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Jagannathashtakam by Adi Sankaracharya

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Astaka refers to the number 8, and Jagannath means “Lord of the Universe”. This particular song consists of 8 verses specially glorifying the Lord of the Universe, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Krishna, originally uttered from the mouth of Lord Caitanya 500 years back.

 

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kadacit kalindi-tata-vipina-sangita-taralo
mudabhiri-nari-vadana-kamalasvada-madhupah
rama-shambhu-brahmamara-pati-ganesha-arcita-pado
jagannatha svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me 


Who sometimes fervently plays His flute on the banks of

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ISKCON Loses 26 2nd Avenue


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Did you just experience the same sinking feeling in your heart upon reading this headline that I did upon writing it?

A few months back, I wrote you all asking for monthly financial support to help keep Prabhupada’s 1st western temple up, running and under ISKCON care. My reasoning was that this temple is of global concern and surely the
worldwide ISKCON community has a stake in whether or not its bills can be paid. I may have been wrong.

Since posting my plea (titled “Seeking Matchless Gifts”), on
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Thought Of The Day

Even if somebody is not able to execute fully Krishna Consciousness, whatever amount of service he does it never goes in vain. It will eternally remain. And it will act. Even if somebody does small amount of service, and not even very willingly, still, he is assured to get human body in next birth, and chance to execute some service further. So there is no question of failure in Krishna Consciousness. It is only success. Krishna says, “My devotee is never vanquished.” So we must try sincerely, t

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Book distribution storiesPenny: I regularly sold books to the prostitutes in Kings Cross. One day, a girl said to me: "I'd love to get some books! I'll just have to take care of one customer and I'll be able to afford it". She grabbed a passer-by and disappeared down the street. Ten minutes later, she reappeared with $20, and bought the books. And the transvestites! Some of these, big, burly broad-shouldered, hairy-chested men wearing women's clothes, high-heeled shoes and make-up, seemed genuin
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Book distribution techniquesAntaratma: Buddhimanta was the most outrageous person that I had ever met; at least he used all his outrageousness in Krsna's service. We'd sometimes distribute outside the strip joints. The guys were yelling their stuff -- "Come on down, guys". Buddhimanta would do the same thing, except that he was yelling out for people's spiritual life. He'd call to people, yell, run across the street to talk to them, make faces at them, get down on one knee, embarrass people, cha
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Book distributionBuddhimanta started taking devotees on longer trips to these outlying cities. This concept of "travelling sankirtana" had proven very successful in America. Devotees, although having a morning program similar to that in the temple, found that they could dedicate more time and energy towards distributing books while travelling. Life on the road was simpler -- and adventurous.Hari-sauri:Around sunset, we pulled into a petrol station on the outskirts of Adelaide. I was asleep in th
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Eat big, distribute bigAs well as gradually emptying the storage shed, Sydney's book distribution revolution yielded other positive changes -- specifically in the devotees daily diet. Since the temple income had been meagre, the devotees ate very austerely. Breakfast had consisted of boiled semolina porridge, flavoured with a little orange rind. Lunch was simple rice and vegetables.Buddhimanta changed all that. If devotees were going out and working hard all day, he reasoned, they needed more su
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Buddhimanta prabhuOnly a few days before Buddhimanta's arrival, Caru had received a tape in the mail from a leading book distributor in America, Tripurari. Tripurari described a new technique that was revolutionising literature distribution in North America. Before hearing the tape, Caru had subscribed to the standard method of book distribution in Australia: a devotee would stand on the street, hold a Back to Godhead magazine or small paperback book in a vertical position and would only hand it
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Book distributionKrishna has given you great opportunity to preach the Krishna Caitanya cult in that remote part of the world. The time was there some years ago when Australia would not allow any coloured men to enter, but now you have allowed Caitanya Mahaprabhu to enter Australia and inundate the whole country with harinama sankirtana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's another name is Pita Barana Gaura [Lord Caitanya, whose complexion is golden], so by your combined effort I hope that one day Pita Barana
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Not Rolling stonesFriday, 23 February 1973Srila Prabhupada was happy with the progress that Tusta Krsna Swami had made in establishing Krsna consciousness in New Zealand. The large, sturdy temple building was a great improvement from the small weatherboard cottage in Mount Eden.Yet there were things that had disturbed Srila Prabhupada. During his stay in Auckland in 1973, Srila Prabhupada heard of a bizarre plan: the devotees had decided to modify the altar so the top part of the throne could re
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LectureSince Srila Prabhupada was staying in the converted brahmacari quarters upstairs, the single men had been relocated temporarily to a householder's residence on Auckland's North Shore. Each morning they drove across the harbour bridge to attend the morning program, beginning with mangala arati. The enthusiastic young men and women of Auckland temple greeted Prabhupada as he returned from his morning walk, and then sat before him to hear class.Prabhupada continued to speak from the Sixth Ca
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Places of piligrimageThursday, 22 February 1973Srila Prabhupada took his morning walk at Cornwall Park, a large area of green hills surrounding Auckland's most famous landmark, One Tree Hill. The spot was originally known as Maungakiekie by the Maoris, and was the site of many ferocious inter-tribal battles.The park, now designated as "a place of public resort for the recreation and enjoyment of the people of New Zealand" was notable for its rural and pastoral character. Many sheep roamed the ro
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Question and answersMany guests attended Srila Prabhupada's evening lecture on Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 2, verse 9. An especially lively question-and-answer session followed. A young woman asked:"How do you regard suicide, and would there be any exceptional circumstances that might justify it?""Suicide is not justified," replied Prabhupada. "It is a violation of nature's law. Nature gives you a certain type of body to live in for certain days, and suicide means you go against the laws of nature; y
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Nair is deadAs the sankirtana controversy had raged in Australia, another major fight was being conducted many thousands of miles away in India. Srila Prabhupada was pursuing the drawn-out case to secure land for a temple at Juhu Beach, Bombay. The months of legal wrangling and dealings with the owner of the land, the duplicitous Mr. Nair, had exhausted and baffled the local devotees. Not only that, but the worrying, protracted legal case continued to take up an abnormal amount of Prabhupada's t
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Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Burfi

BurfiOn the Tuesday afternoon, at the request of Tusta Krsna, Prabhupada entered the kitchen to show a couple of the ladies how to cook milk sweets. New Zealand's dairy products were world famous. The milk -- unhomogenised with a thick layer of yellow cream on top -- was only ten cents a litre.Prabhupada poured a couple of litres of milk into a wide pan, added sugar and brought it to a rapid, rolling boil. Stirring methodically, he condensed the sweetened milk until it reached a creamy, sauce-li
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Srila Prabhupada's scheduleTuesday, 20 February 1973During his travels in 1973, Srila Prabhupada continued his work of translation and commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Four. Despite his advanced age, the disruptive travel hours, the jet-lag, the tedious inconvenience of airport stopovers and aggressive customs officers, Prabhupada demonstrated great determination by maintaining his writing schedule wherever he went. Here in Auckland was no exception. His literary paraphernalia -- the d
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Shooting star

The kirtana after the class, led by Madhudvisa Swami, was a memorable one. By the time Prabhupada left after the first half-hour, the devotees, dripping with perspiration, were ecstatically running up and down the hot steamy temple room chanting 'Jaya Radhe, Jaya Krsna, Jaya Prabhupada'.

Srila Prabhupada decided to relax on the lawn. Someone brought a chair, and Prabhupada sat in the dark, beneath the stars, enjoying the roaring kirtana. He looked up reflectively, head held slightly
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