By Radha Bhakti Devi DasiTo give an idea of how devotees attending the ISKCON Leadership Sanga are feeling, we asked a few of them for their thoughts and experiences after the completion of Day 6 here in Mayapur dham. Here’s what they had to say...
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- 22 Feb 2014
By Damodar Prasad DasIt was a momentous winter’s day when Descartes sat down with the sole intention of demolishing all of his opinions. Descartes began by rejecting all knowledge gained from the senses, as the senses sometimes deceive. He concluded that whereas the empirical sciences can be classed as dubious, the abstract sciences such as arithmetic and geometry cannot. However, so determined was he to call into question all of his knowledge, that he conceived of a cunning and powerful demon, who was exerting all of his power to deceive him, even in matters related to th...
- 21 Feb 2014
By Gadi DasThe pure devotee of Krsna cannot bear to watch the unfortunate souls of this world squander their lives in the useless pursuit of temporal, painful enjoyments. Seeing such “enjoyments” as the binding karmic links to an endless chain of births and deaths….The pure devotee cannot bear to see their suffering.
...- 21 Feb 2014
By Vijaya DasaIt looks like some temples got so much good momentum going during the marathon that they just didn't want to stop. Simhacalama (Germany) is one of these. The team consists of brahmacaries traveling around Germany in a bus to distribute the mercy. In January, with 3,425 book points, they came very close to doubling the January results of the first-place temple in Western Europe for 2013, Bhaktivedanta Manor. And last year they were only about three thousand points behind the Manor. So look out, Bhaktivedanta Manor book distributors! The Germans may be seeking t...
- 21 Feb 2014
By Kadamba Kanana Swami It is with that faith that we have to begin to work. We have to stop the logical calculation. Logically we are very small, limited, logically we can only take care of our own turf, that logic doesn’t apply. When we are trying to take on more, Krishna will help us and give us the strength to do it and it is on that strength that this movement will go forward and that consciousness we will have to instill and of course we have to hear that from our leaders.
...- 21 Feb 2014
By Vrndavana Vinodini DasiDay 5 of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) has come to a close and there is a spring in everyone’s step here in Sridham Mayapur. Today was the appearance day of Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur and so after a wonderful Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Bhakti Caru Swami, devotees headed to the main pandal since it’s a day where one fasts until noon. There, after a few quick announcements, HH Devamrita Swami took to the stage to deliver a powerfully relevant class on Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and the topic of innovation.
...- 21 Feb 2014
By Rev. Jim HetzerThank you, Gadadhara Pandit Dasa for being an authentic human being. Gadadhara Pandit Dasa is the first Hindu to be part of the campus ministry at Columbia University through the Union Theological Seminary. Pandit gave a lecture on Feb. 14, 2014 at Yoga on High in Columbus. The goal of the lecture was to relate some of the philosophical questions raised in The Matrix movie to traditional Hindu beliefs as expressed in the Bhagavad Gita, which is considered to be the major Hindu holy text.
...- 20 Feb 2014
By Jayapataka SwamiIn this verse we see that Krishna doesn’t have to do anything, He has His energies who are happy to do all His bidding. So they manifest the material world, spiritual world, do all the things needed. So what does He do? So what does Lord Krishna do? It says He likes to personally take care of His devotees. That’s what He does.
...- 20 Feb 2014
By Vrindavan Vinodini Dasi“Landmark celebrations are a great way to speak to people that don’t really know about us,” says Ajay. “We can tell the world that we haven’t just been here for 50 years, but we’ve contributed to society in real positive ways over the last half century. We’ve contributed on a social level, a community level – we have made a very positive impact to the world.”
...- 20 Feb 2014
By Vrndavana Vinodini DasiAmong the numerous seminars, incredible prasadam and darshan of Sri Sri Panca Tattva, Radha Madhava and Nrsimhadeva, a sense of family and community is being developed among the leaders. As Day 4 of the ILS came to a close, devotees gathered in the prasadam hall for a movie night where talented devotee directors had the opportunity to showcase their efforts to share Krsna with others through the arts.
...- 20 Feb 2014
By Vrndavana Vinodini dasiDay 3 of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) was dedicated as Devotee Care Day. It started off with a beautiful joint Srimad Bhagavatam Class on verse 10.13.14 given by HH Radhanath Swami and HH Jayapataka Swami. Radhanath Swami elaborated on the point that devotee care is an eternal pastime of Krsna and is most pleasing to Him. Jayapataka Swami spoke on many beautiful pastimes of Srila Prabhupada and touched everyone’s heart when he emphasized how indebted we are to Srila Prabhupada for his care.
...- 19 Feb 2014
By Radhanath Swami At 26 Second Avenue, the very foundational beginning of Hare Krishna movement in the West, hippies were coming, people who weren’t following the four regulative principles, didn’t have any conception of God, but they were taking interest and Srila Prabhupada saw them as devotees because he saw the potential. Prabhupada was cooking for them, cleaning for them, he was taking care of their health and he was nourishing their souls with his philosophy, with his kirtans, which was like medicine administered with such compassion.
...- 18 Feb 2014
By Mayapur Sasi dasaFor the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this file contains the following North American results for the month of January
...- 18 Feb 2014
By Vrndavana Vinodini dasiDevotees also learned about the hard work and efforts of HG Ravindra Svarupa prabhu who has spent years researching and putting together a small book on the position of Srila Prabhupada called “Srila Prabhupada The Founder Acharya of ISKCON – A GBC Foundational Document”. Before leaving the tent to attend the morning seminars, devotees were presented with complimentary copies to take home.
...- 18 Feb 2014
By HG Krsna Ksetra DasI don’t know about you, but I am a card carrying member of the fault-finding club. Actually I am an honorary member I am embarrassed to say but I am trying to learn to overcome this habit and one thing I find is that if I am self-critical then there is no more steam left to be critical of others because there is plenty of work for me to do on myself.
...- 18 Feb 2014
By Shyamananda DasaOwing to the widespread misconception that Srila Prabhupada's diksa took place at Sri Rupa Gaudiya Matha at Prayaga as well as other reasons both circumstantial and providential the actual location of Srila Prabhupada's diksa which was a rented house belonging to a Bengali family has now become a three-star hotel by the name of Hotel Ramayana.
...- 17 Feb 2014
By Vrndavana Vinodini dasiDay 1 consisted of three sessions during which at least ten seminars would run in parallel per session. Heads could be seen huddled together as groups of devotees consulted their schedules and decided which ones to attend. These seminars represent the results of months of hard work and time put in by the GBC’s strategic planning committees.
...- 17 Feb 2014
By Sivarama Swami“O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” This is bhakti. Unless one is devoted, he cannot give everything to the Supreme Lord. Unless one can do so, he cannot become a spiritual master, husband, father or mother. Similarly, the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifices gave up their relatives just to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This is an example of a wife rejecting a husband who cannot deliver her from the impend...
- 16 Feb 2014
By Pandava vijaya dasaAlthough Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to be as eager to distribute Krsna consciousness literature as he was, no one of them knew how to do it. Distributing a magazine and asking for small donation was one thing-but a big hardbound book? When the entire shipment of "Teaching of Lord Caitanya" had arrived in New York in April of 1967. The devotees had hired a truck, picked up the books at the dock, and unloaded them at 26 Second Avenue. They had then shipped them to ISKCON centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, and elsewhere....
- 16 Feb 2014
By Chaitanya Charan dasBefore passing judgment on Krishna, we need to understand the application of humility in the context of the philosophical reality and compassionate necessity that underpins the Gita.
...- 16 Feb 2014
By Dhananjaya Krishna DasChief Minister of Haryana in a glittering ceremony awarded ISKCON Food Relief Foundation THE "Certificate of Appreciation". The State Government's highest decoration was conferred on ISKCONfor the selfless work done by the foundation in partnership with the State Government.
...- 16 Feb 2014
By Baladev DasAfter a month long efforts in distributing Srila Prabhupad books during December marathon, all the 4 Brahmachari bus parties of ISKCON Chowpatty returned home on the first week of January. Seeing a congenial time for all devotees to meet, a BOOK MARATHON FESTIVAL GET TOGETHER was organized in the 2nd week of January in the Ashram. Like Every Year H.H Radhanath swami maharaj was present to grace the occasion and to hear devotees share their experience and finally to distribute gifts to all book distributors
...- 16 Feb 2014
By Raveena Emmanuel I always wondered why Srila Prabhupad said we are Krishna’s dog. This thought always bothered me why he chose a dog. Few days ago one of a very old friend of my family engaged himself and me in a long conversation. This uncle mentioned about qualities of Dog. He said a dog has up to 40 qualities; out of which one of the most important qualities is his humility. No matter how much you hit your dog, scold them, be rude to them they will still wag their tails on seeing you.
...- 16 Feb 2014
By Dhirabhakta DasUnlike high school's there is no direct learning outcomes set by SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education) which frees the primary teachers to explore in their own unique manor; those requesting visits have asked me to cover festivals. Which raises a unique challenge, I cannot just put together one presentation that covers all; (a one size fit's all approach which many feel comfortable with) but a multiple layered approach given the vast age range.
...- 16 Feb 2014