Lecture on Having entered into world of inert matter the jiva becomes bewildered and lonely by HG Radhe Shyam Prabhu on 19 Dec 2013
(President of the Pune branch of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) that has over 600 centres worldwide Director of Vedic Oasis for Inspiration, Culture & Education (VOICE) Holds an M.Tech from IIT-Bombay)
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Lecture on Chanting by HH Niranjana Swami on 28 Jan 2014 at Germany
(The management and spiritual leadership experience Niranjana Swami gained during his tenure as president of ISKCON Boston from 1979 to 1983, and his service as regional secretary of New England in 1984, readied him for his GBC appointment in 1987.)
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Lecture on Life and Work of Bhakti Vinoda Thakur by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami
(His Holiness Bhakti Rasamrita Swami completed his B.E. from M.S University Baroda, MBA from Bombay University & worked for some time in a multinational Bank.)
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Lecture on How to avoid fault finding and respect others by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 22 Aug 2013 at Pune
(Bhakti Charu Swami is from a Bengali family and spent most of his early childhood in urban Kolkata. He met with Srila Prabhupada at the end of 1976 after a long and intense search for a spiritual teacher. This initial meeting resulted in Bhakti Charu Swami being assigned to translate the books of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust into the Bengali language.)
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Lecture on Complex and Simple Reality by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 26 May 2014 at Los Angeles
(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)
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By Basu Ghosh Das
Pictures posted on the internet: http://tinyurl.com/p527h3n
On Sunday, June 29, 2014, corresponding to aashaadh shukla dvitiya, ISKCON Baroda organized a massive Jagannath Rathayatra procession and festival through the streets of Baroda City.
Before the Rathayatra procession began in the afternoon, prominent political and social leaders of the city visited the Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Mandir at ISKCON Baroda in the morning for darshan of the Deities at 8:00 am.
Among the dignitaries were newly elected Deputy Mayor Smt. Ranjanben Bhatt, Baroda MLA and Ex-Minister Sri Jitubhai Sukhadia, , Leader of the opposition Congress Party in the Baroda Municipal Corporation, Sri Chandrakan “Battubhai” Shrivastava, Vuda (Vadodara Urban Development Corporation) Chairman Sri Naranbhai Patel, Ex-MLA Dilubha Chudasma, BJP Party leader in the Municipal Corporation Sri Dilip Nepali, City BJP General Secretaries Ashok Pandya and Pravinbhai Patel, and a number of Municipal Councilors, political leaders, and businessmen and their families.
Prasad was served to the dignitaries and all the visitors to the temple in the morning. Prasad consisting of spiced flat rice, kachoris (a stuffed savory), alu (potato) subji (vegetable preparation) and jalebis (sweet).
Later on, approximately 3,000 guests took lunch prasad at the temple before inauguration of the Rathayatra procession.
At 2:30 PM, the Mayor of Baroda, Sri Bharat Shah swept the road in front of the Rath, folllowing the ancient tradition at Jagannath Puri, where the Gajapati Maharaja (the King of Puri, sweeps the cart with a golden broom), inaugurates the Rathayatra.
As usual, huge crowd of several thousand devotees of Lord Jagannath - citizens of Baroda — gathered at the Baroda (Vadodara) Railway Station, where for all these thirty three years, the Rathayatra procession begins.
Baroda administrative and political leaders attended the inauguration of the Rathayatra at 2:30 PM at the Baroda railway station in large numbers.
District Magistrate and Collector, Sri Vinod Rao (IAS), Mayor Bharat Shah, newly elected Deputy Major Ranjanben Bhatt, Vadodara Urban Development Authority Chairman Naranbhai Patel, Baroda City BJP President Bharat Dangar, Leader of the opposition in the Baroda Municipal Corporation, Sri Chandrakant “Battu” Srivastav, Leader of the BJP (Majority) party in the Baroda Municipal Corporation, Sri Dilip Nepali, Congress Party leader Sri Chiragbhai Jhaveri, and a number of Municipal Councilors and other dignitaries and Police Officials in large numbers attended the inauguration of the Rathayatra procession.
A host of media personnel were also present filming the inaugural period of the Rathayatra, and the Rathayatra got good local and all India electronic and print media coverage.
Senior ISKCON leaders, ISKCON GBC Global Minister for Padayatra HH Lokanath Swami, HH Bhakti Vikas Swami, ISKCON Gujarat zonal seretary Jasomatinandan Das, ISKCON GBC Global Minister for Fund Raising and U.P., Rajasthan, and Bombay Zonal Secretary Devakinandan Das, and ISKCON Juhu temple president Braja Hari Das participated in the Rathayatra.
Also Murlimohan Das, Co-TP of ISKCON Vijayawada, Surapati Das, Co-TP of ISKCON Lucknow, Vrajendranandan Das, Vice President of ISKCON New Delhi, Sachidananda Das, President, ISKCON Vallabh Vidyanagar, and Radharanjan Das of ISKCON Lucknow/Kanpur also attended.
A large number of ISKCON devotees from New Delhi, Chandigarh, Vrindavan, Bombay, Vallabhvidyanagar and surrounding areas were present and performed long hours of kirtan in front of the Rath throughout the procession. HH Lokanath Swami, HH Bhakti Vikas Swami, Narsingh Das and others from Vrindavan all led kirtan in front of the Rath.
The crowd gathered at the beginning of the procession continues to be quite large and impressive. There was a group of thousands that accompanied the Rath from the Railway station, through Sayajiganj, in front of the Maharaja Sayajirao University campus, to the Kala Ghoda (”black horse”) Circle, near the Sayaji Bagh (public garden, named after locally famous Maharaja (King) Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III - who lived from 1863-1939).
From there the procession was met by one group after the other. They included the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at the Sayaji Bagh itself, the Muslim community leaders at Macchipith, Municipal Councilor Ashok Pawar at Raopura, “Mamaji” of the famous Dhuliram Pedawala sweetshop at Raopura, the Raopura businesmens association at Raopura, Jubilee Bagh, Sri Padmavati Shopping Center businessmens association, on the East side of the Sur Sagar lake.
Sri Ghani Kureshi, a local Muslim leader and his group of Muslims of the Komi Ekta samiti greeted the Rath at Nyaya Mandir (Court Building). Sri Ghani Kureshi spoke from up on the Rath and expressed his hopes for peace between Hindus and Muslims. He loudly chanted “Jay Jagannath” and garlanded Lord Jagannath!
Also, the Bar association in front of the “Nyaya Mandir”, unofficial municipal employees greeting in front of Khanderao Market, the Muslim community of Dudhwala Mohalla, near Bhagat Singh Chowk (in front of the Nyaya Mandir), the Mahant of the Ramji Mandir, Madan Zampa Road, Kahar Samaj at Pattar Gate, and the head of the Siddhi Vinayak Mandir near Jairatna Building.
There were many others who greeted the Rath at various places who’s names are in fact, unknown to us and/or too numerous to mention.
There were countless residents of Baroda who, along the way, also greeted the Rath and offered fruits - especially “kala (black) jamuns” (a type of large berry), flower garlands, sprouted mung, and sweets to Lord Jagananth, Baladev, and Subhadradevi.
Once again, as always, the festival passed off peacefully. The Police and RAF [Rapid Action Force] forces who were deployed in large numbers served “above and beyond the call of duty”, as they continued to accompany and protect the procession.
At the conclusion of the procession at the Baroda High school, HH Lokanath Swami, Jasomatinandan Das, Devakinandan Das and HH Bhakti Vikas Swami lectured to the public for almost half an hour, from on top of the Rath, in front of Their Lordships.
Arati to Their Lordships was performed to conclude the Rathayatra.
After the Rathayatra procession , thousands of residents of Baroda were served a full plates of (bhojan) prasad at the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Mandir. Due to the lack of rainfall, huge crowds thronged the temple and we estimate that more than forty thousand citizens of Baroda took prasad at the temple. Around fifty thousand visited the temple for darshan of (to see) the Deities here.
The following volunteers and donors once again rendered exceptional services to the Rathayatra festival and it is fitting that their names be mentioned here. They are Sri Gopal Shah, Sri Chirag Thakkar, Sri Mayurbhai Shah, Sri Ketanbhai Patel, Sri Chirag Barot, Sri Bharat Patel, [both municipal councilors from municipal ward 13, where ISKCON Baroda is situated], Sri Sushil Agarwal, Sri Rasikbhai Kotak, Sri Rajesh Agarwal, Sri Dhirubhai Patel, Sri Nrupesh Patel, Sriman Seva Vilas Das, Sri Manish Patel, Sri Shivlal Goyal, and Sri Dinesh Dalal.
Once again, as always, the Rathayatra festival was a grand success, and enlivened hundreds of thousands in Krishna Consciousness here at Baroda!
Jagannath Swami ki jaya! Jagannath Rathayatra Mahotsav ki jaya! Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, Sudarshan chakra ki jaya!
The pioneer of 24 Hours Kirtan
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.
After several visits to Sri Vrindavan-dhama, he then got the inspiration within his heart to re-inaugurate the 24 hour-kirtana which had originally been established by Srila Prabhupada in 1975 at the Krishna-Balarama Mandir. In 1986, Aindra Prabhu decided to settle down in Vrindavan-dhama and was coordinating and guiding the 24 hour-kirtana for 24 entire years! Not only did he inspire the local devotees and numerous visitors with his daily kirtanas, but his wonderful recordings and his most pure katha will eternally spread the mellows of Sri Vrindavan-dhama all over the universe.
He left his body in the holy land of Vrindavan at the lotus feet of his Deities in his room beside Krishna-Balarama Mandir on evening 16th July, 2010. He will be remembered as Sripad Aindra Das Babaji Maharaja and he is leaving behind thousands of devotees who are crying in separation from him.
Aindra Prabhu says: "Get fired up! Do the real thing, the yuga-dharma, harinam-sankirtan! There is no other yuga-dharma for any one of us. There is no way you're going to get Krishna-prema in this Kali-yuga if you don't do the Kali-yuga-dharma, with complete affection enthusiastically chanting the Holy Name of the Lord!"
Audio, Videos, Read Tributes & Memories, Photos, His Room and Shaligrams
Dear devotees and friends,
A new audio book is out now –
“The Nectar of Instruction” by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: http://bbtmedia.com/en/audiobook/en-noi
There have also been a few additions to our ebooks family recently –
Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrita, Part One, by Srila Sanatana Goswami: http://bbtmedia.com/en/ebook/en-bb1
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto One, in Russian: http://bbtmedia.com/en/ebook/ru-sb-1
As well as two Bhagavad-gitas:
In Hungarian: http://bbtmedia.com/en/ebook/hu-bg
And in Russian : http://bbtmedia.com/en/ebook/ru-bg
Available in all flavors!
Please visit bbtmedia.com to see what else is new.
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With love,
BBTmedia.com
Lecture on Krishna Protects his Devotees by HG Madhavananda Prabhu on 24 May 2014 at Durban
(Madhavananda Das, joined ISKCON in Los Angeles in 1982. He moved to Bhubaneswar Orissa in 1993 where he has been living since. He was instructed by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj to edit his lectures into publications.)
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Lecture on How to use Srila Prabhupada books to remember Krishna by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 05 Oct 2011 at Ujjain
(Bhakti Charu Swami is from a Bengali family and spent most of his early childhood in urban Kolkata. He met with Srila Prabhupada at the end of 1976 after a long and intense search for a spiritual teacher. This initial meeting resulted in Bhakti Charu Swami being assigned to translate the books of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust into the Bengali language.)
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Lecture on Meditation on Bhaktivinoda Thakura by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu
(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 Challenge of Combating Applied Mayavada by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 24 May 2014 at San Diego
(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)
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Sri Vakresvara Pandita
Read more about Sri Vakresvara Pandita on www.gaudiyahistory.com
Seminar on Sampurna Bhagawat Katha by HH Nava Yogendra Swami at Udhampur in May 2014
(Nava Yogendra Swami Naishtik Brahmachari left home at a very young age of 9 years to become Sadhu and lived in jungles. Returned home and again left at the age of 17 years and lived at Shri Vrindavana dham.)
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Ramaraya Prabhu has been valiantly singing the Holy Names of Krishna in Union Square Park for the last 2 and half years and has built up a team of steady team of devotees to help, so that we regularly have Hari Nam parties of 25 or more, every single day, without fail on the streets of New York City. When he began this yajna, things were not so easy; already in his mid-fifties, he started this with only a few devotees and had no financial support or even a place to stay. Today they stay in a brand new ISKCON Hari Nam Ashram, just 30 minutes from the center city and boast a team of 18 steady Hari Nam Warriors.
Ramaraya was one of Aindra’s key kirtaniyas in Sri Vrindaban Dham for decades and felt an urge to carry forward the same kind of valiant dedication to Sri Nam that had been instilled in him during those years. As many may know, Aindra Prabhu who loved HariNam used to say that he would only return to the west for doing Hari Nam in the streets of New York. Srila Prabhupada once said that “New York was the Father Land of ISKCON and India was the Mother Land”, so it was a natural for Ramaraya to carry forward his continued service to Sri Nam in New York, remembering Srila Prabhupada and Aindra Prabhu’s love for preaching here.
Many Manhattan workers became attracted and spontaneously joined him daily. As a variety of other came to join him, Ramaraya continued throughout the first freezing winter months performing kirtan daily in the subways of New York and after 18 months passed this way, he still had only 4 dedicated men, but with no fixed residence or even a place to cook prasad.
As Abhiram Prabhu (ACBSP) was himself looking for a new inspiration, he came to see this lonely kirtan team, sitting in the heart of New York and became so inspired by their effort that he decided to also join the party. Having a long history of building up temples and other facilities for devotees, like the MVT, Abhiram first rented a basement with what little monies they had and began living and chanting with them. The team grew over the summer of 2013 to 7 full time and strong brahmacaris; slightly improved facilities were rented. This ‘improved’ facility meant that now 7 men could pack into a 500 square foot apartment and at least have a regular prasad and morning program.
Now, Abhiram could lead the morning program, cook the kichidri and send the team out with ‘General Ram’ (Ramaraya) who would continue for 6 hours daily, with an enlarged, well fed and eager team. The Hari Nam Party always has the support of many other devotees, who live around New York as well as others, who are learning about Krishna Consciousness while sitting in kirtan on the streets. Some team members have now been through the full cycle of getting a first exposure on the streets from the Hari Nam Party and eventually dedicating themselves and shaving up. Bhakta Lee is a shining example; formerly the leader of a Rap Band whose members were mostly vegetarians, he has shaved his lion-like dread locks and donned a dhoti and tilok to support the kirtan with strong mrdanga and kartal playing. So the Hari Nam becomes both a kirtan party and new bhakta program all at once and continued to grow.
These early team members remember their struggle as wonderful times, for they were daily just begging the Lord to help them get by, each day, with one more meal and the ability to pay one more rent, so they could keep chanting His Holy Names. They all felt it a great privilege to have shared these most challenging of times with others similarly committed to fearlessly spread the Name of Krishna in the heavy materialistic city of New York and to see how, like Lord Narasingha Dev saved Prahlad Maharaj, the Lord also came to their rescue, in the form of this new ashram facility and a greatly increased team, with book distribution, a cook and a small temple room.
When out of the blue, offers were made to assist in finding a proper ashram, the Harinam Party felt certain that the Supreme Person, Krishna, had actually reached into the hearts of those who made it possible to provide a newly renovated wonderful facility: a four-story residential ashram 30 minutes door-to-door by subway from the daily Harinam spot at Union Square in Manhattan was purchased in May, fully renovated just prior to occupancy.
The NYC Harinam Ashram is now growing so fast! Nearly every corner of the new facility is filled to capacity. There are 18 full time devotees, plus several constantly visiting devotees. Normally breakfast is served for around 22, since a few guests also come in the morning to hear the class.
Some of the young devotees who stay in the Ashram say that they never want to leave the exciting preaching field of NYC. A primary inspiration is being able to serve the sacred mission of glorification of Krishna, despite the challenges of residing in this harsh city, following in the footsteps of our Founder-acarya.
On Saturday June 22 alone, the NYC Hari Nam party distributed 250 large books and received over $1,200 in contributions! All the books were distributed by devotees in dhotis and saris and tilok, directly in front of the Harinam party, "just like the Old Days"! Although the average is still only 1/3 of that amount, the team is determined to become a major factor in book distribution by gradually building their skills. So now, in addition to broadcasting the Holy Name, book distribution is also growing!
We constantly pray that Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya will be pleased by our efforts and invite all devotees to consider a mass return to the streets, where this ISKCON revolution met with so much success in the past. Srila Prabhupada’s system for preaching is as relevant and practical as it was in the so-called ‘olden days’ and still brings in devotees from the innocent souls! New Yorkers love to see us and we meet with only gentle smiles and often clapping and dancing by the passers-by.
We have included a YouTube link, for your pleasure, of some of the kirtans, at http://youtu.be/kP7CZ7m4sQ0
The Jagannath Ratha Yatra (cart festival of Lord Jagannath) is a centuries-old festival which takes place in Jagannath Puri, India. It celebrates the return of Krishna (Jagannath) along with His brother and sister (Balarama and Subhadra) to Vrindavan, the place of the pastimes of His youth.
It is mentioned in the scriptures by Lord Krishna to Shri Narada that “you will find me wherever my devotees come together to remember me and chant my names and glories”. Today thousands of us have come together for the purpose of remembering God. In this day and age where there is so much conflict, hatred, greed and ego even in the name of religion, we have come together to honor Lord Jagannath. Jagannath means the Lord of the universe, the father, the mother of all living beings. Vedanta Sutra states “Janmady asya yatah”, that the absolute truth is one from whom everything and everyone emanates.”
“Real religion is that which awakens unconditional, unmotivated love for the Lord from within our hearts. The love for God, which is dormant in the heart of all living beings, can be awakened by chanting of holy names of the lord.”
“Srila Prabhupada very simply explained the meaning of Ratha Yatra. He said that Ratha Yatra is the meditation on bringing Krishna back into our hearts. Krishna resides within the heart of all living beings, but we have forgotten Him. The real purpose of spiritual life is to make our heart a suitable home for God to reveal Himself to us. If we are inviting God to reveal himself in our hearts it must be clean. But if our hearts have accumulated the dirt of lust, envy, arrogance, greed, anger and illusion then He will not be happy to reveal His home within our heart. The purpose of every great spiritual path in this world is to help one another to honestly and sincerely clean our hearts, to cultivate the character of humility, charity, love for God and compassion to all beings.”
Read more about Sri Sivananda Sena on www.gaudiyahistory.com
Bhajans by Sri Sivananda Sena on www.vaishnavsongs.com
Read more about Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami on www.gaudiyahistory.com
Bhajans by Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami on www.vaishnavsongs.com
The cultural capital of Gujarat is all geared up to celebrate Lord Jagannath Yatra that will pass through city roads on Sunday. The Yatra organized by ISKCON temple is celebrated with fervour in Vadodara as thousands of Barodians turn up on city roads to offer prayers to the lord. Thousands of kilograms of ‘prasad’ are distributed to devotees en route apart from saplings and fruits.
Considering the huge crowd that the Yatra attracts, the city police take additional security measures. “We have already deployed companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the city. Also, our entire police force will be on guard on the day of Yatra,” city police commissioner Satish Sharma said.
The police will also install additional closed circuit television cameras on the route of Yatra that starts from Sayajigunj, passes from Kothi crossroads, Raopura, Nyay Mandir, Khanderao Market Road and Rajmahal Road. The ISKCON temple authorities, too, have begun preparations for the Yatra. The rath, on which procession of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Subhadra is taken out, has been decorated and temple too is being given a facelift.
Basu Ghosh Das: Below there is a scan from page 3 of today’s Times of India (Ahmedabad/Baroda edition), where an article with seven (7) pictures appeared describing the preparations for the upcoming Jagannath Rathayatra festival here at Baroda.
Rathayatra will be observed here the day after tomorrow, Sunday, June 29, 2014, corresponding to Aashaadh shukla dvitiya on the Hindu calendar, the traditional date of the Rathayatra at Puri.
Lecture on Our Varnasrama Responsibility by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 22 May 2014 at Diego
(His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami appeared in this world in 1957 in England. He joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in London in 1975 and was initiated in that year with the name Ilapati dasa by ISKCON's founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.)
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