Hare Krishna! dear devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisancies.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Today Ananta Shanti - the first and only initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada left his body either from stroke or heart-attack (reports aren't clear), in Moscow.

He was the first one in Russia to meet and recieve direct training from Srila Prabhupada personally. Srila Prabhupada was in Moscow only few days, he really focussed on Anatoliy, who shortly became Ananta Shanti, Srila Prabhupada imparted His mission into him over just couple of days, then He left Russia for London. As soon as He arrived in London He asked Mandakini mataji to go to Russia immidiately and marry Ananta Shanti. She did so. They were meeting people together, holding underground meetings... but KGB figgured out prety soon her real purpouse and they banned her from coming to Russia again... So, Ananta Shanty was left on his own. Few other disciples of Srila Prabhupada was coming from Europe ocasionally to incourage him, but for most of the time he was on his own to spread the mission of Srila Prabhupada.

At the very early times, when there was no books to distribute in Russia, he would offer lots of big red roses to Krishna, then get dressed in a slick white suite with colorful tie (he was a sharp dresser) - he would go out on the streets with big bunch of red roses (prasadam) - and he would give roses to people saying "if you smell this rose you will be given another chance as human being in next life". If policemen would come to ask him why is he harassing people? - he said he was celebrating being in love, :)... everyone would just laugh and take roses.

Those days devotees had extra-ordinary faith in prasadam, and there was very strong mood of sharing prasadam in any form that suitable to situation. To discuss spiritual topics devotees often used to meet in public parks and tourist places pretending to be a group of partying friends or tourists to outsiders.. He would hold secret meetings in his appartment (at a great risk) where he would read-translate from English the only copy of Srila Prabhupada's bhagavad Gita As it is.

Dear devotees, please try to remember his preaching service on this planet in a positive way and also have prasadam distributed on his name.

If some of you know how to contact Mandakini mataji (French), I believe she lives and work in Paris - please inform her of Ananta Shanti's departure.

Hare Krishna,
your servant, Vrindavan Lila Dasi

Lecture on How to overcome the Evil of Good by Govinda Prabhu on 09 July 2011 at New Jersey

(Govinda Prabhu is a senior disciple of H.H.Radhanath Swami, his interest in Krishna Consciousness dawned during his youth days.)

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Lecture on Does Real Love Exist by Sankarsana Das Adhikari Prabhu on 06 June 2011 at India

(Sankarshan Das fully dedicated his life for serving the order of his spiritual master to become a guru and deliver the world. For the last 40 years he has uninterruptedly served his spiritual master’s movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in various capacities.)

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Lecture on Concept of Knowledge by Dravida Prabhu on 26 Dec 2010 at San Diego

(Dravida Prabhu is a vaishnava scholar, musician and poet. He has edited Back to Godhead magazine and other books published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for over 25 years.)

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Lecture on Does too much Seriousness in Spiritual life make one Irresponsible and Unambitious by Caitanya Charan Prabhu

(Chaitanya Charan Prabhu's writings have been published in newspapers like Times of India, Indian Express, Economic Times, Hindustan Times, and Sakaal Times.)

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Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

Yesterday on the auspiscious day of Apara Ekadasi, at around 3:30 am, brahma muhurtha time, one of our dear God-brothers, HG Anaadi nidhanam Krishna Prabhu, left his body in Trivandrum Kerala.

The following is the extract of message from HG Devakinandan Prabhuji, glorifying the life of HG Anaadi nidhanam Prabhuji.

HG Anaadi nidhanam Prabhu was a law student, young, lively and jolly in disposition many years ago. Among others, HG Kathamrtra Prabhu attributes him (Anaadi Nidhanam Prabhu) to introducing and encouraging him to take up this wonderful process of devotional service. But the Lord had other plans for him. Few weeks after joining his first job, while crossing a railway line, and having his headphones on, he did not see a train coming, and it hit him straight on. Most, if not all, casualties of train accidents do not survive, but Prabhu did. However, he was paralysed such that he lost the use of his legs, lower body and many other functions, reduced, practically, to a vegetable. All he had left with was his speech, some upper body movement, and his keen intelligence and consciousness. His spirit was broken.

When our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj came to Trivandrum, sometime in 2001, and was introduced to him, Maharaj instructed Prabhu to translate Bhagavatam from English to Malayalam. At that time, surprisingly, there were no reliable nor authentic translations of this great literature in the Malayalam language. Anaadi Nidhanam Prabhu was initially hesitant, but he had great faith in Maharaj, and he took this great mission up. When I had the good fortune to take his association and meet him a few years later, he lived in difficult surroundings - his parents, I was told, had tried and exhausted all forms of treatment and therapy to get him to move again, and in so doing, had very little financial resources left. Prabhu was lying down for the whole day, on a simple wooden bed, and I could see that he was frustrated. While we all take for granted, basic movements and things in our life, without being grateful to Krishna for them, the Lord took everything basic from Prabhu, yet, with his faith and devotional service, he continued his challenging existence. I have a vivid memory of a cockcroach crawling around Prabhu's head and face, as he lay on the bed, when we were talking to him then, and how helpless he was to shoo it away. That simple graphic episode told me so much about his state of existence.

Yet, all who met him told me he never complained, nor cursed; he accepted his fate stoically, with dhira, the soberness of a devotee, despite fighting frustration, disillusionment and grief. This was because he took his spiritual master's instruction into his heart, with the simplicity and determination that comes from sincere devotional service, and commenced his translations. At this juncture, I really appreciate the devotees who supported, encouraged and helped him after he would write his translations; I recall HG Kathamrta Prabhu and HG Svayamsampoorna Prabhu in this regard. Prabhu would painstakingly, lying down on his back write and sometimes dictate translations; these translations were so accurate and effective that devotees reading them became very inspired. He finished the entire 1st and 2nd Canto Srimad Bhagavatam translation, which, today, are the official published ones.

By then, his health had started to deteriorate, and everything became a struggle. The last two weeks, his kidneys failed, and yesterday, at the auspicious hour nearing mangala arati, he left his body; By Maharaj's mercy, a devotee, one of our god-brothers, was present with him as he left, doubtlessly chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. When Maharaj informed me of Prabhu years ago, he spoke with so much wonder and praise for this young man, struck down by the force of time. Maharaj said that Krishna saved his life for Bhagavatam, and that his sole purpose of existence was to utilise his intelligence to translate. When I asked if Prabhu would be able to translate effectively, Maharaj cut me short and said, "Krishna has given him full intelligence because he has obeyed me, that is enough..."

In my puny way, I realised, then, that Prabhu's existence was perfected because he pleased his spiritual master. I also realised, after meeting Prabhu, that devotional service, and its execution, does not depend on any material condition, but it depends only the simplicity and sincerity of the practitioner. What is the use of our existence, if we cannot please our spiritual master, nor follow his instructions to the letter? Name, fame, glory, wealth and health we may possess, but these are of no practical value in spiritual life if they cannot be used for the pleasure of the Lord. Anaadi Nidhanam Krsna Prabhu is an example of a devotee whom I hope to learn from and remember always. No doubt, Maharaj must be giving him service wherever he is. Let us take inspiration from Prabhu, and to change and improve ourselves in our devotional service, and our outlook to life.

The first 2 Cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam are the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. By painstakingly translating the first 2 Cantos of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavatam in Malayalam, as per the orders of dear Gurudeva, in spite of all his difficult health conditions, Prabhuji has definitely pleased Srila Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krishna. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.8.28 Kunti Maharani prays

manye tvaam kaalam ishaanam / anaadi nidhanam vibhum
samam carantam sarvatra / bhutaanaam yan mitha kalih

"My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse."

In the above verse Srila Prabhupada translates 'anaadi nidhanam' as "without beginning and end". True to his name, Prabhuji's glories also has no beginning and end and will be reverbrating through the pages of Malayalam edition of Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam eternally.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Kalacakra Krsna das.

Lecture on Sacrifice by Varsana Swami on 10 jan 2008

(Varsana Swami was born in 1950 in Morristown, New Jersey. From his childhood he was strongly drawn to the workings of the natural world. He became a vegetarian of his own accord at the age of seven and was determined to lead a life of compassion. )

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Lecture on Preparing For Final Test by Radhanath Swami on 19 May 1993 at India

(Radhanath Swami has a special interest in the holy places in India and leads thousands of devotees on pilgrimage each year. Radhanath Swami is a trustee of Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium, by providing his spiritual support and encouragement.)

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Seminar on The art of Transformation by Sachinanadana Swami

(H.H. Sacinandana Swami left home only 16 years old to meet devotees and to become a disciple of Srila Prabhupada in 1971. Maharaja’s first years in ISKCON were spent by translating Srila Prabhupada’s books from English to German and later he joined the book distribution party in Germany. )

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Lecture on Inner discipline for social engineering by Sivarama Swami on 06 Feb 2013

(Sivarama Swami was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. In 1956, during the failed Hungarian revolution, he emigrated with his family to Canada. Sivarama Swami first came in contact with the books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1970, becoming an initiated disciple of Prabhupada in 1973.)

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Lecture on Perfection of Grihastha Ashram by Kratu Prabhu on 27 May 2006 at Morosco-Croatia

(During high schooling years, he became president of the students union and went on to receive a bachelor degree in engineering from the M.S. University, Baroda.)

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Lecture on Hinduism and Krishna Consciousness by Caitanya Charan Prabhu

(Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a monk and spiritual teacher in the time honored tradition of bhakti yoga. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Govt College of Engg, Pune.)

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Lecture on Act for Others by Aindra Prabhu

(H.G. Aindra Prabhu received Harinama Diksa on Nityananda Trayodasi in 1974 from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in Washington D.C. For many years, he was serving as a pujari at the temple and was regularly going out on Harinama Sankirtana and book distribution in that area.)

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Lecture on Bachelor's Degree in Love by Caru Prabhu

(Caru Das was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. He has been President, variously, of the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Berkeley (USA) temples.)

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View ppt

Diary of a Traveling Monk

Volume 13, Chapter 11 June 5, 2013

By Indradyumna Swami

Lest We Forget

Dear Ananta-santi Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It was with great sadness that I learned of your recent departure. I rarely, if ever, express any deep emotion, but upon hearing of your demise I broke down and cried, for you have always been a true hero to me. By the Lord’s arrangement, you met our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupda, on his first visit to the former Soviet Union in June, 1971. Knowing your heart, he initiated you after only a few days and instructed you to spread Lord Caitanya’s movement throughout your country. Srila Prabhupada’s confidence in you was revealed when he said of you, “Just as you can judge whether rice is properly cooked by picking out one small grain, so you can know an entire nation by observing one of its handpicked youths.”

With Srila Prabhupada’s blessings you fearlessly proceeded to spread the holy names around the Soviet Union, often at great risk. Your effort was initially single-handed, but you made devotees and soon their preaching was causing great alarm amongst the communist leaders of the time. In a 1981 issue of Kommunist, the official journal of the Communist Party, Semyon Tsvigun, the Deputy Chairman of the KGB secret police, wrote that “the three greatest threats to the Soviet way of life are Western culture, rock-and-roll music, and Hare Krishna.”

Such warnings did not deter you, however, and you continued preaching Krsna consciousness with great vigor. After 11 years, your efforts finally attracted the attention of the KGB who arrested you in 1982.

While awaiting trial, you were confined to the Butyrskaya Investigations Prison. In June, 1983, you were tried and found guilty of “infringement of person and rights of citizens under appearance of performing religious ceremonies.” As punishment you were committed to the dreaded Smolensk Special Psychiatric Hospital rather than being put into prison. This enabled the authorities to keep you for an indefinite period of time. In the psychiatric hospital, you were continuously administered haloperidol, a neuroleptic drug that caused convulsions in your facial muscles and deterioration of your mental condition. In April, 1986, you were transferred to the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Oryol where you received the same severe treatment.

By that time, you and the other imprisoned devotees in the Soviet Union had attracted worldwide attention from human-rights organizations and devotees from within our movement. When numerous parcels and letters began arriving at the psychiatric hospital, the staff responded by strapping you to your bed and administering large doses of the drug sulfazine. This caused you to suffer high fevers, pain, and hallucinations. When your wife visited the hospital and asked the doctors when you would be released they replied, “One’s understanding of life and reality are not so quickly cured."

Years later you were freed, but being acutely affected by the inhumane treatment you received in prison, you drifted away from devotional service and the association of devotees for some time. No one should hold this against you, however, for it was clearly the result of the hideous drugs administered to you during your confinement. In recent years, you re-established loving relationships with many devotees and took up the practice of Krsna consciousness again.

My dear godbrother, Ananta-santi, I have no doubt that upon leaving your body you were delivered straight to the spiritual world where Srila Prabhupada personally received you and engaged you in service. Surely the residents of that transcendental abode must have arranged a magnificent festival to honor you on that day. Certainly you deserved it. The sacrifices you made in spreading Krsna consciousness, the suffering you underwent in executing that mission, and the determination you displayed to serve the order of our spiritual master are rare even amongst Gaudiya Vaisnavas.

May all Vaisnavas know of your exploits. May they honor the pain you endured and the faith you regained despite all efforts by communist authorities to destroy it. Lest we forget, may we constantly remember your unique contribution to Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan movement. From your transcendental position please look down upon this humble soul and grant me the same courage that you had to spread the glories of the holy names far and wide despite the greatest opposition.

With the deepest respect and admiration,

Your servant,
Indradyumna Swami

Lecture on How to Conquer Lust by Bir Krishna Goswami at New Goloka

(From the beginning, Bir Krishna Goswami distinguished himself by his oratorical skills, his spiritual dedication, and his devotion to studying the writings of his spiritual master, through which he acquired a deep knowledge of the process of Krishna consciousness. )

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Lecture on Modern Problems and Vedic Solutions by Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 03 Sep 2011

(He has since travelled widely throughout the subcontinent, lecturing in English, Hindi, and Bengali. His Holiness also travels to and preaches Krishna consciousness in other parts of the world. He continues to write books and magazine articles. )

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Lecture on Life was much easier when apple & blackberry were just fruits by Radhanath Swami on 16 Mar 2013 at ISKCON Chowpatty

(Radhanath Swami is the author of The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami, and the title has been received well by the mainstream audience as well as ISKCON members. The Huffington Post and ISKCON News regularly post articles by Radhanath Swami.)

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Lecture on Psychologically Created Ilusions by Caitanya Charan Prabhu on 04 Jan 2010

(Caitanya Charan Prabhu is a editor of Back to Godhead, which is the official international magazine of the Hare Krishna movement. )

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Lecture on Modern Civilization is failing by Giriraj Swami on 19 Jan 2006 at Dallas

(Giriraj Swami has also taught at the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education and continues to lecture and to give presentations at japa retreats and workshops around the world.)

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