Planet ISKCON

Varnasrama Series.

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The work on the Dome Kalashes is progressing very successfully. Currently, one of the engineers from Moscow, Russia, Yurii Tereshkov, is here to assist us with perfecting the measurements and dimensions of our TOVP Kalashes.

Each of the side Domes Kalash frames are layered in 3 sections. On Sunday September 25, 2016 we installed the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash frame onto the Planetarium Wing Dome. The stainless steel section was lifted with a crane to the top of the Dome.

Next, we will lift and install the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash Frame onto Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Dome. Then Yurii and other TOVP engineers will personally climb into the Kalash frames to measure the dimensions. From those measurements they will perfect and finalize the dimensions that will be required to construct the titanium nitrate coverings in Moscow.

After the measurements are finalized here in Mayapur, the engineers in Moscow then may begin the official construction of the Kalash outer shell coverings. We are now moving full speed into this wonderful construction project.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post The Kalash Frame on the Small Dome is Complete appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

By Madhava Smullen

A new Yoga Pavilion currently being built by ISKCON New Vrindaban’s own devotee construction crew, and aiming to be open next year, is expected to draw a large Western audience.

“We have been highly focused on reaching out to Indians living in the USA,” says temple president Jaya Krsna Das. “But Srila Prabhupada came to preach to Westerners, so we want to now make a major concerted effort to reach them too.”

Yoga, of course, is an interest that both Indian and Western people share. According to a 2012 study by Yoga Journal magazine, more than twenty million people practice yoga in the U.S. And of current non-practitioners, 44.5% of Americans call themselves “aspirational yogis” – people who are interested in trying yoga.

ISKCON around the world has had major success in connecting with yoga practitioners, who already have an interest in spirituality, Eastern philosophy, and kirtan. Many yoga groups visit temples such as Radhadesh in Belgium, Govardhana Eco-Village in India and more, and a sizeable number of yoga practitioners and teachers have become Krishna devotees, finding Bhakti-yoga to be the natural next step in their practice.

ISKCON New Vrindaban’s new Yoga Pavilion aims to be a big draw to this audience. Set on the waterfront at Kusum Sarovara Lake, it’s the perfect serene setting, with swans gliding by, and views of the stunning emerald Appalachian mountains as well as New Vrindaban’s exotic peacocks and local wildlife.

The yoga studio or “Yoga Pavilion” will be a 1,850 square foot space – large enough for fifty people to practice yoga at once. It will be surrounded by three-quarter length sliding glass windows that will let in the light and surrounding nature; have a finished hardwood floor; and be well insulated with electricity and heating so it can be used even in the winter time.

Already, there is a lot of interest from yoga teachers and practitioners around the country, and even from local people who are delighted to hear that yoga will be offered soon near them.

 

Meanwhile, staff are starting to market by advertising in yoga magazines, spreading the word through contacts at the Astanga Yoga headquarters in Karnataka, South India, and registering as a teacher-training center with the Yoga Alliance.

When it gets underway, the Yoga Pavilion will have several different teachers. First of all, there will be two in-house experienced devotee yoga teachers, who will teach ashtanga yoga classes from a Krishna conscious perspective every day from spring to fall.

“Just like the yoga vacation program at Shivananda yoga, people will come, spend a few days learning yoga, and go,” says one of the teachers, Gaurnatraj Das. “Others will sign up for special study programs like our one-month teacher-training program, which will cover the Bhagavad-gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika. We will also offer yoga classes to our own community residents and congregation as a healthcare option.”

Secondly, ISKCON New Vrindaban will invite other devotee yoga teachers from around the country to hold their own retreats at New Vrindaban, and will assist them.

And thirdly, outside yoga groups will be invited to use New Vrindaban as a destination for their retreats.

While these groups will have their own curriculums, they will naturally be steeped in Krishna consciousness, staying in the holy dhama of New Vrindaban; eating prasadam; and associating with devotees.

Devotees will also work with them to include kirtans and temple programs in their reteats, along with karma-yoga, or service to the Lord.

As well as retreats held by outside groups, ISKCON New Vrindaban will also hold its own three-night retreats regularly with specialized side-subjects such as vegetarian cooking. And once a year, there will be a four to five night gala retreat, with yoga, ayurveda, acupressure, and other types of alternative healing.

With all this, ISKCON New Vrindaban hopes to double its visitors within the next couple of years, and make better use of its lodge and restaurant facilities during spring, fall, winter and weekdays.

“New Vrindaban has so much potential, and this is one big step towards attracting open-minded Western people from all over America, just as Srila Prabhupada wanted,” says Gaurnatraj. “Eventually, we’d love to build a huge retreat center here and see New Vrindaban become a major center for education.”

As part of the ISKCON50 program series, Vaishnavas in Hungary organized a two-day national book distribution event, taking place at different locations of the country. Devotees who had never distributed books before, or had not taken part in sankirtana for a long time were also involved. During the two days, 36 participants from the farm sold 619 books, while the 195 devotees on the streets of Budapest distributed 2,650 books. 

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Talk at Princeton University with H G Govinda Pr, Co-Temple President, ISKCON Chowpatty

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By Yamuna-devi dasi

Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and before I took rest, I was thinking how incongruous it was—you know, I have been a devotee for thirty-odd years, and it’s quite rare that I am asked to speak. In fact, it’s extremely unusual, so I am not practiced at it. And as I told you yesterday, I rarely spoke when Srila Prabhupada was here. He asked various disciples to speak, but I told him clearly that I wasn’t comfortable with this, and he was a little kind upon me and only on occasion he would ask me to speak. So, anyway, I’ll fumble through as best as I can. Continue reading "Adventures in Krishna Consciousness—Chanting the Holy Names
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By Bhakti Rasamrita Swami

“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyasa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.” (Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Krsna-janma-khanda 185.180) Nevertheless, we see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself accepted sannyasa and approved of the sannyasa of His elder brother, Visvarupa. It is clearly said here, bhala haila,—visvarupa sannyasa karila pita-kula, mata-kula,—dui uddharila. Therefore, should it be thought that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu made statements that are contradictory? No, actually He did not. It is recommended that one accept sannyasa to dedicate his life for the service of the Lord, and everyone must take that kind of sannyasa, for by accepting such sannyasa one renders the best service to both his paternal and maternal families. But one should not accept the sannyasa order of the Mayavada school, which has practically no meaning. We find many Mayavadi sannyasis simply loitering in the street thinking themselves Brahman or Narayana and spending all day and night begging so they can fill their hungry bellies. Mayavadi sannyasis have become so degraded that there is a section of them who eat everything, just like hogs and dogs. It is such degraded sannyasa that is prohibited in this age. Actually, Srila Sankaracaraya’s principles for the acceptance of sannyasa were very strict, but later the so-called Mayavadi sannyäsis became degraded because of their false philosophy, which propounds that by accepting sannyasa one becomes Narayana. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected that kind of sannyasa. But the acceptance of sannyasa is one of the items of the varnasrama-dharma. How then can it be rejected? Continue reading "A Deeper Understanding of the Significance of Sannyasa (in Kali-yuga)
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By Kesava Krsna Dasa

It can sometimes be tough being an intellectual in Iskcon. The tendency to keep one foot in the empirical camp and the other in the devotional arena can cause incompatibilities of faith, especially when continuing to grapple with “oddities” like elephant sized mangoes, airborne mountains, talking hyenas and bodily exuded cosmic bubbles. Almost everything is interesting for an intellectual. How things work, or don’t. Statistics and comparisons, complex and more complicated, beyond comprehension and ridiculously out of bounds, all can pose challenges when faced with the “simplicity” of Krishna consciousness. And more so when fantastic and marvellous Vedic accounts remains fabulously beyond belief. Does “simple living” dull down our inquiring spirit to the point of unquestioning obedient acceptance of everything taught to us? Will “high thinking” allow us free reign to explore that which confounds the greatest material thinkers? “Prove that God exists,” Srila Prabhupada would say. This seems the most certain way of engaging a lively intellect. How many sprightly and bouncy intellectual devotees are convinced of this, especially when having to explain in terms of elephants and swans that do inter-planetary travel, and other faith shaking concepts? Continue reading "Intellectual Simplicity
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TOVP: The Kalash Frame on the Small Dome is Complete (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: The work on the Dome Kalashes is progressing very successfully. Currently, one of the engineers from Moscow, Russia, Yurii Tereshkov, is here to assist us with perfecting the measurements and dimensions of our TOVP Kalashes.
Each of the side Domes Kalash frames are layered in 3 sections. On Sunday September 25, 2016 we installed the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash frame onto the Planetarium Wing Dome. The stainless steel section was lifted with a crane to the top of the Dome.
Next, we will lift and install the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash Frame onto Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Dome. Then Yurii and other TOVP engineers will personally climb into the Kalash frames to measure the dimensions. From those measurements they will perfect and finalize the dimensions that will be required to construct the titanium nitrate coverings in Moscow.
After the measurements are finalized here in Mayapur, the engineers in Moscow then may begin the official construction of the Kalash outer shell coverings. We are now moving full speed into this wonderful construction project.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/MRHOvX

​Congregation program at ISKCON, Columbus, Ohio, USA

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​Congregation program at ISKCON, Columbus, Ohio, USA

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Ratha Yatra in Philadelphia, USA (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is al...

​Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Columbus, Ohio, USA

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KK Bindu #384: With first time translation of a little known song describing Lord Gauranga going to battle.
CONTENTS INCLUDE: * CHILDREN AND KRISHNA BHAKTI – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives instructions to some of his disciples.
* FLOWING WATER AND MOVING SADHUS – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami. Maharaja speaks of the only business for saintly persons.
* REMEMBERING KRISHNA – A fresh translation done especially for this issue of Bindu from Srila Jiva Goswami’s Bhakti-sandarbha speaking about different levels of remembrance of the Lord.
* GAURA GOES TO BATTLE – A first time translation done especially for this issue of Bindu of a little known medieval Bengali song.
* EVEN WHEN REJECTED BY THE REJECTED – Another fresh translation from Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam.
This issue can be downloaded here:
https://archive.org/details/bindu384

Saturday Night Harinam London (24th Sept 2016) (5 min video)
Following are three predictions made by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur:
1. “A personality will soon appear and he will travel all over the world to spread the teachings of Lord Caitanya.”
Jaya Srila Prabhupada !!!
2. “Very soon the chanting of Harinama sankirtana will be spread all over the world. The day will come when people from America, England, France, Germany, Russia will take up karatals and mrdangas and chant Hare Krishna in their towns.”
Jaya Srila Prabhupada !!!
3. “The day will come when the fair-skinned foreigners will come to Sri Mayapur Dham and will join the Bengali Vaisnavas to chant "Jaya Shachinandan, Jaya Shachinandan”.
Jaya Srila Prabhupada !!!
All of these wonderful predictions have come to pass due to the determination and spiritual purity of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
At the start of the following video clip you will see a blonde lady join in the Kirtan in China Town. Nothing unusual about that. It happens every week, maybe not always a blonde - but members of the public spontaneously join in every week. What is really unusual about this particular video is that shortly after you will see two young Chinese girls approach the Kirtan Party with the clear intent of joining in the fun. The result is that very quickly you will see an English lady dancing away merrily with one of the Chinese girls. I think if you had asked either of them earlier in the day if they thought that before the day was out they would be dancing merrily in such a way in China Town neither of them would have believed it.
The Holy Names are so powerfully attractive that these kind of things are happening everyday all over the world were the Samkirtan Parties regularly go out.
To all the followers of Srila Bhaktivinoda, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada, please take up the challenge of taking the Holy Names out on to the streets. Practically everyone in this movement has been out on Harinam. Remember how blissful it is and try to make it happen again for our own ETERNAL benefit and for the eternal benefit of all human kind
Param Vijayate Sri Krsna Samkirtanam
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada !!!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/awhCsZ

Harinama in Suva, Fiji’s capital (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: Today we arrived in Suva the capital city
of Fiji and Jaya Ram Prabhu the Temple president greeted us very nicely and we all went out on Harinam for the joy of the local people.
Harinam Sankirtan is always the winner!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/hSpmUe

Hare Krishna festival in Borehamwood, UK.
Hundreds are expected to attend the upcoming Hare Krishna festival next Friday.
Next week the Hare Krishna festival will be held at the Fairway Hall, in Brook Close, Borehamwood at 7pm with live music, dance and vegetarian food and is open to the public.
ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and local members of the Hare Krishna movement have teamed up to invite the public to the festivities.
Giridhari Das, a Hare Krishna monk who heads the UK festival team, said: “Probably best known from the Glastonbury Music Festival or for singing in the streets of central London, as the Hare Krishna Festival team we tend to appear all over the place. Whether local carnivals, theatres or town halls we like to be with the people.”
The Hare Krishna Movement follows ancient teachings of devotional yoga with roots in the Vedic culture of India, dating back more than 5,000 years.
It became popular in the 1960’s when its message was brought to western countries by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada – an Indian guru, aged 70, who left Vrindavan, India, and set sail for the United States in 1965 with just a few dollars in his pocket.
Within a year of his arrival he set up ISKCON, and today the movement has more than 700 temples and centres worldwide, including 60 farm communities, 50 schools and 90 restaurants.
The Borehamwood festival, and other festivals across the UK this year, is part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Hare Krishna movement.
Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Aldenham, has been a spiritual retreat for thousands ever since it opened in 1973.
Nathan Hartley, who looks after PR & Communications at ISKCON Festivals, said: “Our philosophy is very rich and attractive to many people. In a world that’s becoming increasingly competitive, and has people believing they will only be happy through material gain, we are showing a deeply positive alternative.
"The Krishna Consciousness message is for everyone. A universal, non-sectarian message of love, simple living, service and above all – connecting the self with the original spiritual source, Krishna.”

“Here is a real saint.”
Bhutatma das: I had made friends with a noted religious scholar, Mark Juergensmeyer, one of the professors in the Religious Studies Department at Berkeley University.
I asked him, “What do you think about having a program with Srila Prabhupada and some of the faculty?”
Juergensmeyer was enthusiastic and one of the people he invited was Dr. Staal, who had already had scholarly exchanges with Prabhupada about chanting the mahamantra. That exchange was printed as a brochure that we distributed to validate the scholarly nature of our movement. Dr. Staal was already well known to devotees.
Twenty or twenty-five faculty members plus their wives attended, quite a big turnout for that kind of group. They were interested to meet Prabhupada because of the history behind our movement. We set up a room and put a vyasasana on top of a table, which I think seemed a little pretentious to them—a colorful, big chair with peacocks on it so high up that the base of it was head height for them. Some of them seemed to question the appropriateness of this arrangement. When Prabhupada arrived, I accompanied him to the building saying, “Prabhupada, it’s an old building, but …” He said, “We don’t care, old or new, the building doesn’t matter.” The entrance to the room was from the back—the people were facing the other way. I held the door and Prabhupada walked in, and as everyone turned around I saw their expression. The moment they saw him, such a transcendent figure dressed in saffron that the little subtle edge melted away. Their sense of someone pretentious or pompous was eliminated, and they sensed, “Here is a real saint.” Prabhupada was pleased by the turnout and he smiled and got on the vyasasana very naturally—"Yes, I do belong here, I’m representing Vyasa.“ He spoke not about Radha Krishna but about Vedic and brahminical culture. Pradyumna, Svarupa Damodar and I sat on the side. After the talk one of the professors asked, "You are interested in making people brahmans and bringing the brahminical culture to the West. What about your followers here, are they brahmans?” I wondered what Prabhupada would say because we were not really brahmans. But Prabhupada handled it adeptly. Prabhupada said, “They are trying to become brahmans,” with a tone that said we weren’t struggling vainly but we were going to be successful, we were on the path. It disarmed the challenge and gave us the appropriate status that we were sincere and we were following the correct process, even though we may still be conditioned by the modes of passion and ignorance. Prabhupada also had a little exchange with Dr. Staal. He said, “I see the illustrious Dr. Staal is here.” Of course that flattery made Dr. Staal happy. Every time I saw Prabhupada interact with anyone, the common theme was that Prabhupada was completely in command, not by dint of assertiveness, but because on some level everyone knew he was a bona fide representative of God. Prabhupada never had a trace of lack of confidence. Neither did he have any hubris or pride. Prabhupada had that overwhelming sense of self-confidence that comes when one’s self-realized. Everyone at this scholarly gathering sensed that. After we left the meeting Prabhupada said to me, “This was an important meeting,” because he had met scholars and had established the credibility of our movement. And later one of the scholars told me, “I was a little skeptical in the beginning. I thought, ‘Maybe this will be some kind of elderly Bengali brahman who is caste conscious,’ but after I heard him speak I understood that this person was someone very special.” That comment confirmed what I had perceived that evening. —Bhutatma . . Excerpt from “Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint” by Siddhanta das

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi SJMKL - Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi SJMKL - Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi SJMKL - Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown

by Jai Sita Rani Devi Dasi Nagar Sankirtan in Chinatown