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Allow Me by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Allow me to give you a little flavour of South Africa.  Mangoes are sweet.  So are bananas.  Papayas, too. It all depends on the season.  

The people are sweet too.  However, there are some issues.
 
Phodiso is a twenty-seven year old fellow from the Pretoria area.  We had him cast as Krishna in our drama.  He has the persona down and the build with a warm face.  Masculine, but moves with grace.  Phodiso received a call today and was told to get back home right away. His cousin was murdered,
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Love Feast

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By Bhaktimarga Swami
 
Being Sunday means you have a feast at the local Krishna Centre.  Indeed in that program is a talk by some guest speaker.  That was me.  It was planned ahead of time.  Rasa, whom I co-ordinate with to do almost anything regarding my South Africa trip, asked, “Would you like to give the talk on Sunday at the Love Feast?”
 
"Sure!  What do you want me to speak about—the Love Feast?”
 
"Yes!" answered Rasa.
 
So I spoke about the origins of the world renowned "Love Feast" w
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Is a devotee also an eco-warrior?

By Parasuram das

For the last 11 days and nights a massive eco demonstration has taken place around the planet, here in London 5 main traffic arteries have been blocked by concerned activists and over a thousand people arrested. Hitting the headlines of every newspaper, constantly covered by every form of media, and now supported by many politicians, school children and community leaders.

So what has that got to do with Krishna Consciousness? We are not environmentalists or eco-warriors!

But h

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Perth Namahatta by Ramai Swami

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It’s always a pleasure visiting our Perth temple. Although a long way across to the west coast of Australia, the devotees are enthusiastic to receive visitors.

I was able to attend three or four Bhakti Vrksa and Namahatta programs where we had kirtan, Bhagavad-Gita study, more kirtan and prasadam.

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Source: http://www.ramaiswami.com/perth-namahatta/

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Recently, Mayapur Bhakti Vriksha organised the festival of glorifying Holy Name, 2019 -Krishna Naam Sudha, in the city of Krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal India.

To glorify & preach the yuga dharma- chanting of holy name, Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra was made the prime focus and the crowd of Krishnangar area participated whole heartedly in this great kirtan festival. Close to 400 attendees were in the house.Festival took place on 21st of April 2019, at 4 pm at the Dijendra Mancha, Krishnanagar M

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Back On the First Flight

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By Bhaktimarga Swami
 
In some way, I try to entertain myself on planes. This time, enroute to Durban, I immersed myself in a book, Karma Nation, by a devotee friend, Mohan Ashtakala (aka Hari Mohan), published by BWL Publishing Inc.  Mohan gave me a signed copy of his hot-off-the-press book, which is actually a love story.  A white woman, raised in an ashram in India, meets Sam, a young black man in Boulder, Colorado.  They hit it off immediately, and explore that they were soul mates in a p
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Introverts and Association

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By Sacinandana Swami

Question: When we associate with devotees, is it enough to chant and hear together or is there a need for personal interaction – especially if it is hard for us because we are introverted by nature? 
Answer: Srila Prabhupada writes: “Anyone who is trying to be aloof from this Krsna Consciousness Society and yet engage in Krsna consciousness is living in a great hallucination, for this is not possible.“ (Srimad-Bhagavatam ,4.9.11, purport) 
This is striking, isn’t it? Why do

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By HH Radhanath Swami

In America motherhood is considered old-fashioned. People are ashamed to be mothers. Women are taught to be professionals. Child care is given to other professionals, and thus children miss out on the love of a mother and have so many psychological difficulties. In America, 68% of couples get divorced. Of the parents of my friends I grew up with, my mother and father are the only couple that stayed together.

There is a need for ideal mothers, ideal fathers, ideal brahmacar

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Some of our pujaris insist that only white flour and white sugar should be used in bhoga offerings for our Lordships, while many of us, being health conscious, will avoid eating such adulterated or suspicious foods. Should we feel a guilty conscience if we eat healthily, but the Lord does not?

One may say that Srila Prabhupada liked white flour, but did not his personal cooks use ‘unbleached’ white flour for him? One may also say that our deities are the Supreme Lord, so how can He eat unhealth

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Tired but Tolerant Travel

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Everyone I know or talk to, on any lengthy air trip, comes out looking and feeling like a zombie.  Of course that's so because we are not meant to be in the air.  The only person I know who soars smoothly in the air is Vishnu Himself, riding on the back of Garuda.  So for me, being a mere mortal, a ten-hour flight in a mechanical bird, leaves me feeling like all others—drained.
 
The one saving grace of tedious travel is the beads in my hand, and how they compel me to remember the Supreme thr
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Honorable Minister of Tourism, Govt. of West Bengal, Mr. Gautam Deb visited ISKCON Mayapur. He attended temple arthis, had a tour of ToVP, Goshala, Srila Prabhupada Pushpa Samadhi Mandir, Gurukula, bhajan kutir, Ganga ghat and full dome theatre. He actively participated in developing Mayapur and viewed presentations on various projects of Mayapur.

He noted in guestbook that, “I stayed two days long with my friends. It’s a life time achievement. The coming up project is amazing and I wish lacs o

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By Sangita devi dasi

On Sunday, April 21, 2019, Her Grace Savitri devi dasi, a beloved member of our ISKCON Philadelphia Temple peacefully passed away. Surrounded by her closest friends who were chanting the Hare Krishna mantra at her bedside, Savitri departed from this world with a Deity of Lord Nrsimhadeva above her head, a small Deity of Lord Jagannatha and a photo of Srila Prabhupada on her heart, Srila Prabhupada chanting in her ear and a photo of Radha Krsna to her right.

For over 25 year

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Dramas and Plays by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I'm off on Turkish Airlines to participate in (actually to direct) yet another drama called, "Grandsire," regarding the life of General Bhisma.  It is another one of those stories of a Vedic tragic hero.  I'm going to arrive, hopefully, early enough to get a few days of practice before staging this ambitious production.  I call on miracles to happen because I do want to do justice to the character of this fine warrior.  He is detailed in the epic, Mahabharat.  Audiences in Durban, South Af
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Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikrama

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It is our great pleasure to announce ISKCON MAYAPUR’s 7th annual six-day Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikrama during the most auspicious month of Kartik (organized by the Mayapur Chandra’s). The Parikram begins on 1st of November 2019 and will end on 7th of November 2019.

There will be one day break, for Gopasthami (4th of November ) so that devotees can participate in the festival.

For this year also, the parikrama will not stay overnight; we will leave each day from the ISKCON Mayapur campus at 5

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Went for a night walk
Stepping through every block
With street lights lit
I passed by he and she
Appearing happy to be
Then saying that magic word
Sweeter than the best bird
In this chill of early spring
Warmth is slow to bring
And pedestrians are but few
Faces worn in a mood of blue
Why if you have all
Can't you pass a bright ball
Why the air of being down
Why the look with a frown
If you have the right spirit
The world is fine, don't fear it
But bankrupt are some
I'm passing a sign for CHUM
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Is God Partial?

By Gauranga Darshan Das

How would you feel if your parents are partial towards your sibling? Would you be comfortable when your teacher is biased towards your classmate? It is natural to expect from one’s superior or guardian a similar treatment as one’s equals receive. Any discrepancy in that leads to disappointment. Perception of partiality is painful and could demotivate people and slacken their spirits. What if one sees partiality in God?

Isn’t God Equal to All?

Yes. God is equipoised. He i

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Earth Day

By Giriraj Swami

Anticipating Earth Day, I thought of a prayer that resonated with me in my youth: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord.” (Ps

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Sri Balarama’s Rasayatra

By Deena Bandhu Das

From 5th Chapter of Bhakti-ratnakara

Balarama, the son of Rohini performed his rasalila in Ramaghat. This place is situated quite a long distance from where Krishna had his rasalila.

Balarama was the second body of Krishna himself and the depth of his real self was like the depth of a million oceans. He came to Vraja from Dvaraka and stayed during the two months of Chaita and Vaishakh to console Sri Nanda, Yasoda and the others. He pleased his sakhas in various ways. There a

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Activism
 
By Madhava Smullen

The ISKCON temple in Nyali in Mombasa, Kenya has recently completed the second phase of its construction – an apartment building to help care for the congregation and cultivate their spiritual lives.

The four-storey building includes ten apartments. Four of them are nearly 2,000 square feet each with three bedrooms; four are 1,600 square feet with two bedrooms; and two of them are 800 square feet each with one bedroom. All apartments also have their own kitchens.

In addit

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The Six Waves of Time – Part 1

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By Kadamba Kanana Swami

So the Lord is described as kāla-srota – waves of time. It is very interesting these waves of time. We see how it is described as the ṣaḍ ūrmayaḥ – the six waves. Actually everything comes into being, it grows, flourishes, and it gives off some by products. It begins to dwindle and then it ceases to exist. So these are also known as the six transformations – the ṣaḍ-vikāra. So the waves of time they follow a script which is the script of the Supreme Personality of Godhea

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