After traveling 10,000 kilometers through deserts, mountains and across windswept plains to deliver the message of Lord Caitanya to the people of Mongolia, we have come to the end of our great adventure. Though the austerities of such a journey were more than challenging, nothing could dampen our spirits as we tasted the bliss of pioneering Krsna consciousness in some of the most remote areas of the country. Thank you Srila Prabhupada for allowing us to assist you in your desire to spread Krsna consciousness to every corner of the world. We await your next instructions.
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Prabhupada said, “Oh! You have tricked me.”
Dhananjaya: After we left George Harrison’s estate, we went to Mr. Prajapati’s house. Prabhupada was supposed to take some milk and maybe some halava and puri there and then go back to Bury Place. When we got to Mr. Prajapati’s house, many devotees were already there. Mr. Prajapati and his wife were very expert in serving prasadam. He asked Srila Prabhupada, “What would you like?” Prabhupada said, “A little milk.” Mr. Prajapati said, “Would you like something with the milk?” Prabhupada said, “Have you prepared something?” He said, “Yes, subji, puri, and halava.” Prabhupada said, “All right.” Prabhupada liked to take halava and puris with his milk in the U.K. As Prabhupada was being served, they brought in other preparations as well. Prabhupada said, “What is this? This looks nice.” He took a little bit and then someone else came with something else. Then someone else came with something else. All of a sudden there were fifteen or twenty different preparations in front of Prabhupada. Prabhupada said, “Oh! You have tricked me.” Mr. Prajapati said, “Yes! What could we do? We felt so honored that you were coming to our house that we cooked a huge feast.” Prabhupada said, “But, what about everyone else here?” Mr. Prajapati said, “We have cooked enough for everybody.” Prabhupada said: “All right. Everybody else should eat too.” At 11:00 at night we had a massive feast. The next morning we had to be up at 4:00 a.m. because Prabhupada wanted to have darshan of Radha-London Ishvara. After staying up late and eating so much it was difficult for us to get up.
Krishna Lunch: Volunteer and You can eat for Free!
Looking for the best place to volunteer? Want to eat Krishna Lunch for free? Come serve Krishna Lunch with us at the Plaza of the Americas! Volunteering at Krishna Lunch is a great way to meet new people and earn a few community service hours. Krishna Lunch has been providing healthy vegetarian meals to students on campus for over 40 years, and owes a lot of it’s success to so many amazing people that come out and volunteer. It does not matter whether you have 3 hours or 30 minutes between classes, we have a service for you. In exchange for your time, we promise to give you all the Krishna Lunch you can eat for FREE! For more information about volunteering click the link: http://goo.gl/3BHQ1A
West Bengal International School Go Fund Me page
In August 2015, my family and I spent some time there. My wife had applied to do humanitarian work at Sri Mayapur International School in West Bengal and the plan was to also have our 3 kids go to school there.
A few days after we got there, there was a bad flood that created many problems for the school. Water level was chest high in my area but higher in others. The beginning of school was postponed due to flood. Water level at the school buildings was a lot deeper than in other areas of the Mayapur village.
The school really needs your help to complete several much needed repairs and to replace materials which were damaged. School staff had moved library books to higher grounds, but even that got damaged (pics). Some buildings are in need of major repairs and other structures need to be completely rebuilt due to collapsing during the flood.
Please read more and donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/w763md78
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Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America
50th Anniversary Celebration in Butler, PA on October 24th, 2015
Fifty years of steady dedication, fifty years of non-stop commitment, fifty years of building memories and accomplishment. A 50th anniversary is known as a golden anniversary and throughout this year and the next, ISKCON devotees all over the world are celebrating a golden milestone of achievement of our glorious spiritual master and Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The celebrations began in Calcutta, India where Srila Prabhupada left behind the land of his birth on his mission of mercy, and continued in Boston, Massachusetts where His Divine Grace’s lotus feet first touched American soil. On October 24th, devotees from all over North American will gather to glorify Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental pastimes in Butler, PA.
Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in Butler was certainly a momentous occasion in his lifetime of meditation on spreading the glories of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and fulfillment of his spiritual master’s instructions. This was the first place in America he began a steady preaching program and giving his association to inquisitive souls. Srila Prabhupada spent his time in Butler meeting with local people and speaking to them about the relevant topics of awakening the spirit soul and developing one’s lost relationship with Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada’s stay in Butler was made possible by the kindness of Gopal Agarwal and his wife Sally Agarwal. The young couple, although unable to shelter Prabhupada in their home, arranged all his stay at the local YMCA, to meet with local interested people, and to cook his meals at their home. Sally describes Srila Prabhupada’s association (and cooking particularly) during this time as “sublime.”
On October 24th, there will be a celebration and commemoration of Srila Prabhupada’s stay in Butler, PA. The event will take place at the Grand Ballroom in Butler, PA. The building, the old YMCA, where Prabhupada personally resided can be seen from the window of the Grand Ballroom. This historical event will include a harinama touring of the places of Prabhupada’s pastimes, kirtan, glorification of Prabhupada and mouth watering prasadam.
This event will also mark the half way point of H.H. Bhakti Marg Swami’s walking tour of the eastern United States. Swami is performing this pilgrimage in honor of the first travels of Srila Prabhupada in America. He will also be present at the celebration in Butler and will enliven us with his kirtan and association. He will then continue by walking to New York City and will also attend the celebrations there.
Also in attendance will be Sally Agarwal, who relishes the opportunity to share her memories of Srila Prabhupada. Please join us with your congregation members on October 24th at the Grand Ballroom in Butler, PA from 4-7pm to celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of our dear Srila Prabhupada. The harinama will take place from 2:30-3:30pm and will start and end at the Grand Ballroom.
Recently, at the appearance day of Lalita Devi there was an 8th anniversary of establishing the mataji sankirtan party in Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi. In 2007 female disciples of Srila Prabhupada invited everyone to take part in the congregational chanting in the Samadhi. There were many microphones, mridangas and karatals. It was a large loud blissful kirtan that certainly made Srila Prabhupada smile proudly as his disciples and grand-disciples ecstatically sang out the Holy Names here in the land of Krsna and the home of Srila Prabhupada. After that wonderful experience, devotees asked Mataji Krishodari, one of the kirtan leaders, to perform these kirtanas on a regular basis. From that day on until now there has been daily sankirtana in Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi.
In the male 24-hour kirtan department there is good management and a high standard of playing and singing but, as one mataji told us, in the mataji party everything is more or less on a spontaneous basis. For a long time the kirtan party in the Samadhi was held by matajis from the temple’s mataji ashram who were small in number. Some days only one or two matajis would hold the kirtan but, nevertheless, they have been doing it every day for the last 8 years. It is known that Aindra Prabhu also wanted that the mataji kirtan in the Samadhi keep going so in this way there is a nice connection.
For a long time there was only one shift from 10:30 AM until 12:30 PM but two years ago the time was increased to 1 PM and after that the matajis jokingly named their kirtan «2.4 kirtan» because it lasts for 2 hours and 24 minutes. Then, the duration of the kirtan was increased to 3 hours and the matajis made an evening shift but still they lovingly call it «2.4 kirtan» as a minimum standard of doing this seva. Even now the leader of the party is still Mataji Krishodari. All of them not only sing but teach each other how to play instruments, build relationships with each other, discuss philosophy, etc.
Unlike in the western countries, where we have to put a lot of effort into attracting people to kirtan, here in Vrindavan you just need to do take up the service and you get a lot of admirers. The Indian public are open and friendly by nature. If they are attracted by your devotional mood, then they eagerly want to have your association.
For many pilgrims from remote villages white ladies who play instruments and chant Krishna’s names are the same as the dancing white elephants who bewilder the country’s men. As a mataji from the kirtan party said, “The elderly ladies from Bengal from tradition want to touch our feet, young people want to take selfies with us and thus try to sit as close as possible. Somebody wants to be a part of the kirtan and demands instruments to be given to him, others gladly join the kirtan but start to sing something else. There are some who come and fall into trance showing different ecstatic emotions like rolling on the flour and losing consciousness. Sometimes some mystic sadhus come to look at the kirtan party. Sometimes VIP persons, distrustful officials and big businessmen come and scan us trying to see our motives. Sometimes thieves come. Professional kirtaniyas skeptically pass by. Brajabasi matajis are ready to dance at any time and can surprise everyone by their specific motions of the body which are specifically used in their own village. Representatives of different sampradayas, apasampradayas, sects, religious groups etc. regularly come and look point-blank at us.”
Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi is a very unique place in the universe. It is not a museum with tablets and security and we are not members of any modern cultural movement. Srila Prabhupada dedicated his life for spreading Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the Holy Names and kirtan that can be made at Srila Prabhupada’s feet in his Samadhi in Vrindavan is the unrivalled best opportunity to express our gratitude to Srila Prabhupada who gave the whole world the method that can bring us beyond birth and death.
By Syama Kunda das
The SRC Presidency Award for Most Outstanding CSO (Club, Society and Organisation), goes to ISKCON’s Bhakit Yoga Society
Nature of the award: Recognition of the best CSO at the University for 2015
Criteria for award:
– Made a meaningful contribution to the student experience
– Must have promoted the vision of the University
– Increased its membership from previous year
– Improved networking with other societies
– Participated in community based activities
HH Lokanath Swami is visiting South Indian temples. Now in Sree Poornathrayesa, temple (Krishna)
HH Lokanath Swami is in Kochin now with HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj, HH Bhakti Vinod Swami, HG Annutam Prabhu, HG Braj Bihari prabhu. Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupad's visit to Kochi.
October 6, 2015
By Acarya Dasa
Our party had traveled to the town of Muddanur in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. We celebrated the auspicious day of Radhastami there. It was 31 years ago on Srimati Radharani’sappearance day that the ‘All India Padayatra’ made its debut, which made the occasion even more special to the padayatris.
Since September 2nd, 1984 padayatris have been walking the streets of India spreading the mercy of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. So, it is also by the blessings of Srimati Radharani that padayatrahas been going on all these years.
We enjoyed Radhastami with a grand celebration at the Hanuman Guti nama-hatta and the devotees there. We sang several bhajanas glorifying Radharani. Akhildhara Prabhu gave class on the glories of Radharani, and explained that without Her mercy we cannot get Lord Krishna. Devotees offered more than 108 preparations.
About 500 people attended the program along with the devotees; katha was followed by kirtanaand maha-prasada and nagar sankirtana in the evening. We all prayed at the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani to bless us so that we could please Guru and Gauranga and be an instrument in Her hands to spread the holy names all over India .
If you give Krishna space in your heart, he will be the sun that removes the inner darkness – you will see
Preaching at the Mahendradatta University, Bali (Album with photos)
His Holiness Ramai Swami gives a Bhagavad-Gita class at the University of Mahendradatta, Depasar, Bali on the 9th of October 2015.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/PShl5w
Hare Krishna from Mongolia! (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: We are indebted to Ananta Vrindavan dasa for his amazing photography and excellent videos covering our travels here in Mongolia this past month. As our adventure winds down and we start heading back to the capital, Ulaan Bataar, we share a few more of his photos taken this last week on the road.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ZlT0vR
By Nikunja Vilasini Devi Dasi
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Lecture on Krishna-The Butter Thief by HH Indradyumna Swami on 29 Sep 2015 at Mongolia
(Indradyumna Swami is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Sannyasi traveling preacher, and a guru or spiritual teacher in the Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition.)
To Listen and Download - click here
