Looks can be deceiving, and often far from the full story. It is said that one who laughs too much, even at small and insignificant things, may well be harboring dissatisfaction and sorrow within. A person who feels impelled to keep talking and communicating, could be experiencing loneliness and lack of meaningful camaraderie. The insensitivity and harshness that individuals exhibit, is likely connected to an internal weakness and existential insecurity. Some people seem to be compulsive critics and chronic faultfinders – there is a good chance that they are suffering from spiritual stagnation and a lack of personal growth. Interesting and revealing. Instead of reacting to people’s words and acts, it helps to invest some time and energy in understanding what’s behind it. We must venture into the invisible world in order to hear the unheard.

Back in the third century A.D., King Ts’ao sent his son, Prince T’ai, to learn leadership lessons under the great master Pan Ku. Upon arrival, the master sent him alone to the Ming-Li Forest, instructing him to return and describe the sounds of the tropics. When Prince T’ai returned, he began his description. “Master”, said the prince, “I could hear the cuckoos sing, the leaves rustle, the hummingbirds hum, the crickets chirp, the grass blow, the bees buzz, and the wind whisper and holler.” Wholly unimpressed, the master sent him back to the forest and told him to stay there for a year!

For days and nights on end, the young prince sat alone in the forest listening. But he heard no sounds other than those he had already heard. Then one morning, as the prince sat silently beneath the trees, he started to discern faint sounds unlike those he had ever heard before. The more acutely he listened, the clearer the sounds became. A feeling of enlightenment enveloped the boy. “These must be the sounds the master wished me to discern,” he reflected. When prince T’ai returned to the temple, the master asked him what more he had heard. “Master,”responded the prince reverently,” when I listened most closely, I could hear the unheard – the sound of flowers opening, the sound of the sun warming the earth, and the sound of the grass drinking the morning dew.” The master nodded approvingly. “To hear the unheard,” remarked Pan Ku, “is a necessary discipline to be a good ruler.” 

Powerful and poignant. Deepening our spiritual consciousness empowers us to read the hidden story. Otherwise, we hear but don’t really hear. The Bhagavata Purana also talks of one who sees but doesn’t really see (pasyan api na pasyati). We must listen closely to people’s hearts, hearing their feelings uncommunicated, pains unexpressed, and complaints not spoken of. Relationships break down when we mechanically react to someone else’s superficial words and instinctive actions. We must penetrate beyond so we can ascertain the true opinions, feelings and desires of the people we relate to. Then we achieve substantial growth and make real progress.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), keeping in view the lakhs of pilgrims descending at the ghats of river Krishna for the pushkarams, has announced several social service activities from August 12 to 23.

According to temple priest Ram Murari Das, free prasadam will be distributed to a lakh of pilgrims everyday along with a glass of milk to 5,000 people.

“One lakh water sachets will be distributed to people coming from various places daily”.

As an act of promoting world peace, ISKCON will take up yagams and a slew of cultural programmes on epics such as Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata at Gollapudi lorry stand everyday.

“The volunteers of ISKCON along with foreign delegates will also take up ‘Nagara Sankeertana’ on the thoroughfares of city. We are also deploying several medical teams for the benefit of the pilgrims,” he added.

Every day several scholars will deliver discourse s at the venue.

Free prasadam will be distributed to one lakh pilgrims every day, says its priest Ram Murari Das

ISKCON Guntur is going to organise a State level test on the life and history of Iskon founder president Vedantha Swamy Seela Prabhupadula, on September 18. A cash award of Rs 1 lakh will be given away to the winner of State level competition, said the organisers.

Addressing the news reporters here on Friday, South India Iskon head Sataya Gopinadh said, they have planned out a few activities to mark golden jubilee celebrations of the Iskcon temple across the world. As a part of celebrations, a talent test for public and students will be held on September 18.

The test will be held in three categories for High School level, College level and general public. A cash reward of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 for the first three State level winners will be offered besides Rs 10,000, Rs 7500 and Rs 5000 will be offered to the first three winners at district level competition. The competitions will be held throughout 13 districts of the State.

Elaborating their plans for upcoming Krishna pushkarams, Sataya Gopinadh mentioned that they decided to feed food for about one lakh devotees every day. “We have a 50,000 capacity kitchen at Guntur where we would cook rice, sambar and a sweet to serve the devotees. We have plans to extend the services in afternoon and during night throughout 12 days,” he said. Vijayawada Iskcon president Rama Murari Das and others were present during the meet.

Drumila Dasa: I was talking to a woman outside the famous Omni Hotel. She had contributed to our Food for Life program here in New Orleans. She was so nice I asked if I could take her picture and put her on my Facebook page holding her book. To reassure her I showed her some of the famous people that have gotten books from me. She said, “You know, I’m here with Peter Max.” I said, “You’re here with Peter Max!?”

I said, “Can I go in and give them a book, and take my picture with him?” She said, “I’ll bring him out to you!” I said, “Really!?” She said, “Sure.”

He’s a very famous illustrator from the 60’s and 70’s, whose work was on the Beatles album ‘Yellow Submarine’.

Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a Jewish German-born American illustrator and graphic artist currently living in New York City. He’s known for his use of psychedelic shapes and color palettes, spectra in his work, and the counter-culture, pop-art-focused nature of his art.

His work has been featured in various popular publications, events, and various museums and galleries worldwide. Examples of his commissions include being the official artist of the 1994 World Cup, painting of the hull art of a Norwegian Cruise Line, and border murals along entry points to the USA from Canada and Mexico.

Life after life, we are adding more building blocks of karma, and more and more, we are adding to our material identity, that material destiny which will bind us deeply into so many complexities. So, we find everything difficult. “Do I really have to rise early in the morning? Oh! Just open my eyes! Ah! Lift a finger! Oh, do I have to WORK? All these things, and so few holidays! Do I have to go through all of this?”

Yes, we have to, because it is part of the karmic jail sentence that we are experiencing in the material world. The Vedic point of the view is that the material world is like a jail, a fort, where we are captured against our will. 

But Srila Prabhupada describes an interesting phenomenon. He said there is a bird that has been kept in a cage for a long time, and one day you carry out the cage to the open field. You open the door of the cage and say to the bird, “You are free to go!” So the bird flies around in the sky for a little while, in a few circles enjoying the freedom, only to fly right back down into the cage. The door is still open, but the bird goes back into the cage, because it is comfy. Everything is there – you know what I mean… your lettuce leaf and other things you get as a bird, your seeds and everything else are all in the cage. Thus we voluntarily go back into our imprisonment.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2016, Durban, South Africa, Sunday Lecture at NJP)

Russia: Waiting list of 80 people to read the Sri Isopanisad!
While in Warsaw, Poland, I asked a devotee how he came to Krishna consciousness. At that time it was still a communist country so book distribution wasn’t allowed, but somehow books would get into places around communist countries. This devotee tells how he came across one of Prabhupada’s books.
“In the early 80’s I was in the university studying philosophy. In the university there was a book going around amongst the students called the Isopanisad. There was a waiting list of about 80 people to read the book and it had already been read so much that it was falling apart so I had to tape it together. I had only one night to read it because there was such a demand for it. Then I got the Bhagavad Gita and that was it, I was convinced that this is the highest philosophy.”
Your Servant,
Jagatsiva Das
Comment by Vijaya Prabhu : Here we have examples of people that are hungry to hear the absolute truth waiting in line for weeks to get a chance to read one of Prabhupada’s books. But on the other hand, there are devotees that have Prabhupada’s books in their home or in the ashrama but for whatever reason they’re not being read, they’re sitting there, being neglected. We should not be complacent with the valuable knowledge we have, please read them, and the cherry on the top of the cake will be if you also distribute them.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata on the occasion of Gundica Marjana and the disappearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

“After taking darshan of Lord Jagannatha with great bliss, Lord Nityananda went to see Gadadhara Pandit at Tota Gopintha temple. Gadadhara and Nityananda loved each other very much. There, seeing the three-fold bending form of Gopinath, Lord Nityananda cried incessant tears of joy. Hearing of Nitai’s arrival Gadadhara Pandit stopped reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam and immediately ran to greet the Lord.” (Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Antya 6)

“This is another feature of Gadadhara Pandit—he is very learned and he loved to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lord Caitanya would hear him recite Srimad-Bhagavatam and heard the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja hundreds of times.” — Giriraj Swami

There is a beautiful story of Srila Prabhupada in 1966 sitting by himself on a bench in New York on a snowy, cold January morning. Another gentleman came and sat beside him and they began to talk. Perhaps feeling a bit sorry for Prabhupada, he asked him if he knew anyone in New York. Prabhupada held up his chanting beads and said, “I am never alone.”

Most of us will experience being alone at some point in our life. For some it’s an extended sense of loneliness. For others it’s now and then. Sometimes, ironically, it’s in times of success, or joyful gatherings, that we may feel most alone. At other times, loneliness strikes when we are ill, grieving, or failing in some way.

In truth we are always alone in the small space of our body and mind. No one can feel what we feel, or think what we think; efforts to be heard or understood often end in frustration. At times our greatest sense of loneliness and disconnect is when we wake up in the middle of the night and our mind is churning it’s endless river of thoughts. The world is asleep and we are wide awake and worried about something.

When we come to these moments of lucid and acute feelings of loneliness our beads can save us from spiraling into despair. Many things happen when we chant the Hare Krishna mantra, and this is one of them. We are reminded that Krishna is our friend and is always there. Not only are we not alone, but we can feel a sense of connection, a sense of comfort. Suddenly life seems bearable, manageable, and eventually, understandable.

This has been my experience many times. Chanting sets me on solid ground – even, and especially, in the middle of the night when my mind is busy convincing me otherwise. The nice thing about the mantra is you don’t have to think about what to say to God, what to ask for, what to pray – just chant. The mantra says it all. It is an eloquent request for shelter, for service, and for a chance to love and be loved.

In the dark hours of our life, find the mantra and allow it to find you. Hold it and be held. It is then we will experience what Prabhupada spoke of on that park bench – never feeling alone. That’s the big gift of this small exchange on a cold winters day in New York in 1966.

6th July 2016, By ISKCON 50 Global Office

ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Committee has released an important resource for the year long celebrations of temples around the world: colourful and informative exhibition panels that showcase ISKCON’s achievements in the last 50 years and can be printed and displayed by temples locally.

The ISKCON 50 Expo consists of 16 panels which measure 2.5 feet by 4 feet, and can be downloaded in print quality from the ISKCON 50 website. The panels describe the legacy of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila Prabhupada’s journey to America, the expansion and explosion of the Hare Krishna movement worldwide, and the multifarious achievements of ISKCON in areas such as book distribution, temples, prasadam distribution, festivals, farm communities, academia and community work.

“We urge all temples of ISKCON to print these panels locally and display them in their temples,” said Romapada Das, International Coordinator for the 50th Anniversary. “The panels trace the history of our movement, highlight the contributions of Prabhupada and describe the achievements of ISKCON in a lucid and simple manner with many attractive photographs and images. They can be used in major festivals such as Janmashtami and Ratha Yatra to explain more about ISKCON to visitors who may not be that familiar about our movement.”

The panels should be printed on ‘grey-back’ paper for best results and can either be displayed on exhibition panels, mounted separately on stands, or simply stuck to walls.

“A lot of hard work has gone into creating these panels, which are an important resource for the 50thanniversary celebrations worldwide,” explained Anuttama Dasa, GBC Minister for Communications and a member of the International Executive Committee of the 50th anniversary. “The 50th anniversary offers a unique opportunity for us to educate people in general about ISKCON and its achievements. Temples can display the ISKCON 50 Expo panels to easily educate visitors about our legacy and mission. We hope that every temple will utilise this resource as an important tool to ’50-ise’ all your normal celebrations and annual festivals.”

“The team that produced it worked entirely on a voluntary basis,” said Paramsidhhi Devi Dasi the graphics designer who was part of the production team. “We worked very hard for a few months in between our busy schedules with inputs from various devotees on the storyboard and the content. We do hope that the worldwide community of devotees can make use of this important preaching tool for their 50th anniversary celebrations.”

The ISKCON 50 Expo has been created in three versions to cater to the space requirements of different temples. Temples can choose the following versions of the exhibition:

1. The maxi-version, with all 16 panels comprising of the eight mandatory panels and the 8 optional ones

2. The mini-version, comprising of the eight mandatory panels, which are panels 1 to 6, and panels 14 and 15.

3. The midi-version, with eight mandatory panels and any of the eight optional ones that temples wish to choose, depending on space available

Temples and devotees who want to download a print quality version of the panels can do so by visiting the ‘Resources’ section of the ISKCON 50 website by clicking here.

For more information, contact:

ISKCON 50 Global Office: info@iskcon50.org

International Coordinator: romapada@iskcon50.org

Website: www.iskcon50.org

Prabhupada – Departing for the West Production Stills (Album with photos) 
A true story that began 50 years ago, when a great scholar set out across the ocean on a mission, carrying nothing but a timeless message, which was to be the greatest change for humanity. He inspired an entire generation and against all odds, formed an unstoppable revolution.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VTML3y

A Canadian Transcendental Celebration

By Jaya Govinda dasa

July 1st marked the 149th anniversary of the founding of the world’s second largest country; Canada.

Towns and villages across the nation celebrated its birthday with fireworks, parades and a host of other joyful events.

The city of Vancouver’s celebration was extra special as our ISKCON Hare Krishna temple was invited to participate in this year’s Canada Day parade.

An estimated 300,000 people lining the route, and millions more on main stream news coverage were benefited with the vibration of the holy names, seeing ecstatic devotees dancing and being made aware that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ISKCON and the Hare Krishna movement.

Our participation was an offering to Srila Prabhupada on this special occasion.

Wearing red & white saris, dhotis and kurtas, colours of the Canadian flag, the crowds smiled and waved at the enthusiastic dancing devotees who followed our main float.

A three ton flatbed truck converted into a beautiful float with red and white side banners saying “Hare Krishna – Feel the Bliss”, and covered with Canada day balloons, a huge Jagannath smiley face draping the hood, a big bold Maha Mantra across the top and an ISKCON 50th Anniversary banner to lead the way.

Everyone felt confident that Srila Prabhupada was pleased as he looked upon the masses offering his blessings from the deck of the float.

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya; ISKCON 50th Anniversary Ki Jaya: Canada Day Ki Jaya:

Here is a video link of the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1dE5wz6Ag

Your servant,
Jaya Govinda dasa

congregational development
director ISKCON Vancouver

ISKCON50 offering: ISKCON Studio, Kolkata (Album with photos) 
Cutting the ribbon today to inaugurate the new studio in ISKCON Kolkata. On the auspicious occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON, Netrotsava and Gundica Marjanam, where Lord Jagannatha is revealing Himself for the first time after two weeks, in the association of H.G. Pankajangri Prabhu, H.G. Acaryaratna Prabhu and assembled devotees of ISKCON Kolkata, today, after three years of construction and renovation, we inaugurated the ISKCON studio, which we hope and pray will be like a highly effective printing press to create multimedia, audio, video, animation, etc to offer the message of Krishna consciousness to the society at large. As Pankajangri Prabhu explained, “The studio will help us fulfill the mission of Lord Caitanya to spread the chanting of Hare Krishna to every town, village, and even everyone’s pocket (their cell phones). Prabhu gave the benediction, "May the studio never be silent.” My deepest gratitude to all the devotees who have generously given donations over the past three years to fund ISKCON Studio, Kolkata. May Lord Krishna bless you with eternal service to His lotus feet.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/T4mWIk

Bhaktivedanta Manor temple president Srutidharma das attended the Somme commemoration on 1st July at Thiepval, France. (Sruti, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby)

Vrindavanlila Dasi: We are praying to Lord Jagannath to resolve difficulties presented to the preaching in Russia by a new law about ‘missionary activity’ (which isn’t finalized yet). Please join us in Kirtan-prayer for the Lord’s mercy to resolve this situation in a mutually beneficial way – so the government can prevent terrorism, and devotees can carry on with Harinamas, book distribution, namahattas – our usual preaching work.

This law affects all religious organizations in Russia. If law gets passed in the way it’s written now it will not be possible to preach anywhere outside registered premises (temple), not even in personal apartment… also can’t invite more than one foreign preacher at a time, with permission; can’t preach in public places – this can be interpreted as tightly as if you great your friend in ‘religious way’… if found ‘guilty’ of that – must pay huge fine, really heavy…

Devotees in Russia started Kirtan-prayer for resolution of this horrible situation. Please join in Kirtan campaign, make kirtans everywhere, in support of Russian devotee’s right to preach.
https://youtu.be/IQnBdTGxTcE
——

Now only special people in special places will be allowed to preach, and it will be illegal to preach certain ideas.

Lawmakers are eager to place new restrictions on Russia’s religious sphere, amending the legal definition of “missionary activity” as defined under the Constitution’s article on the freedom of conscience and religion. Yarovaya’s legislation defines as “missionary activity” any kind of religious practice that takes place outside special establishments, cemeteries, houses of worship, or religious schools. This applies to acts of worship, ceremonies, the distribution of literature, and preaching. “The dissemination of beliefs and religious convictions” through the mass media and the Internet is also considered to be “missionary activity.”

If the legislation is passed, missionary activity would be off limits to anyone but the representatives of registered organizations and groups, and individuals who have entered into formal agreements with such bodies. When preaching, every missionary must carry documents with specific information proving their connection to a registered religious group. Lawmakers want to ban any kind of missionary activity in residential areas, except prayer services, ceremonies, and sacramental rites. Foreign missionaries will only be able to operate in the regions where their inviting organizations are registered.

The authorities want to ban the dissemination of certain religious concepts, too, such as ideas believed to promote extremism, discourage receiving medical care, encourage surrendering property to religious organizations, and so on. Violating these prohibitions would risk steep administration fines as high as a million rubles (more than $15,000).

The human rights center “Sova” says the amendments to Russian laws about missionary work threaten not only unregistered religious groups, but also the organizations that are already registered (namely, churches belonging to Protestants and newer Christian sects). Even some Russian Orthodox missionaries could encounter problems, Sova warns.

Source: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2016/06/22/irina-yarovaya-s-anti-terrorist-war-on-civil-rights

——-

Proposed law in Russia would ban proselytizing

Legislation which passed the Russian legislature and awaits President Vladimir Putin’s signature could ban private citizens from sharing their faith with others, Christianity Today reported on Wednesday.
Should the new law go into effect, citizens wishing to share their faith will have to “secure a government permit through a registered religious organization, and they cannot evangelize anywhere besides churches and other religious sites,” according to the evangelical Christian magazine. “The restrictions even apply to activity in private residences and online.”
“If passed, the anti-evangelism law carries fines up to US $780 for an individual and $15,500 for an organization,” Christianity Today said. “Foreign visitors who violate the law face deportation.”
“Soviet history shows us how many people of different faiths have been persecuted for spreading the Word of God. This law brings us back to a shameful past,” evangelical leaders warned Mr. Putin in a letter according to Christianity Today. The magazine noted that a mere 1 percent of Russia’s population is believed to be Protestant Christian.

To read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/29/proposed-law-russia-would-ban-proselytizing/

——
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/june/no-evangelizing-outside-of-church-russia-proposes.html

Christians in Russia won’t be allowed to email their friends an invitation to church or to evangelize in their own homes if Russia’s newest set of surveillance and anti-terrorism laws are enacted.
The proposed laws, considered the country’s most restrictive measures in post-Soviet history, place broad limitations on missionary work, including preaching, teaching, and engaging in any activity designed to recruit people into a religious group.
To share their faith, citizens must secure a government permit through a registered religious organization, and they cannot evangelize anywhere besides churches and other religious sites. The restrictions even apply to activity in private residences and online.
This week, Russia’s Protestant minority—estimated around 1 percent of the population—prayed, fasted, and sent petitions to President Vladimir Putin, who will have to approve the measures before they become official.
“Most evangelicals—leaders from all seven denominations—have expressed concerns,” Sergey Rakhuba, president of Mission Eurasia and a former Moscow church-planter, told CT. “They’re calling on the global Christian community to pray that Putin can intervene and God can miraculously work in this process.”
Following a wave of Russian nationalist propaganda, the laws passed almost unanimously in the Duma, the upper house, on Friday and in the Federation Council, the lower house, today.
“If this legislation is approved, the religious situation in the country will grow considerably more complicated and many believers will find themselves in exile and subjected to reprisals because of our faith,” wrote Oleg Goncharov, spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventists’ Euro-Asia division, in an open letter.
Proposed by United Russia party lawmaker Irina Yarovaya, the law appears to target religious groups outside the Russian Orthodox church. Because it defines missionary activities as religious practices to spread a faith beyond its members, “if that is interpreted as the Moscow Patriarchate is likely to, it will mean the Orthodox Church can go after ethnic Russians but that no other church will be allowed to,” according to Frank Goble, an expert on religious and ethnic issues in the region.
Russian nationalist identity remains tied up with the Russian Orthodox church.
“The Russian Orthodox church is part of a bulwark of Russian nationalism stirred up by Vladimir Putin,” David Aikman, history professor and foreign affairs expert, told CT. “Everything that undermines that action is a real threat, whether that’s evangelical Protestant missionaries or anything else.”
Sergei Ryakhovsky, head of the Protestant Churches of Russia, and several other evangelical leaders called the law a violation of religious freedom and personal conscience in a letter to Putin posted on the Russian site Portal-Credo. The letter reads, in part:
The obligation on every believer to have a special permit to spread his or her beliefs, as well as hand out religious literature and material outside of places of worship and used structures is not only absurd and offensive, but also creates the basis for mass persecution of believers for violating these provisions.
Soviet history shows us how many people of different faiths have been persecuted for spreading the Word of God. This law brings us back to a shameful past.”
Stalin-era religious restrictions—including outlawing religious activity outside of Sunday services in registered churches and banning parents from teaching faith to their kids—remained on the books until the collapse of the Soviet Union, though the government enforced them only selectively.
Some have questioned whether the government could or would monitor religious activity in private Christian homes.
“I don’t think you can overestimate the Russian government’s willingess to exert control,” Aikman told CT. If history is any indication, the proposed regulations reveal a pattern of “creeping totalitarianism” in the country, he said.
The so-called Big Brother laws also introduce widespread surveillance of online activity, including requiring encrypted apps to give the government the power to decode them, and assigning stronger punishments for extremism and terrorism.
The proposal is an “attack on freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and the right to privacy that gives law enforcement unreasonably broad powers,” the humanitarian group Human Rights Watch told The Guardian.
If passed, the anti-evangelism law carries fines up to US $780 for an individual and $15,500 for an organization. Foreign visitors who violate the law face deportation.
Russia has already moved to contain foreign missionaries. The “foreign agent” law, adopted in 2012, requires groups from abroad to file detailed paperwork and be subject to government audits and raids. Since then, the NGO sector has shrunk by a third, according to government statistics.
“In Moscow, we shared an office with 24 organizations. Not a single foreign expatriate mission is there now,” Rakhuba previously told CT. “They could not re-register. Missionaries could not return to Russia because they could not renew their visas. It is next to impossible to get registration as a foreign organization today.”
While Russia’s evangelicals pray that the proposed regulations are amended or vetoed, they have gone underground before, and they’ll be willing to do it again, Rakhuba said.
“They say, ‘If it will come to it, it’s not going to stop us from worshiping and sharing our faith,’” he wrote. “The Great Commission isn’t just for a time of freedom.”

GOOGLE DOODLE for ISKCON50
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
*Jaya ISKCON* 
If you wish that our ISKCON should celebrate the 50th Anniversary worldwide and simultaneously include in this celebration every human being on earth (at least those who use internet), then here is a *‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’* chance:
Google has a service called GOOGLE DOODLE (http://www.google.com/doodles), which helps people in celebrating their important days. So if you wish that they should create a GOOGLE DOODLE for us on 13th July 2016, the appearance day of ISKCON, please write a short and a simple email to them in your own words, with a request to do so. Here is the email address: *proposals@google.com*
Please take out some time from your important schedule and send this email. If you are in doubt about what to write, just say: *“Please create a Doodle for ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on 13th July 2016.”* That’s it.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Your servant,
Daamodara Dhananjaya Das

Washington, United States: The 4th of July parade was amazing. (Album with photos) 
Security was tight but I was able to sneak my phone out for part of it and take some pics of the devotees. There were thousands of people all waving to the different floats. 
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jL0Jyo

By Mandira mani dasi

You might remember hearing about the Christchurch earthquakes in the news. What you might not know is that there were more earthquakes after the first big one—no fewer than 10,000 of them. There were sometimes seven or eight earthquakes a day. Everybody living in Christchurch was scared all the time because each earthquake had the potential to bring major destruction. Eventually one of them did: our temple survived the first earthquake, but the biggest of those 10,000 aftershocks brought it down. You might also not know that Nitai Gaurachandra fell from the altar and were broken that day. I had grown up with those deities, attended Their installation as a ten-year-old and had worshipped Them every day as a young pujari. Imagine for a minute the pain of losing your deities. This became a reality for us. Here you see Kalasamvara Prabhu, our Regional Secretary and former Temple President, Five years later, the rebuild has finally begun. We have been very lucky to get an insurance payout–lucky because the insurance company went bankrupt after the earthquake. The rebuild is being directed by Ramanuja Prabhu, our Temple President, shown here giving visiting devotees a tour around the building site in April 2016 The rebuild is going well, and we are aiming to open the temple in early 2017. It will be a modern, purpose-built structure.

However, we have a problem in completing the temple: we no longer have enough money to finish the building. This is because there was so much red tape to get through before we could start the rebuild (five years worth of red tape!) that the money we were paid through the insurance settlement has depreciated while building costs have risen. We are short NZ$280,000 (US$200,000).

I’ve decided to try and reach out to our extended devotee family to raise the missing funds. Your donation will be used to complete the interior of the temple, including outfitting two kitchens (one for the devotees and one for the deities). Your donation will also honour the first generation devotees who worked so hard to establish our temple, and it will be a great gift to secondgeneration devotees like me who want to pass it on to our children, the third generation.

Please visit our funding page here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/chchharekrishnacentre

Donations are payable in New Zealand dollars, as this is a New Zealand-hosted funding site. NZ$100 is equal to US$70 and €65. Please give generously!
Please also visit us at our Facebook page for regular updates:https://www.facebook.com/chchharekrishnacentre/

And even if you can’t give anything, you can help us by sharing these links with your friends on your social networking sites, since the more exposure we get, the better.

Thanking you in advance,
Mandira mani dasi (Dr Mandala White)

Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel, 02.07.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: O my Lord! Persons who chant the holy names of your Lordship are far, far advanced in spiritual life, even if born in families of dog-eaters. Such chanters have undoubtedly performed all kinds of austerities and sacrifices, bathed in all sacred places, and finished all scriptural studies. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.33.7)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/G6cK16

Prabhupada – Departing for the West (Highlights) (5 min video)
From ISKCON Pandava Sena UK.
Highlights from Something Spiritual’s first show, Prabhupada – Departing for the West at Harrow Arts Centre, London.
A true story that began 50 years ago, when a great scholar set out across the ocean on a mission, carrying nothing but a timeless message, which was to be the greatest change for humanity. He inspired an entire generation and against all odds, formed an unstoppable revolution.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/bAmgJt

The Confidential Meaning of Ratha-Yatra
A lecture delivered by Gour Govinda Swami on 11th July 1994, Bhubaneswar, India. 
“By Vedic calculations one can determine when the Jagannatha Temple was first built, when the Temple was inaugurated and when the Deities were installed (on Their simhasana). According to the authority of Skanda Purana, this period is fifteen crores and thirty-four lakhs (more than 150 million) years ago. From this it is clear that Ratha-yātrā began in the time of Svarocisa Manu.”
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/t4PDRw