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Events

The State of West Bengal in India has joined hands with ISKCON, and produced a video to promote ISKCON Mayapur as a tourism hub. 

The video focuses mainly on Gaura Purnima or the day of the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is the biggest festival at Mayapur and brings devotees from across the globe to this Nadia town.

This video has also been promoted by the Times of India Journal. To read visit the following link:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/state-joins-hands-with-

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Activism

By Madhava Smullen

After decades of communism, civil war, and bans on all religion in Albania, ISKCON was finally officially registered in the Southeast European country on May 31st, 2019 for the first time.

Now a small group of devotees are making friends and contacts, distributing Prabhupada’s books and hatching plans for establishing ISKCON centers. In a country long starved for spirituality, the response is enthusiastic, and the future hopeful and exciting. 

The Beginnings of Krishna Con

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Madana Mohana Mohini Dasi: One Year

My dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your divine lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Gurudeva!

It has been one year since you initiated me. I am amazed that one year has passed! There is so much that I can say about that day, always. But today as I am writing this email, I am unable to find any words. You have simply made my life. And I am especially grateful to you because you are taking care of me when Srila Gurudeva is not phy

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Last Exit by Bhaktimarga Swami

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One member of our local community who comes regularly for priestly tasks drove Jai and I to his residential area at Pape and Danforth.  It was at my request.  "From your place the two of us will walk back to the ashram, a distance of five kilometres, exactly."
 
It's been hot here and the sun was blazing, "Jai, let's go on the shady side of the street."  The sun was going on its westerly way, casting shadows from buildings and trees on a slightly northern slant.  That was relieving.
 
On stre
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“In probability theory, the law of large numbers (LLN) is a theorem that describes the results of performing the same experiment a large number of times. According to the law, the average of the results obtained from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value, and will tend to become closer as more trials are performed.” (Wikipedia)

In our practice of bhakti yoga, each day is a new opportunity to experiment with making loving contact with Krishna through hearing and chanting

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Events
 
By Madhava Smullen

On June 5th– World Environment Day – ISKCON India partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for the first time, for a nationwide effort.

“The Indian office of the UNEP realized the potential of engaging spiritual organizations, and reached out to us,” says ISKCON India Communications Director Yudhistira Govinda Das.

At least forty-two different ISKCON centers stepped forward to help. To support the theme of this year’s World Environment Day – beating a

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Kirtan Fest Houston 2019

Events
By Chirag Bhatt 

ISKCON of Houston is organizing a Kirtan Fest 2019 during Labor Day Weekend (August 31 – September 2) at the beautiful temple in Houston, TX. This will be the 3rd annual festival that has become a recurring flagship annual festival. Every year, they have seen increased number of devotees gathering for sankirtan yajna. 

It will be a combination of kirtan, entertainment and philosophy. They are inviting kirtaniyas, special guests such as sanyasis, travelling preachers and othe

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I've left Florida and landed in Canada, and done some walking with Jai. Thoughts were flowing through my mind in the course of the walk.  I'll share and let those thoughts flow in as natural a fluidity as possible.   https://www.instagram.com/p/BzKFtffAn0k/?igshid=n1oo069onhre
 
There is a controversy drifting in the air within the local community.  The subject is whether to go vegan at our festivals with the public, go partly vegan, or not at all, in other words, "stick to the paneer and but
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Iguanas by the dozens were taking in the rays in the sun, just being very stoic until P. Krpa and I started walking in their territory.  They went scurrying about here and there until they came to that lagoon, taking shelter of its waters or the trees nearby.  Their speed disallowed candid pics.  We were at Virginia Beach.
 
Instead of attempting to get some time in walking, we opted for the swim. Unfortunately the water is shallow. I was content to get some mobilization in.  Can't complain.  
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"May we always be burdened with thinking of the suffering of others, for that is what it means to be human." - Kamand Kojouri

The ethos of this great land of India and it's Vedic culture is captured perfectly by the Upanishadic statement - "vasudhaiva kutumbakam". It means - this entire world is one family - the family of God.

Lord Krishna mentions in the Bhagavad-Gita 14.4 

sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita

"It should be understood
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I have thought and written much about what it takes to stay the course in bhakti for our whole life, as well as to how not to settle into a comfortable religious life not intensely focused on making spiritual advancement. They are related subjects though usually spoken of separately. I am primarily thinking about what kind of unique guidance should be provided to devotees of different ages, needs, and personality types. I would like to ask you in the beginning for your thoughts on this subject–

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The Temptations, a wildly popular Motown singing group, released their biggest hit song in 1965.
The following lyric from that long-forgotten song came to me as I was considering a very important and encouraging principle of bhakti yoga:
“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day.”
One might wonder how there can be sunshine on a cloudy day. (Moreover, one might justifiably ask how this lyric relates to the practice of bhakti!)
I found out.
In San Francisco, the summer months tend to be cloudy because i

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No walking.  Being a passenger in a car—yes.  From Tampa area, a group of us drove south to Miami.  Temperatures are in the high 90s and it's humid.  Upon arriving at a rented space on a floor in Coconut Grove, every AC unit and every fan was on, full-blast, to address this northern swami's needs.

The apartment filled up with guests, very quickly, for an evening sangha.  My choice excerpt of reading was a passage from Shyamasundar's book, Chasing Rhinos with the Swami.  Here is a quote from s
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Arts

Although little known in the western world, Mount Kailash is one of the most sacred spots on Earth. It is a holy pilgrimage site for people of the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon faiths.

For modern day travelers it offers an adventure unparalleled to any other adventure on the planet. In ancient scriptures Mount Kailash has been described as the center of the universe and the abode of Lord Shiva, the greatest of Vaisnavas.

Mount Everest is 8,848 meters in height and its summit has been scaled by

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It is said that when it comes to the material energy, Krsna is not directly controlling this energy. He is jagad avyakta murtini (Bhagavad-gita 9.4) – He is the form in this universe who is non-manifest. Yet He is also known to be mayadekshana prakrti suyate sa caracaram (Bhagavad-gita 9.10) – He is still known as the one who is controlling everything! But He controls by His desires and He controls by His energies. Scientists like to discover how the nature works and how there are laws in the u

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This journey is documented in undated Hindu sacred texts known as the Puranas written a few thousand years ago

One of India's biggest religious festivals, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, gets under way on Thursday. The festival is unique in that three Hindu gods are taken out of their temples in a colourful procession to meet their devotees. The BBC's Priyanka Pathak explains the legend behind the festival and its significance.

The biggest of these processions takes place in Puri in the eastern

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Last Day North by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I had read from the book, Chaitanya Charitamrta,where Nityananda expresses that the body and soul are one, but the prana / atma / the soul is more important.  My reading with the follow-up verse and purport was the subject of discussion.  Naturally it led to the philosophical conclusion of acintyabedabedatattva: the inconceivable, simultaneous oneness but difference principle. The subsequent discussion among those who sat there, thirty-five or so people, was very interesting.

From that templ
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"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

One time a few guests came to meet Srila Prabhupada, the founder acharya of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada pointing to his disciples told these guests very proudly, "Just see, these boys and girls are so dedicated to this Krishna consciousness movement and me that even if you give them a million dollars, they will not leave me."

The guests were highly impressed with the disciples commitment to Srila Prabhupada
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Some time ago I received what I considered to be a very nice compliment right here on Facebook. Someone wrote in a personal message, “I have been reading your posts and comments for the past two weeks and it seems to me that you don’t have a single solitary original thought or idea in your head and that you are completely brainwashed by Swami Bhaktivedanta.” Such praise coming from a complete stranger touched me deeply.
In a lecture given in Vrindavana, October 22, 1972 Srila Prabhupada said …

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Three Classes by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I delivered three classes, the same as I did yesterday.  At the Alachua ISKCON Centre, the class followed by discussion was in regard to a sage by the name of, Markandeya, who meditated, and performed austerities, which invoked the attention of the great Shiva and his wife, Parvati.  At their sudden appearance, he executed the most humble of yogicasanasor sitting postures.  Basically, he bowed to them and took a humble stance.

Our discussion then led to good behaviour within the Vaishnava cul
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