Srila Prabhupada Lectures with Spanish Translations by Bhagavad Purana Das and Bhakti Gauravani Goswami

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Lecture on Democracy means Demoncrazy by Sivarama Swami on 28 Jun 2015 at Torrence

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada.)

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Lecture on Pure Bhakti protects as soon as one hears of it  by HH Niranjana Swami on 07 Dec 2014 at Taichung

(His Holiness Niranjana Swami was born on December 10, 1952, in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. In 1972, his spiritual search took a turning point when he saw a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, on the counter of a bookshop in Washington, DC.)

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Lecture on Karnas Tragic Choice by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu on Jun 2015

(His Grace Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement.)

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Lecture on The Culture of Respect in Vaishnavism by HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami on 17 Mar 2015

(Originally from New Zealand, Bhakti Caitanya Swami joined the Hare Krishna movement in London, early in 1973. Almost a year before, as a philosophy student at Auckland University, he had first seen his future spiritual master walking across the campus with his followers. Srila Prabhupada initiated Bhakti Caitanya Swami later in 1973, giving him the name Raghubir Dasa. )

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Dear devotees,

Hare Krsna!
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It is our great pleasure to announce the dates for this year’s Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikram! The parikram begins on November 10thand ends on November 17th. There will be two days break in between, one for Goverdhan puja (November 12th) and the other for Srila Prabhupada's disappearance day (November 15th), so that devotees may participate in the festivals.

For this year also, the parikram will not stay overnight; we will leave each day from the ISKCON Mayapur campus at 5 AM and return no later than 5 PM. In order to give more time to chanting and hearing pastimes in the holy places, we have reduced some of the walking, and devotees will be transported faster to the various places via boat and vehicles.

The cost of the parikram is Rs. 2,000 per person; this includes all transportation, snacks, breakfast, lunch, and drinking water for 6 days. Booking will open on September 1st, more details on how to reserve your seat to follow.

Please feel free to contact us for more information on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mayapur.Chandras

Your servants,
Mayapur Chandra’s team

How do we balance the spiritual and material aspects of education in the gurukula?

By TKG Academy

In a lecture by His Grace Nityananda Prabhu, the following question was posed: “How do we balance the spiritual and material aspects of education in the gurukula?” His response was insightful and thought-provoking. It is not a question of balance, he replied, but a question of integration. Krsna consciousness can be integrated into any subject being learned, because Krsna is everywhere. In other words, the two aspects of education are not mutually exclusive. That being said, my goal for this past year was to find some connection to Krsna, while covering all grade-level educational objectives.

 

It is with this goal in mind that the Upper Elementary Class applied five over-arching themes to our studies throughout the school year. As there are five subjects to the Bhagavad-gita – Isvara (God), jiva (the living entity), prakrti (nature), kala (time), and karma (action) – so each term had its own theme. Everything we learned in class was tied back to the theme of the term.

In addition to constant assimilation of Krsna consciousness into the curriculum, students also had opportunities to partake in activities exclusively dedicated to Krsna. To this end, students attended a daily sadhana morning program with Mother Gopi Gita and a Spiritual Friday program at the end of each week. In this class students chanted japa, learned the bhajans of our Vaisnava acaryas, bathed and dressed the deities, and prepared presentations for selected festivals.

We also read a wide variety of Vedic literature. This year in our class, we continued our study of Bhagavad-gita As It Is by His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. In addition to systematically studying the Bhagavad-gita with Mani Mandala study guides and memorizing verses, students read and discussed the following selected works: Nectar of Instruction, Bhakti Bhava (by His Holiness Devamrta Swami), and selected stories from Sivarama Swami’s Nava Vraja Mahima.

Finally, students had the great fortune of attending weekly leadership classes with His Grace Nityananda Prabhu, wherein they learned how to become leaders and train others in becoming leaders by virtue of their knowledge of transcendental subject matters.   

We are very fortunate to be able to learn and teach in a school that offers such a comprehensive approach to the acquisition of knowledge. It was an amazing year, and we pray to continue growing spiritually and trying to see the world through the eyes of sastra.

Source: http://www.tkgacademy.com/news-updates/in-the-classrooms/finding-a-balance/

Program on mind control based on Bhagavad Gita by ISKCON Ahmedabad

By Sacinandana Hari Das

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is not just a sacred book for all but a book giving lessons on various topics like :

– How to control your mind

– How to control your senses

– How to connect to God

– How to know “whom am I “ and many more such questions.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita is not only popular in people generally but is now catching up in corporate organizations too. Manager are interested to know what lessons Bhagavad Gita has to solve their managerial problems.

One such program was conducted yesterday by GSPC, Gujarat State Petronet Ltd, one of the India’s leading oil and gas exploration, development and production companies. The program was attended by Mr.Atanu Chakraborty & his top managerial team including Col.Dharmendra Singh Retd, (co-ordinator of the program) and was appreciated by all for its usefulness in day to day business life. Program was conducted in GSPC building in Gandhinagar from 5 to 6.30pm.

Program was conducted by VServe, corporate training arm of ISKCON Ahmedabad with a thoughtful presentation by Col.Dr.Shashank Sekhar Mishra Retd. , M.D., F.C.C.P. ( Dr.Sachisuat Prabhuji as devotees know him). Many people clarified their doubts on various messages given by Lord Krishna and its relevance today to our day to day business issues, which were answered by Dr.Mishra. Similar such programs are planned in near future for some more organizations around.

Bhagavad Gita is truly a multifaceted book wherein everyone has something for him / her in it.

Your most fallen servant

Sacinandana Hari Das

Sri Lanka – One month preaching tour report

By Radhanath Krishna das

A team of 15 devotees from ISKCON Batticaloa and guests from abroad voyaged from the east coast of Sri Lanka till the capital city of Colombo covering all major cities and towns of the island bringing Vaikuntha atmosphere at each location. We mainly targeted youths in schools and colleges by performing drama, distributing books, holding harinama sankirtana, distributing prasadam and follow-up. Every school program had an attendance of 500 to 900 students.

This year we were fortunate to have with us Srila Prabhupada’s disciples – HG Haripada Prabhu and his wife HG Phalini Mataji from USA. By their enthusiastic speech and bhajans they made all the students to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and dance in ecstasy. If at the beginning the students would be little shy to repeat the maha-mantra, Haripada Prabhu would ask Vasudeva Datta Prabhu to entice the audience. Vasudeva Prabhu would amusingly tease them in Tamil by saying “It seems you don’t have strength today. Are you hungry?” or “What is this? You are mumming like a fish! Chant with enthusiasm!”. The kids would then very loudly repeat the maha-mantra. Prabhuji would encourage them further – “Paravaa illai, ippo migavum urchaagamaaga sollunga… (That was ok, but now chant with full enthusiasm).” And then the kids would actually scream their lungs out.

The special feature of this year’s tour was definitely the drama – “Who is a Fool” directed by Damodar Gauranga Prabhu (a.k.a Danush), TV serial director and actor from Chennai. The story of the drama revolved around a proud king who engaged in vain materialistic endeavours and social welfare without any higher goal in life. The king ordered to find the biggest fool in his kingdom and hand over him a stick. At the end of his life the king understood that he had wasted his valuable human life and realised that he is actually the biggest fool and the “fool’s stick” should actually be given to him. He then became repentant and took complete shelter of the holy name of Krishna. This drama was full of spiritual instructions emphasising the precious knowledge of Bhagavad-gita and the importance of the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. It thus conveyed strong spiritual message in a very amusing and humorous way. Many of the students and staff were very grateful. Some of them came up to us and would tell us that they had never seen such a program in their whole life.

At the end of the drama Haripada Prabhu would ask everyone to rise from their seats and dance in the kirtan. All drama actors would then come back to the stage and join the tumultuous kirtan. Some of the students would be pulled up to the stage and sometimes the drama actors would enter the crowd and make them completely wild. If inspite of this anyone would not open his mouth, the King would gesture to handover the “fool’s stick” to that student. Thus even the most shy students would be made to chant the holy names.

At the end of the kirtan Srutakirti Prabhu would ask everyone to take at least one of Srila Prabhupada’s books. For the students we would give a special discount offer on the book “Krishna Consciousness – The Topmost Yoga System”. The response at Thalawakalle Maha Vidyalayam school was so overwhelming that the muslim vice-principal instructed that everyone should take the book. He commented that such spiritual programs are very valuable and required for today’s misguided youth. In Colombo, the principal of Hindu Girls school commented that this Harinama Sankirtana should be introduced everywhere. She then quoted that by Nama Sankirtana all the sins will fly away just like birds flying away by hearing the clapping sound. She invited all devotees to her office and ordered full set of Srila Prabhupada’s books for the school library, including the Srimad Bhagavatam set and writing a cheque of 17,000 rupees. In this way, at every program hundreds of books would go out.

We did not want to leave these seeds of bhakti unharvested, thus in every book we have put a seal with our contacts for further cultivation and follow-up. In one of the schools the principal agreed to have a six session course on “Science of Self Realisation” for all senior students. Srutakirti Prabhu is now conducting weekly programs and thus cultivating more than 50 boys in that school.

Another great fortune was that in the same period HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami had came to Sri Lanka for a two month writing service. Maharaja stayed in a remote hilly area near Kandy with a waterfall and greeneries all around which was an ideal serene atmosphere for absorption in writing. On weekends Maharaja would join us at large public programs and during the weekdays we would continue with our youth programs with Haripada Prabhu. The principal of the school nearby Maharaja’s residence got so inspired that he allowed two day Shravan Kirtan camp to be held in his school. Devotees from all over Sri Lanka came for the camp and took advantage of divine sanga in the beautiful mountain area. Maharaja delivered the main lectures and the highlight of the program was ‘Prabhupada memories’ shared by Maharaja, Haripada Prabhu and Phalini Mataji. They all remembered the revolutionary preaching spirit which Srila Prabhupada infused to his disciples in the early days of the movement. They encouraged us to revive that same spirit by selflessly pushing on the Sankirtan mission.

All the devotees who participated in this one month preaching tour said that this was one of the most memorable and adventurous experience in their lives. Haripada Prabhu and Phalini Mataji would charm everyone by their friendly dealings and devotional kirtans. Prabhuji would be like our spiritual uncle and Mataji would be treat us as most loving mother and they promised to visit Sri Lanka at least twice a year. Every evening, after the preaching events were completed, Haripada Prabhu would read from Sri Caitanya Caritamrta and share his personal realisations. In this way our minds would become completely pacified and absorbed in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.

Krishna consciousness in Sri Lanka is gradually expanding. We are humbly requesting devotees to bless us so that we can have sufficient spiritual strength and manpower to take forward the mission of Lord Caitanya and thus please Srila Prabhupada and our Gurus. Thank you very much!

Please see the pictures and videos of this tour at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1671194229766032.1073741834.1639909306227858&type=1&l=96f5fff987

450 Delhi youngsters taste Bhakti Yoga bliss on ‘International Yoga Day’ in youth fest ‘Umang’

Students appreciate fun moments at the Delhi “Umanga” festival

Iskcon’s 50th Fast Approaching!

By Mukunda Goswami

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.” If the longest journeys begin with the first step, then at minimum that first step should be taken. Doing what I know I can do in my limited sphere of influence is extremely important. Every member of ISKCON can take the first step.

Many of us New Govardhanites hope that ISKCON’s Golden Jubilee occasion (celebrating 50 years of ISKCON’s existence) will not turn out to be a non-event. Each of us can to do something special, something extra, something small maybe, but something – to honour the Golden Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s movement, originally incorporated in New York in July of 1966.

Thinking “big” should also be encouraged. Srila Prabhupada is known for saying that his only flaw was that he could not think small. Doing something magnificent globally is indeed a “consummation devoutly to be wished”, in the words of Hamlet.

We have to dream, because dreams can come true. “Shoot the rhinoceros” is a familiar refrain that can be dug out of our repertoire. The late Sridhar Swami once told us, “If it’s difficult, it will take a long time; if its impossible, it will take a little longer.