Finland has been one of the most successful countries in the world in education, - and perhaps because - the universities and educational institutions are open to different educational concepts. Among other high-quality educational programs, Finland is exporting the concepts of creative education to different countries - to India, too. Tattvavada Das has been part of the Finnish Council for Creative Education  (CEE) team since 2014 tour in Pune and Mumbai, traveling and lecturing. Their group was very warmly welcomed everywhere. 

Tattvavada is a pioneer of interpreting Krishna-conscious concepts of culture and education in Finnish schools, universities and teacher training in colleges where he has been visiting for more than two decades, at the beginning with Suhotra Swami and later on with Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami.

"This autumn I realized that many Finnish universities showed their increased interest towards the concepts and strengths of the traditional Indian education", Tattvavada says. He has just recently returned from the University of Eastern Finland where he lectured about the concepts of the Indian traditional educational system. His lecture was part of the course called “a teacher as a profession.” The response in the educational faculty has been enthusiastic.

“I’ve never thought how practical and deep this old science of education is “, says Heidi who is completing her further studies to become a headmaster of a medical college. Before she was heading one department in a big hospital in Helsinki. She and a number of other students and their teachers were very interested and asked good questions. At the end of the lecture, the university teacher of history gave Tattvavada a nice present, a book he had written together with his colleagues.

The Archbishop of Finnish Protestant (Lutheran) Church Kari Mäkinen, Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami and Tattvavada Das 

”Nowadays we can only afford to invite two special visitors yearly. Timo (Tattvavada) is surely one other of them”, says Vesa Hirvonen, Phd, who always introduces Tattvavada as the “number one pundit” of the Veda culture and philosophy in Finland.

In the university of Tampere, teacher Mrs Tuovi Pääkkönen has developed a course called Eastern Philosophies. It has been going on there in their teacher-training college already over 15 years. Tattvavada has been a permanent visiting lecturer in that course from the beginning. This autumn the interest among the students has been wide and the course has been nicely participated and gathered a full classroom of students.

 ”Similar types of courses are starting in other parts of Finland, too – for instance around Turku region,” Tattvavada continues.

It is worth noting that the course material is partly based on Srila Prabhupada's and Swami's books.

”Mrs Pääkkönen has created a nice course and the students seem to be very inspired to study this vast topic,” Tattvavada says.

In the university of Oulu there is a course called Global Education in the educational faculty. It is a part of the international MA program. Early December Tattvavada lectured there about the principles of Vedic education. These lectures and discussions took one full study day because of the enthusiasm of the students and their teachers.

”Timo’s (Tattvavada’s) mind-expanding lectures are strengthening the quality of our teachers education. No doubt that these lectures assured us that universal pedagogy and ethics surely  exist", Johanna and Markku said respectfully. They are working as teachers of this program. 

Tattvavada’s next Oulu University lectures will take place in February 2016. He is also invited to lecture in the university of Tampere soon after. Besides of the main universities he is also lecturing in the main colleges.

Like in Oulu he lectured in four other colleges. Those were successful as well. It was full house in everywhere. “Our lectures fit well to different courses. Like in IB college we lectured in the courses called foundations of the civilizations ( history) and in the theory of knowledge course (philosophy). Last autumn, I got more invitations and opportunities to lecture than there are the days in my calendar, “ Tattvavada says. 

Source: http://iskconnews.org/interest-in-vedic-pedagogy-increases-in-finland,5286/

Whoever imposes severe punishment becomes repulsive to the people; while he who awards mild punishment becomes contemptible. But whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable.

Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/chanakya-on-administration/

Hare Krishna! 

Please accept our humble obeisances! 
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! 

On Monday- December 21st 2015 two auspicious events took place: 
- Advent of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita(Gita Jayanti) 
- Moksada Ekadasi 

ISKCON Scarborough devotees chanted the English and Tamil translations of the 700 verses in two groups on this glorious day. 

A sumptuous Ekadasi feast was served after the event. 

A group of ISKCON Scarborough devotees then went to Richmond temple and chanted the Hare Krsna Mahamantra along with some newcomers. 

Source:http://iskconscarborough.blogspot.in/2015/12/gita-jayanti-at-iskcon-scarborough_23.html

I always tell devotees that we should understand that Vrindavan or Mayapur is our home! This is where we live and now at one point, when we go from here to some foreign country, then we are like tourists – we are only visitors there whether it is New Zealand, Spain, Denmark or UK and so on.

Today on sankirtana, on three occasions, students came to my table and looked at the Bhagavad-Gita and flatly interrupted me while I was trying to show it to someone else, saying, "I want this. How much is it?" This has happened before, but three times in one day is a charm. The kids I talk to nowadays are concerned about global warming and terrorism. They do not have the same assurance of the somewhat predictable world that we grew up in. College hatha-yoga classes are offered, always with a strong emphasis on relief from stress. I feel confident in saying that there should be a devotee at a book table on every campus in America. Today, one determined student rode his skateboard all the way home to get $6 in quarters from his grandmother's coin jar and bring it back to take a Gita.

One girl came to the table and took a book and gave a small donation. Then she asked, "Could you explain to me what meditation is?" I said that we do mantra meditation. I showed her my japa beads. She had impersonal notions, so I told her that it is recommended in these books to meditate on the Lord's lotus feet; out of respect and humility we keep the Lord's feet in our hearts. She was a simple girl. She said, "O my God, I am getting goose bumps hearing this!"

One boy showed me all of his nine dollars in his wallet in order to buy a Gita, but then he kept four to buy a hamburger.

I warned him, "You know, eating meat is not good for yoga practice. You don't have to be a vegetarian to read this book, but we are vegetarians." His response was, "You have got to be kidding me!" He ran off to get the hamburger. About twenty minutes later he came back and said, "You have got to explain this to me! Why are you vegetarian?" It was as if he had never heard of such a thing. We talked for ten minutes or so.

By meeting young people and giving them their first glimpse of spiritual life, we are doing the best service for them, for every living being, for the future of the planet, and especially for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.

All glories to the generous preaching management of New Dwaraka Dhama!

Your servant,
Karuna Dharini dd

Hare Krsna 

The ISKCON Congregation Development Ministry is currently researching successful methods for running children programs in our ISKCON centres. We humbly request you to provide us with some valuable information to determine the most important aspects of these programs so that we can assist other yatras in establishing such programs for our little ones :)

Lecture on Disobedience-The sign of envy  by Bhakti Vinoda Swami on 26 Aug 2015 at ISKCON Coimbatore

To Listen and Download - click here

By Mohan Sunder Das

With a pure desire in their heart to spread Lord Sri Chaitanya’s message to one and all, Aligarh devotees worked day in and day out on the land donated by Dr. Maheshwar Pratap Varshney.

Dr. Varshney, an ardent follower of the Bhagwad Gita, donated 4 acres of land to ISKCON because he had firm faith on ISKCON for spreading Lord Sri Hari’s ‘Gita’, Bhagwad Gita.

The devotees worked very hard and finally saw the very eventful day of ‘Ground Breaking Ceremony’ on 13th November’2015 in the auspicious presence of HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, HH Navyogendra Swami Maharaj, HG Devakinandan Das and HH Kratu Maharaj himself.

The preparations started for the event started three days before it where the members of IYF-C2C distributed invitations in all parts of Aligarh by performing Nagar Kirtan’s in various places, markets and localities. A beautiful house programme was also organised by Mr. Kalyan Singh, who happens to be the Governor Rajasthan and Himachal pradesh. The previous night of the programme, disciples of HH Kratu Maharaj themselves dug the land for Lord Ananta Shesha to rest in it.

The next morning began with enlivening kirtan and dance performances by the members of IYF-C2C. The yagya began in the presence of HH Kratu Maharaj, his wife HG Amrita Keli Dasi and the senior disciples of HH Kratu Maharaj.
The presence of HH Navyogendra Swami Maharaj, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj and HG Devakinandan Das made the whole environment divine who then installed Ananta Shesha in the ground followed by gau daan.

All the divine personalities including Dr. Varshney and Mr Kalyan Singh expressed their feelings about the temple and ISKCON’s philosophy which encouraged a large number of people to give some amount of their earnings to the temple.

A sumptuous prasadam and Vaishnava songs by the youngsters winded up the day in absolute bliss and satisfaction.

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17767

First Ratha Yatra in Tanggamus, Lampung, Indonesia

By Hari Narayana Das

Kota Agung is a small town located in Tanggamus, Lampung. Being the capital, it is also the most important city in Lampung. Situated at the foot of Mount Tanggamus and nearby the Gulf Coast Semaka it stands as a beautiful location for tourists. At present there are no devotees living in Tanggamus. Those who do live in Lampung, live in the ‘Gita Nagari Baru’ farm community established by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, a five hours drive from Tanggamus!

Devotees in Indonesia received an invitation from the Tanggamus Government a few weeks prior, requesting to hold a Ratha Yatra festival there. The Government were to hold a public festival called ‘Teluk Semaka’ on the 21st Of November. The aim of the festival was to promote tourism and cultural diversity in Lampung. Devotees were ecstatic upon receiving the news and immediately made arrangements to head to Lampung. It was definitely the Lord’s mercy upon the residents of Kota Agung giving them an opportunity to come in contact with Krsna Consciousness.

”Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits” SP SB 1.8.16 Purport

The journey to Kota Agung through Mount Tanggamus was not the easiest. Most devotees arrived from other parts of Indonesia the day before the festival. The chariot team assembled the Lord’s cart in the city garden.

The next morning, Jagannath, along with Baladeva and Subhadra arrived along with a group of enthusiastic devotees. Final bits and pieces were put together and all was good to go. At 11.00am devotees gathered in front of Their Lordships and arati was performed. The sun shone brightly creating a peaceful atmosphere for all. Kirtan was then sung until the parade began. At 3pm, devotees pulled the chariot to the local fields, the starting point of the parade. Many locals were surprised as they had never seen Jagannath or Vaisnavas before and started to take pictures.

“If we get opportunity we shall be able to overflood your country with the waves of transcendental bliss, by the grace of Krsna.”- SPL to Aniruddha, 7th July, 1968

Finally the festival started and Jagannath’s chariot got moving. The Mayor of Tanggamus was also present at the festival. Great appreciation was shown for the Lord when He entered the stage of honor along with the other acts. The Ratha Yatra committee presented the Mayor a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a flower garland offered to the Lord. Things really got going when the chariot reached the main road. Whilst other participants slowed down to display their acts to the public, devotees turned the kirtan up a notch leaving the public struck with wonder. The chariot was pulled around the city thus giving everyone a chance to take darshan of the Lord. One ton of oranges, kindly donated by Dina Dharini devi dasi, was offered to the Lord and distributed to all. Within a short time all the oranges ran out and still people were asking for prasadam! A group of students followed the Ratha the whole journey and also chanted with the devotees. One student commented, “This is an unforgettable experience. I am so glad we can just sing and dance freely, it makes me so happy!” The kirtan party, led by Premadhana das melodiously chanted the maha mantra throughout the festival allowing all the chance to hear the holy names.

“It doesn’t matter if you can or cannot establish a temple there, but if you can introduce the Ratha-yatra, surely it will be a great success. So try to execute this will as far as possible.” (SPL to Yamuna, 27th May 1969)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank HH Bhakti Raghava Swami for his blessings and encouragement. Our respects to HH Kavicandra Swami and HH Ramai Swami, the GBCs of Indonesia, for their support and guidance to always look for new avenues for sankirtan. Our humble obeisances to HH Subhag Swami for always reminding us of the importance of the Sankirtan movement of Mahaprabhu and inspiring us with the dedication of Sriman Jayananda Prabhu, for bringing us closer to Srila Prabhupada and keeping us united in family of ISKCON. We thank the leaders of Indonesia Hindu Parisad. Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the Lampung devotees who worked hard for the success of the festival. They are as follows: Atvata dasa, Santa Kumara dasa, Jadabharata dasa, Kesava dasa, Krishna Prema dasa, Dharmatma Dasa, Sudharsan dasa, Janesvara dasa, Teja Vrsaya dasa, Visvakarma dasa, Narayani devi dasi, Vibawati devil dasi, Mrganitri devi dasi, bhakta Gede, Dharmaraj dasa, Dhananjaya dasa, Radha Govinda devi dasi, Bhaktin Ganga. , Sarvajnana dasa, Ganga Narayana dasa, Pak Kadek Sayang, Vyasa deva, Sruta Deva dasa, Kalindi devi dasi, Vainateya dasa, Bhakta Mesi, Vamana dasa, Trivikrama dasa and Buddhi Yoga Dasa.

We hope that we can hold more festivals here in the years to come.

Jay Jagannath

Jay Srila Prabhupada

Role – Congregational Youth Minister

ISKCON South London is looking for candidates who are able to work and help growing the temple membership and temple activities. Brief Job descriptions are as follows:

Congregational Youth Minister – candidate has to work as a Pastoral care to youth of the Congregation with aim to develop and increase our temple’s youth membership, maintain strict sadhana (Morning Worship, Chanting 16 Round of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra daily, following Four Regulative Principles: No Illicit sex, No Gambling, No Meat Eating, No Intoxication). As well as any other duties as required to support the temple, Candidate has to make sure that temple cleanliness is maintained to a high standard.

Working Hours – Candidate has to work for 40 hours including weekends.

Pay – What we will give you – We will provide you accommodation in our newly renovated premises and with Prasad together with a clothing allowance. You will also get £200 per month.

If you are interested please email me your details on nnd.kds@gmail.com or call on

0044 (0)7545 318772

Your servant

NabhiNandan Das

Role – Pujari with Pastoral duties

Duties – Pujari with Pastoral duties– candidate has to serve as a Pujari at the temple and also work as a Pastoral care to the community with aim to develop and increase our temple’s congregation, maintain strict sadhana (Morning Worship, Chanting 16 Round of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra daily, following Four Regulative Principles: No Illicit sex, No Gambling, No Meat Eating, No Intoxication). As well as any other duties as required to support the temple, Candidate has to make sure that temple cleanliness is maintained to a high standard.

Working Hours – Candidate has to work for 40 hours including weekends.

Pay – We will provide you accommodation in our newly renovated premises and with Prasad together with a clothing allowance. You will also get £200 per month.

If you are interested please email me your details on nnd.kds@gmail.com or call on

0044 (0) 7545 318772

Your servant

NabhiNandan Das

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17771

By Mayesvara dasa

The Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal, India (presently well under construction as of December 2015), is an attempt to depict the map of the Universe according to the ancient Vedic literature, primarily the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam as translated and presented by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Canto 1, chapter 5, verse 11 of Srimad-Bhagavatam predicts that this literature will bring about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization
(janatagha-viplavo). To this end, the Mayapur Vedic Planetarium, which is based on the Srimad Bhagavatam’s cosmography, is one of Srila Prabhupada’s main projects to counteract the prevailing materialistic world view of life and the cosmos.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam’s depiction of the universe,however, immediately creates a clash of world-views that most people may prefer to avoid, and that includes many of the followers of the Vedas who either don’t understand, or can’t conceptualize the Srimad-Bhagavatam’s depiction of Earth and its relation to the greater universe. We have all grown up with an image of Earth as a rotating ball in space, and we’re pretty happy with that. But how did we get that image and conception of a globe into our heads? Is the globe-shaped Earth an authentic image, and is the Earth truly a round planet rotating in space around the sun? Will it come to be, that one of the most earth-shattering events in our life is the discovery of the real nature of Earth itself? What will the Mayapur Vedic planetarium reveal? To quote from the Book of Revelations, a Christian book of prophecy:

And I saw a new heaven and a new Earth, for the first heaven and the first Earth were passed away (Rev 21.1)

Will the Mayapur Vedic Planetarium reveal a new looking Earth? Or will it look like the one that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) has been presenting ever since the first photographs of Earth taken in 1969, reputedly taken from outer space as the Apollo spacecraft made its way to the moon? This subject can be of interest to all of us; not only because we certainly ought to know the location and shape of the Earth that we live on, but also because the position and shape of the Earth has wider implications in regard to the world views we will adopt, created by either a materialistic or transcendental perspective. We have on our hands a clash of world-views that is truly mind-blowing. *Sailing to Jambudwipa; The Mayapur Vedic Planetarium and the Flat Earth According to Srimad Bhagavatam* can be found in the link below:

http://krishna.ie/images/docs/sailing-to-jambudwipa-20151221-2006.pdf

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=17778

In the Temple of My Heart, Jaya Jaya to the Son of Jagannatha and Sachi, Namami Nandanandanam - Bharatanatyam Dance by Campakalata Devi Dasi and her dancing team ( playlist of videos)

Source: https://goo.gl/YO88KL

The other day a devotee asked me what is my favorite prayer from our Vaisnava scriptures. I replied with the following verse by Narada Muni, who was requesting a benediction from Lord Krsna. In service to my spiritual master, I would like to follow in his footsteps.

“O swan gliding in the lakes of the Vraja-vasis’ love, I wish that I may wander everywhere always chanting and drinking the nectar of Your names. Those most sweet names arise from the ocean of Gokula and spread the glories of Your infinitely varied dress and ways of acting. As I wander, behaving like a madman, may I distribute joy to everyone in all the worlds.”

Source:http://www.travelingmonk.com/34223/favorite-prayer

Dear Devotees and Friends, Have a happy Gita-jayanti day! 

We would like to offer you an opportunity to get special blessings from Lord Krishna on this auspicious day. Since 1987. we have been spreading the words of Lord Krishna (Bhagavad-gita) to the public in Germany and Austria. In order to enable us to be more effective, please consider the following appeal. After many years, book distribution from ISKCON Simhachalam temple (Germany, simhacalam.de) is on the rise and we aim by the end of 2017 to distribute 1,000,000 books (1987-2017) from our temple! But this year two of our three vans broke down and we need to replace them. Could you please help us and donate as much as you can through our fund raising website http://igg.me/at/gift-a-van/x/12983886 so that we could get 2 new sankirtan vans? Your help will be very much appreciated. Can you please forward this link http://igg.me/at/gift-a-van/x/12983886 to at least 3 friends? Thank you very very much! 

Your humble servant,
Dhira Nitai dasa,

ISKCON Simhachalam temple board