By Braja Vilas dasNext Friday (May 20th) is the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Narasimhadeva, the half-man half-lion avatara who appeared to save Prahlad Maharaja. Lord Narasimhadeva has a very special mood of affectionate protection towards His devotees, and thus He is very dear to them. In fact, we constantly rely on His shelter. As Srila Prabhupada said, “We should always consider that this material world is a dangerous place and therefore we shall chant Lord Narasimha's Holy Name in order to be protected by Him in all dangers.” (Letter to Himavati - 4 July, 1970) Thirty ye...
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- 16 May 2016
By Bhakta AseemYet again the Lord Sri Sri Jagannath, Baladev and subhadra devi came out on to the streets in Karnal on 12th May 2016 to shower the people with their profuse blessings. Their Lordships passed through the main market area in full splendour and gave their Darsan to thousands of people. All the devotees and locals from all spheres of life got a chance to come together and serve the Lord to their hearts content. The program started many days in advance. The local devotees regularly go out for sankirtan in the city and the nearby villages throughout the year. Their efforts were v...
- 16 May 2016
By Bhakta AseemThousands of people thronged the street in Rupnagar on 14th May 2016 to deliver a very warm reception for Lord Jagannath , Baladev and Subhadra devi for the first time ever, seated on a chariot, in this relatively smaller district of Punjab. Rupnagar commonly known by name Ropar is located on the banks of the river Sutlej besides Shivaliks. It boasts of one of the richest archaeological site of the Indus valley civilization with records dating back to the period of the Mahabharata. This city is also well known for its Gurudwaras. Devotees from different parts of India and ...
- 16 May 2016
By Radha Mohan dasThat brings in the question of whether an individual can form a genuine relationship with Krishna without committing their physical body to any activity. There is some room for this in Vaishnava philosophy. For example, influenced by the 1999 Hollywood blockbuster The Matrix, In Maya- The World as Virtual Reality Sadaputa das compares the Vedic view of this observable universe to an advanced virtual reality program. In his book, virtual reality is used as a metaphor for our situation as conscious beings. The basic theme is that what we can imagine doing in a virtual realit...
- 15 May 2016
By Mayapur Sasi dasaFor the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of April 2016. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5
...- 15 May 2016
By Basu Ghosh DasOver this past weekend, from Friday May 6 through Sunday May 8, the South Vrindavan temple, at Puthur village, Thrissur District, Kerala, was inaugurated. Deities of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Krishna, Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadradevi, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai were installed in the temple. The temple is promoted by ISKCON Bahrain temple president Udarakirti Chaitanya Das, and devotees from Bahrain, named "Balaramdesh" by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. Situated on 12 acres of land, and surrounded by the homes of Balaramdesh devotees who are relocating to South Vrindavan, the temple...
- 15 May 2016
By Vilasini Devi Dasi"How is it possible to be healthy and happy in a place where the weather is constantly dreary and cold?" I thought. I remembered Srila Prabhupada's statement in a purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.24.36): "When there is sufficient sunshine, the mind remains clear and transparent in other words, the sun-god helps the mind of the living entity to become situated on the platform of paramahamsa ['topmost swan,' or transcendentalist]." Does it not follow, then, that with insufficient sunshine the mind becomes hazy and opaque and stays on the platform of a crow? After all, ...
- 14 May 2016
By Saksi Gopala DasaIt was the Thursday before Christmas, and London's Oxford Street (the longest shopping street in the world) was brimming over with Christmas shoppers. Twice already that week plainclothes police had arrested devotees chanting Hare Krsna there, but today we were intending to avoid any trouble. The five of us took a new route, profusely distributing the holy name to everyone within earshot. As we made our way through Piccadilly Circus (London's "Times Square") and then along crowded Regent Street, we brought smiles to many faces and raised eyebrows on many others. Finally ...
- 12 May 2016
By Shanti Rupa Devi DasiIn conjuction with ISKCON 50 celebrations ISKCON Malaysia has planned to conduct a cross country Mahabharatham Quiz contest in Tamil - A first of its kind in Malaysia. Organised by ISKCON Malaysia, the first leg started off by Perak branch of ISKCON Malaysia on the first of May 2016. Tamil schools from ipoh, Taiping, Teluk Intan and Sungei Siput took part in this event. They all gathered at the Mahamariamman Temple hall in Ipoh . A total of 18 schools paticipated. The event began by a welcome address by HG Param Brahma Das, the regional chairman for the state of Pe...
- 12 May 2016
By Visakha devi dasiThe mayor of St. Augustine, Nancy Shaver, was delighted to attend. She said, "The Festival of Chariots is a moment of joyful peace for me, I am invited to attend many programs but this festival gives me inner peace." She was given Kurma's cook book & she said "I will definitely try using the recipes." She inaugurated the event by breaking a fresh coconut before the Rathayatra cart, and the procession began. Seven mridungas accompanied the lead kirtan singer, as Adikarta das played a harmonium and a newcomer played a base drum. The hari- nam party, flanked on both sides b...
- 11 May 2016
By Arjun BhattacharyyaThis festival was dedicated to ISKCON's 50th anniversary. There were special presentations covering various topics i.e. ISKCON 50 year ago, ISKCON's future in North America and a special presentation on Srila Prahbupada’s new biography by Yogesvara Prabhu. An inaugural kirtan was held on Thursday evening. Three consecutive days of: sadhu-sanga, tumultuous world-class kirtans, ecstatic chanting & dancing, sumptuous prasadam, transcendental entertainment,engaging presentations & so much more! (150 photos)
...- 10 May 2016
By Bhaktivedanta ManorDairy Queen Honoured The Manor honoured Lalita Sakhi dasi, who is moving on after three years of innovation in her role of managing the Dairy. Under Lalita’s stewardship, the milk produced by the cows that graze on the Manor fields was transformed into rich butter, yoghurt and ghee. These items form the core ingredients in the famously delicious savouries, main meals and sweets made by the Manor’s deity department. Lalita also pioneered the production of palatable condiments, such as jams and chutneys, made from fresh ingredients grown on the fields surrounding th...
- 10 May 2016
By Ravindra Svarupa dasaMy first connection with the Hare Krishna maha-mantra happened during the “Summer of Love” in August, 1967 in the course of a wedding within a three-room apartment in Powelton Village, the budding hippie district in Philadelphia. The wedding epitomized the time and place. The groom and I had become close friends during our travails as fellow philosophy majors at the nearby University of Pennsylvania. Thin, angular, his pale beak-nosed face densely hedged with a curly black beard, Steve presented “the Jew” with a delicious hint of self-parody. His bride Cathe...
- 9 May 2016
By Krsnanandan DasSummer Camp classes for children started from 14th April at some residences and it continued for 10 days. Every place had a good response of enthusiastic children. The children who attended the summer camp enjoyed learning shlokas of the 12th Ch of Bhagavad Gita, singing bhajans like Madhurashtakam, Guruvashtakam, hearing the stories of ‘Mighty HANUMAN’, playing Krishna Conscious Games and had the feeling that they had chosen the best Summer Camp. On 23rd April, 2016, the respective teachers invited all the students and their parents from almost 30 places. So there w...
- 7 May 2016
By Ekalavya Das“This is the first time ever that we have been given permission by the honorable Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to perform Harinam Sankirtan publically!” exclaimed Sridhari Madhav Das, the organizer of ISKCON Bahrain’s presence at the event called Bahrain for All, All for Bahrain. Held on Friday, April 29, 2016, from 4 pm to 10 pm, the event was sponsored and patronized by the office of Bahrain Prime Minister – His Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. Fifty thousand fortunate residents of Bahrain turned up for the festival and were in for a treat whe...
- 6 May 2016
By Braja Vilas dasThis Monday, May 9, is Akshaya Tritiya, one of the most important days in the Vedic calendar. Akshaya Tritiya is the appearance day of Lord Parasurama, and it is also the day that the Ganges descended to the earth. Most devotees know it as the beginning of Candana-yatra, but actually many of Lord Krishna’s other pastimes also took place on this day, specifically those which highlight Krishna’s generous and intimate reciprocation with his devotees. The very word Akshaya means “that which never diminishes”. Any service or charity one performs on this day will be pa...
- 6 May 2016
By Hunter WellsFive or six hours a day, every day, beating and chanting. “Krsna Krsna, hare hare.” He finds it uplifting and it's fuel for the long walk. Two thousand kilometres from somewhere called Slope Point, a point further south than Bluff, to Cape Reinga. “We all go on a pilgrimage or a journey in this life.” This monk's journey on this occasion has got him to Okere Falls en route to Tauranga. “It's good for my faith and obviously there's a personal challenge here too.” He's not in a hurry. He'll cut it out the 60km in a couple of days. A Hare Krishna life on the road i...
- 6 May 2016
By Daamodara Dhananjaya DasOutreach - How to beget devotees from a Rathayatra During one of our meetings between GBC-SPN (Strategic Planning Network) Outreach Committee and the ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry, the subject matter of discussion was how to improve our outreach during the festivals that we celebrate in ISKCON. It has been observed that most of our festivals are successful in creating a majestic impression in the minds of the people, but fail to generate new devotees in a large number. In spite of so much time, labor, money and intelligence being used in each festival...
- 4 May 2016
By Abhay Charana DasaSankirtana Dasa, long time resident of New Vrindaban community, recently won a Storytelling World Resource Award for his dramatic storytelling CD Hanuman’s Quest. He is also a recipient of a WV Artist Fellowship Award, a National Endowment of the Arts Grant, an Ohio River Border Initiative Grant, and a Next Generation Indie Book Award for his Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest. For many years Sankirtana had used his background in theater to write, act and direct Krishna Consciousness dramas. Today, he offers dramatic storytelling programs in a variety of venues....
- 4 May 2016
By ISKCON CoimbatoreThe first one is the grand celebration of the First Annual Rathyatra of Lord Jagannath at Ooty and the second one is the successful beginning of excavation of land for their new temple project , of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna at ISKCON, Pelamedu, Coimbatore. When Lord Jagannath decided to visit the Queen of Hill Stations, Ooty, He directed the devotees from within to arrange for a grand rath yatra. Residents and tourists at Ooty, attracted by the Rath Yatra posters were inquisitive to see the Lord who had a unique form quite unfamiliar to them . The scene was all set ...
- 2 May 2016
By Hari Narayana dasKapuas, a regency in central Borneo is a beautiful city located on the bank of the ‘Simpang Tiga’ river which in turn joins three other rivers; Murung Kapuas, Kapuas, and the shore of Javanese ocean. The capital city, Kuala Kapuas is said to look somewhat like Manasi Ganga in Vrindavan. This city was originally built as a port to connect roadways in Borneo. There are a few devotees who live in Kapuas. Since there is not that much active preaching in Kapaus, devotees had become a little unenthusiastic. The heartfelt prayers of the devotees was answered very soon howev...
- 2 May 2016
By Niranjana SwamiMy purpose for providing this facility was manifold: 1) to give devotees struggling with sadhana the opportunity to become more accountable for their sadhana practices, 2) to give devotees struggling with sadhana the opportunity to keep a record of their own performance in order to better see for themselves where they are lacking and where they need to improve, 3) to encourage devotees who either were or currently are struggling to come up to the prescribed standards, to maintain steadiness… even if it’s to a lesser standard, 4) to encourage devotees to increase wh...
- 2 May 2016
By Sadhubhusan dasHis Holiness Subhag Swami presented a seminar on the Science of Happiness in an easily assimilable way for the students correlating the inspirational quotes of world famous doctors and scientists connecting them with the conclusions of the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Speaking on how we consider happiness to be due to sense gratification and that the actual happiness or bliss comes when one establish himself on the platform spiritual understanding in relation with the Supreme Absolute Truth or Krishna and under the guidance of the proper spiritual authority. In con...
- 1 May 2016
By Bhakti-vikasa SwamiThose who have come to the platform of human civilization should be divided into a society of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. The brahmanas should follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as stated in Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures. The criterion must be guna and karma. In other words, one should acquire the qualities of a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra and act accordingly. This is the civilization accepted by the Aryans. Why do they accept it? They accept it because they are very much eager to satisfy Krsna. This is perfe...
- 1 May 2016