Honouring Srila Prabhupada to Kick Off 2016
Festival Report by: Smruthi Venkateshan
Pictures by: Sahil Srivastava
Though many of us may have been a bit tired after ringing in the New Year, the Toronto Hare Krishna community gathered up all their energy and enthusiastically celebrated the annual Srila Prabhupada Festival on the evening of January 1st, 2016!
The festival is celebrated annually to give tribute and thanks to Srila Prabhupada for starting the Hare Krishna movement in the West ther
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Saturday night kirtans have moved from the Lotus Room in Sydney to Govindas Asrama nearby.
This is because the restaurant is so crowded that both the regular customers and those from the kirtans could not fit in at the same time.
Nevertheless, the program goes on nicely with beautiful kirtan and sumptuous prasadam.
We usually find dīkṣā translated as “initiation” because to “initiate” something is to start it, to set it in motion – and dīkṣā is the thing that starts us in a certain direction.
In bhakti-yoga, dīkṣā is the thing that starts our devotional practices, sādhana-bhakti. Dīkṣā is the beginning of yoga. By dīkṣa we are accepted into a “school” of yoga and begin to be given whatever techniques and materials the school employs in its educational process.
Dīkṣā must be followed by śikṣā, specific
ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada personally introduced the Life Membership Program in the early 1970’s. He invited everyone across the world to take advantage of residing in ISKCON temples – all over the world – for a couple of days, of attending spiritual programs and receiving Krishna conscious association.
A one-of Life Membership donation is $1,111.
Your spiritual honors:
- a Life Member is entitled for free accommodation for three days pe
The Eye to See the I features 121 reflections on the Bhagavad-gita that make its insights appreciable in brief, relishable nuggets of wisdom. The book published in hard copy on Janmashtami last year is already nearing the end of its first print run and will go for the second print soon. Recently released on kindle, it is now available free for five days from 6th Jan to 10th Jan.
Some of the reflections in the book are:
- Money talks – and walks away as it is talking
- We can’t replace the min
I believe that the by gone year was pretty inspiring to be more introspective to our lives and practices to all of us reflecting our personal room for improvements in many folds. Every day we are trying to grow as better devotees, sincere servants, conscious human beings, and loving persons; we promise ourselves everyday to be better than ever. Srila Prabhupada describes this journey of excellence as “War against Maya”. It is definitely challenging but not impossible. The strength we draw to
Did you notice an increasing number of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and cyclones taking more lives these days than they used to a few hundred years back? That’s not all: nature has many other ways to punish humankind for their blatantly thoughtless activities and fiddling around with nature’s already established arrangement for maintaining the universe, our Earth being just a tiny part of it.
The ongoing madness of human beings on the planet, drilling deep into the earth for oil, gold and o
The passing of a great soul: Madhava Ghosh ACBSP.
“He reasons ill who tells that Vaishnavas die,
When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaishnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the holy name around!”
Madhava Gosh Prabhu has decided to go off dialysis. His dear wife Mother Vidya posted, “Tomorrow is day 9 …..he may not be able to talk to us but I’m sure he knows he is at home with his family and friends….prayers for a quick trip home ..the cows are waiting
Source...http://m.dandavats.c
His Holiness Gunagrahi das Goswami joined ISKCON in 1969 and was initiated by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in 1971. He accepted the renounced order of Sannyasa in 1983. For almost a half century, Maharaja has taught Krishna Consciousness and traveled tirelessly in the service of Srila Prabhupada. He has made hundreds of devotees and initiated many cutting-edge outreach activities.
His Holiness Gunagrahi Goswami has been diagnosed with cancer and has a 5x5x4cm tumor in his prostate. A rec
Lecture on Devananda Pandit Disappearance by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami
(His Holiness Bhakti Rasamrita Swami completed his B.E. from M.S University Baroda, MBA from Bombay University & worked for some time in a multinational Bank.)
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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 01, Chapter 18, Text 48 by HH Niranjana Swami on 20 Dec 2015 at Taipei
(His Holiness Niranjana Swami was born on December 10, 1952, in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. In 1972, his spiritual search took a turning point when he saw a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, on the counter of a bookshop in Washington, DC.)
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Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 08, Chapter 01, Text 12 by HH Janananda Goswami at Punjabi Bagh on 17 Dec 2015
(His Holiness Janananda Goswami was initiated by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in 1972. He held various positions in ISKCON and served Srila Prabhupada in various countries notably the United Kingdom, Africa, Malaysia, Europe, Philippines and New Zealand.)
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Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Srimad Bhagavatam Online Study Series
After the Book Distribution Marathon, now there’s an opportunity to actually study those books —beginning January 11, 2016:
In 2016 we will study one specific segment from each Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam per month, thus creating a progressive understanding of this book — the literary incarnation of God. From January thru October we will study structural buildin
ISKCON have been conducting Gita Talent Search (GTS) exam every year in different cities. The GTS exams started in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in December 2014. On the 2015 contest, in December, approximately 350 students participated from 12 different schools.
The exam is a multiple choice question type exam based on selected verses (and purports) of Bhagavad-gita. The 50 selected verses are communicated in advance to the students.
This year, a Muslim student from Radhabai Shinde English Medi
By Mahatma Das
I admit it. I’m addicted. But it’s not my fault. Really, I am innocent. I was simply asked to co-facilitate some japa retreats and workshops and I innocently accepted. And now I’ve become a japa retreat addict. I drop whatever I am doing and go to the next retreat or workshop. I simply can’t control myself. My material life is dissolving, my attachments are fleeing left and right, I am loosing interest in material pleasure, and I just want to chant more and more. My addiction has
Lecture on Krishna Fest-Power of Love by HH Romapada Swami in 22 Nov 2015 at Chicago
(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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Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 07, Chapter 06, Text 03 by Radha Govinda Swami on 27 Dec 2015 at ISKCON Juhu
(H.H. Radha Govinda Swami, a direct disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), lives in Vrindavan, India.)
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Lecture on Appreciating the mercy of the Lord by Bhakti Vinoda Swami on 27 Dec 2015
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