By Ila devi dasi MVS

New Harinama / Food For Life Website Launched!

By the grace and mercy of SriSri Radha-Madhava, Lord Nrsimhadeva and Sri Pancha-Tattva, we are launching the new Mayapur Harinama and Food For Life Website.

This website aims to promote the congregational chanting of the Holy Name across the nine islands, as instructed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself:

“The Lord ordered all the citizens of Navadvipa to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, and in each and every home they began performing sankirtana regularly.

[All the devotees sang this popular song along with the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.] “Haraye namah, krishna yadavaya namah/ gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana.”

When the saìkirtana movement thus started, no one in Navadvipa could hear any sound other than the words “Hari! Hari!” and the beating of the mrdanga and clashing of hand bells.

PURPORT

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness now has its world center in Navadvipa, Mayapur. The managers of this center should see that twenty-four hours a day there is chanting of the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, with the addition of haraye namah, krishna yadavaya namah, for this song was a favorite of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s. But all such sankirtana must be preceded by the chanting of the holy names of the five tattvas—sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda… Chanting of these six lines should go on so perfectly well that no one there hears any vibration other than the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. That will make the center spiritually all-perfect.”

- Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi-Lila 17:121-123

Furthermore the website aims to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desire to ensure that “No one within 10 miles’ radius of any ISKCON Temple should go hungry,” a desire he expressed with tear-filled eyes in the following story told by HH Jayapataka Swami:

“Usually when Prabhupada wanted something he would say, ‘Bring my secretary.’ But in Mayapur he would call everyone. He would want everyone to hear what he was saying. At that time the devotees were just ‘recovering’ from a big feast.

When Prabhupada called, all the devotees came down rushing. “What is Prabhupada calling for? What’s happening?” They saw Prabhupada intently looking out of the windows with tears in his eyes – he was crying! They looked out and saw a big pile of leaf plates thrown at the back of the temple after the feast. There were about fifteen dogs and about fifteen to twenty boys and girls and girls, little kids between eight and fourteen years, picking through the leaves and fighting off the dogs. They were eating the leftovers and licking the leaves. They were ordinary village children who were basically clean but poor.

Then Prabhupada revealed his mind, “How hungry they must be! They are picking the prasadam from the pile – they must be so hungry! We must arrange for their prasadam! If you want to make this mandir a house of Krishna, then you must see that within 10 mile radius, no one goes hungry. That will be success. Krishna is everyone’s father. How can the son go hungry in the presence of the father? Immediately arrange to distribute prasadam.’

The Mayapur Nagar Sankirtana Department has for the past three years been trying to execute the above two instructions – to distribute the Holy Names and Prasadam in all the villages of Mayapur. Please visit our website:

www.HarinamFFLMayapur.com