Srila Prabhupada not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk. Everyone respected Prabhupada, even those who didn't agree with his philosophy. Poet Allen Ginsberg said it well: "The main thing, above and beyond all our differences, was an aroma of sweetness that he had, a personal selfless sweetness like total devotion. And that was what always conquered me, whatever intellectual questions or doubts I had, or even cynical views of ego. In his presence there was a kind of personal charm, coming from dedication, that conquered all our conflicts." Continue reading "Respecting Srila Prabhupada
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The post Daily Darshan:December15,2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

How to judge whether the hearing is being done properly by measuring its effect: "A devotee should always see that his Vaisnava qualities increase with the advancement of his Krsna consciousness. A devotee should be blameless because any offense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord." (Bhagavatam 3.16.5, purport) Herein lies the secret to improving our dealings with one another and, by the cooperative spirit that results from such amicable dealings, to solve seemingly intractable problems. Continue reading "The Necessity of Reading Srila Prabhupada’s Books to Keep Him in the Center
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Deliverer of a Rich, Eternal Message

Introducing “Aquafaba”
Citraka dasa: One more useful vegetarian and vegan ingredient, discovered recently, for rendering Krishna’s cuisine more attractive.
Aquafaba is the name for the cooking liquid of beans and other legumes like chickpeas. You may know it as the typically discarded liquid found in retail cans and boxes of beans, or as the liquid left over from cooking your own.
To give you a brief glimpse of what you can do with aquafaba, here are just a few vegan recipes you can make: Raw: Fluffs, whips, nice creams, and drink and pie toppings
Baked: Meringues, macarons, and pavlovas
Confectionery: nougat, marshmallows, fudge and icing
Savory: cakes, waffles, cookies, mayo, burgers, cheese, butter, breads, etc
It is all very simple, you do not need any particular kitchen tool or uncommon ingredient. It is cheap and easily available.
It DOES NOT taste like the beans of its origin. It doesn’t require much time for its preparation. I think Iskcon temples, restaurants, and vaishnava families will benefit by implementing its use. And of course it is healthy.
To learn more about it: http://aquafaba.com/faq.html
Articles in the media about it: http://aquafaba.com/news.html
Community with tons of recipes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/372343816286624/
Video-tutorials: https://goo.gl/nHkaqD
Or just google “Aquafaba”

Srila Prabhupada is the soul of ISKCON and ISKCON is his body. Because ISKCON is a spiritual organization, both body and soul are non-different. Srila Prabhupada continues to act effectively in this world so long as ISKCON remains the instrument of his will. He holds a unique position in ISKCON as its Founder-Acharya: “Just like if I am taken as the origin of this Krishna consciousness movement, that means I know everything directly and indirectly of all this movement. If I do not know directly or indirectly everything of this movement, then I cannot be called the Founder-Acharya.” (Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture, Caracas, 21 February 1975) Continue reading "The Soul of ISKCON
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Srila Prabhupada: “From your letter, I can understand that you are reading my books nicely and understanding our philosophy. This is wanted. By reading my books carefully, you will become enthused to distribute them more and more in greater quantities. If you continue in this way being very much determined to achieve success in this lifetime, following all the rules, chanting at least sixteen rounds, and reading my books, then all of your desires to advance in Krsna consciousness will be fulfilled and you will surely attain spiritual perfection and be able to go back to Godhead, very soon.” Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada Book Distribution Marathon Message
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How to Chant and Meditate Better.
As we move towards the end of the year we should be thinking how to do better in 2017. Endings are a natural time to reset, to take a good look at where we are and where we want to be. As chanting japa (mantra meditation) is one of the key ways we develop our relationship with Krishna the following excerpt by HH Sacinandana Swami shares some ways to be more focused and move to deeper levels of meditation in our chanting:
“At the very least, try to chant without external interruptions. Attach your mind to the Divine Names, one by one as They move over your tongue. To be attentive, you must be present ‘in the here and now’ – relentlessly. Practice it! Bind your mind to the ‘naked now’ – weld it to the Name, which is right now! Seize the present Name.

To be attentive and present you must be patient. Endure your inner dryness that always pushes your thoughts into seeking relief in the ‘oasis’ of past or future possibilities. There is no past or future; they are only figments of the mind. Krishna will be watching all this from a hidden place. He is especially interested to see where you will run for relief in those dull moments of dryness. Convince Him that you know that only he can truly relieve you, and then He will come out of hiding. He will respond to you in the heart when the time is right.

Meanwhile, be happy to stay in His presence. No matter how much you try to quiet your mind, thoughts are bound to disturb the peace, eventually. It is similar to the blue cloudless sky; eventually clouds are sure to form and roam across its vastness. There is no need to battle the mind in the hopeless effort to annihilate distracting thoughts. Let the impersonalist yogis try to fight the mind; they will find out that it will not work. Our strategy is positive. Instead of trying to empty the mind of what is bad, let us fill it with what is good: the Names.

If you fight the mind it will only get more strength from your attention. Attentive chanting is simply to lay aside our thoughts. It is not a savage fight of furious repression. It is a soft, beautiful, persistent act of engaging the thoughts within the Holy Name. Look up! Turn to the Lord! Ask for help with the expression of a joyful child turning to its mother. Then you will see the spiritual world unfold, not by your own power but by the power of the Name.

Above all, stay conscious of the people you are addressing – the ones named by the names. Then you can chant with a devotional mood and an inner attitude of worship, making the effort to please the Divine Couple by calling on Their names.”
Ananda Vrindavanesvari Devi Dasi