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Lecture on Relationships with the Supreme by HG Sesa Prabhu on 15 March 2014 at ISKCON Gainesville

(Sesa Dasa joined ISKCON in 1973 inspired by the political activism of the In God We Trust Party for Purified Leaders, organized by members of ISKCON.He was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1974 while he was traveling as a member of the initial Bhaktivedanta Book Trust library party.)

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Lecture on Shisyo krupa kar ke dhoka na de by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 26 January 2014 at Jagannath Puri, Odhisha

(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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Lecture on Ramayana - Importance of hearing from right source by HH Romapada Swami in 01April 2014 at Naperville

(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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Give Me Shelter by HH Indradyumna Swami on 26 Mar 2014 at ISKCON Vindavan

(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. Each year Indradyumna Swami circles the globe teaching the message of the Bhagavad Gita and introducing people to kirtan chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra.)

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Lecture on Rama Katha by HG Vijaya Prabhu on 07 April 2014 at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh

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Lecture on Rama Katha by His Holiness Prabodhananda Sarasvati Swami at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh on 05th April 2014

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1) Taking His affectionate and sinless brother, Satrughna, who ever slays His foes, Lord Bharata proceeded to the habitation of His  maternal uncle.

2) Being affectionately entertained by Yudhajit,  the horse master, the righteous prince  remained there for some time and received the  fond embrace due a beloved son.

3) Bharata and Satrughna abided there in great happiness, having all Their desires gratified, and They always remembered Their elderly  father, King Dasaratha.

4) King Dasaratha too, never forgot his absent sons, the heroic Bharata and Satrughna, who  resembled Indra and Varuna.

5) Indeed, the emperor held his four mighty sons, who had issued from his body, as dear as his own arms.

6) Of the four, Lord Rama was the king's most beloved son, and like a Brahma He excelled all others in virtue.

7) Indeed, He was the eternal Lord Sri Vishnu, and had advented Himself in the world of men on behalf of the Devas, who desired the slaying of Ravana.

8) Queen Kausalya had her beauty embellished by her son of unequalled potency, just as Aditi does by Vajrapani [Indra].

9) He was endowed with supernal loveliness and heroism, and was envious of no one. He was a son unequalled in the world, and  resembled Dasaratha in the possession of good qualities.

10) He was always tranquil at heart and His speech was gentle— He never spoke haughtily  to any man even though He had been reviled.

11) He was often delighted by some small service rendered Him, and being  self-possessed, He would forgive hundreds of  misdeeds.

12) Lord Rama would converse only with self-realised souls, with those of mature  character, with those advanced in spiritual  knowledge, and with those advanced in years.  He was always available to such persons when  He was not under arms.

13) He was intelligent, sweetly spoken, and  would always speak first [thus allaying others'  nervousness]. He was agreeable and valorous,  but was not proud of His heroism.

14) He never spoke an untruth, He offered all  respect to the learned and the elderly; the  people adored Him, and He loved the people.

15) He was compassionate, mild, and the worshipper of brahmanas. He pitied the unfortunate, was conversant with the principles of religion, was always kind, and was purity personified.

16) Lord Rama always had His family's well-being in mind. He considered His regal duty to be of great importance, and He contemplated the heavenly reward of such conduct with immense satisfaction.

17) He would countenance no mischief, neither did He relish vulgar talk. Like Brihaspati, He could counter specious arguments with ease.

18) His transcendental body was free from disease and the influence of old age. He was eloquent, beautiful, and adaptable to circumstances. He knew the heart of every man on earth [being omniscient], and He alone was aloof from the world of matter.

19) He alone was possessed of all conceivable qualities who was the king's son, and was as dear to the people as their own hearts.

20) He had acquired all requisite learning, had undertaken all manner of religious vows and was fully conversant with the Vedas and the Vedic supplements. Lord Rama, the elder brother of Bharata, surpassed His father in the wielding of the bow and missiles controlled by hymns.

21) He was the benefactor of the people; He was determined and noble-minded, truthful and honest. He was tutored by elderly brahmanas who were authorities in matters of religion and economics.

22) He knew the principles of religion, regulated sense enjoyment, and the acquisition of wealth. His memory was faultless, He was shrewd, and He was conversant with both worldly conventions and Vedic ritual.

23) He was modest and reserved. He kept His counsellors' advice secret and had many companions and confidential servants. His wrath and joviality were both unfailing, and He knew when renunciation and restraint were called for.

24) Rama was the personification of unflinching devotion, His wisdom was unswerving, He utterly rejected things mundane, and would never speak harshly. He was alert and infallible. He was neither unaware of the faults of His kin nor of others.

25) He knew the scriptures, He was grateful, He was learned in the art of psychology, and He was sagacious in the matter of proffering and accepting favours.

26) He attracted the self-realised, and bestowed His mercy upon them, and He knew when to suppress disturbing elements in His  father's realm. He was conversant with the  means of collecting revenue and He managed the state expenditure as per the scriptural ordinances.

27) He was pre-eminent in His ability to extract the quiddity of the various scriptures and of works composed in a mixture of dialects. Lord Rama enjoyed sense-pleasure within the bounds of religion and economy and was never slothful.

28) He knew how to apportion funds for the patronage of the arts that serve for amusement or sport, and He was an accomplished rider and trainer of spirited horses.

29) He was fully conversant with the Dhanurveda and was adjudged the greatest warrior in the world by the atirathas. He knew how to best the enemy in an assault, and was proficient in the deployment of military  formations.

30) He was invincible in battle by either demigods or demons. He was free from spite, having subdued anger, and He was neither  haughty nor envious.

31) Lord Rama was not to be disesteemed or disregarded by any living being, neither did He come under the sway of the time factor. Indeed, the Prince was endowed with super-excellent characteristics that were unequalled within the three worlds.

32) He was like the earth in point of forbearance, like Brihaspati in point of wisdom, and like Indra in point of valour.

33) He was loved by His father's subjects, and ever increased His sire's delight. Lord Rama was endowed with dazzling transcendental qualities, and He was haloed as if by the rays of the sun.

34) The earth personified adored Him who was possessed of such virtues, who was  unconquerable, who was courageous, and who was the unequalled Lord of all.

35) Perceiving his son to be possessed of innumerable sublime characteristics, King Dasaratha, the subduer of foes, began to consider thus.

36) Now that the long-lived monarch had grown old he thought: "How shall I live to see my  beloved Rama crowned king?

37) This is undoubtedly the foremost desire within my heart— when, pray, shall I behold my darling son anointed as emperor?

38) He is desirous of the people's prosperity and He is compassionate upon all living beings. He is dearer to my subjects than I, and is just like Parjanya, the god of rain.

39) In valour He is the equal of Yama and Indra, and in intellect He is the equal of Brihaspati. He is as constant as a mountain, and He is more qualified and virtuous than am I.

40) When I witness His dominion over the entire world, then I shall attain the kingdom of God!"

41) Observing such manifold qualities, which are rarely to be found in kings, to be present in his cultured son, and to a degree that is seldom to be seen in mankind, King Dasaratha and his counsellors resolved to have Rama installed as heir-apparent.

42) The emperor was somewhat elderly in body and mind, and he observed terrifying portents  in the heavens and upon the earth.

43) He reminded himself, however, of the people's love for Rama— whose countenance was as radiant as the full moon, and his fears were completely dispelled.

44) For his own benefit, as well as for that of his subjects, and also to gain the affection of the public, the righteous king, who was motivated by devotional love for his son, urged the speedy coronation of Lord Rama.

45) To that end, the intelligent emperor had the prominent residents of various cities and villages brought to the capital to observe the festivities.

46) Upon arriving in Ayodhya, they were  provided with fitting accommodation and with  jewels and ornaments. They were given an honourable reception, and the king came personally, fully decorated, and met them, just  as Brahma meets his offspring.

47) The arrangements were so quickly made that the emperor had neither the king of the Kekayas nor King Janaka brought to his capital, thinking they would hear the delightful news in due course.

48) Thereafter, as King Dasaratha, the subduer of foes, took his seat in the assembly of guests.  The other sovereigns, who were esteemed by  their subjects, entered and took their  respective seats as well.

49) He was thus surrounded by kings who were self-controlled and endowed with the marks of nobility, by men who had come from town and village, and who sat closely about him, and he appeared like Indra in the midst of the demigods.

Lord Ramachandra is an avatar of the supreme personality of godhead an ideal king. He appeared more than two million years ago. Under the order of His father, Lord Ramachandra lived in the forest for fourteen years, along with His wife, Sita Devi, and His younger brother, Lakshmana. After the powerful demon Ravana kidnapped His wife, Lord Ramachandra rescued her, with the help of His faithful servant Hanuman, and killed Ravana along with Ravana's armies. The history of Lord Ramachandra's pastimes is recounted by the sage Valmiki in his Ramayana.

Ramachandra, or Lord Rama, is one of the Supreme Person's many avatars on earth. He appeared during a previous age, Treta-yuga, and ruled as emperor of the world. A chronicle of His activities is presented extensively in the epic Ramayana, and concisely in the ninth canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, a biography of Krishna's many incarnations.

Ramacandra's life, God's activities, pastimes, if we hear, that means we are associating with Ramacandra. There is no difference between His form, His name, His pastimes, and Himself. He's absolute. Therefore either you chant the holy name of Rama or you see the statue of Rama, or you talk of His transcendental pastimes, everything that means you are associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We take advantage of these days when the incarnation of God appears or disappears, and we try to associate with Him.

Srila Prabhupada : Hawaii, March 27, 1969

Dear Mrigapati Prabhu

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glory to Srila Prabhupada. I remember you as one of the mega sankirtan devotees and heros of the recent past, When I joined the movement in April 1977 you were not only the book distribution hero of Holland and Belgium but of the whole ISKCON world wide. You were for months on a row the top of the pops, the number one in the world for book distribution. You distributed for several months more than 1000 big books a week.

In Amsterdam at that time there were other great devotees on book distribution like Mahavidhya, Bhima, Jaya Gopal prabhus and others. They were backed up by many nice devotees in the temple such as TP Locanananda, bhakta leader Tirthasadaka, administative departement Hari Krishna das and our translater Hayesvara prabhus. There were also great sankirtan women but as a new bhakta brahmacari I had no contact with them. They had their own wonderful parties.

Dear prabhu you sometimes used your typical British dramatic talents on the streets of Belgium and Holland to induce people to surrender their wallet to your care and allowed you to take out whatever you felt was right. This was certainly some amazing angelic mystic power that you manifested.

You were an expert dramatic performer, fast and humorous. Everything was "jolly good" you used to say. Together with Avesa prabhu you once did a play during the Christmas marathon festival. You played the role of Sankirtan-man in a Superman suit with a big S on your chest. It was very good and the devotees could not stop laughing. You actually did not play the part of Sankirtan-man, you wére Sankirtanman!

May you always be remembered as one of the best top of the pops of Srila Prabhupada's sankirtan maharati's. I'm sure that neither Sri Krishna nor Srila Prabhupada will ever forget your great and wonderful endeavours of bringing so many people in contact with Krishna-consciousness.

Happy that I could do some menial service to you. All glory to you! All glory to Srila Prabhupada!

Your ever indebted servant
Purna Tattva dasa, Belgium

Lecture on Give me the Old Time Religion by Bir Krishna Goswami at 25 Jan 2014 at ISKCON New Goloka

(Bir Krishna Goswami became a member of the Krishna conscious community in Gainesville, Florida in 1971. Shortly thereafter, he was initiated as Srila Prabhupada’s disciple.)

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Lecture on Mahaprabhu' s Teachings by Gauranga Prabhu on 16 Mar 2014 at ISKCON chowpatty

(Gauranga Prabhu, disciple of H.H.Radhanath Swami Maharaja Graduated from IIT Bombay in 1993, his interest in Krishna Consciousness dawned during his college days.)

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Lecture on Billions Spent On Olympics But What Result by HH Prahladananda Swami on 30 Mar 2012

(HH Prahladananda Swami was born in 1949, in Buffallo, New York. He studied at the University of Buffalo, where he received a full scholarship. In January 1969 he joined ISKCON and received both initiations that year from Srila Prabhupada.)

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This Govindas canteen is located at the Chanakya building in MBA block of the campus of KJ Somaiya group of educational institutes located at Vidyavihar (East) in Mumbai, India.

In the year 2010, the chairman of KJ Somaiya group of institutes attended the annual Ghatkopar rathyatra festival, enchanted by the festival, he was inspired to petition the authorities to allow the establishment of a 'vaishnava restaurant' on their college campus. The chairman requested the authorities to open a ‘vaishnav restaurant’ in their college campus, following which it started and was inaugurated by him, commissioner of Bombay Municipal Corporation and His Grace Shree Nath ji prabhu in the year 2010 itself.

At present this college canteen/restaurant is operating in campus of KJ Somaiya in full swing attracting a lot of young students everyday. Daily offerings are made to the deities of Lord Jagannath and Prasadam is available at the counter to enjoy. Govindas employs friendly staff who keep the canteen clean and enviting. Soothing kirtan is being played in the background exuding a positive vibe supporting a nice atmosphere.

Young students in the Govindas canteen

Govindas offers a rich menu for a fair price. Available is a variety of the traditional South Indian cuisine, such as dosas, vada, idli, samosas, vada-pao, different kinds of rice dishes, sandwiches, mixed in with some Chinese preparations. To complement the meals a nice selection of juices and milk-shakes are served. Govindas obtains their milk from the 'Nareshwadi cow farm' which is located in Palghar. Not to forget, Lord Jagannath likes His sweets to complete a satisfying meal. A full fledged combo will only cost you a whooping Rs. 45!

Don't miss out on the Happy Hour! Every day the buffet begins at 1pm, where Govindas is feeding an array of 600 school boys unlimited Prasad for only Rs. 45. Most of these happy kids are from pious Jain and Gujarati families and they love Govindas food.

Govindas kitchen

When I asked a group of commerce students (who used to visit Govindas once in a while) their feedback about this canteen for an article I wanted to write, they told me that they were well attended, environment was good, there was good ventilation and sitting arrangement was nice and spacious. A group of girl-students of commerce stream told me that they visit Govindas frequently and liked the cleanliness there as there was never any dirt lying on the table and cleaning was done timely, now they do not even feel like going at other canteens as they are very dirty and they stink. Some of these girls were Gujaratis and vegetarians, so they liked that there is no non-veg food available here. They also told me that the ‘waiting time’ was less and clean drinking water was always available. Environment was good and the garden in front of Govindas gave them nice feeling, whenever they entered, the idols of God made them feel positive. This is also a good place for parties and birthday celebrations where cakes are also served on request, they also get a good place to study and memorize and charge their mobile phones as well. These girls felt that there should be more chairs and fans here as this canteen is always crowded. They did like the juices here but not the tea (only caffeine free herbal tea is served here) and said that food was OK. They suggested air-conditioning would greatly improve the place but on second thoughts feared the prices would rise.

Govindas counter

One ex-student of Somaiya Engineering college remarked that there are positive vibrations in this restaurant, soothing kirtan goes on in the background. As for Rajaram Ji, the owner of the canteen, he is very involved with the daily affairs and service to customers. He is pleased and proud to serve his customers the very best food aka Prasad.

Rajaram prabhu told me that this restaurant has a good potential from preaching point of view, hundreds of young students honour Krishna prasad everyday and get a feeling that there is a Hare Krishna center in our college. Chairman of KJ Somaiya is impressed with this Govindas. People are also buying the Bhagavad Gita, Back to Godhead magazines, and books are available in Hindi, English, Gujarati and Marathi languages from the book-shelf placed near the cash-counter.

At the end of my visit, Rajaram prabhu shared a very sweet past-time with me which I'd like to pay forward. One morning a student named Ramkrishna Panigrahi, a native of Orrisa, heard the voice of Srila Prabhupada chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra coming from Govindas. Without second thoughts the young man hastened in to offer his service as a cashier. He felt this was a good place to do some sewa.

As we move more and more into the modern times, many young people loose their interest of leading a spiritual life, worse, they may not even like Krishna in any form. But devotees of the lord don't like to see this happening and creatively find ways to keep the path of devotion. Govindas in this college is one such place that has an enormous impact on the hearts and minds of countless young people, who honour Krishna Prasad, listen to kirtan, and buy spiritual books. This Govindas canteen is implanting the seeds of devotional service in these countless souls.

Govindas cash-counter

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his servants who are serving his mission of serving humanity by giving them the mercy of Krishna.

[This article is based on Rajaram Ji's narrations, the manager of Govindas. Written by Premanjana Das (Pranjal joshi) in the month of March, 2014 in Mumbai, India]

Lecture on Money Corrupts by Bir Krishna Goswami on 20 Jan 2014 at ISKCON New Goloka

(Bir Krishna Goswami became a member of the Krishna conscious community in Gainesville, Florida in 1971. Shortly thereafter, he was initiated as Srila Prabhupada’s disciple.)

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Lecture on Sattva Guna se Pare by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami on 08 Mar 2014 at Pune

(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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Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HG Sesa Prabhu at ISKCON Alachua on 27 Mar 2014
(Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10, Chapter 38, Text 23-27)

(Sesa Dasa was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1974 while he was traveling as a member of the initial Bhaktivedanta Book Trust library party. Sesa Dasa has a portfolio of two ministries: Minister of Educational Development and Minister of Justice, under which ISKCON Resolve works.)

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Lecture on Respect to others is the hallmark of Vedic Culture by Sivarama Swami on 01 April 2014 at Budapest

(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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Read more about Lord Ramachandra on www.harekrishnacalendar.com
Lord Sri Rama Photos www.iskcondesiretree.net
Images of Lord Rama For Kids Coloring Books www.iskcondesiretree.net
Listen and Download Audio Lectures of Lord Ramchandra on audio.iskcondesiretree.info
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Download Hi-Resolution Posters of Lord Ramchandra on images.iskcondesiretree.info 
Hi-Resolutions Wallpapers of Lord Sri Rama on www.harekrishnawallpapers.com 
Various Names of Lord Sri Rama on www.spiritualvedicnames.com