By Suhrit Krishna Das
ARISE with R.I.S.E!!! (Rupanuga Institute of Spiritual Education)
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada, Gaura Nitai, Sri Jagannath, Baldev and Shubhadra and Sri Sri Radha Giridhari.
On the auspicious evening of Narsimha Chaturdashi, many devotees in their best Vaishnava attire coming to the temple didn’t know what best was in store for them during the coming weekend. RISE was determined to conduct, with the help of Sri Sri RadhaGiridhari’s mercy, a divine opportunity for souls in Auckland by giving a CRASH COURSE of the sacred spiritual and the most practical guide to Bhakti Yoga i.e Bhagavad Gita. This course known was held on the 5th and 6th of May 2018. This was a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone together devotees and nondevotees , learn the science of spirituality, understand and practice Bhakti yoga.
The response at the time of registration was overwhelming, entries were very encouraging. Knowing the fact that this is happening for the first time in Auckland, gave enough confidence as to what could be expected. Even though it was a cold evening on Narsimha Chaturdashi yet devotees were enthralled with the idea, came up for registration and could not wait to attend the three session seminar on “ The Journey of Self- Discovery”, a systematic and scientific presentation on the essence of Bhagavad Gita.
The Course started with an amazing introduction given by HG Kalasamvara Prabhu on the significance of applying the wisdom of this ancient scripture in our lives. Following that, there were eye opener points on prime topics in life like- Does soul exist? What is the nature of the soul? What happens at the time of death? What is Real Yoga? And an ever debatable question by many who are not devotees yet: Does GOD exist? Beautiful thought provoking questions with amazing life-changing answers was the charm of the evening. By the grace of our spiritual masters and Srila Prabhupada, the philosophy which is very difficult to understand by many of us was made simple and easy to understand by relating it to our day to day lives and our everyday theories that we are trapped in. ‘Real Knowledge frees us from material miseries’ was very practically set and taught by HG Praneshwar Das, a visiting preacher, an exemplary figure in the field of education in Krishna consciousness and the inspiration behind the session.
The session was so interactive and educational that devotees were astonished and wanted the session to go longer and longer. Of course, sumptuous sanctified Prasadam always has its special place. Delightful were these two evenings, fun filled and promising; with everyone waiting for the next to come soon….
Nothing happens by chance. Behind this fantastic event, there was the presence of some very dedicated souls such as our expert Leader, HG Kalasamvara Das, Temple President and the Director for RISE, Temple Secretary Krishnachandra Das, the Course Coordinator Suhrit Krishna Das and their entire team.
A Course which is going on presently is the Bhaktisastri Course and a group of 25 devotees are taking the course, half of which has just been completed.
Apart from the 3 Session Bhagavad Gita Course and the Bhaktisastri Course, RISE is also planning to conduct several other courses in all spheres of spiritual life including practical courses such as cooking etc. Srila Prabhupada quotes, “ With the presence of Krishna, who is just like the sun, the darkness of ignorance is at once dissipated.” With this huge response from all, ISKCON Auckland is looking for more opportunities to serve the souls towards engaging in devotional service.
R.I.S.E ki Jai!!!
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!!!
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Hare Krishna..