Planet ISKCON

Indian Govt approves new liberalized visa policy.
The new policy includes long-term multiple-entry comprehensive visa by mergin...

Artha Forum, a not-for-profit initiative that aims to bring the relevance of ancient wisdom to modern business, organised the event “Business With a Purpose” on 17th November 2016 at Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai. Over 400 corporate heads and entrepreneurs attended. Radhanath Swami was invited to be the keynote speaker. Others who spoke on the occasion were leaders from business and government administration: Ashishkumar Chauhan, the head of Bombay Stock Exchange, one of the leading stock exchanges in the world; Praveen Pardeshi, the principal secretary to the chief minister of Maharashtra state; and Ajay Piramal, the chairman of Piramal Group, a diversified global business conglomerate. Continue reading "Radhanath Swami Addresses Corporate Leaders at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai
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The devotees of ISKCON NOIDA performed a 15 day padayatra from October 2nd to October 15th. The route began in NOIDA (Indraprastha) and ended in Sri Vrindavan Dham. NOIDA is approximately 150 kilometres away from Vrindavan. The padayatra, which was organized as of part of the ISKCON golden jubilee celebrations was the first of its kind in the history of Delhi or the National Capital Region[2] (NCR). The inspiration behind the walk was none-other than the Padayatra Minister, Lokanath Swami Maharaja; –it was also made possible by the efforts of Vanshidhar Dasa, Co-President of ISKCON NOIDA and many other devotees from the congregation. Continue reading "Iskcon Noida Organizes Its First Padayatra
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Krishna Club joins the Marathon! The Future is Bright! (2 min video)
UK - Big thanks to Krishna Club for taking up the marathon...

The setting inspires talks on “What cricket can teach us about life”
For me personally, the most productive aspects of my visit to the Middle East were the talks I gave on, of all things, cricket. I, like most Indians, had heard the name of a Middle East city because of the cricket tournaments it hosts. In recent years, as I have been speaking and writing on the Bhagavad-gita, I have been thinking of ideas to present its wisdom in contemporarily intelligible and appealing ways. For Indians, few things are as powerfully popular as is cricket. So, I have been thinking of ways in which the Gita’s message can be presented using cricket-related metaphors.
Such thinking was further stimulated when I came to know how an American author Steven Pressfield has used golf to present a novelized, simplified rendition of the Gita in his novel The Legend of Bagger Vance and how Satyaraja Prabhu, one of ISKCON’s leading authors, has commented on that novel with a book Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance.
Accordingly, for several years, I have been exploring ideas to write on the theme of cricket and Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, I have been paralyzed by a writer’s block. I was recently jolted out my self-induced paralysis on coming to know that one of my closest friends, Vraja Bihari Prabhu, was inspired by similar thoughts and has acted on that inspiration by writing a rough draft of a novel “Cricket in a Monastery.” He has serialized many parts of that novel on his blog yogaformodernage.com.
With the inspiration of his example at the back of my mind, I decided to force myself out of my creative lethargy – I chose to speak on the topic of “What cricket can teach us about life.” By Krishna’s mercy, that leap of faith led to a safe landing. My talk came out fairly well – and not only that, it stimulated a creative momentum that inspired me to speak on the same topic for two more classes, which were my last two classes in the Middle East.
What cricket can teach us about life Series: https://goo.gl/38zjKi

Tribulations for the Radha Kunda Seva - November 2016 Photos and Updates (Album with photos)
What a ride this last month has been! And it’s not over yet. November started out innocently enough. We were only halfway through the holy month of Kartika, and the crowds of pilgrims were as persistent as before. Our cleaners managed to keep up with the trash and our cooks kept feeding our widows and the parikrama pilgrims… until… a number of Radha Kunda residents and visitors came down with apparent food poisoning following the Govardhana Puja festivities, though, luckily, none of our folks were afflicted. When three people died of the ailment, the Nagar Panchayat (local government) decided to place a ban on the selling or distribution of prepared food in the Radha Kunda area. Consequences for disobeying the edict were dire. Anyone caught selling or distributing cooked food was soundly beaten. And although the sickness turned out to be caused by cholera contaminated water and we only use RO filtered water for cooking, our prasadam distribution had to be halted for nearly 3 weeks.
To add insult to injury, on November 8th, in an anti-corruption bid, Prime Minister Modi announced that all large currency – 500 and 1000 rupee bills – were now rendered useless. Our manager, Abhay Charan Prabhu had just withdrawn 50,000 rupees in 500 and 1000 rupee bills. Fortunately, he was able to immediately turn around and deposit them back into the bank account. But, ATM machines would only give 2000 rupees per day instead of the 10,000 they used to impart, and banks were loath to give 4000 rupees, often giving nothing since they had run out of small change. Five hour bank lines became the new “parikrama” as everyone, including our Abhay Charan scrambled each day for every last available 100 rupee, 50 rupee, and 10 rupee bill. Several times during the month, we received 10,000 rupees from the bank in 10 rupee notes.
In terms of emotional value, 100s have become the new 1000, 50s the new 500, and 10s the new 100. And yet, their actual monetary value has remained unchanged. A 100 rupee bill is still only worth around $1.50. And so, just to make ends meet, bank lines remain the daily ritual. Besides food shops, all stores have been closed, people have been making bonfires of useless bills and police have been beating off folks who, after spending hours in lines, angrily demand small change from the bank’s empty coffers. We’ve had to elicit the help of members of our Padma Charitable Trust board who’ve dug deep into their personal bank accounts in order to collect the necessary funds to keep our service going.
Between a shortage of funds and the ban on food distribution, the widows struggled for their daily sustenance. We were able to provide them with raw ingredients to cook their own meals in their tiny ashram homes. However, cooking like this means struggling to breathe because of cooking in very confined areas with little or no ventilation using whatever scraps of wood and dried cow dung patties (gobar ulpa) they could scavenge. Even obtaining dry cow dung cooking patties was a struggle since with the money shortage, people that would normally use gas tanks to cook, reverted to the old traditional ways causing a shortage of dung patties too!
Meanwhile, the kitchen construction had to be delayed since we don’t have the cash to pay our crew. And yet, when all is said and done, at the moment we are just feeling grateful to be back to daily feeding our Radha Kunda widows again.
Thank you for being part of the team! Please browse our latest photos and join our efforts by visiting www.radharani.com. Your servants, Campakalata Devi dasi, Padma Gopi Devi dasi, Urmila Devi Dasi, and Mayapurcandra dasa.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/N0mMGg

I advise all to preach the teachings of Rupa-Raghunatha (disciples of Lord Caitanya) with all energy and resources. Our ultimate goal shall be to become the dust of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Rupa Raghunatha Goswamins. You should all work conjointly under the guidance of your spiritual master with a view to serve the Absolute Knowledge, the Personality of Godhead. You should live somehow or other without any quarrel in this mortal world only for the service of Godhead. Do not please give up the service of Godhead in spite of all dangers, all criticisms and all discomforts. Do not be disappointed, for most people in the world do not serve the Personality of Godhead; do not give up your own service which is your everything and all, neither reject the process of chanting and hearing of the transcendental Holy Name of Godhead. You should always chant the transcendental Name of Godhead with patience and forbearance like a tree and humbleness like a straw. Continue reading "Who is a Rupanuga?
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For me personally, the most productive aspects of my visit to the Middle East were the talks I gave on, of all things, cricket. I, like most Indians, had heard the name of a Middle East city because of the cricket tournaments it hosts. In recent years, as I have been speaking and writing on the Bhagavad-gita, I have been thinking of ideas to present its wisdom in contemporarily intelligible and appealing ways. For Indians, few things are as powerfully popular as is cricket. So, I have been thinking of ways in which the Gita’s message can be presented using cricket-related metaphors.
Such thinking was further stimulated when I came to know how an American author Steven Pressfield has used golf to present a novelized, simplified rendition of the Gita in his novel The Legend of Bagger Vance and how Satyaraja Prabhu, one of ISKCON’s leading authors, has commented on that novel with a book Gita on the Green: The Mystical Tradition Behind Bagger Vance.
Accordingly, for several years, I have been exploring ideas to write on the theme of cricket and Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, I have been paralyzed by a writer’s block. I was recently jolted out my self-induced paralysis on coming to know that one of my closest friends, Vraja Bihari Prabhu, was inspired by similar thoughts and has acted on that inspiration by writing a rough draft of a novel “Cricket in a Monastery.” He has serialized many parts of that novel on his blog yogaformodernage.com.
With the inspiration of his example at the back of my mind, I decided to force myself out of my creative lethargy – I chose to speak on the topic of “What cricket can teach us about life.” By Krishna’s mercy, that leap of faith led to a safe landing. My talk came out fairly well – and not only that, it stimulated a creative momentum that inspired me to speak on the same topic for two more classes, which were my last two classes in the Middle East.

The post The setting inspires talks on “What cricket can teach us about life” appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

During my last full day in the Middle East, on 25th, which happened to be Ekadashi and which also happened to be Friday (the weekly holiday in the Islamic world), it worked out that I had to give five classes in three different cities. For over a decade and a half, I have been fasting on Ekadashi, taking only water or at the most ginger water or lemon water. Over the years, I have found that while fasting, speaking for several hours is not as draining as traveling to various places. During my US tour in 2015, I had to travel on Ekadashi to three places – Portland, Oregon and Seattle – and give three classes. But this Middle East Ekadashi turned out to be even more draining, and far more uplifting.
I had a morning class in one city where I spoke to an audience of three hundred on Why Rama banished Sita. Thereafter, a two-hour drive brought me to the next city, where I was astonished to see a crowd of over five hundred performing a rousing kirtan indoors. I spoke on Help your mind to learn using association and intelligence explaining how bhakti can help us manage our mind more effectively. The talk was followed by several technical and unusual questions such as:
What was the technology of the pollution-free Pushpaka vimana?
If someone says the sparks of Krishna’s splendor are enough for me, how can we connect them with Krishna?
Then, that evening, I spoke at a youth meeting on Counter the inner negative conversation of doubt and desire, where I spoke how Gita wisdom can help us counter the negativities and insecurities that the mind creates in all of us, especially in adolescence and youth.
After that, I traveled to a third city, where again nearly three hundred people had assembled in an open-air program in a garden outside a devotee’s villa. There, I spoke on “What cricket can teach us about life.”
At around 10.30 pm, when I reached the place where I was staying, I was told that that devotee had called nearly fifty of his Bhakti Vriksha members and they were all waiting. This talk was unplanned and I was dead tired. As I was about to self-righteously explode against that devotee for so inconsiderately stretching me so much, I had a flashback: over twenty-five years ago, I had one day stayed awake late into the night after an exhausting day, just to watch a day-night cricket match. That memory steeled me: If I can stretch myself for cricket’s sake, why can’t I stretch myself for Krishna’s sake?
I spoke briefly on The world sees results, Krishna sees efforts. I took my tiredness as an excuse to speak most of the talk with closed eyes, and within minutes I realized that I was absorbed in Krishna’s glories – my tiredness disappeared, and I felt solace and strength in meditating on the spiritual sound.
Irrespective of whether the content was inspiring or not for the audience, the absorption in Krishna was inspiring for me.
Long ago, my spiritual master had said that, even when Krishna’s message comes from us, we should hear it attentively because what we speak is meant for us too, not just for others. Here, I got some realization of that insight which I had heard in Mumbai – and I hope to carry that realization wherever I go.

The post Feasting on Krishna’s glories on Ekadashi appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

While in a prominent city in the Middle East, I stayed with a devotee whose house was on the seventeenth floor of a skyscraper. During my travels to Australia, USA, Canada and UK, the devotees who have hosted me have had houses ranging from one-room apartments to multi-story villas. But this house was the highest height at which I had stayed. Though I may have spoken at greater heights in hotels, I didn’t have the time to contemplate the view from there.
During the course of the day, while observing the city from the window, I could see the well-organized roadways, the crowded yet orderly buildings, the impressive domes of the mosques interspersing the concrete expanse and the skyscrapers towering above everything else. In several metropolitan Middle Eastern cities, many buildings are designed with exquisite artistry. This view was far different from the aerial view of Mumbai that I would see whenever my return flight would descend in that financial nerve center of India. This view was more reminiscent of the modernization I had seen in the West.
A major difference between the West and the Middle East, however, was the level of public sensuality. Because of the conservativeness of Islamic culture, no immodest imagery can be seen either on the streets or on the billboards. Although I could see some Bollywood actors on the billboards, their pictures were far more modest than those seen in India. The decreased sensual temperature of the culture makes it easier for spiritual aspirants to keep their mind peaceful for practicing spirituality. The phrase that popped up in my mind for describing the situation was modernization without westernization.
Ultimately, no place in the material world is fully conducive for spirituality. What spiritualizes people is their own intention to be spiritual and the guidance of saintly teachers.
Still, the principle of modernization without westernization can significantly facilitate spiritual growth. Srila Prabhupada would compare the spiritually uninformed west to a blind man and the technologically under-equipped India to a lame man. If the two would come together, if western technology could be joined together with Indian spirituality, that synergy could substantially raise human consciousness, thereby helping promote greater peace and joy, both individually and globally. In this metaphorical merger, Srila Prabhupada could be said to be recommending modernization without westernization. And that has been actualized to some extent by ISKCON, which is working to globalize the message of the Gita using the latest technology.
If India at large could implement modernization without westernization, Indians would have to struggle less for getting life’s necessities and utilities, and would have more time and energy for spiritual cultivation.
But then, categories such as modernization and westernization are porous, and influences from one can easily seep into the other. Ultimately the key to our spiritual protection and purification is not our country’s orientation, but our consciousness’ intention.
If we are determined to grow spiritually, we may still have our struggles and lapses because of our circumstances and conditionings. But we will gradually be guided by Krishna from within, as he assures in the Gita (10.10). And with that guidance, we will learn to adeptly adapt and adopt for doing the things necessary for moving closer to him.
Such adeptness is demonstrated by the devotees in the Middle East, who have found ways to grow devotionally even while being far away from their devotional homeland. In fact, during my world travels, I have seen sincere souls practicing bhakti seriously in all kinds of circumstances – western and non-western, modern and pre-modern (and post-modern too). These devotees are living testimony to the reality that whatever our situation, we can always open the door of our heart to Krishna, and he will mercifully manifest his presence there.

The post Modernization Without Westernization – Reflections on the Middle East’s spiritual potential appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

“How Shall I Serve You?”

Srimad-Bhagavatam contains a discussion between Dharma, in the form of a bull, and the Earth, in the form of a cow. Eventually he asks her, “The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy because of this?” (SB 1.16.22)

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada writes, “The so-called administrators are all untrained in the affairs of a ksatriya. The ksatriyas are meant for administration, as the brahmanas are meant for knowledge and guidance. The word ksatra-bandhu refers to the so-called administrators or persons promoted to the post of the administrator without proper training by culture and tradition. Nowadays they are promoted to such exalted posts by the votes of the people who are themselves fallen in the rules and regulations of life. How can such people select a proper man when they are themselves fallen in the standard of life? Therefore, by the influence of the age of Kali, everywhere, politically, socially or religiously, everything is topsy-turvy, and therefore for the sane man it is all regrettable.”

What Srila Prabhupada wrote more than fifty years ago is relevant today. And the antidote would appear to be to educate people in Vedic knowledge as presented in Srila Prabhupada’s translations of Srimad-Bhagavatam and other books—delivered to them by people such as me and you.

Hare Krishna.

—Giriraj Swami

Read about Vrindavan Part 1

Read about Vrindavan Part 2

Written by Rukmini dd

Monday, 07 November – The Hills of Varsana 

It became a familiar sight to watch Maharaj launch himself into the bus and claim the front seat. Once aboard, he would often break into fluent Hindi (Dutch or English in the same breathe). He dealt with our driver or some locals, taking charge of every situation –  and in India there are always “situations”. The bus ride was never his favourite part of the day. He could’ve easily opted to take a private car and a smoother journey for himself but he made the sacrifice merely to be with us.

Whilst the bus was stalled at a train crossing, Maharaj munched on a couple bananas. Breakfast is never an issue for him on parikrama although he often would consider us and and allow us time to satisfy grumbling tummies whilst he just continued speaking or singing; the glorification of Krsna should be nirantara – incessant.

And then the hills of Varsana rose up in front of us. Adi Kesava and Maharaj planned our route just before exiting the bus. Maharaj was very eager to go to a particular kund, which was to be our last stop. As we walked in to the small town, we suddenly found ourselves lodged between the sharp juncture of two hills with vertically flattened rocks. Maharaj climbed halfway, choose a spot on the rocks and began bhajans at what appeared like a common village crossing.

“Sancaricor, where we are now, is where two hills join; the perfect location for Radha and Krsna to meet. This narrow passage way is the perfect location for the dhankeli lila, where Krsna demanded yogurt and butter as tax. One wonders, ‘Doesn’t it get boring?’ We are always looking for something new, different. On the spiritual platform the pastimes is so sweet one can’t get enough therefore it just continues in different varieties.”

Our next stop was Ciksoli, or the village of Citradevi and it was a climb! Around Varsana are the villages of the astasakis, the eight principal gopis. Here Krsna and his friends would steal yogurt and butter from the storehouse of Citra’s family. On one occasion they were caught and escaped via the window, only Madhumangal got stuck and the elder gopis found him and punished him ‘in the place that mothers do’. The temple was beautiful artwork with a substantial hall to host guests and our kirtan party. On the way back down, Maharaj bumped into Bhakti Caitanya Swami. Vrindavan gifts us the darshan of sages at every turn. We did a quick walk through Srimati Radharani’s garden, which has taken some effort to reinstate, before bracing ourselves for the heights of the Varsana hills.

“We can’t pinpoint these places, we rely on the locals and some places are just there to recreate the transcendental nature of the dham.” We are blind in Vrindavan. What can we see? We move forward, walking in Maharaj’s giant footprints. We sit when he sits, move when he moves, bow when he bows. All we can hope to do is just keep moving, up the devotional terrain, higher and higher, ignoring the complaints of tired bodies. “Keep moving, don’t fall,” was the mantra. Often times he would look over his shoulder to ensure that none of us fell by the way side.

After a brief pause at the Rajastani temple and a stolen darshan, we moved forward. Panda’s block our path every few hundred meters calling, ‘dhaan, dhaan’ beseeching us to pay for our entrance into this holy place, much in the mood of their Lord.  I couldn’t help but feel that ascending the hills of Varsana was but a metaphor for the path back to Godhead. And suddenly we were there at the Sriji temple, a breath taking wonder with a view to stop hearts. The pujaris gave Maharaj preferential darshan and he shared the mahaprasadam with each of us with his own hands, calling for kirtan. After all, should we reach the spiritual world, what would we do? We would do what we always do; chant Hare Krsna.

Varsana gave us many moods of mercy, but solitude was not one of them. Maharaj searched for quiet, meditative spots but it was not to be. We descended from the Sriji temple to the kund that Maharaj was anxiously wanting to visit.

Peelu Pukor

When Srimati Radharani was cooking for Krsna because of Durvasa Muni’s benediction, Mother Yasoda was very pleased with her. She wondered,”Who is this girl, is she the Goddess of Fortune”’ Yasoda was convinced that this girl was the best match for her son. Spontaneously she smeared tumeric on Srimati Radharani’s hands. “What is this?” Srimati Radharani enquired, alarmed, “This means you are now engaged!”

“I’m too young, what will my parents say?”

“Just show it to your parents, they will be happy.” Radha was embarrassed. Lalita said that its just tumeric so she could wash it off. There was a pond nearby, with deep blue water and Sri Radha washed her hands.  As she looked at that that pond she became absorbed in remembering Krsna. She washed her hands and just kept washing and washing till not only the tumeric but her very own golden colour entered the water.

“And so we remember Lord Caitanya because it is by his mercy that we may come here. Local residents are here by their karma, not us. So we respect the local residents, who knows what pious activities they have performed to be here? But for us, Srila Prabhupada created our piety.” Maharaj mentioned that it was easy to see that even in India, a land of saints, Srila Prabhupada his purity and unique love for Krsna stood out. At Peelu Pukor our feet touched the earth again and connected to the ground in gratitude.

Wednesday, 09 November – Brahmanda Ghat and Raval

As we piled out of the bus at Brahmanda Ghat, Maharaj was the first to quickly circumambulate a sacred tree and appease the pujari with a donation before moving to the actual ghat; only to find a host of local ladies bathing. So he hauled back all the brahmacaris and sent the female disciples down to scout out and let him know when the coast was clear. It was a hilarious start to the day. After our numerous attempts to get them to ‘juldhee, juldhee’ (move quickly) eventually Maharaj descended and settled on a spot midway on the stairs. He began bhajans with some of his classical, never-out-of-fashion tunes. Kirtan began slow and meditative with a gradual build-up and this seemed to be more his mood in the parikramas. He tried to keep the drummers from speeding up but eventually he couldn’t help but reach rocking. The holy name is a natural pivot in all our parikramas and a significant way we gain entrance in this sacred places; to simply serve in singing.

Maharaj opted for us eat to breakfast, since ‘eating’ was quite the mood this of place, it was where Krsna supposedly ate clay. Once Krsna returned from the forest with the cowherd boys. All of them complained in unison to Mother Yasoda that Krsna had ate clay. “It’s a lie,” Krsna said, “A political entreaty. A plot for revenge.” He was innocent. He didn’t do anything. But Balarama testified that Krsna did indeed eat clay. “Even your big brother agrees,” countered Mother Yasoda. “Oh Mother,” crooned Krsna, “How can you think of that of your own son? I can’t believe that my own Mother thinks I’m a liar.”

Within our minds we visited Nanda Maharaj’s palace, quite nearby, and placed the dust on our heads. And more bhajans at the side of the Yamuna. Every holy name must be pronounced to perfection, each unlocking a different mood in the melody.

After Maharaj ate few ‘powder apples’, the tasteless India variety, he motioned to wash his hands at a water pump. A kind villager was pumping water and allowing a cow to drink. Maharaj humbly waited. The cow caught sight of Maharaj and paused to let him wash his hands. Maharaj offered his pranams to the cow before leaving. Who knows who the animals in Vrindavan really are?

Raval

Our next destination was the birth place of Srimati Radharani, Raval. As we exited the bus it was evident that other parikrama parties were both inside and around the main temple in Raval so we entered the temple only to offer our obeisances to the Deities which included a Deity of Radha in childhood form. We crossed over to the nearby gardens and found shelter under a sacred tree which is all you need in Vrindavan. We didn’t realise at first just how sacred that kalpavriksa was; a Tamal tree entwined with a Kadamba tree, representing the Divine Couple. It had been a tiring journey for Maharaj. He had given so much of himself in and around these parikramas that in the first kirtan he almost fell asleep. He switched gear to speaking about our connection to this sacred place.

A theme throughout the parikramas has been that Vrindavan is covered but can be perceived by adjusting our consciousness. Maharaj added that sometimes the dham itself manifests through the external layer, like in the form of the sacred trees where we resided. He explained that the essence of such a sacred place, if we meditated according to our lineage, was to see that we are “simply the servant of the servant of the servant, a hundred times removed” because if we don’t bring such high pastimes back to the level we can assimilate then we risk taking them cheaply. Being very much over our heads in such a setting, he directed us to pray to Srimati Radharani for her mercy; that we may serve with a little love that our worldview may change and for a drop of taste, “What could one drop of taste not do for us?” We had come to Vrindavan looking for Krsna. Maharaj assured us that even if we didn’t find Him, the search was blissful and we would have secured the next drop of mercy that would help us forward. That was how we were to survive – drop by drop.

With these prayers buried in the soft earth of Raval we returned to our buses, dragging our feet. It was such a blessed place. No-one really wanted to leave.

The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world’s largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit association, serving as a professional and learned society for scholars involved in the academic study of religion. It has some 10,000 members worldwide, with the largest concentration being in the United States and Canada.

The long-term, multiple-entry visa will be given up to 10 years but under this category the visitor will not be allowed to work or stay permanently, a government official said.

For the 15th anniversary of the disappearance from the this world of Tribhuvanatha Das, at the end of November 2016, devotees premiered at Bhaktivedanta Manor a special 30 minute movie featuring footage of historic and pioneering preaching activities around the world and especially in Africa, and audio remembrances of Tribhuvanatha and his preaching efforts. They also spoke and shared memories at the program.

British faith organisations, including ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta Manor say the new £5 note 'ceases to be a simple medium of exchange but becomes a medium for communicating pain and suffering'. 

For the first time in the history of Chile and its Courts of Justice, a concert was held in the Hall of Honor of the Supreme Court. Never before had there been a musical presentation in this space of great historical value for the country. The concert, consisting of an exhibition of classical and devotional music from India, was performed by Krishna Sambandha, a band composed of members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Milan Talukdar (Subhag Swami) was a bright student during his school days. He completed his intermediate studies from the Scottish Churches’ College, Kolkata, where Srila Prabhupada had studied previously. Thereafter in November 1965, he was sent to London to study higher engineering. During the course of his studies, in 1969 he met His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He was formally initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. After serving at Bury Place, Bhaktivedanta Manor and various places around the UK, he returned to India in 1974 upon the request of the GBC to help in writing and translating Bengali literature. And he never returned again... Continue reading "Subhag Swami’s visit to UK after 42 years
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University Retreat in the UK.
170 university students attended an uplifting meditation retreat called “The Treasure Within” at Bhaktivedanta Manor. Organized by the Krishna Consciousness Societies (KCSOC), who have over 30 running weekly events, each with food, kirtan and a lot of philosophical discussions, this year’s retreat brought students from across the UK. “Young people need excitement, education, and entertainment.” said organizer Mabick Thappa. “The day consisted of seminars on ‘happiness’, cow milking and mantra meditation. The drama was also a hit showing the difference in result between serving Krishna and serving ourselves.” One student mentioned, “This was a wonderful event that provides an opportunity to anyone and everyone to experience an insight into Krishna Consciousness. The talks and Q&A sessions were very interesting and thought-provoking!”Huge congratulations to the University Retreat team of Jahnavi Raniga, Lila Sara Harbal, Nalisha Patel and Krishna Caitanya Patel, led by Mabick Thapa. The National University Team also played a huge part in making this retreat a success.

Give Now!
At the time of death everything will be taken away from you anyway BUT if you give back to Krishna while you are still alive you will get credit for this!
Rukmini Devi Dasi: “Coffee or Tea?” asked the air hostess. It’s been a full shift but she manages to smile and crack a joke whilst pouring my neighbour a decaf coffee. A mother in the seat in front of me patiently cajoles her screaming three-year-old through the eighthour flight. Finally, I reach the transit lounge and the red seats reserved for pregnant woman and the elderly strike a chord. Everyone serves. We may serve because it’s our job, out of love or because we care for our country. Whether we realise it or not, we serve. Here’s an open secret to express advancement on your spiritual path: Connect this inherent need to serve, to your spiritual practice and behold a dynamic change of heart. Active spirituality means that we serve Krishna. By uniting with the Supreme through mantra and fortifying our mind with knowledge, we must learn the practical art of giving, or risk being couch crusaders. Here are some easy to follow options for your convenience.

2016 is the year that devotees of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON will want to remember!
Vibhu Chaitanya Das: ISKCON celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. This is remarkable when you consider that we have achieved so much in such a short space of time. For me, the most amazing fact is that every five minutes, one of Srila Prabhupada’s books is distributed somewhere in the world. By the time you reach the end of this article, someone would have bought one of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
What is it about Srila Prabhupada’s books? Srila Prabhupada once described this material world as a horrible place and that he did not want to come to this world. But Lord Krishna requested him to please do so and Srila Prabhupada denied the request. Then Lord Krishna asked Srila Prabhupada to come into this world to translate scripture into the common language and only then, did Srila Prabhupada agree.

When Srila Prabhupada’s met his spiritual master, he was requested that whenever he got money, he should print books in English. Srila Prabhupada was a young college graduate but he made it his life mission to fulfill the instruction of his spiritual master. Before the establishment of a worldwide institution, Srila Prabhupada painstakingly translated the 18000 verse Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). When ISKCON became an international society and Srila Prabhupada was travelling the world, he slept for only 3-4 hours a day so that he could translate. Srila Prabhupada humbly said that Lord Krishna was dictating and he was simply transcribing.

If you read Srila Prabhupada’s commentaries, you will notice that his books are written without material motivation or for self-glorification. Every word glorifies Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He urges the reader to nourish his intellect and soul by the process of devotional service. Srila Prabhupada’s books have transformed people into better human beings.

Followers of Srila Prabhupada find much joy in distributing these priceless treasures. Scripture describes that spreading the glories of the Supreme Lord (this includes the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books), is the highest welfare activities.

Distributing these books is also described to be higher than any fast or sacrifice we can make to the Supreme Lord and by doing so, we quickly make advancement in spiritual life.

One of the main lessons we learn from Srila Prabhupada’s books, and his example, is that we need to become selfless. In this mood, devotees voluntarily try their utmost to share these treasures.

Going out on book distribution can be humbling and it’s not easy to stop people who are caught up in their own lives. After much endeavour, a book distributor meets a person who is kind enough to stop and listen, they may read the synopsis on the back cover, and then take a book. I have noticed how that simple exchange brings a person immediate joy and I know that there is so much more joy in store for him when he reads the rest.

So if you have read Srila Prabhupada’s books, then try distributing one of your favorite books and see for yourself how it will change someone’s life. This is “the season to be jolly,” so why not be part of the joy of distributing happiness? Join the Temple on the Weekly Marathon Sankirtan Festival, every Saturday, to help you get into the mood.

And if you have not yet had the privilege of reading one of Srila Prabhupada’s books then the next time a devotee stops you, buy a book.

Ground-breaking ceremony for Avanti House Secondary School in UK.
After years of effort, support and hard work, the ground-breaking ceremony for Avanti House Secondary School’s permanent site of 20 acres took place. The event saw the first spade being dug into the ground by special guest, Radhanath Swami, who spoke about the need for education based on moral and spiritual principles in his keynote address. The mayor for Harrow, Rekha Shah, Bob Blackman MP, Navin Shah GLA Member, Sachin Shah Head of Harrow Council and other Local councilors were present, along with students from year 10 and year 11 and members of staff. The Avanti Trust now has a total of 8 schools with a capacity to educate over 7000 children.

The post Daily Darshan: December5,2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Seva Day at Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK.
The Veda London and Food for the Mind, Body and Soul teams came together at Bhaktivedanta Manor for this year’s Seva Day initiative. The project has grown significantly and this year’s team consisted of a wide range of 100 volunteers, with the youngest aged just two! The day included cooking for nine homeless shelters across Watford, spending time at three Dementia Care homes, raking leaves at the Manor, making care packages for the homeless at Matchless Gifts in Kings Cross, assisting in an abandoned animals sanctuary, helping to maintain the grounds at the Learning Through Horses charity and raising funds for the Sandipani Muni School in Vrindavan.

The King of Knowledge by Srila Prabhupada came to me at a pivotal time. I got the book without wanting it. My friend wanted to share it with me after he perused it. I had no idea - I was “book distributed!” I was skeptical but on my friend’s recommendation, I studied the book for at least a month. The King of Knowledge held ample flawless arguments. At the time I was busy trying recklessly to fill my life with mind altering substances and such. The “mind altering substances and such” did not fill the void but grew it to an expansive darkness. Continue reading "J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (Just Uniquely Spread The Instructions of Caitanyadeva Everywhere)
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ISKCON’s achievements over the last 50 years have been largely due to the influence of Srila Prabhupada and his direct disciples. We have been standing on the shoulders of giants. However, in the relatively near future, there will not be anyone present who personally associated with Srila Prabhupada. How will ISKCON continue to grow then? This movement will progress with our cooperative spirit to please Srila Prabhupada: “Now, we have by Krishna's grace built up something significant in the shape of this ISKCON and we are all one family. Sometimes there may be disagreement and quarrel but we should not go away. These inebriates can be adjusted by the cooperative spirit, tolerance and maturity so I request you to kindly remain in the association of our devotees and work together. The test of our actual dedication and sincerity to serve the Spiritual Master will be in this mutual cooperative spirit to push on this Movement and not make factions and deviate.” Continue reading "Beyond 50
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Remembrance Sunday.
Bhaktivedanta Manor’s president Srutidharma prabhu laid a wreath and recited prayers of Remembrance at the annual Remembrance Day service at Letchmore Heath War Memorial in UK. The service was particularly poignant because it marked exactly 100 years since the Battle of the Somme.

ISKCON Auckland NZ: Rathayatra festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Sunday afternoon Rathayatra, the 3rd wonderful Rathayatra for...

All ISKCON devotees worldwide are undoubtedly inspired and enthused by the rapid progress of the TOVP construction over the last five years. The temple superstructure is complete, the finished domes and chatris await their kalashes and chakras, external embellishments are being added, murtis of the parampara and assorted sculptures are in various stages of production, various artisan work forges ahead, electric and plumbing work continues, marble laying has begun, an elaborate Lightning Arrester system is being installed, and much more is all going on simultaneously. As we enter the year 2017 internal finishing work will commence and the gigantic altar of our worshipable Lords will see significant progress. This is all due to the mood of cooperation between all ISKCON members and the subsequent blessings of Gaur Nitai, Srila Prabhupada, and all our acharyas as They look down upon our efforts with Their merciful glances. Continue reading "TOVP End of the Year Message
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The 26 Second Avenue Summer of 1966

IMPOSSIBLE DREAM? Some people think that the existence of the soul and God, what to speak of a relationship between them, is delusional and unproductive. Others may doubt that one can have a spiritual practice to understand them, or that the Ultimate Unlimited Absolute is personal in its highest aspect, what to speak of being Krishna. Or those on the path of bhakti for many decades may doubt that they can make much advancement in this lifetime, but hope against hope for a miracle at the time of death. We find in the world so many opinions, some well-reasoned, others full of emotionalism, negative, positive, regretful, or so many combinations that may dissuade one from spiritual practice or the determination to give one’s whole being, heart and soul.

Sometimes well-meaning friends, family, or those brothers and sisters on our bhakti path who are disillusioned with fallen leaders or their guru, can be our worst advisors or critics. Some people never heal from their painful past traumas, betrayal, or disappointments, and remain looking backward, and not to true empowering possibilities. As the saying goes, misery enjoys company. How much such opinions affect us depends on our mind’s orientation to react or respond based on how much spiritual experience or faith in our path we have, or haven’t.

As I have shared before, despite appearances to some, I am one of those devotees who has lived as a casual, or “religious” devotee (which means just doing the basics and not really fully applying oneself to the process both internally and externally), for most of my decades of practice, and in fact I have this as my general default setting—which I would wager is true for many older devotees. I share this as a warning for younger devotees and a possible wake-up call for those devotees in old or pre-old age.

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Seven years ago, the Bali Klungkung area devotees bought some land and constructed a beautiful temple and asrama. Sometime later they installed Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Sri Radha Kunjabihari.

I had the privilege of attending the seventh anniversary of that opening, which started in the afternoon and went late into the night. Many hundreds of devotees and guests came for a wonderful celebration.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 November 2007, Mayapur, Lecture)
It is one thing to take up devotional service but it is another thing to become absorbed in devotional service. Many people do find some taste, some satisfaction in the philosophy and in principles of moral behaviour but it is not so easy to become absorbed…

We see that somewhere along the line, devotees go an independent course. They start very serious but sooner or later, one gets confronted with oneself.

Sooner or later one must find real happiness in Krsna consciousness. It may not be enough that it offers morality and a secure society. It may not be enough to just get taste out of kirtan. One has to really make Krsna everything. One has to become absorbed. To be absorbed means to make Krsna everything. It cannot be that we ‘like’ Krsna consciousness amongst other things.

We may find Krsna consciousness to be good and inspiring but we may not be completely convinced. It has not captured us to the point where Krsna is everything. Why is that? Because we have not made service everything. As long as we still have personal desire, still wanting to fulfill many personal ambitions, then Krsna consciousness will only partially capture us and then all these other agenda items may grow and one day we take them up again.

Therefore the question is, “What service are we doing?” In the beginning it is natural that we are more concerned with what we are getting – what taste am I getting… what inspiration am I getting!?

But service is the turning point. So in the beginning, it is about what we are getting. We may find someone to be so inspiring but it is not the person who is so inspiring, it is their serviced that is so inspiring. Ultimately it is devotional service that is inspiring because we must become inspired to serve otherwise what is the point!? Inspiration is not a matter of excitement. Inspiration must go deep and bring about seriousness also. Inspiration means that now I will give my life to it. This is needed!