Prahlad Katha by His Grace Nirantara Prabhu
(His Grace Nirantara Prabhu got his 2nd birth. From 1973 until 1980 he served the mission as a brahmacari in the capacity of book distribution, either directly or as a back-up helper. From 1980 until the present, he has tried to serve the will of Srila Prabhupada by preaching through lectures and music concerts. )
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Lecture on The Secret of Spiritual Advancement by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami at ISKOCN Durban
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami coordinated the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi in Mayapur. He took sannyasa in 1997 and is now an initiating guru.)
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Lecture on Considering future problems is a sign of Intelligence by HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu
(HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu is a celibate spiritual teacher (brahmachari) at ISKCON, Pune. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Govt College of Engg, Pune. He is a member of ISKCON's topmost intellectual body)
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Lecture on Bhagavad Gita for Students by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami on 08 Feb 2015 at Hyderabad - Telugu Translation
(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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In honor of Jayananda Prabhu's disappearance day on May 1, we submit the following account, derived from a letter by Kalindi Dasi to her spiritual master, Candramauli Swami.
A Hospice Miracle--Serving Jayananda's Mother
In mid-July I started wearing tilak to my work at the hospice. I thought that since many other spiritual practitioners were expressing their faith by wearing crosses, doves, silk threads, pentacles, and other items, I would wear my tilak, which tells the world that I am a devotee of the Lord. And I have found that wearing tilak at work has opened the door for spiritual questions and conversations.
On the morning of Monday, August 6, 2007, after our daily report and medical-staff checks, we began doing our usual tasks of caring for the patients. As ours is only a ten-bed facility, we are able to give loving care to each patient individually. Often, while I care for or bathe patients who are unable to do such tasks for themselves, I chant or sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane's grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.”
“The Jayananda?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. And he told me how his uncle had built the Ratha-yatra carts. He then went in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krishna.
Gaynelle, Jayananda Prabhu's sister, came out of the room and said that she was so happy that a Krishna devotee had cared for her mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn't believe that I was a Hare Krishna. She said that she told her mother but wasn't sure that her mom could hear her. I said that I had a feeling she already knew, and I laughed.
Jane, a granddaughter, mentioned that she remembered her uncle making really great Indian food and offering it to God and then the family sitting on the floor and eating it. She remembered his robes and how happy he was. Jane said that he had been pretty depressed before meeting devotees.
I let Jayananda Prabhu's family know that during the Ratha-yatra festival we hang a nice photo of him next to Srila Prabhupada's photo. They told me that an old friend of Jayananda's (who is not a devotee) happened to be in Durban, South Africa, several years ago and saw his first Ratha-yatra festival there, and to his astonishment there was a huge photo of Jayananda Prabhu on the front of the cart. He had called Gaynelle to share the news.
They told me that Jayananda was always very kind, even as a child, and never spoke badly of others. From the many stories they told me, his saintly qualities shone through even in his childhood. Gaynelle told me that her brother once spent hours on a family vacation at the beach picking ticks and fleas off a homeless dog. He couldn't stand to watch it suffering. Jayananda's nephew told me about running around the kitchen table as a small child with his uncle, who was laughing and chanting Hare Krishna.
When I went back into Jane's room, the family was gathered around her bed holding her hand. Her breaths were faint, and she was about to leave her body. I stepped out to give the family some space, and about five minutes later they came to the front desk and asked for me to look at her. When I opened the door, I saw that her body had turned yellow and waxy. It was apparent that the soul had left and that the physical body was all that remained. The nurse reported that she had passed, and the family, though sad, also felt relief.
Gaynelle told me that she had asked her brother for support. Since he couldn't physically be at their mother's passing, she had been looking for a sign that he was supporting her. She felt that a devotee's being present and caring for her mother was not a mere coincidence. It was, I believe, Krishna's endless mercy!
I thanked the relatives for allowing me to serve their family, offered my pranamas, and said, “Hare Krishna.”
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“Jayananda's death is glorious. It is very good that he had stated, what is the use of such a useless body, better to give it up. He has left his body very wonderfully, and he has been transferred to Vaikuntha. I have already sent a condolence letter for publication in Back To Godhead. Everyone should follow the example of Jayananda. I am very proud that I had such a nice disciple" (Srila Prabhupada's Letter to Rameshvara – Hrishikesh, May 11, 1977)
Lecture on Imports of Word Niskincanah by HH Radhanath Swami on 12 April 2015 at ISKCON Chowpatty
(Radhanath Swami was born in Chicago in 1950. Radhanath Swami's childhood name was Richard Slavin; Radhanath Swami was given the name Radhanath Swami after he entered the renounced order. In his teenage years)
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Lecture on Hiranyakashipu Heart Surgery by HH Indradyumna Swami on 09 April 1994 at Poland
(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.)
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Lecture on Helpless without Shelter by HH Smita Krishna Swami on 09 April 2015
(HH Smita Krishna Swami was born in Sweden in 1952. He joined ISKCON in 1970 in Hamburg, Germany and recieved spiritual initiation from His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1971. In 1973 he moved back to the Sweden with the first group of devotees to establish preaching of Krsna consciousness in Sweden.)
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Departing from Calgary on the morning of Sunday, April 19th we flew to Vancouver, Canada, one of the country’s largest devotee congregations, and had lunch at the home of Harirani dasi.
We quickly made our way to the temple, home of beautiful Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan, Gaur Nitai and Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra. We set up our displays and table, and during the arati the Padukas and Sitari were bathed and adorned with flowers. About 200 devotees had come and Manu das, the temple president, along with Sri Govinda, the former temple president, introduced the TOVP Team. Radha Jivan and Jananivas prabhus spoke about the TOVP and the pledges started to come in. $265,000 was pledged that evening and prasadam was served. We were scheduled to stay in Vancouver for the entire week and also pay a visit to Saranagati, a devotee farm community further North. We were expecting more pledges from there and at other programs during the rest of the week.
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We departed from Edmonton on the morning of Saturday, April 18th, driving to Calgary for our TOVP presentation the same day.
We arrived in Calgary for lunch at the home of Veda Vyasa das and Rasalila dasi and made our way to the temple, home of Sri Sri Radha Madhava of Canada. During the Gaura arati the Padukas received an abhisheka and flower petals from all the devotees, and Atma Rama prabhu and Dipesvari Radhika mataji introduced the TOVP Team. Radha Jivana and Jananivas prabhus spoke about the significance of the TOVP project and inspired all the devotees, numbering about 175. Over 25 Silver Coins went flying off the display table into the hands of devotees and the total pledges reached $295,000. Prasadam was then served to all the Vaishnavas.
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Highlights of this Newsletter include:
Gaura Purnima: The Advent of the Golden Avatar
BBC One Show’s Holi Special
Bhaktivedanta Player’s 30th Anniversary (1985 – 2015)
Sabbatical Adventures 2014-15
Rama Navami: The Advent of the Ideal King
Hare Krishna prabhu.
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhu, this is Ujjvala Sakha Das on behalf of ISKCON Kolkata. Prabhu, as you must be knowing that we are going to celebrate this year"50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada going to west on Jaladuta" on 13th August in "Netaji Indoor Stadium" in Kolkata. Around 15,000 people shall be coming from all over the world for this grand festival. The event shall be graced by many senior leaders of ISKCON, delegates and celebrities from various sections of society.
The highlight of the event is a 15-20 min program entitled: “He built a home in which the whole world can live”. The program will have a lively performance by Srila Prabhupada’s representatives from more than 100 countries. Only one representative per country will be allowed to participate along with their national flag.
Already, devotees from around 60 countries have been finalized to come for this program. We are providing them free accommodation and prasadam. Also, conveyances within their stay in Kolkata. Within India we can try for their train tickets. But we will not able to provide their flight tickets. So, we are looking for foreigner devotees who can be available in India during festival period. But, if someone wants to come from their own country, we request them to make their own arrangements.
We are also trying to record this event in "Guinness Book of World Record". For this we need your help. I am sending you the list of countries which is still remaining. If you know anyone from these countries who are willing to come for this grand festival, we earnestly request you to invite them and make this event successful. Please let us know their details or anyone who can help us in this regard. For any clarifications please call on 08420002607 or mail us to jaladutay@gmail.com
List of countries are there with attached file.
Thanking you
Ujjvala Sakha das
On behalf of ISKCON Kolkata
Check the list here : List_of_country_required.xlsx
Let us come together to pray for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal and India.
ISKCON Nepal has set up a relief camp with the help of 300 devotees in the Budhanilkantha locality of Kathmandu. If you know someone who wish to volunteer or contribute to the relief operation, please direct them to the ISKCON, Buddhanilkantha, Kathamandu.
Due to severe damage in infrastructure, electronic transfer details and phone numbers are currently unavailable. These details will be posted soon.
Srutakirti prabhu: I am also in aftershock. Two days ago we were walking around this area, where there are so many old temples; a Radha Krsna temple, a Jagannatha temple and a Nrsinghadeva temple. We heard the sound of the mridanga and karatals and walked over to this place and joined in the Harinama. Two days later nothing but ruble in the exact place the devotees were chanting. We left the evening before the quake.
We were in the temple car on the way back to Vrindavan when the quake occurred. Today the Deities at the Katmandu temple are outside of the Deity room for safety. Part of me wishes I was there to help and the other part understands that somehow Govardhan removed us just before it happened. Teary eyed I feel grateful all our friends are safe. Feeling sad and sober.
The temple is now ruble. This photo was 48 hours earlier.
This is what remains two days after we were chanting on the stairs.
Narottamananda prabhu (photo below): Hardly internet. But we are safe and fine in Pokhara luckly leaving a village near the center of the quake the day before… Thanks for your concerned inquires. Love to all…
Visnupriya-devi Dasi: Some devotees who have lost their houses near the temple are sleeping in the rain in the grounds of Iskcon Kathmandu. Devotees need to provide temporary shelter to help out as well as assistance with FFL prasad distribution to the masses.
Dear devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
By now many of you must have heard and read about the earthquake in Nepal. The tremor was felt even in Mayapur Dham. HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj was trying to reach out to the devotees in Kathmandu to get update on the situation of our temples and devotees there in Kathmandu and Pohkara. Since morning we were not able to reach anyone as all the mobile network were down. Fortunately, the temple president of Iskcon Kathmandu, HG Rupesvar Gaura Das, called us just now and reported that the situation in Kathmandu is very bad. Our temple building and guest house building in Kathmandu and Pohkara are safe. But the BBT building has suffered some severe cracks. Many houses surrounding our temple area are also badly affected. This including our temple president’s house. So far our temples and devotees in affected areas are safe. No injuries or loss of live reported as of now. But some devotees around the villages of the epicentre (Lamjung) reported that their houses are flattened. The government had issued a warning to expect another major earthquake around 2am Nepali time. So, HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj is requesting devotees all around the world to offer your prayers for the safety of the devotees, since there could be another severe hit expected at 2am Nepal Standard time.
Your servant,
Maha Varaha Das
By Indradyumna Swami
A massive earthquake of 7.9 magnitude has just struck central Nepal, affecting Kathmandu. Many buildings are damaged and there are numerous injuries. I just spoke with Patri das, ISKCON’s regional secretary in Nepal, who told me our temple in Kathmandu is basically OK. But there are severe cracks in a number of buildings on our property. The Deities have been moved outside from the main temple. No devotees were injured at the temple complex, but he stressed that many houses in the area collapsed and he cannot say at this point if all our devotees are safe. So please everyone pray for the safely and lives of our members living in and around the affected area.
On this day the Ganga is worshipped and many people make offerings to the forefathers, and bathe in the Ganga. On this day, if possible, one should worship the Ganges and bathe in her waters.
From Bhaktivinode Thakura's Sri Navadvipa Mahatmya Chapter 13: Description of Vidyanagara and Jahnudvipa
As Nityananda spoke, they went to Jannagara where they saw the enchanting hermitage of Jahnu Muni. Nityananda Prahhu explained, "This enchanting place named Jahnudvipa is known as Bhadravana. At this place, Jahnu Muni underwent penances and received darsana of the golden form of Gauranga.
Read more : http://www.iskcondesiretree.com/page/jahnu-saptami
Lecture on Simplicity and Being Satisfied by Sivarama Swami on 08 April 2015 at New Vraja Dham
(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 Only A Devotee Can Conquer the Lord by HH Romapada Swami on 15 Mar 2015 at St.Louis
(Romapada Swami‘s first encounter with Krishna consciousness came in Buffalo, in the shape of a lecture at the State University of New York in 1969. The lecturer was His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The following year, Romapada Swami joined the movement in Boston and was initiated in 1971.)
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TOVP Tour Diary Days 33-34 – Home Programs in Montreal, Canada
Monday and Tuesday, April 13 & 14 in Montreal were spent visiting devotees in their homes, giving darshan of the Padukas and association with Jananivas prabhu. The following devotees and their families opened their homes for our visit and TOVP programs:
Monday mid-day: Yashomati Sundari and family
Monday evening: Kirti Patel and family
Tuesday mid-day: Narain Prasad and family
Tuesday evening: Carith Sairam and family
TOVP Tour Diary Days 35-36 – Edmonton, Canada
On Wednesday, April 15th we departed from Montreal, flying into Edmonton on the Western side of Canada. We spent the next day, Thursday, April 16th resting and catching up on office and other backup work, and in the evening Jananivas prabhu spoke to a gathering of 15-20 devotees.
TOVP Tour Diary Day 37 – Edmonton, Canada TOVP Program
On the evening of Friday, April 17th we did our TOVP presentation along with kirtan and abhisheka of the Padukas during the Gaura arati.
Bala Krishna prabhu, the temple president, introduced the TOVP Team and Radha Jivana spoke in Hindi to the large gathering of Indian guests and devotees. $60,000 in pledges was raised and Bala Krishna promised more from his personal fundraising efforts by going to people’s homes. Prasadam was then served.
Lecture on Movement of Pure Devotional Service by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami on 27 Mar 2015 at Benoni
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami coordinated the construction of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi in Mayapur. He took sannyasa in 1997 and is now an initiating guru.)
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